German Whizz Weel in Flash and exe available

[dertien]

Thanks to Hitman and joegrundman, I have adapted the wheel as it was historically.

This is starting to look like a real application.... Anyways.

ok screenshots:







changes from previous version:

- locked the yellow boat marker and the AOB marker together. These can be dragged around at two spots (click the help button for info on this)
- Turned the outer dial, so that the top of the sub (the white arrow on the outer ring) faces north. Hitman told me, this would be easier to work with.
- Added help file telling noobs where to drag the wheel (hotspots) , and how to sharpen the wheel's graphics, should this be necessary.
- Added exit button
- Added background and a startup screen (eyecandy)


@ Hitman or Joegrundman:

could you possibly make a step by step screenshot gallery on how to use the front and the back side, with an example, so I can make a tutorial for the wheel and put it in the projector file itself.

Just as you did Joegrundman, but with screenshots, I can then implement them into the program as a help function.

Thank you.

Tryout flash version: Dial-up heavy: 1405 kb here

Download Links: for Historical version and the No-swatstika version

enjoy.

[Reece]

Many thanks again Dertien, if only someone could set up a global hotkey, like ALT-TAB, actually I wonder if SHIII can run in a window, I thought I read somewhere that it can??

[coronas]

Is there a way to open the flash window with the Wheel over the screen of the game (like transparent torpedo screen) with a hot key? Two programs run one over another? :hmm:

[XLjedi]

Originally Posted by Reece

Many thanks again Dertien, if only someone could set up a global hotkey, like ALT-TAB, actually I wonder if SHIII can run in a window, I thought I read somewhere that it can??

It has a windowed mode... make the change in options. Works well with dual monitors too.

As it applies to SH3, this is an attempt to write a tutorial for the Whizz Wheel to determine and set AOB with a known target course. The basis for this is that there is a constant angle or AOB at the intercept point of your course and that of the target's course. You can easily determine this mathematically: the difference between the target's know course and the reciprocal of your course = intercept angle. As an example: your course is 39-degrees (reciprocal = 219) and target's course is 315-degrees. Therefore, 315 - 219 = 96-degrees at intercept point. But, the following is how I think you can determine this by the Whizz Wheel without doing the math:

1) Determine the true course of your boat and that of the target.
2) Set the red triangle on the Angr/Krus rotor tool to the zero bearing on the outer non-movable ring (this is becaue your bow is zero bearing and your aft is 180-degree bearing).
3) On the movable middle ring, align the outer degree scale to the red triangle (zero bearing on the outer ring) for your true course. (This is your true course or direction in degrees that your bow is heading.)
4) Using the rotor with the black triangle and yellow boat, locate the target's true course on the outer degree scale of the movable middle ring then rotate and place the black triangle to the target's true course on this ring.
5) Rotate and align the zero bearing of the movable inner AOB ring with the target's true course (black triangle on the yellow boat).
6) Depending on which side the target is passing across your bow (port = red and starboard = green) locate the degrees for AOB on the inner ring that lines up with your course on the Angr/Krus rotor. This represents the AOB degrees at the intercept point of your course and that of your target. It's worth noting the two little boats on the Angr/Kurs rotor. One has a black bow and the other a black stern. If you are traveling toward the target's course you would look for the boat with the black bow at lower end of rotor which is actually pointing to the reciprocal of your course because as mentioned in the first paragraph, the angle is the difference between the target's course and your reciprocal course. Now, if you are traveling away from the target's course (firing stern tubes) you will look for the boat with the black bow on the upper part of the rotor. The solution in degrees now results from the difference between target's course and your true heading.
7) (to set AOB in the game) If you are firing from the bow, set the UZO/periscope to zero bearing and input degrees determined in step six into the note pad for angle on the bow. If you are firing from the stern, set the UZO/periscope to 180-degrees and input degrees determined in step six into the note pad for angle on the bow. Pay close attention to inputting red for port and green for starboard. You now can rotate the UZO/periscope to the target and you will automatically have the correct AOB as it travels along its course.

