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My game with Kodiak and Nem the other day, I experienced a Maverick bug. It would happily lock onto the terrain in a random area, but when I put the seeker head onto a small wooded area containing a Strela-1 (that was giving me a terrible headache-look at the holes in my bird), it wouldn't lock. Is this realistic behaviour? I also found it would lock onto the fires of destroyed buildings. Just to confirm this, I tried with both the -D and -K model. If anyone can help, please do so.

I'm sure there is a zoom facility on some of them Maverick models. And to be honest you might very well expewrience the "building on fire lock-on" with the IR model, seeing as it is looking for hotspots against the environment. But to be sure I can't say myself until I've been practising some more.

IR Mavericks in Lock-On will indeed lock onto a "Hot Spot" house on fire or burning wreckage if it is in the seeker heads view.

I am also aware of the problem you had with the seeker locking onto terrain rather than the target but from what i have seen this is with the Television version only not the IR (can't remember which version is which D / K?).

But i believe this would be normal behaviour depending on the terrain as the seeker head might have problems defining the target depending on it's features and surrounding. I have had this happen to me on occasion and i just break the lock and try to move the seeker head closer to the target before attempting lock, although Kodiak and i were talking last night about how the Maverick sometimes locks onto the target automatically rather than having to designate it by hitting the target key a second time.

On the note of magnification only the IR version has the ability to magnify it's image on the MFD, this is done by using the radar range increase/ decrease keys

I had a Blast literally last night flying the A-10 i am really starting to enjoy this Plane in Lomac and will be getting airbourne tonight again in the hog

-D model is IR, and the -K model is TV. As explained in the training mission, once the seeker head is in the target area, it will automatically lock on to the closest thing to the targetting gates. I found the -K model locked on to fires, because that was the only type of averick I had when engaging the Strela.

I think they operate on contrast, and if there's not enough contrast (which can happen with heavily forested or urban areas) the seeker will lock onto the wrong thing. You can compensate by getting closer, but that's not always an option.

Considering I was playing with 100% missile effectiveness, getting close was NOT an option. Before Nem came, Kodiak and I were trying to destroy a Tunguska at an airfield. It was right in between the two runways, but neither of my two Maverick types would lock on! Instead, they locked on to this random forest area. In that mission, Kodiak had dodged the Tunguska's missiles, but was caught by it's cannon, about 1 second after unleashing a hail of Mk20 Rockeyes.

The training mission goes with IR to destroy the AAA threat, maybe not only because of the IR signature it can pick up, but the fact that it has longer legs too - it can be fired from 6 Km away effectively. And possibly stretch it's legs at altitude another two or three kms - that way you can stay out of range of the Strela for one thing whilst picking-off the biggest threat to yourself. You must also resist the urge to continue in and follow the missile, banka away once you've released the maverick and come back again from distance (harder than you think too! )
However, my problems were really with SA, being able to come around back onto my intended target (the vehicle column) consistently. It was becoming a real pain in the arse - TrackIR3 Pro, here I come is all I have to say!

i must be missing something, because even if my missile initially "locks on" to the wrong ground target, it is an easy matter to slew the cursor until it ends up on the right target, and then i designate it again to "lock on."

keep in mind your first designation tap is to ground stabilize the cursor - the missile is not locked on yet. you have to designate again to lock your missile on target. while you are ground stabilized, you can slew the cursor. while it is locked on, you cannot slew the cursor unless you undesignate first and go into ground stabilize again.

Clear as mud?

Right, but the problem is the Maverick will "lock" (the 2nd time, with the flashing gate on the CRT) onto meaningless scenery. This means you have to undesignate and redesignate, and depending on your attitude and angle it can be VERY hard as the cursor slew speed matches your own to the extent that you can barely keep it stationary relative to the ground.

The ground stab -> slew to target thing is great when it works, but I wish there was a "partial" undesignate from target back to ground stab instead of totally breaking lock.

He's got it! Congrats Jedi, you're the only one who's really grasped the meaning of my problem!

I understand what you are having problems with, but I have yet to achieve the double "lock" from TAB-ing twice, 2nd TAB is usually an un-designate, the only other thing I've seen is the auto-lockup. But I am working on all this until I get a satisfactory answer. My intention is to make my AGM65-D/K the primary knock-out weapon when I fly the A-10, instead of doing the basic easy CCIP mode Mk20s - it's just laziness on my part, and I need to do better. :roll:

The difference being in Falcon 4, thre are a plethora of weapons platforms from which to deliver that knock-out blow, and hence we are spoiled for choice on what we can employ to do that job - in LO-MAC we really only have the AGM65 for stand-off A2G using the A-10.

It's odd, but I've noticed with Panzer and I that he's far more proficient at dumb bombing and I'm far better at the Maverick. I've fired off 4 in one pass with little setup time under fire, while he rarely misses with bombs (although I line up and they just don't seem to go where I think they should).

Actually, in most flight sims I've noticed we do better with different planes. What suits him well isn't as good for me, and vice versa.

My problem is I am not proficient enough to remove any AAA / SAM threats with the AGM-65 , and hence find myself dodging and weaving almost all the way in to achieve an effective strike - it's a bit of a lottery really. I have also noticed I am probably too low on the run-in and I don't get a good spread with the MK20, and my aim isn't all it could be with the Mk82/84s either - practise is what I need! But first I need to work on that stand-off capability, that will certainly give me the edge as I fly in missions with everyone else until I am a little more proficient with the dumb bombs too - jeez at the moment I am having a hasrd enough time finding the damn target again after my initial run! :lol:

When Panzer and I fly online, whether he flies an A-10, F-15, Su-25 or whatever, if I'm in an A-10, I'm on Wild Weasel.
If he does it, we're both dead that much faster.

Well, I think my attention will be focused on the A-10 and practise with Agm65-D/K. And once I have that off-pat somewhat better I will try to improve on other things, but I will be having a go at re-fueling too in the meantime! Right Nemisis?!