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  • Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    04. 18. 2006 12:22

PCShogun
Thanks for those who added to the original manual, this is release 1.3

Auto aiming was getting me clobbered so I finally decided to spend the time and
learn manual aim. It looks tough, but isn't as bad as it seems. Getting good at it,
now thats tough.

FIRST LESSON:
DO NOT PURCHASE AIMING or FINDING FCS and then jump into a room and expect to
do well. You will die a very frustrating death. Start a training room and practice there.

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE A CL BEFORE LEARNING MANUAL. This was my
mistake. Now I have little money and I am losing battles because auto fire is weak
due to turret seperation on cruisers, and learning manual takes a week/month to
get comfortable with. (Some folks have stated that Manual in a DD is not a good
idea. If this is your belief, be sure to allow money for low income battles until you
become better with manual and can survive a few engagements). Buying a CL too
early will cost you bocoup credits when you have to sell that CL to get ammo money.

LESSON TWO:
Pressing F5 will put a overlay of the keyboard on your screen and can be used for a
reference. DO NOT GO INTO BATTLE WITH THIS SCREEN UP. You will not be able to
see crap until you press F5 again to make it disappear.

Use F11 to start 3D mode. With 3D mode on you can zoom out with the mouse scroll
wheel to see more of the screen. THIS IS A REQUIREMENT FOR LONGER RANGE
GUNS. To zoom out without a mouse scroll wheel, use the [ and ] keys. This WILL
make it harder to see planes. I do not have a solution to this so you Super Uber
players can comment on this issue. You can also zoom in and see the rust stains on
my ship (keep meaning to get that fixed). Other than that, however, it is of no use
to zoom in what so ever.


LESSON 3:
Letters Q and E move the guns together. A and D move the guns AS A UNIT to point
port or starboard. THIS IS THE KEY!

Use Q and E to get your guns together, pointing in the right direction. Then use A
and D to move the sight lines to the target.

If your turrets are moving slowly, on the right of the screen is the TDA (Turret
Direction Accelerator). Turn it on by clicking the switch and the guns will aim much
faster, perhaps too fast. Try it and see. You can also turn it on via the left CTRL key.

Press and hold the shift key to slow the rotation down if you need to be more
precise.

Practice aiming the guns, without firing , as you manuever the ship. Sharp turns will
force you to re-aim the guns

LESSON 4:
The W and S keys control the gun elevation. This is an art that only practice will
perfect. Press W for a few moments to get the elevation up. The elevation is visible
in two locations, the center and the left side wheels. Ships with planes have the
center section covered up but the elevation is still visible on the left side of the
panel. DO NOT FIRE until you have moved the elevation beyond 1 degree or you may
damage yourself. Unless you are committing ritual suicide in a battleroom, this is not
a desireable thing to do.

Now, fire a few rounds. The splashes should appear and stay on the screen. Use
these splashes to judge where your shells will fall in battle. Line these babies up on
your target and blast away. Unless your target is in a coma (or AFK) he is gonna
realize something is wrong and move. Use your W and S keys to adjust the range
and keep at thim. Hopefully the drone is now dead. Do this a few times, and when it
feels smooth, Then, and only then, try a real battle.

TIP: Try crossing your site lines using Q or E and then set your elevation so
the shells land where the X is. This is a way to maximize your hit potential upon a
enemy target.

TIP: Find a set of guns you like and stick with them. This will speed up the learing
process of the gun angles and save you money from trading in gun mounts
frequently as you will not get all the money back when you sell the old guns.

TIP: Higher elevation shots can have dramtic hang time. Be sure to keep this in mind
when targeting a ship, as the enemy can move out from under the volley while the
shots are in transit to the target. Lead your targets more for high elevation shots.
High elevation shots will strike against the usually weak deck armor and is a good
tactic when going against a heavier armored opponet.

LESSON 5: First Battle.
OK, Your in the room with that Aiming FCS installed. You feel nervous because
manual is still new. DO NOT RUN CHARGING INTO THE FREY.

