The Close Air Support HELL and the Joint Terminal Attack Controller (J-TAC)

[JJG]

Man, you guys have this shit really figured out throwing numbers around and everything, and here I am thinking how cool it would be if any of this was actually useful...

[Hunk1]

Part of the issue is that a lot of JTAC operators and medics seem to think that CASEVAC is always running with two MTs waiting to reload the weapons and two doctors waiting to transport wounded to Medbay, on top of us being able to take off the exact instant we land if we wanted to.

It's important to remember that none of this is the case: even on rounds where nothing's happening, 50-75% of MT/CE players would rather do anything instead of sit in the hangar to help us reload and the vast majority of doctors can't sit and wait for us to bring wounded to them. These both mean that POs, with the lowest Loader skill in the game that allows them to use a Power Loader, have to both reload their own dropships and move wounded to Medbay before they can launch again. Some POs are on top of things and make sure to have all the ammo out and ready before first drop with multiple roller beds on the dropship for Medevac. Others... Let's just say I had one round where a PO printed weapons, attached them, loaded them all, and then just flew with no ammo ready for a bit before cryoing and I had to spend more than 10-20 minutes begging MTs to help with ammo and doctors to move wounded or I'd have to abandon CAS strikes altogether. In the end, I ended up postponing reloading the weapons for something like half an hour because of constant Medevac requests and a lack of any help with the dropships.

If you go Medic or pick the JTAC kit, remember that there will be delays due to the fact that we have to rely on shipside roles that are either unwilling or unable to lend us a hand to do stuff that takes us out of the dropship.

Departing with the dropship is a big no-no for me. I make the medics wait for the medevacs while i reload the dropships, and i ALWAYS keep both of hangar's powerloaders on each side to speed up the reloading process with end up taking 10-15 seconds of box swapping installing new box and stuff, UNLESS i have to print more ammo, then i am fucked (which rarely happens.) I usually take longer to take off because of unloading wounded and taking them to medbay, i usually roll two medevac stretchers, but it's an HELL to unload 6 wounded and take them to medbay, and there is when i take the most of the time to take off again.

[Freedominspace]

You see, all of this ignores the biggest problem with CAS. Nobody ever marks targets, even JTACs, which means you could have the best pilots on the server and still not be able to do anything. CAS needs to have some sort of incentive, then actual procedures can be discussed.

[Ttly]

Also roofs, roofed areas that you can't laze or approach with a signal flare.

[Hunk1]

Also roofs, roofed areas that you can't laze or approach with a signal flare.

You can actually. But you need to scout first the area. Unless a J-TAC is decent enough to give offsets and tell the correct direction to strafe.

[Critilius]

From my experience, CAS POs can be really annoying or really good at the game.
If the Pilot communicates and focuses on the task at hand it does not matter if he is new at the game or bald in general Close Air Support will do its job effectively, the key here is communication.

I have had Pilots that yell at people for asking what loadout he has or the Pilots who fire the wrong offset and constantly blame the spotters for lasing wrong although they know they were in the wrong. If you are a CAS pilot you have to communicate if you make a mistake do your best to focus and improve yelling and blaming in comms even if you are right does not improve the situation at all. I think these kinds of issues are the main problem with CAS.

There is also Transport PO who spend CAS points on useless stuff making CAS rage quit from the get-go which I have seen happen a lot. The funny thing about this one is that Transport POs escalate the argument instead of solving it and apologizing which is another issue.

Because unless you make CAS WL only which would be terrible or monitor individuals that can pick CAS we will always have Pilots that either cause problems and don't try to improve at all.
Here is my suggestion:
Devs could make the JTAC Binoculars laser capable of adjusting the offset before lasing without PO interference. Making CAS less complicated and less problematic and more effective the PO than can choose what lasses to shoot at and which to ignore without fear of FF.

[Teruyo]

Hello Godwin here
From my experience as the CAS PO, and JTAC i must say, the biggest problem of using CAS are:

1)Ungas pushing the laser/flare, forcing CAS to be canceled. People just dont listen to SLs/PFC screaming that fire mission is coming

2)JTACs not knowing to hide the laser

3)People using mortar only if CAS is out of ammo

CAS is great tool in defense rather them offense (Not counting choke points).

[Desmet]

I have grown to be decent JTAC operator with my latest achievement being 1 shot queen by direct hit of OB.
The problems are:
1. Ungas ignoring even OB announcemwnt and pushing in it.
2. CAS offset on current xeno positiom rather than retreating position. Xenos will start retreating into some direction and T3s would move around 5 tiles. If you predict and offset it right you will hit them right om target.
3. New POs not communicating frequently enough. PO should give cues like ready to launch, landing to reload, in air.
4. JTAC specifically never ask POs to watch camera when they are guessing xeno position on offset and actually cant see them.
5. JTAC operator not picking a good spot where they womt get pushed or are less likely to get pushed.
6. JTAC operator not using fake lazes when CAS is landed.
7. Chaining mortar, cas, ob requires competence of many people on many levels.
8. Not using offsets on mortar and getting direct coords and direct hits. If you get coords of current boiler position but ask mortar to fire somewhat 5-6 tiles in direction where it will retreat. Even mortar can kill boiler easily.

[Moosetasm]

Aren’t they going to be adding a CAS-only vehicle at some point? I thought I heard that. If they had their own vehicle and their own printer, a lot of the ship side problems would be solved.

[Nyvrem]

One thing I haven't seen in this thread but that I see very often in game: CAS POs using 12 length firemissions and then being disappointed they don't get kills. Unless you are going for some ungodly amount of GAU on your firemission, you can't expect kills if you don't concentrate your fire.