So, when I heard ‘TARPS’ I thought, finally, I can put a recon mission in there that seems somewhat plausible; at least you can see a gizmo attached for the purpose. All I have to start with is the Wiki, ‘Missions’ section:
Is this close?
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@jross I too am lazy, didn’t listen but read the TLDR
“Close” is the literal wording there, so yes!
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Thanks, I wasn’t clear - my bad. I’m not very familiar with this piece of Tomcat kit; was wondering how accurate the Wiki was concerning this mission. Pretty straight-forward based on that: Go really fast, take pictures.
Until today TARPS meant, to me, “what I use to keep things like my BBQ grill dry with”. 
I guess there was some button or switch to turn the TARPS pod “on” (start recording). Doesn’t sound like there will be any mechanism to ‘trap’ for this event in the sim. Seems the best you can do, off the top of my head, is check the players position: did they hit points A & B within some parameters. If so then success. Would be something different and having/seeing an actual hunk of gear hanging off should complete the illusion. Hmm. I’ll re-read the Wiki (just cruised through it earlier).
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There’s a great episode on TARPS on the F-14 Tomcast. I thought it might be a little boring, but it turned out to be one of my favorite episodes!
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Knowing Heatblur, they will probably add something to improve the player experience and that is not dependent on mission makers.
Do you know what they did with the Viggen ELINT pod?
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I’ll check it out. Thanks again.
Looks like I started it but got interrupted (when it first came out).
Quick link
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I don’t either but IIRC, it works something like this:
After flying around with it and landing, you get a plaintext file in your Saved Games dir with emitter types and approximate locations. The better you were able to get signals from the same receiver from different directions, the more accurate the triangulation is.
Or maybe you just got the lines and not the area? Not sure about the details, but it does allow you to do actual ELINT on a running (multiplayer as well) mission and then use rhat info immediately without any additional setup required from mission maker or scripts.
I am hoping we get something similar with TARPS where we can “develop” the pictures after landing and get them in some local files.
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Right! Most importantly, it develops a strike plan and populates a data cartridge you can select on the kneeboard immediately after landing, so in-mission you can fly an ELINT mission, land, and assess the intel gathered on the kneeboard/F10 map, and have a data cartridge loaded and ready to go if you decide to strike a radar you found. It’s cool!
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All sounds cool. My hang up (at this point) is I can’t do “I/O” from lua – without changing the users 'MissionScripting.lua" file. Or I don’t know how, yet. Specifically these entries:
…
do
sanitizeModule(‘os’)
sanitizeModule(‘io’)
sanitizeModule(‘lfs’)
…
end
And I don’t want to do that. I want a newbie to be able to just download it and click “fly”. No changing your base install (I plan to support some mods for different objects like CAM, MAM, etc). And unlike paid campaigns this is semi-dynamic, ie; no missions are exactly the same (different tasks and targets).
So you can’t have things like mission-specific kneeboards or audio (I’ve handled these in different and more simplified ways). I’m hoping the updated weather plan allows me to change it on loading. Will see.
Anyway, I digressed - a lot. I may have to pick up the Viggen sooner than later as it might give me a clue as to how they did this. Not likely but there’s a corner of my hangar that’s empty?
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You can add audio files and kneeboard into the .miz files be dynamically generating them can’t be done without those changes you noted above. You probably know this but I just wanted to be clear. When I was messing around with scripting a few years ago I used to disable those to create my own logs and data files from the lua scripting.
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Thanks for the confirmation, appreciated.
I have ‘dynamic’ Kneeboard information, called up with a F10 menu item for things like, “Frequency Ladder”: you click it and it spits out the the freqs for, say, tankers (among other entities and info).
Or routes using the map drawing API (lines, text, circles, arrows, etc) thus creating a ‘dynamic’ kneeboard if you will.
Most things are random, with some influencing factors like; what point in the campaign you happen to be in (early, middle, late, etc). Is why I can’t have ‘canned’ audio - creating THAT, dynamic, text-to-speech mechanism was/is a bear but so far it works. And it is by nature more flexible. Just doesn’t sound as ‘sexy’ as canned audio (but you don’t notice after a few missions). I have to ‘build’ a sentence on the fly, like:
doAudio(“HORNET 11”, “maintain”, “at or above”, “altitude(number)”, “until cleared”). Blah, blah blah. The altitude is variable in this case. And on the correct freq; without colliding with other transmissions. Took a bit of time.
All within a ‘theme’ - in this case as an “Attack Pilot” in a COIN environment. So you might get tasked for:
- CAS: work with an AFAC (ground/JTAC not plugged in yet but soon)
- Armed Recon (with a ‘kill box’ to patrol, complete with a grid and map display)
- “Strike” - a coordinated strike with a bunch of other aircraft, usually on a airfield, factory of some kind, etc - a “big” target. Just not sure what to call this as these types changed over time and even between service branches.
