[BigWalleye]

Originally Posted by Zosimus

Third, if you're using a scientific calculator in the game, then imo you're cheating. You should make your intercept with the same tools that real u-boat commanders had to use. Accordingly I don't see what an expert at trig has to do with it.

Whoa! "Cheating" seems a harsh term to toss around at someone who plays the game differently than you do. "The same tools that real U-boat commanders had to use" would have to include a plotting party of officers and POs who were themselves trained to be "expert at trig." Because the U-boat commander didn't waste his time drawing lines on a chart. The navigator and the plotting party did, using the best available high-tech tools - slide rules and tables of logarithms. Whether you use an HP 11C or beads on a string, without a plotting party we cannot begin to approach the way real U-boat commanders did it

Do you use the stadimeter to measure range? Because real U-boat commanders didn't. Only Typ IIs and the oldest Typ VIIs had them. Is it cheating to let the computer measure the angles for you?

Do you use a periscope with 10x magnification? Because real U-boat commanders had to live with 6x magnification. Is it cheating to get a better view than was ever possible on a U-boat?

Do you use binoculars with a built-in gyrocompass readout? Because real U-boat commanders never had such devices. It's much farther beyond WW2 technology than a scientific calculator. Is it cheating when you use a device which is state-of-the-art a half-century later?

Do you use the mod called RND campaign layers with zigzagging units for GWX and NYGM? Real U-boat commanders had to deal with zigzagging, maneuvering convoys. Is it cheating to know that your contact will almost certainly hold its last reported course?

Do you use the Flaggen chart to tell when a nation has changed sides? Real U-boat commanders had to get that information from radio transmissions, which might be delayed or missed. Is it cheating to know the date South Africa entered the war?

Do you use h.sie's Diesel Damages Fix? Real commanders knew that they couldn't run the Diesels indefinitely at maximum RPM without risking a breakdown. Is it cheating to order "Ahead Flank" and not have to worry about an engine failure, which your crew might or might not be able to repair at sea?

Each of these cases represents a trade-off which we all have had to make, between historical accuracy, game capability, and personal enjoyment. You might feel that using a scientific calculator spoils the immersion of the game - for you. I might feel that using binoculars with a built-in compass readout is just plain wrong - for me. We all play the game to enjoy it, and the way you play it is the right way for you. But there is no wrong way. And there certainly is no cheating in a single-player game. If manual targeting is too hard, turn it off. And go have fun. Because, if you are having fun, you are playing the game just the way you should play it.