Quote:
Originally Posted by CapnScurvy
Your making an assumption that the game provides real life optical sizes......it does not.
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No, I *KNOW* it does not, hence the reason I correct for it when measuring distance as stated above.
However, and I can't stress this enough:
The FOV issue has no relevence when considering the speed formula. NONE.
The reason for this is that the apparent distance to the target does not enter into the equation at all in any way shape or form. This is why the formula works without modification regardless of the range. Examine the formula in more detail if you don't believe me, the math bears this fact out 100% without doubt. To be sure that the point is clear, I'll restate it another way: The speed formula does not require *apparent length* (which is what the fov issue fouls up) but requires *true length* instead.
I haven't personally confirmed that the lengths are inaccurate to some degree as well, but I do believe you 100%, having used the stadimeter before. Personally, I'm not sure I buy that the sub commanders had 100% accurate lengths for warships at least since these would have been the result of espionage. Since most of those merchant designs predate the war, I wouldn't be surprised if we actually did have pretty reliable dimension data for them though. They where pulling into ports all over the pacific where we could just discretely measure them at will.
Regardless, innacurate lengths will undoubtably give innacurate results no matter what you're measuring, the only thing that can be done about that would be to hand measure a list of accurate lengths I believe, which I think you've done in your mod.
Truly though, if you want to argue against the speed formula the real point of attack is that these boats couldn't maintain a fixed position very well. They could hold a depth without power if everything was set up perfectly, but since the weight of the vessel changes throughout the day (fuel and ammo being major concerns with garbage and waste being lesser issues, all of which lighten the boat, while crew moving about the ship change its balance), this cannot be relied on. Still, this doesn't change the facts that if the known ship length is accurate, and the boat can maintain a fixed position, then speed can be determined without knowing the fov of the optics you're using to get said measurement.
Personally, I'm more interested in distance measurements though, hence the reason I've done the math to get a working formula.