Manual Targeting

[Darkranger85]

I know how to target manualy pretty well, what I would like to know are little tips and tricks that people have come up with.

Things like estimating ship speeds and such.

How to get that perfect spread.

etc etc. .

[Zantham]

I don't spread my salvo shots. I use magnetic set 0.8-1m under the keel and target two torps to hit the same section of ship, preferably the first quarter (the bow). This makes the ship very front-heavy and it will eventually drive itself underwater. When I space my shots along the length, the ships tend to sink level, but never actually go under. I sink many many battleships with only two torpedos this way. This is using stock, version 1.5. Oh yeah... open your tubes 10 seconds before you fire.

[Rockin Robbins]

Dick O'Kane targeting technique (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=652326&postcount=67). Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It's a secret.

[Darkranger85]

Thanks! That has a lot of good information and sounds like it will help. . . when I know more about the game.

To be honest I didnt understand a lot of that. I'm very new to this game and so many of the terms are like latin to me. For Example.

"3. Plot two positions of your target 3 minutes apart if you are working in imperial measurements or 3 min 15 sec apart if you are working in (yuck!:rotfl:) metric. Use your ruler or compass to measure the distance. Whatever the units, the distance in yards/meters divided by 100 = speed in knots. 900 meters = 9 knots. 900 yards = 900 knots. Enter that in the TDC and press the send button."

And

"4½. Set your AoB. It will be 90º minus our shooting angle from zero, which is 10º in this case = 80º either starboard (for target passing left to right) or port (for target passing right to left). Set it on the TDC and press the send button.

5. Point your periscope at bearing zero (you can do this under water to avoid detection). Now, for a high speed steam torpedo, move the scope 10º in the direction the target will come from. You will be pointing at 350 for a target coming left to right, 10º for a target moving right to left. You're shooting 10º before he gets to zero bearing. Clear? Leave the scope pointing at your planned shoot bearing and press the send range/bearing button. YOU DON"T MESS WITH THE CURSED STADIMETER! Sorry, I feel better now. Don't touch the PK either. Leave it off and save watts."

Aswell as

"7. On your nav map, using your ruler, connect the two plotted positions and extend the line as far as seems good in the direction of the target's movement. Then with help on (open the little hand compass tool) you can use the compass rose on the ruler to measure the target's course.

5. Determine what your course will be at 90º to the track. I usually don't calculate anything. I use the protractor. Click up the track, draw the line to the point you guess will intersect with the right angle course and click a second time. Then draw the other side of the angle toward your sub. You'll see the angle at the vertex. Adjust until it says 90, make sure the line extends beside your sub and click a third time. This line is your course at right angles to the track. You can read the number using the compass rose on the ruler tool like you did earlier."

And pretty much everything below that aswell. . .

I'm sure to you guys that know this game and its terms this seems simple and I sound like a moron. But at the risk of sounding even dumber. . I have no idea about things like knowing what bearing my enemy is coming in from or any of that.

I really do like this game but its like I feel like I'd have to join the Navy just to understand it. I read some of these tutorials and see people sayings stuff like "omg that was sooo easy!!" and I just look at it and say ". . . huh!?!" And feel like an idiot.

What I need is a real noobs guide to not only targeting but the terms used and how to figure it out. In a language so easy that even I can understand it.

Like, rather then saying that our target is coming in a a bearing of 250 degrees and we can fire at XXX - XXX degrees. Tell me how to tell that the enemy is coming in at that bearing and all that.

I'm sorry if this sounds like a rant but I'm just getting very frustrated trying to figure this out when everyone else seems to have such an easy time at it. :(

[Platapus]

Dick O'Kane targeting technique (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=652326&postcount=67). Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It's a secret.

No it aint! no it aint! If "I" know about it it aint no secret!!

[Platapus]

open your tubes 10 seconds before you fire.

Is this true? It takes 10 seconds to open the outer doors?

[Zantham]

open your tubes 10 seconds before you fire.
Is this true? It takes 10 seconds to open the outer doors?

Ten seconds is a 'safe' number. I don't know exactly how long the doors take to open, but on some looong shots I've taken I've missed by a hair when I've tried to rush it.

And 10 seconds has a habit (with me anyways) of not actually lasting 10 seconds when I'm all excited by that big battleship in my periscope and destroyers pinging all around me:oops:....

I suppose you can test by not opening the doors and counting how many seconds the torpedo takes to fire vs how soon it fires when you know the doors are for sure open.

[Rockin Robbins]

I'm sorry if this sounds like a rant but I'm just getting very frustrated trying to figure this out when everyone else seems to have such an easy time at it. :(

Don't worry about it darkranger. I recommend that you play the game with no mods for awhile with easy settings (auto targeting especially) while you learn boat handling and periscope technique. You'll still have your hands full. Play with the nav map and learn what the charting tools all do.

Learn to navigate your boat and find the right position to shoot from. All this has to be second nature before you even worry about manual targeting.

The learning curve on this game is vertical because it is pretty realistic. It will hold your hand enough to learn to enjoy the game if you let it. Use the easy settings so you can settle into the game without killing anyone you love.

And take your time. If you're getting frustrated, save the game and leave it for awhile. This game just gets easier and better and more fun as you learn more and more. This is a college course in WWII submarines, and you'll learn things no historian ever learned or taught.:up:

[Darkranger85]

I know most of the controls and how to pilot the sub and where to setup and such. Its pretty much the slightly more advanced stuff I dont know. Like I have no idea how to use Sonar or Radar to any benefit to myself.

I have to use a parascope to target cause I have no idea how to do it with Radar or Sonar.

[Saturnalia]

Stupid question, how do I temporarily disable the TDC and just have my torpedoes go down a certain bearing?

[Quillan]

Set the target speed to zero. The TDC will assume the target is stationary, so it won't have to lead the target, and the torpedo will go wherever you point the scope and transmit range/bearing.

[Saturnalia]

Set the target speed to zero. The TDC will assume the target is stationary, so it won't have to lead the target, and the torpedo will go wherever you point the scope and transmit range/bearing.

Thanks! Just wanted a little quick fix after stupidly missetting things while I was firing on moored ships.

[Taeghan]

I'm sorry if this sounds like a rant but I'm just getting very frustrated trying to figure this out when everyone else seems to have such an easy time at it. :(

Don't worry about it darkranger. I recommend that you play the game with no mods for awhile with easy settings (auto targeting especially) while you learn boat handling and periscope technique. You'll still have your hands full. Play with the nav map and learn what the charting tools all do.

Learn to navigate your boat and find the right position to shoot from. All this has to be second nature before you even worry about manual targeting.

The learning curve on this game is vertical because it is pretty realistic. It will hold your hand enough to learn to enjoy the game if you let it. Use the easy settings so you can settle into the game without killing anyone you love.

And take your time. If you're getting frustrated, save the game and leave it for awhile. This game just gets easier and better and more fun as you learn more and more. This is a college course in WWII submarines, and you'll learn things no historian ever learned or taught.:up:

Truth there. I've only played for three nights and feel a sense of accomplishment in my sinking of a lone maru. I know it's going to get tougher with convoys -- I expect it to. I'm just now starting to use some of the navigation tools (and man, do they confuse me!), and it helped me get a near-perfect setup on that maru.

I suspect it'll be quite a while before I move to manual targeting, but that's okay. It's a wee-bit overwhelming at first... but in a good way.