Hee-hee, it's a lot like math - some people have a talent for it and others don't. My thinking is if it's a large AOB at a long distance you need to quickly figure out the general course and get closer to the track in a hurry, if it's less than 10 degrees you're close to where you need to be so you can daydream until he gets closer. The main thing is if it's less than 10 degrees it's not going to change very much until he gets a LOT closer, then it will change very quickly. Reading SILENT RUNNING recently the author (who was the TDC officer for that sub) commented that he set the AOB to the general course and speed to calculated overall speed of advance into the TDC since the complicated zigzag plan the approaching convoy was using was just too much to handle. When the targets got close enough to get an accurate range and bearing the TDC guess was only 500 yards off the original estimate. Looking at it now page 124;
"Before long Dykers had their tops in sight through the periscope. Alec Nading and Kent Lukingbeal had worked out an overall speed of advance for the convoy based on its zig plan, and I had just set that in the TDC rather than trying to estimate the convoy's many zigs and zags."
That's the worst trouble with trying to play this game on full realism, note he mentions himself on the TDC along with two other guys on the plot. He only mentions the Captain on the periscope, but there were always two - the assistant approach officer waltzed around the back side of the periscope reading off the ranges and bearings when the Captain said "mark". All the captain (or whoever was doing the periscope work) had to do was center crosshairs, adjust stadimeter, and estimate AOB, he had a whole team to do everything else. For me trying to be Captain and the entire approach team along with the crew setting torpedo speeds and depths is just too much in too little time to screw around with unrealistic realism.
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