Manual Targetting in FOTRS

[Deepseadiver]

Anyone able to point me to a written manual targeting guide with images please?

cheers

[XenonSurf]

I normally don't recommend the SH4 manual because it contains little information. But about how to fire torpedos and use the TDC the manual goes into details.

The SH4 manual is located in your "Support" game folder.


Greetings,
XS

[propbeanie]

You can also use Rockin Robbins Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks compilation thread, which has a few links for that, as well as THEBERBSTER's SH4 <> TUTORIALS <> HOW TO DO IT <... set of links.

[Deepseadiver]

Thanks fellas..

i found hitmans guide also after a bit more digging around

However, i'm struggling with the manual targeting procedures..always have lol

i have tried to follow video but everyone seem to do different things.

When i looked at the ID manual for instance it does not always give you the length of ship.

So i looked through the reticle of the periscope and assumed that each line on that represents 10metres length...is that correct?

[propbeanie]

That is usually a 'proportion' kind of thing... if you know the range, you can know the length. If you know the length, you can know the range (unless you do your math like I do )... however - getting one or the other is wherein the difficulty lies... The game tries to be a submarine simulation, but at its roots, its a game, so certain aspects are lacking. Then again, real skippers were in the same basic quandary, but for different reasons.

Don't forget now, there are as many ways to manually target as there are people, so when you see some of the videos or write-ups on them, they often use differing techniques. One might be fast-90, another continuous-bearing, etc.

[3catcircus]

My methods (initially assume map contact updates are on):


1. Using the TDC and position-keeper -

a. ID the target.

b. Get a bearing and range. Send to TDC and plot it on the nav map.
c. While waiting for 3 minutes to elapse, ID the target again.
d. At the 3 minute mark, take another range and bearing, send to the TDC and plot it.
e. Draw a line (or use the compass) to connect the two points and divide that range by 100 (let's say the distance between those two points is shown as 800 m - that equals 8 kts). You now know the target's speed. Plug that it in and send to the TDC. Turn on the PK
f. Repeat 3 minutes later and check the two speeds, refreshing your input to the TDC. If you did a good job, the PK should show where it thinks the target is (as compared to where it really is) on the attack plot. You can also at this point in time use the protractor to figur out the AOB and plug that in to the TDC.
g. If you are off, repeat the above.

2. Without use of the position keeper.
a. I made myself a table of firing angle vs target speed for each torpedo type (they have different speeeds). The formula is bit convoluted:
Scope Pointing Angle = ARCTAN (X/Y), Where X = Target Speed * SIN (Track Angle) and Y = (Torpedo Speed + Target Speed) * COS (Track Angle). The Track Angle is formed by using a protractor to
draw towards the target along its track and then to ownship, and then converting that degree value to radians before doing the calculation (you have to convert back to degrees afterwards). I did this in an Excel spreadsheet...

b. With the TDC off (0 bearing, no range, 0 AOB, 0 speed) set gyro angle to zero.
c. Calculate speed same as in method 1 (take 2 ranges/bearings 3 minutes apart and plot them on the map) and figure out the target's course - except you can do it directly on the nav map.
d. With the TDC still off, rotate the scope that many degrees from step a (above) in the direction of the target.
e. Wait for the desired part of the target to cross the wire and fire away.


An example of method 2:


A target is spotted and you begin tracking it. Based upon plotting, you determine it is traveling on a course of 270 at a speed of 14 knots. At 8000 yards away in broad daylight, you are too close to speed up while surfaced or it will see you. So you continue approaching submerged, but see you'll never get within an optimal range by heading at a 90 degree angle, so you alter your own course such that you are traveling on a course of 340 degrees. As long as you can get to within 4000 yds using the MK 18 electric torpedo, you have a shot. The resulting track angle for your course of 340 to cross his course of 270 is found by using the protractor to draw a line from west to east on the target's course line and then creating an angle by pulling the line down along your course line, giving you a track angle of 110 degrees. Looking at your chart for the MK 18 torpedo, you see that a track angle of 110 degrees for a target speed of 14 kts gives you a scope angle of 28.52 degrees. So you'll rotate your scope to the right from 0 degrees to 28.52 degrees. When the part you want to hit crosses the wire, fire on him. If he was traveling on a course of 090 and you were on a course of 340, your track angle would be 70 degrees, giving you a scope bearing of 21.27 degrees, so you'd rotate the scope to the left to 338.33 degrees.


Using the TDC/PK works great - if you feed it good input and continue to do so to refine the solution.


Using Method 2, you don't care about anything but target speed and your approach course. In fact, you don't even need to have an accurate ID of the target even with map contact updates off - whatever mast height you use to plot range and bearing marks is fine, as long as you use the same one for each of the measurements in order to get a course and speed. Range washes out, as does AOB.


Once you've mastered these, then try it with map contact position updates off where you *have* to rely on the uncertainty of your range measurement to work out a target course. There are other tricks involving reticle marks to determine range, speed, and AOB, but I've never been able to get close enough. I always plot, plot, and plot again to build up a solution.

[Deepseadiver]

Originally Posted by 3catcircus

My methods (initially assume map contact updates are on):
.

Thanks 3catcircus