RAOBF

[keith_uk]

I have a few questions. Why do some tutorials tell you to count all the clicks along the ships length and other tell you to count half of them (the front half)?

When finding the ships speed by timing it while it passes in the scope, should the scope be at 1.5 x zoom or 6x?

Before I fire the torps, do I have to set the scope at 0?

Thanks,

Keith.

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by keith_uk

I have a few questions. Why do some tutorials tell you to count all the clicks along the ships length and other tell you to count half of them (the front half)?

This is probably because some tutorials are based on the original mod they were based on, the OLC Gui for SH3. The creator OLC decided that it was easiest with his mod to read of halve of the marks, instead of all the marks. Iirc in the earlier versions of his mod he doubled the mastheight values in the recognition values to make the RAOBF wheel scales align better. In later versions he avoided that with requiring only halve of the marks to be counted.

But with so many different derivatives it's risky to rely on the precise procedures shown in these tutorials. Always go with the instructions that this mod comes with.

As the lock-on point for the periscope could potentially be offset from the model center (if some modder messed up his model offset) I would count all the horizontal marks, and divide by 2 if needed. Only considering the marks on the left or right side of the horizontal scale is risking false measurements leading to false AOB.

When finding the ships speed by timing it while it passes in the scope, should the scope be at 1.5 x zoom or 6x?

Doesn't matter, the line is dead-center of the view in both cases. And to null out your own speed effects, the periscope should be pointed 0 or 180 degrees, and the bow/stern turned just in front of the targets passage. Choose the zoomlevel that gives the best view on when the target bow and stern cross the line. So for distant targets this would usually be the high zoom level.

[keith_uk]

Thanks.

Another thing... after entering the AOB, i seem to have to flip it to the opposite side for some reason for the torps to be on target otherwise the torps go behind the ship
So the ship could be on my right, but i have to flip it so the arrow for the AOB is on my left.

I'm following the RAOBF instructions to the letter, but, to me, the whole system seems to be really inaccurate so far.

Keith.

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by keith_uk

Thanks.

Another thing... after entering the AOB, i seem to have to flip it to the opposite side for some reason for the torps to be on target otherwise the torps go behind the ship
So the ship could be on my right, but i have to flip it so the arrow for the AOB is on my left.

How to set the AOB doesn't matter (at all) where the ship is around you. All that matters is how it moves in comparison to the view. If the target is moving through your view from right to left, then the AOB should point to the left. And point to the right if the target moves from the left to the right. Easy to remember, follow the visual movement with the AOB arrow. This ofcourse assumes that the 0 degree AOB index is at the top. AND your own speed is almost non existant, ... you need to be pretty slow compared to the target to have it make sense.

Unless I misunderstood what you meant with 'flipping it to the opposite side'.

I'm following the RAOBF instructions to the letter, but, to me, the whole system seems to be really inaccurate so far.

Keith.

The image in the first post of this thread is done wrong. Please follow the discussion in the first few pages where he gets it right after mine and Joegrundman's corrections.

[keith_uk]

Ok, i will take a look. Thanks for taking the time to help me out

Keith.

[Bosje]

AoB = angle on bow.
easiest way it was explained to me once was to think of it like this:
a lookout on the target ship sees you and reports you to his captain. he will yell 'uboat spotted, bearing ...' that bearing will be your AoB. the angle off the bow he spotted you at. except it doesnt go to 270 degrees, instead it will be 90 degrees in the other direction, so 90 degrees port. like pisces said: it's not what side HE is on, it's what side of him YOU are on.

as for target speed: zoom does not matter at all like already explained above: when the ship (140 meters long) passes entirely across your crosshair and it takes 40 seconds to do so, then it just travelled 140 meters / 40 seconds. whatever the range or zoom level or anything. speed can be calculated from that, even using a simple calculator or perhaps even a mind that knows how to do mathematical magic. (i'm alpha myself)

I hope that helps. Reason i butt in here is that these two things were exactly what I did not understand at all the first time I tried to wrap my head around realistic manual targeting. in fact, coz this thread is now back among the living, i read the first few pages of it. I thought I understood a sentence in there, for a second, but that feeling soon went away

it is actually magic you see. no seriously, I stand in awe of the people who are taking the time to make this kind of stuff actually work ingame. good job!!!

before i crawl back into my hole, think about this:
If you get your target data correct (speed and AoB), the range does not actually matter, theoretically. (even though it does whenever i actually play the game. or maybe that trick only works at 90degrees AoB.)
Anyway, if you understand that concept, then you are pretty much there

[Pisces]

Range does matter, in the sense that it defines how accurate you need the gyro angle to pointing the torpedo on the hull of the target. And this is mostly dependant on target speed and AOB. But not the range dial entry itself so much. The length of the target at the distance where you hit him at makes an angle. And this becomes proportionally smaller when the range increases. And thus you need to get better at knowing speed the further away it is. So, you'll always have best success when hitting at point blank range. But the tactical situation may not allow that close.