8) (optional method to set AOB) After step six, locate target in the UZO or periscope and "mark" the bearing (tap lock on, then tap lock off and then don't touch this bearing until after step ten). Observe and note the target's bearing in the UZO or periscope.
9) Using the odd looking Vorhalt rotor, set its pointer to the target bearing you noted in step eight. Read the degrees where it crosses the line on Angr/Krus rotor. Whether or not green or red, this is the number of degrees (+ or -) to adjust from the degrees at course intercept point. Most likely your target has not passed the intercept point, in which case you subtract this amount from the degrees at intercept AOB. In the remote chance that the target has passed the intercept point, you would add the degrees to the degrees at intercept point. The result becomes the AOB at your "mark" (bearing) in step eight.
10) With the UZO or periscope still set to the bearing in step eight, enter this calculated AOB using the note pad. You now can rotate the UZO/periscope to the target and you will automatically have the correct AOB.


An example from a merchant that I sank last night. It is interesting because I set up an attack from the stern tubes.
1) My true course was 219-degrees which was the reciprocal of the heading towards intercept point of 39-degrees. The target was heading 315-degrees. (If you'll note from the first paragraph, this a 96-degree (red) angle at the point of intercept.)
2) Set the red triangle on Angr/Krus rotor to zero bearing of outer ring.
3) Turn and align 219-degrees on outer middle ring with the line on the Angr/Krus rotor and red triangle.
4) Turn and place black triangle in yellow boat rotor on 315-degrees on outer scale of middle ring.
5) Turn and align zero bearing of the inner AOB ring with the 315-degree mark on the outer scale of middle ring (black triangle in yellow boat).
6) Read the resulting degrees on red AOB scale which aligns with line on Angr/Krus rotor. Note that this reads 96-degrees. This is the angle to intercept point for torpedo run of both courses.
7) With UZO/periscope set to 180-degree bearing (remember I'm firing from the stern) input the 96-degrees red (port) into the note pad. Remember to click all the check marks to input to the TDC!

8) Option for Step Seven: Using the UZO, I marked the current bearing of target at approximately 209-degrees.
9) Using the Vorhalt rotor, I set its pointer to approximately 209-degrees on the outer ring. This resulted in an approximate 31-degree red on the Vorhalt rotor. Now, subtract 31-degrees from 96-degrees in step six since the target had not passed the course intercept point. You have a 65-degree AOB at your UZO "mark."
10) At the UZO screen without changing the UZO bearing from step eight, input 65-degrees red (port) into the note pad. Click all checkmarks. This should result in the correct AOB as you rotate the UZO onto the target.

Well, try this out and see what you think. Hope this might be helpful.

After testing out my directions on two different attacks, I made a couple of minor correctons to the text. See previous post.

Results of first attack: fired at a merchant approximately 3000 meters away and place two torpedos several meters in front of its bow. I had estimated speed at 8.125 knots and the actual speed might have been somewhere between 7.5 and 8 knots.

Results of second attack: fired at a merchant from stern tubes approxiately 1500 meters and hit with two torpedos.

Both of these attacks were made by spoting target in periscope and marking bearing. Then adjusting the intercept AOB by the resulting degrees as determined by the Vorhalt rotor and inputing the AOB into the note pad at the exact bearing as previously marked.

Seems to work pretty well. Just pause game, alt + tab to switch to Whizz Wheel to input information. Alt + tab to go back to game and go to note pad to enter results from Whizz Wheel.

[dertien]

Thanks for the feedback mate, helps alot.

[Friedl9te]

Thank you for the NoSW Version.

[dertien]

@Von Zelda

Ok,

I took time to read your post, and the explanation to use the wheel is very detailed and clear for noobs (like me).

but there is still one thing that eludes me.

Call me stupid, but how do you know or calculate the target's course ?

It's very easy to determine the target's bearing, but to be able to tell the exact course, is only possible if you shadow the convoy or merchant and follow its course yourself.

Is there another way ? that would be superb. As of now I can't think of another way of getting the target course correctly.

