Adrift, becalmed, hopeless noob

[The Oncoming Storm]

Evening chaps,

I've played SH3 and IV on the auto-aim settings in the past, but figured it was about time I targetted the enemy myself. I've read the forums and come across tutorials on how to do the deed, but they all seem to require a degree of familiarity I just don't have. Is there an idiots guide to sinking stuff anywhere? I'm willing to perform sexual favours for the person that points me in the right direction.

[sergei]

I've read the forums and come across tutorials on how to do the deed, but they all seem to require a degree of familiarity I just don't have. Is there an idiots guide to sinking stuff anywhere?

The one that got me started with manual aiming was the "Dick O'Kane Targeting Video" by Rockin Robbins.
http://www.filefront.com/thankyou.php?f=10643361&k=206f214c71f712d87672a1c32bce565235b7b975057508b3 40ea6f77f4402499

I'm willing to perform sexual favours for the person that points me in the right direction.

Hey, it's RR's video, not mine :DL

[KlassenT]

Everything you'll need is in the now-famous Sub Skipper's Bag o' Tricks (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=146795), trust me! If you jump headfirst into some of RR's constant bearing tutorials, but find that the terminology or reasoning behind the instruments is going a bit over your head, WernerSobe does an excellent job laying out the raw fundamentals in his TDC/PK videos. I may be a bit of dissenter among some of the guys around here, but I think that the 'proper' way to get into manual targetting is doing it strictly by-the-books at first, complete with "the hated stadimeter." If nothing else, this will at least give you a much stronger appreciation for some of the other attack techniques (O'Kane and Cromwell for example) and shortcuts you'll learn to take, like the three-minute rule.

Good hunting! ;)

[TwistedFemur]

Everything you'll need is in the now-famous Sub Skipper's Bag o' Tricks (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=146795), trust me! If you jump headfirst into some of RR's constant bearing tutorials, but find that the terminology or reasoning behind the instruments is going a bit over your head, WernerSobe does an excellent job laying out the raw fundamentals in his TDC/PK videos. I may be a bit of dissenter among some of the guys around here, but I think that the 'proper' way to get into manual targetting is doing it strictly by-the-books at first, complete with "the hated stadimeter." If nothing else, this will at least give you a much stronger appreciation for some of the other attack techniques (O'Kane and Cromwell for example) and shortcuts you'll learn to take, like the three-minute rule.

Good hunting! ;)


tranny...what? Para who?

[KlassenT]

Oh-ho, my ninja edit caught you off guard I see. :sunny:

I decided the funny maths-talk would be better spared in this case.

[Armistead]

Well, I would offer some advice, but lil scared of the sexual favors.

[The Oncoming Storm]

Thanks very much for the help so far.

I started a new career and my first assignment was to photograph Tokyo harbour. Nice easy assignment for the new captain. Eventually finished that, reported home and was sent to the South China Sea to engage enemy shipping.

What I was looking for was a lone merchant that I could try and put the above tutorials in to action (TDC method). I had a lovely position ahead of the target. Identified him, and then went to the TDC to try and get a range, and the thing didn't have the 'submit' button and the dials wouldn't turn. So despite setting preferences to manual targetting, looks like I'm still having my hand held. Ah well, back to the drawing board.


:)

[Webster]

try some single missions so you can repeat scenerios you find fit what you want to work on and you can get into situations you dont normally see in the careers unless your lucky

[sergei]

went to the TDC to try and get a range, and the thing didn't have the 'submit' button and the dials wouldn't turn. So despite setting preferences to manual targetting, looks like I'm still having my hand held
looks like auto targetting is still enabled.
When in career mode, you have to set your options in the captains office. It's the radio on the shelf on the left.
For some reason the gameplay options you set from the main menu screen do not apply to career mode.

[The Oncoming Storm]

looks like auto targetting is still enabled.
When in career mode, you have to set your options in the captains office. It's the radio on the shelf on the left.
For some reason the gameplay options you set from the main menu screen do not apply to career mode.

Aha! I wish I would stop losing my manuals.

try some single missions so you can repeat scenerios you find fit what you want to work on and you can get into situations you dont normally see in the careers unless your lucky

Thanks for the advice.

[sergei]

Aha! I wish I would stop losing my manuals.

Don't feel bad. I'm pretty sure it isn't in the manual.
This problem turns up pretty much every day around here!

[The Oncoming Storm]

Well it's all going pretty badly so far.

When using the stadiameter (sp?) I have to line up the horizontal/horizon line on the scope up with the waterline of the target first don't I? This is causing no end of problems as the damned water keeps slopping about and getting in the way. I suppose I could raise the sub a few feet but really don't want to be spotted. I know I can move on and use one of the other methods, but I'd really like to sink a ship this way first.

[Armistead]

Just move your sub up a few extra feet, as long as it doesn't break the programmed surfaced line, you'll be fine. The problem is more of time exposure.

[KlassenT]

Well it's all going pretty badly so far.

When using the stadiameter (sp?) I have to line up the horizontal/horizon line on the scope up with the waterline of the target first don't I? This is causing no end of problems as the damned water keeps slopping about and getting in the way. I suppose I could raise the sub a few feet but really don't want to be spotted. I know I can move on and use one of the other methods, but I'd really like to sink a ship this way first.

I'm not sure how you're going about it, but I don't quite follow what you mean by the 'horizontal,' so I'll try and lay out the procedure for ya in case this isn't what you've been trying to do. If it IS what you're doing already, I apologize in advance for misunderstanding, and I certainly don't mean for it to sound like I'm talking down to you if you've already got a good grasp on the procedure. :doh:

Anyhow, when you set up to take a reading with the stadimeter, pressing "L" when you've got the target lined up will lock your bearing onto that target. Activating the stadimeter should do this automatically, but there have been a few times where it will lock onto an unintended nearby target, so I've found that locking the ship first is helpful. Prior to making a reading with the stad, make sure the target has been identified (Either with the manual, or with the identification shortcut if you're running TMO / TMOkeys) because mast height is crucial to the accuracy or your reading. Once you've identified the target, you're clear to activate the stadimeter, with the objective being to line up the waterline of the 'transparent' image with the top of the mastline from the original image.

After taking a few readings for consistency, you can shift over to the Speed section of the TDC entry panel and use the Estimate Speed / Course feature. Just remember! The accuracy of this estimation is wholly reliant on the accuracy of your stadimeter readings, so the best way to make use of this is to take an initial set of readings and use the Position Keeper as a rough guide to see how good your readings are over the course of your intercept. If you notice the data in the PK changing a lot, or happen to notice the PK guide jumping around a lot on the attack map, then you probably need more accurate readings before you have a good firing solution. If, on the other hand, you see very minimal changes from the PK's predicted current position when you feed new data into it, that's an indication that at the very least, you've been consistent, and chances are good that you have a firing solution that will score you some tonnage.

Again, my disclaimer remains that I'm not sure how much of this you already had a good grasp on, so if this is all old news to you, then maybe it can at least take some of the intimidation out of manual targetting for anyone else reading through the thread, eh?

It's not all that bad, we promise!

(Joooin usss...):O: