How to aim with ships?

[Lain]

So im still kinda new and i get i need to lead my target but when i dont understand what im doing wrong like im trying to aim the ships more like a tank but the rounds go SO much further for some reason, idk if its in controls or what. Also whats the point of ranging shots basically how do i aim and not always miss the target

[halolo39]

lock on the target, the game already does the elevation zeroing for you all is left is to lead the guns for the shots to land, speed do have a factor on how far should you lead.

[Waking]

If you play ab ranging shots are already done by the game, you just need to aim left/right, slight vertical adjustment. In rb it helps more since it isn't done by game, or at least I think it isn't/

Few tips that may help:

First, lock on as contemporary mentioned. Than you need to figure out in which direction you are sailing, and in which direction the locked target is sailing.

If you bouth sail in the same direction and the target is big, aim direcly at it.

If you bouth sail in the same direction and the target is small and fast, take an average big/average lead depending on distance.

If you sail in the opposite direction, and your target aswell, take a big lead in case of slower vessels, and a huge lead in case of fast and small boat. Again distance plays important factor here.

If you sail in any given direction and the target is approaching you with its bow, take a small/average lead in opposite direction you are sailing at.

If you are approaching the target with your bow take a small/average lead at the direction target is moving at.

If you bouth approach each other with your bows, just take a small lead at front of the enemy, so he sails into your shots.

If enemy is moving diagonally adjust your ship position or aim a little bit up/down depending if he is approaching you, or fleeing.

[xocorret]

In AB the first shot you fire counts as a ranging shot. The guns start aligning to the target distance after that. Go into a training room and play around with shooting at targets at different distances to see the effect it has. Don't just blaze away unless you are point blank.
Mark the target, so the gunners know what to aim for, fire one shot that usually goes somewhere. give the gunners a short moment to align the gun and then fire.
Also find out what the effective range for your gun is (the game does not tell you afaik). Rough guideline:
MG below 10mm: 2km max
MG above 10mm 2.5 km max
Small auto-cannons like the 37mm: 3 km max
Bigger cannons: 3.5 km max
Destroyer/Cruiser main guns: a lot. (Never tested it)

Best way to learn is to go into a test drive and play around a bit with targeting while moving.
Also: Especially the beginner boats are not the easiest ones to handle IMHO, don't get thrown off by them. In naval combat it is not always about how high your hit percentage is but how much dakka you throw out to begin with.

[ulzgoroth]

You shouldn't adjust for range by aiming up and down in naval battles unless the aiming system is not working correctly. Elevation to compensate for the set range is automatic. In RB, you control the set range directly. In AB you don't, and I frankly don't understand or trust the automatic system. In RB some small boats get automatic range control, and it's terrible - the best that can be said for it is that you can mostly compensate for it when using machine guns at machine gun ranges.

In all modes horizontal aiming falls on the player. Half of that should be familiar even to tank players - offset your shot in the direction the target is moving. The tricky bit is that in naval, you are basically always moving too, often quite fast. Which means you need to correct your aim for (roughly) your own movement during the flight of shot as well as your target's. At times this can mean 'leading' a target by aiming behind them, because you're going the same direction and faster.

If you're just starting out, you've got boats full of MGs, and no manual range control regardless of mode. Use the copious tracers to get used to leading, and don't be afraid to aim below the target if your guns have decided to fire too high. It's not a good solution, but it's as good a solution as I've got.

Waking lähetti viestin:

If you play ab ranging shots are already done by the game, you just need to aim left/right, slight vertical adjustment. In rb it helps more since it isn't done by game, or at least I think it isn't/

In RB, ranging shots are only helpful if you can't judge the range without them and can see whether they're landing in front or behind the target. For the most part, you should just fire for effect as soon as you figure out the leading.

[ulzgoroth]

xocorret lähetti viestin:

Destroyer/Cruiser main guns: a lot. (Never tested it)

Definitely varies. Some guns have trouble getting beyond maybe 8 km because they can't elevate sufficiently. Others definitely can shoot beyond 10 km, though your chances of actually landing hits or observing the fall of shot may not be good.

[xocorret]

ulzgoroth lähetti viestin:

In RB, ranging shots are only helpful if you can't judge the range without them and can see whether they're landing in front or behind the target. For the most part, you should just fire for effect as soon as you figure out the leading.

Mind though that this only is true for RB. In AB you always have a ranging shot and you can do nothing about it.

[Grumpkin]

ulzgoroth lähetti viestin:

though your chances of actually landing hits or observing the fall of shot may not be good.

Highlight projectiles fall point in the Naval battle settings can help keep track of your shots over longer distances should be enabled by default really.

[Ulfgard the Unmaker]

Schwifty lähetti viestin:

ulzgoroth lähetti viestin:

though your chances of actually landing hits or observing the fall of shot may not be good.

Highlight projectiles fall point in the Naval battle settings can help keep track of your shots over longer distances should be enabled by default really.

AFAIK, this function only works in AB. That or there's something wrong on my end. If you're looking at playing RB, OP, you'll have to get used to tracking your own shells.

IIRC, it also doesn't apply until you've got shells of at least 100mm, which is pretty uncommon for most nations until you get pretty far down the tech tree.

It's still decent advice, though.

[ulzgoroth]

Yeah, highlighting does not work in RB as far as I know.

There is a volley flight timer that usually works, for only one volley at a time. But that only helps you know when to look for your shell splashes, it doesn't do anything to enhance their visibility or let you see through islands to observe the fall of shot behind them.

[Lain]

i finally figured it out ty