TDC - a little help plz :)

[Midnyte]

I'm having a fair bit of trouble trying to actually shoot sometihng... im suspecting it might be the AOB bearings but not sure... i figure out the distance, then i figured out the speed, made the AP slave to the TDC, adjusted the Angle on Bow, aimed at center of ship, fired and nothing....

does the angle on bow get adjusted automatically when slaving the Attack Periscope or do i still have to set it anyhow regardless if the AP is slave or not?

i havent been able to shoot a single ship as of yet lol so any help would be much appricated.

[Tyrendian89]

Originally posted by niteowl84:

does the angle on bow get adjusted automatically when slaving the Attack Periscope or do i still have to set it anyhow regardless if the AP is slave or not?

are you setting the correct AOB? I might be misinterpreting you here, in which case disregard this, but to me it sounds like you think AOB is the angle that the target is off your UBoat's bow, when it fact it's the opposite - the Angle you want to enter there is from the perspective of your target.

[Ricky Bobby]

Yes. Do definitely do have to set the AoB even when looking at the target with the AP.

I think you are on to something with the AoB being the weak link. I am no expert, but I do get some hits so I will offer some ideas:

1) Be very accurate on your centiradians readings.
2) Are you identifying the ships accurately?
3) For speed measurements, do you stop the sub and measure approximately perpendicular? (90 degrees on bow).
4) Are you setting a torpedo depth within the draft of the target?
5) What distance are you shooting from? My experience is that the greatest success rate is within about 3km. I.e. a computed distance of 30 hectometers. I have seen some captains get much closer. It really helps.
6) AoB is the subjective piece that could be causing your misses. Do you understand it what it is? There is a calculator, I believe, on subsim.com that you can use to calculate AoB based upon your centiradian measurements. This, of course, means you must have properly id'd the ship.
7) Consider firing a salvo with some spread angle or at least more than one single shots at different locations on the target.
8) Ask your crew to verify your ID, range, speed, AoB. Get second opinions on everything.


Of all of these points, I would say the most important is to get as close as practical. It makes identification easier, AoB more accurate, and decreases the effect of errors.

[Oleander]

AOB is set for the bearing you are looking at. When you program the TDC you are saying a ship through the AP on bearing 0 is at 90 AOB to its port side. Once that is set, and the ship doesn't change course, the AOB will track with the AP.

[Lexor76]

If you entered the correct AOB and used the exact sequence of actions you described here then there's the problem. From the moment you switch the tracking mode to AP the TDC will keep updating thea AOB according to your movements of the periscope. So either switch to AP or enter the AOB after centering the periscope on the target.

[Valen]

And if you don't have other crew to verify your settings, make screenshots of the periscope view and TDC panel. Then upload them to your steam account and link them here so we can analyse the exact problem.

[Midnyte]

thanks everyone for your replies, i do understand what the AOB is but i was confused as to wither or not to enter it while the AP is slaved. So if i understand correctly....

i should switch to AP before centering on target or do i still need to do the AOB even if i center it.

if i choose to input the AOB manually i should do so after i have already centered on the target and have switched to AP?

i normally play alone as playing with crew mates on my sub has proved to be .....rather bad as they just troll and open the hatches while submerged or shoot off all torpedos you get the point...

i will give what you guys suggested a go later this evening when i get home. Hopefully i make a few hits tonight :)

[Midnyte]

thanks valen ill do that later when i get home to play

[Lexor76]

Originally posted by Lexor76:

From the moment you switch the tracking mode to AP the TDC will keep updating the AOB according to your movements of the periscope

Try to understand the effects of this sentence, that is the answer to your questions.

[Valen]

Originally posted by niteowl84:

thanks everyone for your replies, i do understand what the AOB is but i was confused as to wither or not to enter it while the AP is slaved. So if i understand correctly....

i should switch to AP before centering on target or do i still need to do the AOB even if i center it.

Centering on target or switching to that viewing device can be done in either sequence. (When there is no-one to mess it up) What must be done last is setting the AOB needle to what you saw through the viewing device when you left it at the centered bearing. If the target has since moved out of view DO NOT re-center the viewing device and then enter the old AOB. AOB and bearing must be a pair. The TDC keeps track of when you turn your boat so you do not need to account for that either. Ofcourse you are free to re-center after the AOB is set.

if i choose to input the AOB manually i should do so after i have already centered on the target and have switched to AP?

Correct. Then the TDC will calculate what the actual target course is and use that as it's internal representation.

Now, that does not mean you can set AOB once for a certain bearing and it is good for ever. Well you can, it is just not wise. Depending on what AOB you determine, visual accuity is easier at some angles, harder at others. So as you get a different aspect of the target you should check if the AOB you see still matches with what the TDC has kept up tracking since the last time. And adjust accordingly. Near-bow-on and near-stern is usually easier to estimate the angle of. But overlapping kingmasts or a glancing view of the superstructure forward/aft walls are a nice way to indicate when the AOB is near 90. Verify the way the AOB needle points.

BTW, the dial that was previously labeled as "heading" is now correctly called "bearing". So once you turn the selector switch you can clearly read of where the chosen device is pointing to.

[Midnyte]

sigh im still having trouble... i managed to hit 2 or 3 least things are looking up lol.... i uploaded a screen or two from a boat i missed....seems i couldnt hit the broadside of a barn lol

[Midnyte]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1724599334
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1724599277

[Midnyte]

at the time i was 90 degrees to the right of it and i still missed...the screenshots were taken shortly after :(

[SUBSIM]

Everything looks pretty reasonable except range; are you sure the target was only 1500m off?

When they add the training mission, you will be able to practice and see exactly where your shots go.

[Midnyte]

im looking forward to those training missions then....i am in desperate need apparently lol.... i cant remember now if they were that close or not...i was just practicing...they had no escorts so its likely but ill do a few more practice runs and hopefully ill get it right eventually but im having such a terrible time hitting things....even this morning i was behind a target...180 degrees from his point of view...i fired 4 torps....missed with all of them..... from a straight line behind them :( i havent hit to many since i hit those 2 the other day which im not convinced was a fluke lol

[Tyrendian89]

Originally posted by niteowl84:

even this morning i was behind a target...180 degrees from his point of view...i fired 4 torps....missed with all of them..... from a straight line behind them :(

that is probably the single worst place to fire torpedoes from. You minimize your target area (because ships tend to be a little bit longer than they are wide), you maximize the chance that even a slight maneuver will throw off your aim completely, you maximize the time to target by firing from behind, and as a result of all of that even if your aim were good despite all of those problems you maximize the chance that the target will just slip right through the gaps in your spread.

Especially as a beginner, always try to fire from as close to 90° off their broadside as possible. Largest target, fewest variables.