TDC reset, how do you do it?
 

If I want to attack two ships in a convoy, how do I reset my TDC between shots?
(I'm using full manual targeting)

It always seems my target values for the second ship are WAY off, as the torpedos go in odd directions.

Trout

Be sure to turn off your position keeper after shooting at the first ship.

thats it? Just turn off the PK?

Yep, punch in the new values for the second one, engage, good to go

The PK can be extremely useful, and also can result in wasting torps if you are being sloppy. I set up a second target quickly after shooting 3 tubes, and forgot to reset the PK. I sent a new spread into the burning wreck of a small passenger liner, lol.

It is cool though. Say you fire a couple fish at a merchant, then quickly set up on another in the group. Until you reset the PK, you are still aimed (gyro wise) at the 1st target, if the first fish premature, you can just shoot more at the standing PK evolving until you reset.

tater

I'm just curious but wouldn't entering the range, speed and AOB of a new target effectively reset it with the new target data ?

Or do you really have to click on the red light to make it go off and on again ?

I seem to be doing quite well just by inputting the new target data.

No

Yes

That's the biggest difference in my tactics between SH3 & 4... the disconnect between the aiming wire and the torpedo gyro setting.

Still haven't really found a method that I'm completely happy with in SH4 but I continue to experiment... :hmm:

The position keeper must be activated only when you have sent fresh information to TDC: range & bearing, speed & AOB.

So after you sink a ship, you deactivate the PK and only reactivate it after you have completely described the new target.

Otherwise, your torpedoes will go in odd direction because after you send the first range measurement, the PK will change the TDC data using the last's ship AOB and speed. And there can be many seconds until you determine the new AOB and speed.

Remember: the Position Keeper was a mechanical calculator with toothed wheels, not a wizard, able to eliminate the bad targeting techniques. Its only purpose was to evolve the mathematical equation of the target's trajectory, but only after you have solved it at least once. This only allows for fewer raisings of the scope to avoid unnecessary exposure.

You dont need to reset it at all.

Just aim for next vessel and put in new data. You must make sure the target was identified and that you send the range last.

This is why it works: PK can be corrected on the fly. That means when its running and you are not happy with something like the speed or AoB, you can just put new data and the position keeper will update the solution. You can also update the ships actual location by sending new bearing and range to position keeper.

Sending range also provides bearing where your periscope optics are aiming at. So sending AoB will just update the solution with new AoB. Sending Speed will update the solution with just new speed. Sending Range will update the Solution with bearing and range so basicly it will provide a new location.

A have to agree, this is exactly how i've been doing it and i've had complete success. I fire at one tagert, leave the PK on, ID new target then send range and aob, wait a few seconds, then send range again and get speed estimate (of course I may already know the speed i.e convoy) and enter it.

The PK then has enough info to accurately track the new target....without ever turning PK off.

EDIT: I only use manual targeting.

You're right.

... If you're fast in getting the new data for the TDC.


Let us suppose you attack a ship that's going to the left, fast. You sink it.


After that, let us suppose you attack a ship that's going to the right, fast. If you leave the PK on and you do 2 range measurements and then estimate speed (but you are not so fast in using the game's interface), by the time you send the new AOB to the TDC the position keeper has already moved your target far away to the left, although the new ship is going to the right.

So you always need to do a last range&bearing measurement before you start launching torpedoes OR you turn the PK off until you completely resend all data to the TDC.

Phew...thanks maerean_m, thought I was going mad there for a moment.

I tend to:
1) take 1st range/bearing, send to TDC
2) Estimate AOB, send to TDC
3) take 2nd range/bearing, send to TDC
4) Get Speed estimate.

I do (1) and (2) very quickly, then wait for (3). I also tend to repeat (3) and (4) a couple of times to get a good speed estimate.

I also always do a final (1) and (2) before firing torpedo. Probably not the best tactics but they worked well for me in SH3.

wait with AoB until you have the second mark and know the true course. Then you dont need estimate it but just read the true target course dial on TDC and set up the AoB according to that.

@werner

Thats a good point. Just curious though, if the second target was heading in the opposite direction then wouldn't setting the AOB before the second range/bearing mark help the PK to judge better..if it was previously set for the first target ?

Actually, now I think about it, it probably doesn't take AOB into consideration at this stage.