It's time I finally learn (Manual shooting)
 

I've been playing since the beginning of Silent Hunter series, I've loved them all (Minus 5, as of now)

But one thing I never really wanted to learn out of laziness :) Manual solution for shooting, I've always dealt with the computer doing it for me. My excuse was, in real life I'm sure the captain had his officers do all of that for him, lol.

So.. I figure I'd learn it with a good working game with great mods..

Here is my mods for now.

1_TriggerMaru_Overhaul_2-5
RSRDC_TMO_V502
RSRDC_V5xx_Patch1



I'm almost 100% realistic in my settings except map contacts and ext. views.

I'm leaving Pearl in a Gato April 16th 1942.

All of that said, is there any guides for idiots ? What do I need to learn? Is there an easy step by step for this?

THANKS!

edit** any thing I should add in terms of mods to make things easier?

Good luck to you.:yeah:

I have tried, but with the different mods there seems to be no one good solution. I would like to refine the actual TDC method but no one seems to agree as to what works best. Then there are the methods that don't involve the TDC at all.
I was given two different files that were suppose to make the TDC work so as to make the left dial turnable for setting the AoB. But of course that didn't work. I have never seen anything as screwed up as the manual targeting system of this game. If anyone has a method, that I haven't already tried I would take a shot at that.:/\\!!

Wait..what??

Are you saying most people don't use ,manual targeting???

I thought I was the minority using auto targeting and now you're saying its broken ??

Unlike your approach, I started playing and abandoned computer shooting after a few weeks. No challenge, and too me that's what the allure of this game is. Manual targeting is nothing to be afraid about. Start with the training mission for torpedo shooting and just keep running it till you get that "Ah Hah" moment. If you've been playing as much as you say you should get there quickly. You'll soon figure out that the keys to manual solutions are target speed, target course from which you can calculate target AoB, and distance. These are the three inputs to the TDC. Practice and you enjoyment with this game will increase significantly. Good luck.

Off course it works... you just need to know what are you doing... for the beginning I would add OTC mod to your list of modes... then I would learn the four bearing method... static and moving one... (later you will discover that moving one is better suited to fleet boats, than to U-boats, because of the keel mounted hydrophones). You will learn to use WO and his reports (bearing+distance= mark on the map, mark+mark= target's course/speed). You will also learn to use hydrophone and sonar in bad weather (later radar) for "blind shooting" ... measuring speed...i.e. practice, practice, and MORE practice... there are lots of tutorials on this subject on youtube and on this forum... just be persistent... for example my own personal record was hydrophone "blind" shot at 7.5 km with 3 torpedoes salvo, each one was a hit, bow, middle and stern in SH3 GWX and a few more mods. It's not easy, but when you get a grasp of procedures you will feel all the power of the submarine deadly stealth...

I think most do use manual targeting, most of those that are more vocal anyway. :ahoy: I still use auto targeting. I did learn manual and got pretty decent at it, but just didn't like it. :-? I encourage you to go ahead and try it. You may like it. :woot:

I found this tutorial , seems to be pretty popular

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1647


Is that a good one? I'm going to print it out and put it in a little booklet

I kind of get it.. looks like I'm entering the data and the tdc computer kind of figures it out..



I remember in many books that the Americans TDC was better than the Germans at the time?

Midlen
 

Manual targeting for me is too weird for words, and I don't know if the real thing was like that - the stadimeter you place the upper image with the waterline touching the tops of the masts of the lower image?! All the rangefinders I ever used in real life had a side by side or over and under split image where you superimposed the two images so you only saw a single image and then read out the range.

That said, I've read here that the ranges are (1) wrong in the stock game, and (2) impossible to get at a distance depending on screen resolution since the masts aren't wide enough for a single pixel so the tops aren't visible. I would try one of the optical correction mods for that.

Best method, start by playing with manual targeting off and map updates on - but instead of loafing along with your mind in neutral while the computer does all the work, take notes and screenshots. What speed does this type of ship/convoy normally run at? When the range is 3000 yards how much of the periscope view does a medium split freighter fill in high power? How many hashmarks from the waterline to the top of the stack for a large tanker at 1000 yards in low power? Get a sight picture of what various ships look like at different AOB angles, take screenshots of perfect firing solutions so when you do start using manual the sight picture will nag at you when something is way off.