- Interdiction - Go break something HQ thinks will hurt the enemy
- ‘None’ - just blast off, hold at the CAP/CP (Control Point) and wait for the AI to rustle up a target (think they called this, depending on the time/service, “On-Call CASS” or “CAS CAP”).
All info Is formatted from static and dynamic data within the mission at runtime.
And it’s even working! Testing is time consuming though.
Then ‘port’ it all over into the miz - right now I store the source externally so I can edit/debug it, then just hit “fly” after fixing/changing something (I use loadfile()). I’d never be able to do something this complex without this mech.
Ugh, then I need to do a tutorial video. And a manual (though nobody reads anymore).
Back to work for me…
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From Iron Mike
" Posted yesterday at 06:22 AM
Dear All,
Apologies for the late notice on this; with our intense pace currently, we’re quieter than usual and time has flown since the AIM-54 update.
Today’s patch does not include any changes for the Viggen or F-14. Recently, lead times changed significantly for DCS patches, and while we managed to ship our large Phoenix overhaul last update, there was only a very very small gap to contribute to this patch and so we focused on shipping a larger update for the F-14 and Viggen in the October patch.
Major features which will release will be, amongst others, the new cockpit pilot bodies, Viggen art updates, a new free campaign for the F-14A, and the new full implementation of jamming and associated EW effects in the AWG-9 radar. We’ll also be updating the Forrestals with various improvements and adjustments. We’ll do an in-depth dive on the last part soon to give you all an idea of what to expect, as with the AIM-54 as it’s a rather large update to the F-14’s radar and another massive step towards full completion.
Thank you for all the support and stay tuned for the breakdown on the EW/Jamming effects! 
Sincerely,
HB
null
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Dear All,
Another major F-14 update is about to drop!
One of the biggest features we’ve developed since launch for the F-14 is coming with today’s patch; namely expanding and extending our radar simulation to encompass Jamming and associated EW effects and their impact on the AWG-9- but we’re also shipping more features such as new JESTER functionality for mission editors and the in-cockpit VR pilot with this patch.
Lets kick things off with a deep-dive into the biggest feature to drop, namely Jamming and Jammer Tracking for the AWG-9
NEW FEATURE: Jammer Effects, Detection & Tracking in the AWG-9
This new feature will now enable accurate effects on the DDD and TID for jamming, tracking jamming targets and guiding missiles on these targets, as well as any associated ancillary effects that we feel make sense to model in the DCS environment. Here’s a breakdown of some of the things you should expect:
In summary, noise jammers prevent the AWG-9 radar from ascertaining (and therefore displaying) range or range-rate information on a target, until burn-through is achieved (when the radar return signal is sufficiently strong to overcome the received jamming noise). The AWG-9 has several features which allow the aircraft to still be effective against such threats, which we can detail further below;
The DDD will show noise returns over the range axis at the azimuth of a jammer in pulse search mode, which looks something like this:
In Pulse Doppler modes, the DDD shows a jamming intensity trace overlaid on the lower one-third of the display. This is essentially a graph of received wideband power vs. azimuth, and thus also shows smaller normal radar returns.
Where a noise exceeds a predetermined threshold, a JET (Jam Exceeds Threshold) vertical strobe is also displayed on the DDD at the jammer azimuth. Note that due to what we feel are justifiable DCS limitations in jamming fidelity, the JET (Jam Exceeds Threshold) settable knob is not implemented at present.
Here’s what this kind of intensity trace can look like on the DDD:
Jammers will show up with a jamming strobe (straight line in the direction of the detected jamming signal) on the TID in TWS and RWS modes, these can be toggled with the Jam Strobe button beneath the TID. If range/range-rate is not available for the jammer (beyond burn through), an angle symbol (<) is displayed on the strobe at 50NM from your aircraft.
The jam strobes are also shared over Link-4A fighter-to-fighter datalink, allowing for eyeballed triangulation of actual jammer position, an example of which looks like this:
The TID angle symbol is hookable, to allow the RIO to try to get an STT lock via the PD-STT or P-STT buttons. The HCU radar cursor can also be used in the normal fashion on the DDD to try to acquire jamming targets in PD search or P search. We’ve extended JESTER functionality to also allow him to lock jammers ahead.
Practically speaking, when a jammer is locked in any of these scenarios, it leads to a special STT submode named Jam Angle Track (JAT). In JAT, the range/range-rate of the jammer is unknown, but the angles are known and can be tracked as such.
Instead of the RDROT (Radar On Target) light above the DDD, the JAT light is displayed in this case. On the TID, the angle symbol (<) is displayed along the jam strobe at 1 inch from own aircraft position in STT-JAT modes. When burn-through is achieved, the angle symbol will disappear and be replaced with the normal target symbol at the correct position. Conversely, if an STT target starts jamming (and is beyond burn-through), it will automatically transition to STT-JAT submode.