Thanks for taking your time to put it all out so clearly.

sincerely

XIII

[joegrundman]

Hi Dertien

in fact the tool was really used for determining Course from an AOB reading, but it works equally the other way around.

But basically you need to get your AOB or course info from some other source. E.g. by observation of AOB, or aspect ratio. Course obtained by plotting or overhauling the target etc. Of course if you play with All Answers Provided Updates on (ie map updates) it just tells you the target course.

Dertien can you tell me how to get a screenshot of this and I'll do some pictures for you. I tried saving printscreen to file and the result was not usable

Edit: The zeit wheel on the reverse side could maybe be improved by having a pointer going off from the red line up to the middle of the middle wheel.

[dertien]

Ok Joe, but I am a realism maniac,

I really wanted this wheel, because it gives you a realistic approach to what U-boot Kaleuns (or their Eins-WO) were facing when confronting merchants.
IMHO theres no point in having the wheel if every bit of information is provided on the map.

If you mean making screenshots of my Flash Whizz wheel, you do the following

- open whizz wheel and keep it in windowed mode
- select the whizz wheel, so that it is the active window
- press ALT and Print Screen key together
- Open up a graphical program like Paint or Photoshop
- press Ctrl-V and save the file in the format you want. GIF is the best for this

I could lengthen the red line on the 'Zeit' dial at the back of the Whizz wheel yes, or add an extra rotor like the yellow boat marker at the front that is coupled to the zeit wheel, to make it 'easily readable'.

But what's the use really, if you guys have an ingame whizz wheel, I reckon that Kaleuns would rather use yours than mine no ?

Good work on the wheel by the way.Love it

[joegrundman]

Well, it's good practice. Thanks for the info

[joegrundman]

Let's say you have a of heading 045. You see a ship on your periscope view of 060. You determine it's AOB as Port 55 using the Aspect ratio method.

OK Set you true course to the triangle as follows




Next you set the long thin indicator arm to 60 on the PEeilung rad. the other end of the indicator arm shows the true bearing to the target relative to north. This can be used for plotting



You can clearly see that the true bearing to target is 105.

Next turn the lage wheel until the AOB crosses the indicator arm - note the example so you realise which side of the arm it needs to cross



In this example, the AOB is port 55. Now look at the yellow boat. It is pointing at 340. This is the target's true course.

Originally Posted by dertien

Call me stupid, but how do you know or calculate the target's course?

It's very easy to determine the target's bearing, but to be able to tell the exact course, is only possible if you shadow the convoy or merchant and follow its course yourself.

Is there another way ? that would be superb. As of now I can't think of another way of getting the target course correctly.

IIRC, from my reading, most targets were obtained visually at least until early 1943. Whether or not the target was obtained by homing signal, hydrophone or other means, the target needed to be seen to obtain the proper attack position, speed of target, true course and AOB. Most targets (unlike SH3) used a zig-zag course if they were smart. Therefore, knowing the AOB would not help since it was constantly changing. So, it is my guess that u-boats tracked their targets for period of time. This could have been as they were making an end around to obtain a forward position or it could have been from a forward position as they watched the target approach.

In tracking the target, the most critical information would have been true course and target speed. And target speed would not have been actual spped but rather relative speed from say point A to point B. Due to the zig-zag, relative speed would be lower.

So, within the confines of a game as realistic as SH3 with GWX is, one has to use the methods and or tools which best fit ones game experience. And since it is a game one needs to be allowed some liberties as one sees fit. I usually try to estimate speed by tracking; determining distance and time relationships on the nav map. I figure that I have a navigator doing this as were tracking the contact. For true course of target, this is one area I guess I take some liberties with; I measure it on the nav map. Before the Whizz tool, I would mathematically determine the AOB at the intercept point of target and my course. Then set AOB at zero bearing and any rotation of the scope/uzo would automatically determine the correct AOB at scope/uzo cross-hair.

Hope this is helpful.

[jumpy]

Well, I've not really figured out how to use this propperly (since my attempt at hitmans print and cut out jobby) but this looks like a great tool to reside on my second monitor.