Manual Targeting without external tools

[Squid]

Greetings,

Here are a couple of videos to explain and show how it's possible to manually target opponents without the use of auxiliary tools and charts. It's actually quite simple, other than the fact your uboat must be stationary. Obviously you'll need to duck and run after firing if engaging anything that may come chasing you.

This one is pretty short, ~10 minutes and explains the concept.
QT http://youtu.be/AosNVEm6vu8

This video (~20 minutes) is just to show the method in use against in game targets.
QT1 http://youtu.be/5i7GHBGi9Kg

Hopefully some of you will find this useful,
Squid

[Kriechbanm]

You drawing is excessive and not specifically fast or convenient to do, especially for the given precision (rough speeds divided in your head). Angles for instance are much harder to do than circles, you should avoid using angles as much as you can for faster drawing. It is much harder to draw a line with specific length than do draw a circle with a specific radius.

Your attack requires you to be standing on a position before you can even start drawing. There will be a lot of missions where you don't have time to do that.

Your attack requires the target to cross line of fire at 90 degrees, you can't hit at sharp angles or inside a convoy using this method.

Basically you do a http://shoaimpro.com/how/simplified with more drawing elements and less precision due to rough numbers and calculations.

Just saying.

[Squid]

It was never implied that this was better nor faster than the 3rd part utilities. The utilities are much quicker to use, however it is simply a demonstration of how it can be done without said utilities. You seem to have failed to understand that point. Just saying.

As an aside note, targets do not have to be 90 degrees to the line of fire and yes, they can also be inside a convoy.
I may not have explained that part very clearly. I was trying to keep the videos short, so I didn't include it but the compass tool can be used for some of the measurements instead of the line tool.

[Alfred_Keitzer]

Well to be fair, with the exception of the AOB method, ShoAimPro requires that the U-Boat be standing on a position as well. Although ShoAimPro can give you incredible hits at long range, it is dependent on extremely accurate measurements including near exact target course line, target speed and torpedo speed, some of which are likely more accurate than was actually possible. With enough time, accurate target speed was certainly possible, but target speed was predicated on accurate range estimates and time, while torpedo speed probably had some unknown variability that could not be known in the field for each torpedo.

Yes, the Manual Targeting Without External Tools did have some extra unnecessary drawing, but the concept is quite simple – an intercept triangle based on estimated target speed, torpedo speed, and a predetermined torpedo run line. Similar to ShoAimPro, having a relatively accurate target course line provides a more accurate solution.

What Squid did not have to do in his demo was draw the two parallel lines for the off-90 degree target course. The intercept triangle holds the solution. If not a 90-degree AOB torpedo run, simply draw a circle centered where the target course intercepts the torpedo run line; extend the circle in size until it is tangent to the sight line (opposite side) of the intercept triangle; where this circle intercepts the target course is your true firing line of sight.

So to be fair, I am not sure four lines and maybe a circle is a lot more work than one line, three circles, and data entry into a third-party utility. But to also be fair to ShoAimPro, when my survival depends on being able to fire at long range, I will be using it because my WO, Leutnant Integer, is terrible at long range intercepts.

[Squid]

Thanks for the unbiased commentary, and well stated. I'm sure the way I did the videos wasn't the most elegant or cleanest. The principle as you pointed out is that a simple triangle regardless of size, but being proportionate to the estimated torpedo and target speeds, will allow differing distances and AOB attacks. It was all about the concept, not practicality. The proof of concept obviously works (it's simply mathematics). If speed to solution is critical though, this exercise probably won't do anyone any favors. ;-)

[Kristev]

I appreciate it Squid. I am a little confused about something though. I'm a little confused as to why you are multiplying the torpedo speed by 10 (40 kts = approx 1,234.66 m/min) and the speed of the ship by 10. I would like to do this method because right now it is harder and much more of a hurried process if a ship changes course on me.

[Squid]

The reason for multiplying the speeds is so that a large triangle can be made on the tactical map. The targeting triangle needs to be large enough for the targets course to pass through it. I usually multiply by 100 or 200 because they're easy and quick to do without a calculator. Any multiple will work though. As long as the same number is used for both torpedo and target speeds, the ratio between them remains the same.

For example:

40 knots   20.576 m/s   400 meters   4000 meters   8000 meters
-------- = ---------- = ---------- = ----------- = ----------- = 5.714
 7 knots   3.6008 m/s    70 meters    700 meters   1400 meters

They all equal 5.714. The actual answer number isn't important, it just shows all the above ratios are equivalent. It means all right triangles using these pairs of numbers for the short legs will be similar. The math doesn't care if we add words like knots, m/s, mph, or meters.

[Bitofus]

Wonderful explanation and videos Squid, thanks for sharing this with us. This is exactly the type of information which improves gameplay, making players more efficient and skillful, and the game more fun to play. I would suggest moderators to make your post a sticky and adding stuff like this to the tutorial/manual/FAQ section, for new players or those bad@math and unable to grasp/figure this out themselves.

Apart from some trivial efficiency changes (I prefer using circles and less lines as well), the remaining and imho unjustified criticism was already countered.

Some of the not yet mentioned benefits are:

- The target solution can be created in advance for future usage.
Only the execution of it requires to be at the firing position, not the creation. Simply plot it on the map and swim to your firing position. Or set a course to autopilot there. Or draw it on your own, already set course. Yes, parking skills required.

- After creation, it can be executed without visual/surface contact.
Use hydrophones to track your target passing the firing position. While being less accurate, this works especially well for short range shots where keeping your periscope above sea level is not an option. For instance, when passing by/through a convoy with escorts at close range on a clear sunny day. Try that, WO Leutnant Integer ; )

- It allows to aim at weak spots and certain parts of a ship.

Of course there's no perfect solution for all situations, and neither is this type of attack. But it greatly extends the ingame options available, which most of us can't complain about. I'm sure 3rd party tools like ShoAimBotPro can be wonderful as well, but unlike the NSA I don't use them.

[MegaT]

Hi Squid, nice videos there, I have done some small modifications (improvements) to your way of planning the attack and managed to hit 3 ships almost simultaneously, I include some images for your consideration.

I have used AIM Pro but now I only use it to get the exact speed making your system far better that AIM PRO in my opinion.

Someone said that is not good inside a convoy, well, a sniper is deadlier than an infantry soldier and relatively safer too.