I've never mastered Manual Targeting, but I have a compromise I find very immersive. I have Manual Targetting on, but also WE Assistance. On top of that I use the Assisted Plotting Mod, which removes everything from the map except 'unknown' contacts, which only display if you click on them.
To keep myself honest when I have the WE identify targets and give me the info, I never ask him to do it unless the ship is close enough that I could do it myself if I wasn't so lazy. I then bring up the book, which doesn't really do anything but waste time, but that's realistic so I do it anyway. Then I bring up the WE again and have him give me the info. I then put the scope down and wait a couple of minutes and do it again, just as I would if I was doing it manually. I always take at least three sightings, which increases the chance of my scope being spotted.
In the end it's all hocus-pocus, since I really only needed to take one snap sighting, but it makes me feel good.
And I somehow manage to miss a lot anyway.
