Okay, I was wanting to know I was talking to interested people and not just pushing my ideas on unreceptive mindsets. It doesn't do any good to do that because all listening is voluntary
Okay, let's first look at what the TDC does when the position keeper is on. What it's really doing is setting up an artificial target. When you shoot, you are not shooting at that ship out there, you are shooting at the TDC's artificial target. You WILL hit the artificial target. But, because it really doesn't exist you don't get booms! That is, unless there is a REAL target occupying the same spot where the artificial target is hit.
Our job is to make the artificial target move at the same speed and course as the real target and be superimposed exactly on top of the real target. Kapeech? Ever thought of it that way?
Well, if you do it aids your visualization of the targeting process and makes your targeting much more intelligent. Let's set up a target and do it all wrong. I'll explain every step of the way.
Target sighted! AoB is set zero, speed zero and range/bearing 0/0. It won't be set that way in the game but you gotta start somewhere. So right now the TDC plots the target right on top of the submarine, but not moving. It's facing north. As the sub moves the target stays right there and the sub moves away from the artificial target, doesn't it?
Let's get a stadimeter reading on this puppy! We find his range at 2000 yards and bearing 90º. The TDC plots the artificial target at that spot in the ocean. It isn't moving, The real target is so it just runs away from the artificial target. We won't hit if we shoot now, will we?
So let's get a speed. A three minute run is 600 yards so he's running 6 knots. We enter that. What happens to our artificial target. NOTHING! It sits there motionless, farther and farther away from the real target at a rate of 200 yards a minute!
Now we'll work out angle on the bow. We connect the two points, extend the track and use the protractor and get an AoB. We enter that in the TDC. What happens? NOTHING!! The artificial target is still sitting there motionless in the position we fixed several minutes ago.
Turn on the PK. NOW finally, the artificial target begins to move in the same direction and at the same speed as the real target. Unfortunately, the artificial target is several hundred yards behind the real one. You're about to waste some torpedoes.
Let's do things right. The very first thing you should do is turn on the position keeper. Why? Because otherwise you'll forget, that's why. Without the PK on, the artificial target won't move, either rightly or wrongly, at all. So turn on the PK first.
Second and third, and these two can be done in any order you want, speed and course/AoB can be entered. Use your radar to get two positions 3 minutes apart. Now you have speed, and that usually is what I'll get entered first. Make sure you press the send traingle button TWICE.
Then extend the track on the nav map out in front of the target for a distance that you won't have to fiddle with later. Now what's happening right now is you have an artificial target that is moving at the correct speed, but in the wrong direction and at the wrong position. That's what we want.
Enter the AoB determined by your protractor into the TDC and press send twice. Yes, I'm afraid that's necessary. So now we have an artificial target moving at the right speed and course, but not in the right position.
Can you see why we absolutely HAVE TO do the range/bearing last? It's because the artificial target is ALREADY MOVING at the correct speed and course. As soon as we peg the position, it will immediately begin moving at that speed and course JUST LIKE THE REAL TARGET. Therefore your artificial target, which your torpedoes WILL HIT is and will stay exactly on top of the real target.
If you want to be really fussy and verify your solution is good, go to the attack map and read the torpedo run time. Suppose it's one minute. If your artificial target, plotted on the attack map (!), stays on top of the real target for one minute you have sufficient accuracy to shoot. This is exactly analogous to the check that was done every time submarines shot a several thousand dollar torpedo in the war. They didn't just enter the numbers, trust they made no errors and shoot. If they didn't verify, they didn't shoot. That's why the attack map is an essential part of realistic targeting.
Now after your check the artificial target is no longer on top of the real target. Fix that by doing another stadimeter shot, which fixes the position of the artificial target back on top of the real one.
You're ready to shoot and you'll get booms, I guarantee it! And now you can visualize what is happening as you enter those numbers. They aren't meaningless digits any more. Each one of them now means something to you. Something important. Something you can visualize clearly. You're a sub commander now.
