Weapons Officer's help not wanted . . . but I get it anyway.

This has been bugging me for a while, so I finally decided to ask.

My realism settings, vis-a-vis game-adjustable (I do other things outside of the game mechanics, like only loading externals while at dead stop and calm seas) are usually either 100% (save the external camera; what can I say? I'm an eye-candy/screenie junkie :p ) or 80% (ditto). For the former, everything is selected (save the external camera) and for the latter everything except manual targeting.

I never have the Weapons Officer selected to help me. Yet, if I have manual targeting deselected, when I look at a target through 'scope or UZO the ship is still identified. It's only when I have manual targeting selected as well that the target is not auto-identified.

So what's the point of deselecting WO assistance if the game will still identify ships?

[GoldenRivet]

These are two separate functions in SH3.

Manual targeting on means that either you or the WO have to gather target data manually in order to complete a firing solution and thus attack the target. you can do this yourself through the scope TDC and Notepad, OR you can just have the WO do it by clicking the "Solution to target" icon.

If manual targeting is off... (the situation as you are describing it) the weapons officer is rendered irrelevent in this case because with manual targeting off you are telling the computer that you want an instant and automatic solution to be computed for every ship you point the cross hairs at. it really has nothing to do with the WO at this point

Weapons Officer Assistance ON means that you are probably also have manual targeting ON and when you are in a pinch you can still have him throw an accurate solution together quickly or ID a ship.

Weapons officer assistance OFF means that he will just stand there and do nothing the whole game.

regardless of which weapons officer assistance mode you are in... if you dont have "Manual Targeting" checked you will ALWAYS get the instant automatic solution to any ship you point the cross hairs at (including an instant and automatic ID)

hope this helps

Oh, it does more than help. Trust me!

Perfect explanation: short, brief, yet accurate and concise. Danke!