I always thought VIRSS was the TI defeating smoke launchers that vehicles are equipped with today. But in a game my vehicle launched VIRSS and blocked a missile, but a second came straight through and killed me. Confused by this I asked at Shrapnel why VIRSS smoke does not block LOS for all TI for that turn, and this is what I got back:
There is no such thing as "TI blocking smoke" in the Sp engine. VIRSS is a test for the particular missile, and the smoke animation is a graphical part of the response only.
So, to block a second incoming missile, assumin the firer has TI, you would need to have another dose of VIRSS on the target vehicle.
My response, which I am waiting on, is if it isn't the TI blocking smoke, then what exactly is VIRSS and what is it doing to block a missile.
Anyone know?? :conf:
Well did a check on the web, and it sure as heck seem to be smoke grenades that block visual and infared sighting. I guess what Shrapnel meant was it doesn't block thermal imagery, or the picking up of the heat signature?
Ok, this is the updated response. So still not exactly sure what EXACTLY virss is in the game, so if you can figure it out let me know:
It is doing what I said before - if a vehicle has a VIRSS round available then it can check on an incoming missile, and if successful it blocks that missile. Success or failure, it still fires the smoke animation as part of the VIRSS routine, just like the explosion animation occurs for CIWS. The protection comes from the successful test, and has zip-zero to do with the smoke animation whatsoever.
All smoke in the SP games is "smoke", and can be seen through by TI, so the smoke so discharged has absolutely no effect on any subsequent missiles if fired by firers who themselves have TI.
and another person wrote:
In real life it blocks even some TI AFAIK. However, the game doesn't know how to "TI blocking smoke", so the smoke is "normal", except that it is tied to different byte in unit stats window and is interconnected with trigger that says "if ATGM comes, fire this smoke, not that ordinary smoke, and try confusing the missile accuracy rating by 1D100 percent".
:conf::conf::conf::conf::conf:
I think you may need a few shots of Vodka before that lot makes sense.
Ok, further from Shrapnel, I now understand what they are saying:
If a vehicle has VIRSS and a ATGM is fired the game runs a routine to determine if the VIRSS was sucessful in diverting the missle or not for that , and only that, missle. The "smoke" is, as you noted, just an animation so you know that VIRSS has fired. So "VIRSS" in the game is a code routine the game runs when a vehicle equiped with VIRSS detects a ATGM launch.
So what it boils down to is this:
In the real world VIRSS is a TI blocking smoke grenade, but the SP code will not allow that to be written in. So what they do is have the target fire a VIRSS and conduct a VIRSS vs MISSILE check, and then to let you know that this has occurred it will pop a generic smoke round as an FYI. If a second missile is fired, as happened to me, the target would have to launch another VIRSS to defeat it also, whether or not there is "smoke" in front of the vehicle facing the incoming missile.
VIRSS is a system that blocks the sensors the ATGM uses to guide to it's target. If the ATGM is Laser guided, it uses a lasar radar to confuse the ATGM. If the ATGM is wire guided, that same radar creates random electrical impulses in the wire that the Missile gets as guidance commands. If it is a fire and forget missile, the target is supposed to dodge.
http://www.defense-update.com/products/a/arena-e.htm
That link is for an active system.
I think the passive systems are on their way out. The Military mind, you know.
New ROK MBT;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K2_Black_Panther
I think the Russians are going to lose a LOT of Market share.