Increase tower and sector radar realism

[Mister Fork]

For as long as I can remember, almost all older sims take a pretty basic approach to radar.  Hills and mountains be damned, if you fly behind a hill - the game will still see you (even though there is a million and half tonne of impenetrable rock between you and the radar system.

All new games, including DCS, radar works as it should - you can hide behind tall structures, hills, inside valleys, and mountains - SAM's and radars be blind.

Aces High prides itself in realism, and most of us enjoy that fact. Fuel and WEP management, wind, haze, clouds, and including our complicated damage model. The in-game radar system, however, is left with a 1999 design.  There is no reason then, that given the primitive radars of WWII, should a tower or sector radar be able to spot an enemy fighter if they're behind a mountain or tall hills. 

I would also like to add, that while field radar are a powerful strategic importance to field defence, taking out enemy radar is a tactic to employ when attempting to capture an enemy field.

Why can't we do the same for sector radar?  Shouldn't sector radar's facilities be destroyable? In WWII, they're usually identifiable as tall flat metal grids that are usually unidirectional.  Like these german and british units:
 



Every map should have these all along the coast or behind the front lines scanning for incoming aircraft (or ships if along the coast). 

And they should be destroyable (and repairable via supplies).

So, is it time we update the radar units to make it more realistic? Give gameplay new strategies and tactics to use against? Make mountains and hills radar proof?

[Zoney]

Aces High prides itself in realism, and most of us enjoy that fact. Fuel and WEP management, Why can't we do the same for sector radar?  Shouldn't sector radar's be destroyable?

-1

I have always imagined that sector radar that only shows you that an enemy is in the area is more of an approximation of what an observer would have relayed to HQ, not an actual radar blip.  Radar blips tell us the enemy is exactly *here*, sector radar just says that hes in this sector.

[Puma44]

I agree with Fork.  Realistically, radar can’t detect behind solid masses.  So, it shouldn’t be able to in game.  As a compromise, how about an observer position(s) that is spawned out from the base?

[Mister Fork]

-1

I have always imagined that sector radar that only shows you that an enemy is in the area is more of an approximation of what an observer would have relayed to HQ, not an actual radar blip.  Radar blips tell us the enemy is exactly *here*, sector radar just says that hes in this sector.

What you're talking about Zoney is the tower radar - during the early months of WWII, yes, there were observers but when cloudy conditions occurred, they couldn't see enemy or friendly aircraft. The Mark-II and eventual Mark-III radars fixed that issue allowing ground based observers to use scopes from the sector-type radar arrays.

In our current implementation of Aces High, there are sector and tower based ranges, including ground height settings. For airfield radars, we see that the tower radar is attached to the structure. Destroy it, tower field radar goes away.

We're asking for two things:
1. For sector based radar, they should also attached to objects that can be taken down. Abit - there would be a sheit-load of them for any given country - and they do have HUGE ranges, measured in the hundreds of miles. So, to take down an entire country sector radar - it's almost impossible if they're well placed objects.  And it also gives map builders a chance to introduce new strategic objects on the map.
2. Even if 1 is not possible, sector AND tower radar should operate realistically. Objects behind mountains or out of direct line of sight of the radar (tower or sector) should cause objects to disappear from our maps.  Sector radar should ALSO identify ships on the water if they get close enough to land and are in line of sight of tower or sector radar. That's should be a basic physics principle we need to bring our radar system into 2017 version of Aces High that represents WWII radar for it's day, especially the MA.

And yes, as former Army Signals, I know this stuff inside and out having worked in this field for 10 years. Though, that was some time ago.   

[Wiley]

1. For sector based radar, we should those also attached to objects that can be taken down. Abit - there would be a sheit-load of them for any given country - and they do have HUGE ranges, measured in the hundreds of miles. So, to take down an entire country sector radar - it's almost impossible if they're well placed objects.  And it also gives map builders a chance to introduce new strategic objects on the map.

Respectfully, given the above, what's the point?  If the range is that extreme and there's that many of them, why bother having the ability if it will never be able to be utilized?

2. Even if 1 is not possible, sector AND tower radar should operate realistically. Objects behind mountains or out of direct line of sight of the radar (tower or sector) should cause objects to disappear from our maps.  Sector radar should ALSO identify ships on the water if they get close enough to land and are in line of sight of tower or sector radar. That's should be a basic physics principle we need to bring our radar system into 2017 version of Aces High that represents WWII radar for it's day, especially the MA.

And yes, as former Army Signals, I know this stuff inside and out having worked in this field for 10 years. Though, that was some time ago.   

I'd like to see it, but if memory serves, HT has commented more than once that LOS calculations take up a ton of resources.  Same reason ship puffy can get you through a hill.  I wouldn't hold out much hope for this wish.

Wiley.

[Volron]

I like this.  However, instead Sector Dar Facility being knocked out causing a loss in sector dar, have it to where it adds a delay of like 2-3 minutes.  Think of it as observers taking over as a cause for the delay.