Manual torpedo's. Help me!
 

Ok, so after a couple of hours of playing SH3, I'm already bored with the auto-aim. (I'm really getting in to the whole realism-mojo already :yeah:) So I tried manual targeting.. And it's almost like SH3 anticipated this, because on this patrol I stumble upon two lonely, small and slow merchant ships. Ideal target practice.
However, all my torpedo's missed of course :D As I tried following some of them with the free camera, I saw most of them miss a couple of meters off the stern. So another couple of noob questions arose:

- First, what is the point of determining AoB? What I mean by that is, you
typically only fire when you're pointing at the target ie when the gyroangle is as close to 0 as possible. And you try to fire at a 90 degree angle with the target's bearing. Then your AoB should also always be close to 90 degrees right? Then why determine AoB? Clearly, I'm clueless :hmmm:

- Second, timing. The GWX manual says to start with inputting range in the
notepad. Then AoB, and finally speed. But measuring speed takes 15
seconds (or 30 when you're trying to be more accurate). By then
range and AoB are completely off. Again, what am I missing here?

- Finally, when firing your torpedo, does it make a difference at what height
you aim your periscope / UZO?

Thanks again!

You are opening your exterior torpedo doors before hitting the fire button...aren't you?

The few seconds they take to open can make all the difference.

The way I learned/self taught myself manual targetting was to build a few missions and become proficient at targets 500 metres, then 800, then 1000 and so on and so on.

It took a few weeks but I eventually got there and now usually hit my intended target about 80% of the time.

Yes I did open the tubes before starting to put in range, aob etc.
But still, between setting the AoB and firing, you lose half a minute because you have to determine target's speed. Than the few seconds it takes to open the torpedo hatch wouldn't make any difference right?

Also take into account early war torpedoes are steam driven and leave a trail of bubbles on the surface. If a ships spots this it will attempt evasive action weather a course diversion or speeding up or both.

You could try adding a few degrees to the torpedo angle to allow for this 1 or 2 degrees should be enough..

with undefended merchants you can afford to get closer to them before you fire. I am no expert with manual targeting as I let the WO do work most of the time. just hope my little bit of advice helps

Hope this helps, I have used manual targeting for awhile. I play GWX at 100%, but do use map contact updates.

The first thing I do is usually speed, use the 3 min 15 sec rule. place a mark and immediately start the stop watch. at exactly 3 min 15 sec place a second mark on the same spot on the ship, then measure the distance. the length is your speed of target (ie if 0.9 then 9 knots).

Second: once you set the AOB and have the scope locked onto the target as long as you do not maneuver your boat then the TDC will update the AOB automatically, so it will stay good. watch the dials on the TDC turn.

The last thing I enter is the range right before firing. (and after opening the tube). I am in close view mode and the range rings give me the range. I almost never fire outside of 1500 meters. for a longer shot measure with the tool aids.

All of these requires using the map contact updates and I don't use the notepad at all, I input all the data into the TDC myself. Depends on how you want to play, what your feel is, etc...

I have disagree a bit...

1. Electrics are available in your load-out from the start of the war. I allow myself 5 or 6 in a VII class. Wonderful devices.. I would load out with 10 or 12 if it was realistic.

2. Merchants cannot see bubble trails and do not react to them. They will start to serpentine (and alert escorts) if they see your periscope, so lower it as soon as you shoot.

3. Warships can see bubble trails, and will react if they do:

a) ASW warships (escorts, Flowers, trawlers) will try to attack you directly by chasing, firing and DCing.

b) Capital ships will serpentine, whether alone or in convoy, alert escorts, and try to shoot you if they can. They will not try to ram you or DC you. Yes, for all intents and purposes, a capital ship is simply a very well-armed merchant.

First, let me say I am manual targeting dunce.

But your quote here seems to conflate the concepts of gyroangle and AOB. They are very different (and you probably know this, I am probably not reading you right).

Gyroangle is about how hard a turn your torpedo will make after it leaves the tubes. Presumably, you want it to run straight, which is why the green triangle appears between 355-005. In fact, they don't have to run straight.. I have gotten lucky at 090... but the straighter they run, the more sound your solution (so I am told).

Angle on Bow (AOB) your orientation vs. the target, seen from the target's bridge. 90 = perpendicular. That's excellent AOB for an impact shot, but terrible for a magnetic.

So, how to use these numbers?

Your torpedo settings determine what AOB you want. Impact is ideally close to 90, Magnetic closer to 30 or 150.

And, gyroangle, until someone thoroughly tests it, my doctrine is 345-015 is fine, but I like to keep it in 355-005.

But don't get hung up on anyone's guidelines. Play the single missions, over and over. You can get a better education in a weekend playing them repeatedly than you will get running early careers.

Thanks for all the help. I'm getting the hang of it a little bit, but only on short range <1000. Guess I'll practice some more.
The trouble I had might have been that I wasn't full stop when doing my targeting. Should have thought of that myself..

@desirableroasted; you didn't read me wrong entirely I think.
The gyro is the amount of turn the torpedo will have to make to hit the target, the AoB is your position vs targets position. My point was that the ideal AoB (perpendicular) already translates into the ideal gyro (around 0 degrees). However this is only true for mechanic torpedos as you pointed out. I hadn't thought of the magnetic torpedos. I'm only still in '40 so not using magnetic ones yet ;)

Yes, that's right. If you are shooting for an impact shot, and have positioned yourself correctly, 90 AOB will occur at gyroangle 000 --- but that is a coincidence that misleads new players into thinking AOB and gyroangle are joined at the hip. They aren't.

As for using the magnetic pistol (which you can use on either the gas-driven or the electric torpedoes), you will find that it delivers excellent bang for the buck and gives you far more angles from which to shoot.

They do sometimes go off prematurely, esp in rough seas and at long distances, but their advantages outweigh this for me.