Periscope Solution update question

[Dantenoc]

Originally Posted by Snakeeyes

If I want to fire again in about 45 seconds should I re-range to update the solution or if my, and the target's speed and course remain the same can I simply aim at the "sweet spot" again and squeeze? Basicly, how often should I update my solution?

You're onboard targeting computer is continualy updating the targeting solution, specificaly compensating for any movement in your periscope. However, this only updates two variables: AoB and bearing to target. Speed of target is considered to remain constant as well as it's range. So: Yes, you should update your targeting solution if any of these two last variables have changed significantly.

In the case of firing a second torpedo after the initial shot has already impacted, bear in mind that targets will sometimes slow down because of damage. This is very important, so be prepared to compensate for this. It bears repeating: target speed is crucial.

In the case of range to target... most people think that range to target is without significance when it comes to targeting solutions, but that is not entirely correct. Because the firing solution is based on trigonometry, which was developed around the concept of "right" triangles (the ones with a 90 degree angle inside them) range to target will have no impact if your firing at a target with an AoB of exactly 90 degrees. BUT, as the AoB angle drifts away from this figure, range to target starts to become a sensitive issue. This is specialy important if your waiting some time before you fire that second shot (and hence AoB has changed significantly). You could still ignore all this if you're firing at point blank range, since you'll still score a hit, just don't expect any kind of pin-point accuracy.

Bottom line: you could very well score a hit without re-ranging your target, but it will lightly affect your accuracy when target is close by, and significantly when your target is far away... since it takes so little effort to re-range your target, one has to ask "why wouldn't you?".