Manual Targeting in Bad Weather

Soundman · 06-16-07, 09:18 AM

I was on patrol in stormy conditions with poor visibility. Picked up a contact on radar, and started plotting his course. Put myself into position for a shot at about 500 yards and waited. Submerged to 50 feet and started getting a sonar contact on him and continued to track and plot speed. I put the scope up and waited for the ship to come into view. He continues to get closer and closer until I finally began to vaguely see an image. The image was ghostlike and I attempted to lock the scope on him. No success. The image continues to be poor, but I could make out enough that identified the ship as a large composite freighter. Waited longer until he was in front of my bow at about 400 yards and I can still not get the scope to lock on him. The reason for me to attempt to lock on him, is so that I can use the Stadmeter. If I closed in anymore I would be too close to him for the torpedoes to arm. Now, if I can make out an image enough to identify a ship I should at least be able to use the Stadmeter or get a lock on him. Needless to say, I could not plot a solution to fire successfully, so I tried a snapshot with no success because the bearing will not update the TDC without range information.

I have read and posted in threads something similar to what I am going to say now. The point and shoot system in this game does leave much to be desired in its current state. I find it frustrating that you can't look out into the open ocean and use the Stadmeter to set a range or bearing, and that if the lubber line is not on a ship the Stadmeter is useless. The Stadmeter should not be aware of whether or not I am actually looking at a contact. I certainly hope this is fixed in 1.3.

Maybe there is something I'm missing here that someone can explain to me. Am I way off base with my conclusions? And if someone can explain to me another way of accomplishing this, by way of a work around, I still strongly feel something needs to be done to enable a better way of using a "snapshot" or "point and shoot" method.

06-16-07, 09:18 AM	#1
Soundman Commodore Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Orlando, Fl Posts: 617 Downloads: 60 Uploads: 0	Manual Targeting in Bad Weather I was on patrol in stormy conditions with poor visibility. Picked up a contact on radar, and started plotting his course. Put myself into position for a shot at about 500 yards and waited. Submerged to 50 feet and started getting a sonar contact on him and continued to track and plot speed. I put the scope up and waited for the ship to come into view. He continues to get closer and closer until I finally began to vaguely see an image. The image was ghostlike and I attempted to lock the scope on him. No success. The image continues to be poor, but I could make out enough that identified the ship as a large composite freighter. Waited longer until he was in front of my bow at about 400 yards and I can still not get the scope to lock on him. The reason for me to attempt to lock on him, is so that I can use the Stadmeter. If I closed in anymore I would be too close to him for the torpedoes to arm. Now, if I can make out an image enough to identify a ship I should at least be able to use the Stadmeter or get a lock on him. Needless to say, I could not plot a solution to fire successfully, so I tried a snapshot with no success because the bearing will not update the TDC without range information. I have read and posted in threads something similar to what I am going to say now. The point and shoot system in this game does leave much to be desired in its current state. I find it frustrating that you can't look out into the open ocean and use the Stadmeter to set a range or bearing, and that if the lubber line is not on a ship the Stadmeter is useless. The Stadmeter should not be aware of whether or not I am actually looking at a contact. I certainly hope this is fixed in 1.3. Maybe there is something I'm missing here that someone can explain to me. Am I way off base with my conclusions? And if someone can explain to me another way of accomplishing this, by way of a work around, I still strongly feel something needs to be done to enable a better way of using a "snapshot" or "point and shoot" method.