tdc

[edwardallen]

hey guys im really missing something here. When in manual mode how do i know
when the optimum time to fire is. since all three dials and the periscope view
are moving i have no idea. somewhere something has to match up or line up.

[Sniper297]

Best way is to play easy mode for several months, but instead of loafing along with your mind in neutral while the automatic targeting does all the work, observe carefully and take notes on what it does, and get used to what the sight picture of various ships look like from different angles and ranges. Best shot is zero gyro angle from 500 to 1500 yards and as close to broadside as you can get without being detected.

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/2240/52154594.jpg

Lower dial is your sub, zero is the front and shows which way you're heading - the outer ring is the compass. Upper dial shows the target ship, same format. In that picture your sub is heading about 351, target is heading 240. The arrow pointer shows the torpedo gyro angle, which in that pic is about 15 degrees right. The arrow on the upper dial shows the direction the torpedo will hit the target from, in this case about a 50 degree angle from the bow.

A torpedo needs to run a minimum of 400 yards to arm, and it swims straight out of the tube for a few hundred yards before turning on course, so the smaller the angle the smaller the potential errors. The longer the distance the more time the target has to see the torpedo wake before it hits, and the sharper the angle the easier it is for the target to speed up, slow down, or turn to avoid the torpedo.

So ideally as close to the track as you can get, as close to a 90 degree broadside shot as you can get, and as close to a zero gyro angle as you can get.

There's a balance involved, for example he's coming fast and the gyro angle is 45 degrees at the closest point of approach, firing when the gyro angle is 45 degrees and the range is 1200 yards to get a 60 degree hit is better than screwing around maneuvering to get a 90 degree hit with a zero gyro angle but now the range is 3000 yards.

Practice with automatic targeting, get a feel for what works and what doesn't, then try the same procedures with manual targeting.