TMA Logic

[Adam106]

I'm having a blast with Cold Waters so far, but can anyone answer how the TMA logic works?

Let's say that you've had a contact for a while and generated a TMA solution of maybe 50-55% and then sensors loose that contact, maybe due to ownship speed increase to chase. After a while your sensors regain the same contact - it seems that the TMA solution has to start again from scratch? This seems very counter intuitive since the solution was pretty good beforehand and logic would say your TMA team would start from the last known solution.

There needs to be a way of maintaining target tracks with TMA solutions even if you loose sensor contact. This should be displayed as calculated position on the map. The solution could degrade slightly over time, but you shouldn't be forced to start over when regaining contact.

This is how real fire control equipment works is it not?

Or am I wrong and in game losing a high sol. contract does indeed mean quicker TMA next time?

[jenrick]

I'd also like something from the Dev's on how my AI crew constructs the TMA plot. I've done the usual things I would do to personally improve my plot (increase bearing rate, multiple course changes, etc), and gotten very minimal improvement in a solution. I've also simply driven straight at a contact, who was driving straight at me, and my solution went to 95% pretty fast. Both of these are not common occurrence's, I'd just like some guidance from the devs on how the AI constructs the TMA plot.

-Jenrick

[Julhelm]

Combination of bearing rates and signal strength. Generally it's a good idea to put the contact on the beam on a lag LOS. But distant or very quiet contacts may take a long time to TMA.

[jenrick]

So one thing I noticed just a minute or two ago.

I had the "sink the tender" mission. I had established contacts, identified them, an went to periscope depth to get a visual confirmation to maximize my solution. Came up, marked the three surface ships (got the 95% solution for each one), and then down scope. The wife asked me about something, and for maybe about 2 minutes I wasn't paying attention. When I looked back I was back to a 60% solution for all three at a radically different range (say the visual range was 20ky the new range was 35kyd or something similar). Additionally they targets headings had all changed.

I get sometimes tossing out the TMA and starting over, but doing that shortly after a visual? What is the AI protocol for that?

This seems to be an offshoot of what Adam106 is referring to in his post.

-Jenrick

[PL_Harpoon]

If a target makes a turn / change speed it can mess up TMA solutions.
On the other hand if you already knew it's exact position before I think it shouldn't suddenly change it's mind so drastically. But since I already know where they are and can deduce the rest I don't consider it that much of a problem.

[jenrick]

It's not so much an issue of weapons employment, I know where I'm gonna launch those TLAM's. To me it's just more of an issue of how the AI does the TMA. I have no issue with some heading changes and a bit (please note a bit, not 10kyd) of distance jumping if i have sketchy contacts.

"Fire control, lets call the distance to master 1 as 20,000 yards. Down scope."

"Sir, the plot says its gonna be closer to 19,000."

However what we have is:

"Fire control, lets call the distance to master 1 as 20,000 yards. Down scope."

"Sir, we just threw away the old plot and we're going with 42,000 yards."

It just reminds me of DW and SC's aTMA just trying every solution possible rather then using an actual methodology like a human does. In DW and SC it wasn't as big a deal, as you could always step in and do it. Here there's no option, you have to wait for the aTMA to catch up.

-Jenrick