When you have all that down pat, turn manual targeting on but leave map contact updates on - do your stadimeter and AOB settings, then go to the map and use the tools to check how close you are to the correct numbers. Once you get to the point where the periscope observations and TDC inputs agree (within a reasonable value) with the measurements on the map, THEN try it without map contact updates.

Learn all the manual targeting methods and what method works best in what situation. Honestly, auto targeting is rather limiting. Sometimes you need to shoot in storms or long range using radar only. One thing I hate about auto is often your targeting needs to be based on where you think the ship will be. Often convoys go into small helming patterns and you'll plan your shot for your torps to hit on an upcoming zig, not the current zig auto targeting would lock in.

It can be done..
 

:D Hey, believe me, I’m a old tanker and the M60A1 back, use the stadimeter for ranging and it works, but you superimposed the images.:up: Had to learn to do it in a couple of seconds where as you had only 5-7 to get a round down- range

So here is where I'm at..

I am using the three minute trick to figure out speed.. Have a tanker coming to me now (paused) and put it in the speed and distance, using stadimeter for distance and clicking the keep track thing.

Now the biggest PITA is the target angle on bow thing..

Please someone tell me there is a way to figure this out, lol I feel like SUCH an idiot!!

ok.. maybe one of those "ah ha moments" ?? Doubtful though.

After getting the distance and speed down all I needed to figure out was the bearing of the ship? I'm sure what I did was wrong, but I set my sonar guy to follow the closest ship, he kept reading out his bearing and all I did was turn the dial to what the sonar guy said the ships bearing was.

Direct hit from a distance of 1100 yards.

I dunno, I feel it was done by the seat of my pants and I got lucky.. I've gone through this over the years, GWX, SH4 and SH5.. I always give up at this point, lol I'm going to stick with it now.


EDIT!!

ok I now was able to sick two merchants..

I have map contacts on, so that is a huge help, I can easily get the distance and speed.. The distance I can get by a number of ways, I use the ruler :) I use the sonar to ping and then the stadimeter.

as for the speed the only way I do it as of now is timing 3 minutes and marking..

Using the OTC realistic scopes mod there is something I can do to judge the speed using the TDC, but everytime I click it my guys say I have to wait 5 seconds or something.

I'd like to figure that out as well, but for now my biggest problem is the angle BS, lol

I keep adjusting until the attack map looks almost right, its obviously cheating as I want to go full realistic eventually and this method is not teaching me anything!

AoB is what the captain on the target would see if he was looking at your boat. It's the angle off his bow (course) not yours.

There are several ways to get AoB.

If you've got the target course plotted than draw a line from your boat to the target and using the compass tool measure the angle between that line and the target course, that angle will be the AoB. Have the PK on when you enter this value.

Second you can just eyeball the AoB input dial and match what it looks like comp[aired to the periscope view, keep adjusting as necessary. The white X is the computed impact point so it should stay on the target ship. Takes time to do this and lots of practice.

This link has the method I use
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...8&postcount=16

Always input the data in this order.
Turn on the PK and set speed and send to TDC
Next input AoB
Last range/bearing. Always last.
Check your firing solution on the attack map.

Magic

Edit, you posted as I was typing oh so slowly. I have two stupid fingers.

The problem with using the click for speed thing is you need two very good steadimeter readings about a minute or so for it to work, I never had much luck with it.:/\\!!

It's not cheating you gotta learn some how. :D

"Hey, believe me, I’m a old tanker and the M60A1 back, use the stadimeter for ranging and it works, but you superimposed the images"

Yeah, that's the kind I'm used to, got two images make them one image and that's the range. My Dad had a 35mm camera with a split image side by side rangefinder which I'm pretty sure was WWII era or earlier, I was born in 1953 and remember him using that camera when I was a kid. This kind of thing;

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/197/71634283.jpg

Is just too weird for me, instead of superimposing the two images to one you're supposed to place the waterline of the top image on the mast tops of the bottom image and it's just not accurate enough even at close ranges. The real thing MIGHT have been like that, I have no idea.