In STT-JAT sub-modes, both AIM-7 and AIM-54 can be employed in Home On Jam (HOJ) modes. Since range is unknown, lofting is disabled, and the missile guidance is similarly limited to only using angle information to intercept the target.
HOJ launches are therefore limited compared to normal STT launches, but in the end, better than nothing. !
With this update, we hope to take another large step forward in our simulation of the AWG-9 radar and associated systems, and bring us far closer to a fully realised picture of what utilising and operating this radar system was like in a live combat environment.
The effects described above and the associated functionality in the AWG-9 will have to be accounted for by all RIOs and JESTER, and significant changes in how you approach various situations may be required. We’re proud of our work on simulating this aspect of the AWG-9 and greatly hope you will enjoy flying and fighting not only enemy bandits but also their emissions.
New & Expanded Feature: JESTER Custom Commands
We love supporting all the wonderful and talented mission and campaign-builders out there in the community. One of the great things about multi-crewed aircraft is that it can bring a sense of immersion that single-seat aircraft can’t- and JESTER is a big part of that for the F-14. Over the past few months, we’ve invested significant time in extending JESTER’s functionality but also giving mission makers deep hooks into JESTER to enable you to control the RIO at a granular level and make this a key part of your narrative toolset.
Succinctly, we’ve added a large number of commands which let JESTER perform actions on his own, at the behest of the mission designer, without the player’s input, which can help drive a scripted narrative or create the illusion of him being an autonomous RIO who both thinks and acts on his own in the context of pre-planned situations. These set commands can be triggered in the mission editor as actions, following the entire range of conditions provided to the mission creator in DCS, from unit inside zone, to flags being true, etc.
The first major addition to these were the LANTIRN set commands, which we demonstrated in the mission “Training Day” - they let JESTER scan zones, track targets, designate and undesignate whatever is in the crosshairs, and thus help create the impression of the RIO pro-actively searching an area and fulfilling his mission to locate, track and engage a target. Additionally we gave mission creators the ability to make him go silent or talkative again, so that mission-based voice acting does not cross over with the normal JESTER comments that are situation-based and can conflict with scripted dialogue at any given time.
We’ve also added the ability to make JESTER change channel presets for the AN/ARC-182, tune TACAN channels on his own, change steerpoints, create steer points from coordinates belonging to a trigger zone, to set the WCS to on, off or standby, manipulate the TID range knob, perform an RWR test and even have him eject on the command of the mission creator. With this latest update, we are introducing even more set commands to further the mission creator’s abilities. He will now be able to select weapon stations, set the weapon selector wheel to a preselect and desired weapon for air to ground missions, set ripple quantity and interval as well as all additional delivery modes, he can set attack modes like computer target, computer pilot and manual. Furthermore he can now manipulate the radar scan zone in elevation and azimuth, he can STT a specified target (and break lock again), and also perform a missile launch if the mission creator so desires.
To give you some insight into a “on the ground” usage of these tools; here’s what the wonderful Reflected had to say about using this new functionality in the upcoming “Speed & Angels” campaign!
Quote
For starters, we can now silence Jester at any point in the mission to make sure his dynamic calls don’t interfere with the scripted voice overs. I can unsilence him for parts of the mission where his dynamic calls are welcome, such as during dogfights or AAR - these calls would be very hard to script - then once it’s over, the mission can silence him again.
We can make him take care of basic navigation and radio comms too: switching and entering waypoints, radio channels, TACAN - so you really only have to worry about front seat problems, and just follow the steering on your screen. You finally get to be a real stick monkey!
More importantly, mission makers have full control over the AI RIO’s weapons employment now:
The backseat can be set up for any given air to ground weapon employment, and the AI will handle the LANTIRN too. No need to touch the Jester menu. A great example of this is Heatblur’s ‘Training Day’ mission, where Jester is looking for ground targets with the LANTIRN, scanning the area in full sync with the voice overs, without any interaction from the player. It can create some very immersive scenarios.What’s more, the mission can control air to air setups too. In scripted scenarios, Jester can be told where to direct the radar, what range to use, which target to lock and when. Imagine your AI lead detects 2 bandits, tells you to lock the left one, and your AI RIO does exactly that and then replies to him, without your interaction.
These may seem like small things, but when used smartly they add up, and with the appropriate voice overs they can give you the illusion of flying with an actual person in your backseat. This illusion is what immersion is all about, and it certainly opened up new dimensions for mission makers.
It enabled me to do something I never thought would be possible: in my upcoming Speed & Angels campaign you’ll fly with an actual USN Tomcat RIO, voiced by himself, doing everything that he would do in real life automatically. Isn’t that what we all dreamed of? It certainly is for me.
