AOB Bug or am i just plain stupid??

[William516]

Well lets see the AOB has been something that has plagued the subsim community since the very first silent hunter series came out. I learned it pretty good in SH3 and would use my much missed weapon officer to confirm it until i got good. In sh4 they decided that i had to earn my pay and fired him i guess.

The problem is that if im correct AOB can simply be explained as
The angle at which the targeted ship would report seeing the submarine. (please correct me if im wrong here) But basically it is opposite of what everyone thinks.

The way im hunting now i approach the target very quitely and slowly, most of the time trying for a 90 degree attack. A take several range reading using the little button the brings up the range finder, i click that then calculate or guess the speed using several methods. (I also tried this on a mission i made up using 8kts as a fixed speed to make sure it is not a speed error) I put in my 8kts using the little tool with the kts marking on it. I click the send button. Then comes the AOB. I can never seem to get this right even if I'm set up for a 90 degree shot or as close to it as possible.

The way im doing it is by drawing a line using the ruler that is the target ships course heading, usually taken from several marked positions "X's" This line in the target ships course. I then take the protractor tool and place on end or first point at the end of the targeted course, The second mark i place at the bow or slightly inside the fore area of the targeted ship, the third and final point i place on the bow of my submarine zooming in on the nav map. This will give me an angle and then i simply plug it into the AOB tool. (I tell port and starboard based on the side the targeted ship is showing me) I send this to the TDC and then click on the buttons that allow the information to be updated provided the ship stays on course.

However even with what i feel is a correct solution the torps are passing WAY ahead of the target or doing things i never expected them to do. Without the weapon officer i cant check the AOB and firing solution, so im looking for help. I have to be doing something wrong here and im not sure what it is. When i look at The AOB dial it appears that the ship is opposite of what it looks like out the scope and on the nav map.

The other problem comes in when I try and shoot from the aft tubes, i cant get a torp to fire correctly from there either, is the AOB from the aft tube calculated usinf the aft part of the sub or the bow. I couldn't see it being the bow so i tried the aft section, still no joy.

Could someone please also explain the how the spread angles work, when it say left and right is that refering to a target moving left to right or vic a versa?

I know many people ask about the AOB but im still not getting it in SH4, could someone explain a method similar to the one im trying on the map. Also be nice to see it done from odd directions and a stern shot.

Thanks
sorry for my stupidity, lol
Time to return to the Atlantic (They are going to fire me anyway)

William

Has anyone figured out a workaround for using the FAST setting on the torps as i know one bug is the speed settings, however all my shots were done using the slow settings and "contact"?

[Snowman999]

(Deleted convoluted AOB stuff that makes my head hurt.)

AOB is very easy. Forget the chart. AOB was done visually, on the first observation, in order to establish target course.

Look through the scope at the target's center of mass. Imagine a line from your eye through his hull. Half of the hull (that half with the bow) will be hanging off to the right, or left, of that line. Estimate the angle from your line to his hull--that's the AOB. If the hull is hanging off to the right it's a starboard AOB. To the left it's port. So bow-on is 0 AOB, his beam is 90 AOB, and his stern is 180 AOB. The ones in between you have to estimate. That's why the recognition manual shows you those nice angled shots.

AOB doesn't care about your course (it's inherent in your observation.) It doesn't concern speed. It doesn't matter if you're using a bow or stern tube.

You could be heading away from the target and his AOB might be port 90. Instantly turn your boat 180 degrees and it's still port 90. It's just the angle between his hull and the line-of-sight that connects you, plus port or starboard.

I don't know why people insist on measuring anything from the target back to the sub. That's just confusing.

[William516]

I agree i also hate the dreaded AOB calculations and things but i have set up 90 degree shots both front and rear using the mission builder. I set it up with a ship traveling 8kts so i dont have to guess the speed and yet i still am missing by a ways. Is there a particular order that the info must be sent to the TDC or can i calculate anything i want first as long as i have all the required information. Maybe part of the problem is that i dont usually have time to use the ship identification book. Could this be throwing everything off.

Also trying to still find what the solution is for the torpedos bug when set at fast speed.

Is it possible to enter the range, speed directly without having to click on all the objects, ie typing it in as opposed to turning that wheel that sometimes can be a huge pain.

Sorry again and i think you for your explantion however most of the time when in actual career i do not get the luxary of always having the 90 degree shot so im trying to learn to do it with math.

Thanks
William

[SKurj]

Can't type in the data unfortunately.

Fix for fast torpedoes is coming with the next Patch - 1.2

You can also enter the data in any order you wish for the TDC.

While I am learning the TDC I leave map updates on so I can see how my solution compares in the attack map. I just compare the white X against my target. You can start your observations and entering your data from a long ways out and then just adjust as the target closes.

The recognition book is a pain with it not holding your page. I guess the best cure for what ails ya is to get close, then even if you calculations aren't exact your chances of a hit are very good.

[Jungman]

Make sure to update your PK on the TDC, every time you enter a new number Range, AOB, or Speed; you must hit PK to update the data in the TDC or else your torpedo will not have the correct solution.

Pratice using what said above, turn on Map Contact Updates and see what is going on in Attack Screen Map. I was surprised by a few thing myself (the need to update the PK every time I entered a new, better number -it does not do it automatically).

[William516]

How do you keep updating the pk (Im guessing that is short for position keeper)

[NefariousKoel]

How do you keep updating the pk (Im guessing that is short for position keeper)
I use the range input. It has the added effect of entering the current bearing of the target too.


As for AoB training in-game, I know people miss their backup Weapons Officer, however there is another way.

To check your AoB estimate in-game:
Turn on "show map contacts". After inputting everything in the TDC, go to the TDC map (2nd button in navigation from the left - not the first) and move your view over the target vessel. You will see a white X and a line running out of it. The line is the estimated heading and if the angle doesn't match up with the heading of the ship, try try again. Ideally, the X (range estimation) will be in the middle of the target and the line (AoB estimation) will run straight through it's bow. AoB is much more important than range, so as long as the line is parallel to the lenght of the ship, you're very close or right on.

I'm still no expert on AoB especially with running the stretched graphics on my higher res setting, but it has helped immensely and I get close enough just about every time anymore with just a bit of practice using that method.:rock: