new here with auto-target / salvo question

i cant say for sure doing it the way you describe will work but just try it and follow the torps with your free cam to see the results.

if your locked on and unlock move forward then fire it works but i was told it must be done quickly to hit what you aim at. for this reason i only fire one torp that way then relock to "update" the target position before unlocking to reaim the next torp.

i think it is because it is still targetting from the last locked position meaning the movement of the ship makes your target point less accurate the more it changes. so by the time you fire your 3rd torp it may completely miss.

[Nisgeis]

Using unlocked auto-targeting does work, as long as the target triangle is below the ship, you can put your aiming point at the bow of the ship and that's where the torpedoes will go. What you must bear in mind though, is that the auto-targetting solutions aren't 100% accurate. If the triangle is yellow, there will be some error to the calculations (the crew) made. The errors get larger the further away from 0 degrees off your bow or 180 degrees off your stern. This applies to stationary targets as well.

[SteamWake]

With auto targeting the torp will go more or less where you point the crosshairs of the scope. Aim at the bow you should hit the bow, aim at the stern you should hit the stern. As a matter of fact its almost too accurate. Given of course you remember to open the doors first, about 5 seconds of delay for them to open (again too fast but whatever).

The 'offset' for example 5 degrees left the torp starts at the centerline of the crosshairs and continues out on a path deviating 5 degrees to the left of the crosshairs.

The reason for the green triangle is to show you have a 'good' solution not requiring a large amout of gyro turn. The reason it snaps to center of the ship when you 'lock' is that basically it gives you the 'best chance' of hitting. But you could leave it locked on center, offset one torp a bit to the left, another a bit to the right and therotically hit one in the bow and the other in the stern. Frankly I almost never use offset with autotarget on. I just set the crosshairs on the bow of the boat and when the section that I wish to hit (typically just aft of the stacks) passes the crosshairs I fire.

One thing the 'auto target' does not do well is judge the depth of vessels. It nearly always plots it too deep. I typically set the torp as shallow as it will go, fast speed, and impact trigger. If you do want to try an under the keel detonation check the vessels draft in the recog manual first and verify that the auto has the torp set for only a foot or so beneath, not 2 or 3 like it typically does.

[fishfood]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

...One thing the 'auto target' does not do well is judge the depth of vessels. It nearly always plots it too deep. I typically set the torp as shallow as it will go, fast speed, and impact trigger. If you do want to try an under the keel detonation check the vessels draft in the recog manual first and verify that the auto has the torp set for only a foot or so beneath, not 2 or 3 like it typically does.

+1 to the auto target depth set. Early in an encounter with a convoy (after positioning and finalizing attack angle and speed) I used to have all my torpedoes set for the depth appropriate for an under keel detonation for the specific target I would attack with each torpedo; when I was ready to attack, I flooded all tubes and then rippled off fish after locking each subsequent target.

After some unexplained misses well underneath targets, I started double checking running depths after locking on a target and sure enough, many times the running depth had substantially changed, sometimes as much as 30 feet (!). Thought I had a spy in my torpedo room . Think I made it worse because I would use the periscope and target lock to verify range while doing multiple dry runs of my attack before I actually loosed a fish. Now I simply have all torpedoes pre set to fast, shallow, and magnetic and do a last second torpedo depth, speed, and detonator modification before I fire at each target: no more fiendish rippling of fish...

[rdblan2]

Thanks very much for your responses folks. Much appreciated.

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by fishfood

Now I simply have all torpedoes pre set to fast, shallow, and magnetic and do a last second torpedo depth, speed, and detonator modification before I fire at each target: no more fiendish rippling of fish...

If your going for shallow impact set it to impact. Leaving it at Mag/impact can lead to those frustrating premature detonations.

[fishfood]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

If your going for shallow impact set it to impact. Leaving it at Mag/impact can lead to those frustrating premature detonations.

Absolutely, I've noticed a higher rate of early detonation with magnetic running shallow. I usually go magnetic under keel with the first fish per target with any necessary follow up shots going shallow + contact. If the sucker is running flat out with no visible change in ride height and I'm trying to slow him down, I'll go magnetic under keel again, but for the most part it's surface runners on impact for kill shots. An old habit from SH3 where it seemed additional under keel magnetic shots set for the same depth as the first (successful) one would fail to detonate when they actually hit the keel as the ship began to take on water and rode lower.

[banjo]

I play with auto targeting--Orion is correct. If you have a triangle you have a solution. Green just denotes optimum. As long as you have a triangle your torpedo will hit close to it. Be sure to open your doors first or your torp will hit aft of your aiming point. I am using TMO and RSRD and for some reason my first shot always hits slighttly aft of the aiming point. All subsequent shots hit right at the aiming point.

Just use "L" to follow your target. Unlock and aim where you want to shoot. It's best to space out your shots if you shoot more than one torp, i.e., one a third back from the bow and one a third forward from the stern. If I am shooting at a merchie or tanker I shoot one torp about midships and wait to see what happens. Freqquently one is enuf. If not, then I shoot another further aft.