[GoldenRivet]

determining enemy course is very simple if you care to use the map screen as your drawing board.

if you have map contacts on follow this method:

***For ships on an easterly course 000° through 180° use this method***

1. on the map screen, locate the target ship on the map and use the pencil tool to mark it's present position with an "X"

2. after waiting a minute or two, repeat the process using the pencil tool to mark it's new position on the map with an "X"

3. use the ruler tool to connect these two "X" marks with a straight line, this gives you a course line.

4. Now, using the protractor tool, click north of the "course line" somewhere along a line of longitude (vertical) then and move the protractor tool southward along this line of longitude on the map until you meet the course line, click again, then move the protractor tool in the direction of ship travel along the course line a short distance and click a third time, an angle will be shown such as 64°. this creates an angle which represents the angle at which the course line intersects a line of longitude on the map. 64° for example would indicate that the target ship is holding a true course of 64°

because the SHIII world is a Mercator projection, and there is no variable like current, wind, or magnetic variation to account for, the true course of 064° is also the target ship's magnetic course.

this part is very important - IF your target ship is moving westerly 181° through 359° you would follow the above example exactly EXCEPT this time you would alter step 4 to read as follows:

4. Now, using the protractor tool, click north of the "course line" somewhere along a line of longitude (vertical) then and move the protractor tool southward along this line of longitude on the map until you meet the course line, click again, then move the protractor tool opposite the direction of ship travel (out its backside) along the course line a short distance and click a third time, an angle will be shown such as 64°. because the course is westerly, and the protractor tool in SHIII only goes up to 180° you will have to add 180° to come up with the westerly course... therefore if your course line indicates 64° add 180° for a total of 244° - the target ship has a course of 244°

**** with map contacts OFF follow this method ****

Now... if you are playing with map contacts OFF you have to add a couple of steps. this is easiest from a stationary position

1. Observe the target through the scope and gather bearing and range information to the target (for example bearing is 330° and range is 1KM

2. on the map screen, use the ruler tool and center it on your own sub icon, then advance a line outward along the bearing overlay outward on a bearing of 330° for 1,000 meters, then use the pencil tool to create your X mark

3. wait a minute or two and repeat step 2 using the new bearing information.

now that you have basically created a "map contact" for your target, you may now refer to step 3 in the "map contacts on directions" outlined earlier in this post.

hope this is clear to you. i can possibly work on screenshots later on