Stadiometer woes

[JBHemlock]

Most of my time playing this game in the past has been distinctly casual on the torpedo side. I've enjoyed maneuvering the sub, dealing with escorts, etc. But, masochist that I am, I've turned my sights on manual targeting.


I've been playing through the easy manual targeting scenario in sub school, and I think I have a handle on the basics. I can plot my target's course, estimate speed, etc, and get hits on it. However, getting a true M.O.T. hit has eluded me, and I think it's coming down to my inability to estimate range.


I did a comparison where I marked my target on a map and used the compass to estimate range, and then compared it with what I'm seeing from the stadiometer. The stadiometer consistently is giving me a range that's somewhere between 10-25% higher than what I'm estimating with a compass, and I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I've sent the target id to the TDC, and I'm using the stadiometer to put my target's waterline on the top of its mast, so it should be pretty foolproof, right?


Here's an image of what I'm doing, including the ship id book page. Can anyone see where I'm going wrong with this?
https://i.imgur.com/Nx4INFEh.png

[propbeanie]

I've never been very good with the stadimeter. Stationary target, take three readings and get three different measures... lol - so add the 3 together, divide by three for the average. Or get anal, and do fiive, throw out the high, throw out the low, add the remaining and divide by three... Or do a fast-90 and be done with it... lol - big thing though, is using the correct ship in the RecMan, AND having accurate mast height data...

[JBHemlock]

I've done a bunch of practicing with it, plus the fast-90 method (and I'm trying to get a feel for the vector analysis method, which feels like something the crew of an S-boat would have had to resort to), and I can see you're right now. The damn thing is just inaccurate. If I work up close, it's good enough for a 1500 yard run, which is pretty much how I used to play with auto-targeting.


Wish me luck! Starting a new career with manual targeting, again in the Skipjack :)

[JBHemlock]

So far, it definitely feels like I get better results out of the Dick O'Kane method (managed to take out a couple of sub chasers with stern shots). Leaving the full TDC method as a backup works well, too - if I'm set up for a 90 degree O'Kane shot and don't quite make it, then I'm usually close enough to get a reasonable range with the stadiometer and turn the missed opportunity into another chance.

I'm still missing more often than I hit, but it's 1941 and the torpedoes are still crap. I'm getting hit rates that aren't too far off from my last auto-targeting game, though, so I'm pretty happy with this. Skipjack so far is the bane of subchasers. Out of 4 encountered, I've sank two... :Kaleun_Wink:

[JBHemlock]

And thanks to the rest of you, you've made me a manual torpedo shooter...



https://i.imgur.com/IKPtoXVh.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/DWBV1Myh.png
https://i.imgur.com/cDZL0jb.png