[CapnScurvy]

To answer the question of Stadimeter placement, I decided to change the spot since many times the top of the masts are hard to see at a distance. If you're going to use Manual Targeting you need all the distance to target you can get. I thought about exclusively using the top of the ships flag but for many ships the flag placement is too low or hidden behind a structure.

The Merchant class of ships now will have the "top of the smokestack(s) as the point of reference. They are easy to see, all merchant ships have them, and it makes for a large target to use with the Stadimeter's second image. This includes all Merchant class ships from the Huge European Passenger Liner, down to the Sub Tender regardless of ship ownership ( Jap, American, etc.).

The Jap warships will continue to use the "top of the tallest mast" as their point of reference. This includes the small and med Gunboats, Sub Chaser, Mine Layer's, DDs, CLs, and all but one CA. The BB Kongo and the BB Yamato have tall masts, with the flag placement low, so use the mast on them as well. The exceptions are the Aircraft Carriers, the Fuso BB, the Ise's BB, and the Furutaka CA. They all have good flag placements, so use the top of the flag.

Bando, I agree there has been a lot of nashing of teeth over where is the correct placement of the Stadimeter image to find the accurate range. The inaccuracy is not in the placement but in the game config files and what math formula the game uses to convert meters to yards or back again. A modder can choose any part of the ship he likes as a reference point, as long as that spot is calibrated correctly to the distance the ship is actually positioned. Using the mission editor gave me stationary targets with stable known distance's. I just reworked the numbers until the correct range was met. I guess it's like Thomas Edison who had an idea about a light bulb. Hundreds of attempts later did he finally get it right. Trial and error is sometimes the best method. I'm no Edison, but I do have the patience to get it right.