Author Topic: Radar  (Read 350 times)

Offline Letalis

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Radar
« on: April 27, 2013, 05:39:28 PM »
Not sure exactly what type of radar is modeled in game. Currently it goes down to 200ft and out to 12 miles.

As modeled, it looks like the Brit CHAIN HOME system.  Looked up some basic stuff on wikipedia...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_Home

"Chain Home had many limitations. With fixed antennas facing the sea, the Observer Corps had to be employed to report aircraft movements once the coast was reached. With detection poor below 5,000 ft (1,500 m), Chain Home Low stations were placed between Chain Home stations to detect aircraft down to 2,000 ft (610 m) but only out to 35 mi (56 km) from the coast, about one-third the range of Chain Home."

Thus two alternatives to the status quo:

A.  "Realism." What if we gave "Low station" capability of 12 miles and 2k feet to small/med fields and the standard cape of 35 miles down to 5k feet to large airfields?

I miss the old mix of NOE missions.  Given that towns are tougher to take after the town update, they are also a reduced threat.   That said, a 2 or 5k bottom to radar detection would probably be too much of a game-changer.  

B.  "Compromise." What if radar went out 15 miles with coverage extending upward from field elevation +100ft at a 1.5% angle.  This would mean that at 12 miles, the radar detection floor would have risen by 900ft above its origin or 1k total.

Thoughts?
« Last Edit: April 27, 2013, 06:46:10 PM by Letalis »
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Offline Lusche

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Re: Radar
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2013, 05:44:42 PM »
Not sure exactly what type of radar is modeled in game.


None.

It's purely a gameplay function and not based on any 'real world' radar.
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Offline Letalis

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Re: Radar
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2013, 06:45:23 PM »
My biggest gripe is if you have a base sitting at say 3.4k with a canyon running below it, I can be in the canyon at 1,500ft msl with no way in  :devil I'd be picked up on dar, yet there I am...

Building terrain masking into the game would be an awesome but a very intensive effort applied to each map.  A simple formula which at least accounts for field elevation would be awesome.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2013, 06:59:04 PM by Letalis »
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Offline Karnak

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Re: Radar
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2013, 06:51:47 PM »
I don't think making it easy to sneak bases by flying under the radar is a good way to encourage combat.

Even if the attackers pop up on radar 4 miles from the base, it is functionally too late to do anything about them.

I am also skeptical that the mix of small and large fields on a given map would create a useful matrix of Chain Home and Chain Home Low stations.
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Offline phatzo

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Re: Radar
« Reply #4 on: April 27, 2013, 07:12:50 PM »
they would be sighted along the way and reported, the current dar would represent that.
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