I can't see anything well enough to positively I.D. it over about 4-5000m generally, except for some of the larger ships,and even if i can i can't keep a lock on it to determine it's speed with much accuracy using the notepad stopwatch, which isn't too accurate anyway.
To plot it's course and get it's speed from that i still have to be able to determine the range, which i can't do unless i've I.D.'d it, and managed to estimate the range with some degree of confidence (90% with external view but no stabilization, and i don't use pause cos they didn't in the war).
Furthest i've hit anything (on purpose
) is about 3000m, and that was the Auxillary Cruiser in Happy Times single mission.
I should add though that i've re-started a new career on 90%, am on the first day of the war, and am still practising my manual targeting on single missions before i start racking up renown ( or getting sunk ) cos if theres one thing i hate in a VIIB it's wasting precious torpedoes by missing the target.
Therefore i'm practising until i'm either a crack shot, or i get fed up with single missions
.
As for night time attacks, since i can't see diddly squat, which precludes I.D.ing it, plotting a target course etc, i'm very reluctant to fire at anything at night, except at close range (less than 1000m).