Expand
To guide you through using these tools, here’s a tutorial video from Reflected himself running you through how to use these tools in your missions.
We greatly hope you’ll enjoy using these new JESTER tools to craft immersive, guided and curated experiences for the Tomcat.
Check out the full list of commands here:
JESTER Set Commands, full list. - DCS: F-14A & B - ED Forums
New Feature: In-Cockpit Pilot
Last but not least; we’re finally implementing in-cockpit pilot bodies for both the Pilot and RIO positions. These new pilot models were sculpted for the purpose of not only serving as cockpit bodies, but will eventually replace the current lower detail bodies in exterior view and in the cockpit for the other crewmember. This will however be added at a later date. We’ll be adding more customization functionality as we go.
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**
The non-exhaustive changelog for the F-14 in 2.8 looks as follows:
DCS: F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations
-
NEW: Introduced Pilot and RIO body for front and back cockpit.
-
NEW: Added jammer detection and tracking functionality in the AWG-9, which adds amongst other features:
- Noise jammers will now prevent AWG-9 from ascertaining range or range-rate from a target.
- DDD will show noise returns over the range axis at jammer azimuth in pulse search.
- DDD will show jamming intensity trace overlay in pulse doppler modes.
- TID will display jamming strobe in TWS and RWS modes.
- TID jamming strobe can be toggled via Jam Strobe button below TID.
- Jam strobes can be shared over Link-4A fighter to fighter datalink, allowing for eyeballed triangulation of actual jammer position.
- TID angle symbol is hookable.
- PSTT or PDSTT on jamming target leads JAT (Jam Angle Track).
- STT-ed target transitioning to jamming outside of burnthrough automatically switches to JAT submode.
- In STT-JAT submodes both AIM-7 and AIM-54 can employed in HOJ (home on jam).
-
Added jamming targets to JESTER STT options.
-
NEW: Added new list of set commands for JESTER to be used in the Mission Editor.
- 10017 to 10033 are new.
- For a full list visit this post here.
-
Reverted AIM-54 loft to state before looping hotfix to revert exceptionally poor performance.
-
Fixed forward rendering for canopy sealant - will now not appear shadowed at odd angles anymore.
-
Screens and other glass surfaces will now reflect sunlight again.
-
Added non-gfx external args to check the status of JESTER tracking air targets (to be used with scripts):
- 1026: tracked predefined target; 0.01 - 0.99, same as command 10024; 0.0 - no predefined target tracked.
- 1027: range to predefined target (only when tracking); 0.xxx - three digits of distance to tracked predefined target in NM.
-
Potential fix for mission freeze including F-14 AI.
-
Made LANTIRN available as laser designator for the AI.
-
Fixed ALT HOLD not working >36k AGL.
-
Fixed flashbang-like sun glare on internal canopy glass.
-
Fixed MiG-23s not taking off in PG Flogger Faceoff Mission.
-
Adjusted all Quickstart BVR missions for new AIM-54s.
-
Removed instances of “color” shader in cockpit due to deprecation
-
Minor cockpit optimizations - fixed some visibility arguments not triggering LoD changes
Thank you all for your support. We hope you’ll enjoy this update to the F-14 in 2.8; and we look forward to sharing more on the F-4, Eurofighter, Viggen and others very soon!
Sincerely,
Team Heatblur
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Got my own work to do so only skimmed that. Saw enough to conclude, “I love these guys”.
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Excited to see the pilot and RIO bodies. They’re a huge immersion builder in VR, and I wish all the developers would incorporate them (including Il-2 GB).
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Agreed. Not that is’ a Big Deal to me but, the animations of the pilots head (at least in some aircraft) seems limited; snaps 90 left/right and that’s it. Again, not a big deal but it just stands out against all the other animations.
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where is my early A model!? disclaimer: I told to myself long time ago (lot of time passed since release I know) that I will buy Cat only once they release early A.
… but at this point I feels like Daikatana fan (I have waited far too long) 
When IL-2 1946 actually had the Pilots movement mirror those of the Player with the v4.11m patch it really improved the immersion and it was really cool to know that you were actually seeing how the Player reacted and not some canned routine.
4.11 Static Plane Spawn
May 11, 2011
The head movement was an Easter egg in this promo video.
Natural camera pivot:
December 25, 2011
Wheels
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Heatblur has this down too.
Not sure if it syncs between different planes but between pilot and backseater, the head movements are amazing. It looks like full 6DOF (though it may actually be 5, not 100% sure). It is very, very convincing, and amazing for immersion when flying with human pilot and RIO, much better than stock DCS 2DOF movements (rotations only).
I have also been looking forward to the body in-cockpit!
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