Take the time to get your guns aligned. Zoom out a little bit with the F11 key and
your mouse scroll wheel. Now, aim to a spot where your team mates ships are not
(very important) and fire 1 or 2 broadsides to get your reference splashes. Got that?
Good.

Now move closer to the fight. Watch those torpedos, dive bombers, and battleships.
Pick a target that isn't gonna run up on you in 0.4 seconds. Fire a shot. YOU HIT!
great, adjust range and unload. BOOM, HIT HIM AGAIN!!! Guess what, you are now
firing manual just like a vet. It only gets easier from here.

PS. for those still intimidated. I learned this in 1 day. I am not great, but I can at
least aim and fire. It is getting easier.

MORE TIPS: Just some things that work for me.

AA fire seems to work good at 35 degrees elevation as an average. Set to this
elevation and blast away at planes for extra credit. With AA fire, shoot at the
shadow of the plane on the water, not the plane itself.

Stay with the same guns for awhile, this is the only way to learn the elevations
needed for close in attacks which can be tricky for the new player.

Cannot see where the shells land? Your BO affects this. As he goes up in level, the
range you can see will improve.

Not doing much damage at long range against larger targets? Its probably due to
deck armor. BB/CA/CL2's are afraid of dive bombers and tend to armor their decks
accordingly. Lower your elevation for a more direct attack against the belt armor
instead.

Not doing much damage against a targets belt armor? Raise your elevation and hit
his deck armor with lobbed shells. Heck, he cannot be armored everywhere, can he?
(Exception to this rule, BB3's, 4's, and now 5's).

Just not getting through the armor? Use AP shells. Still not getting through? Your
guns are too small, pick another target or run like a bunny.

WISDOM of PCSHOGUN:
'Mastering a skill, once thought impossible, builds self esteem and respect from your
peers'.
  Index

  • Re : Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    02. 19. 2007 10:35

kacimierz
I started using aiming when i started with atlanta and yea.. i couldnt hit much on the
first battles but now after few days its not that hard as it looks
if you stick with one set of guns and ammo youll start feeling them you can do as good as
with auto but you have a longer range you can use AA you have no bugs with the guide lines
(like i had when i wanted to use auto) and ofcourse you have a better spread (my spread on
atlanta sux with HA or long range but what can i do ..)
but on the other hand i dont think i would use aiming on a DD becouse they are close range
battles and its pure chaos and a new person can get lost or panic (like i did when i
wanted to use aiming just when i started) and auto isnt THAT bad on close range

  • Re : Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    02. 19. 2007 08:15

CaptainWA
i waited till ddx which i got yesterday to start using manual. i deffinatly waited to
long. you should start using manual when you reach atleast level 12 and can chose
a nation. i reccomend this and hopefully new players will read the forums.

  • Re : Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    02. 14. 2007 23:31

eunsugee
wow so much good advice, thanks.

bump

  • Re : Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    01. 12. 2007 12:22

PCShogun
BUMP

  • Re : Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    12. 09. 2006 18:15

eri123
this is a very helpful guide im getting better with manual.

  • Re : Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    12. 09. 2006 09:52

SilverGhost
well done on the guide,
that being said, here's my two cents on the issue,
I've never used auto, (i played during beta when there was none, and when they
put it in I was sufficiently good that I didnt need the switch) and after a year or so
away from the game I came back, restarted my account and again started off with
manual... I strongly suggest all player get off auto, never using it is better still....
there is DEFINATELY a learning curve, but to have that learning curve when your FF1
only takes what, 100 credits to rise from the sea floor, is when you want to go
through it... to those that say it doesnt make a difference in DD games? thats bull, it
makes a difference, especially when you start moving above 4" guns so you can
actually strike targets at "range". I've been running a Q with 4 single 6" guns for a
while now, and I can definately tell when im going up against an auto opponent
because when i hold them at arms length (speed is helpful) i am scoring hit after hit
with only 4 shells on a moving DDX, when they are sending up to 10 shells back at
me and missing 9 of them. Anyways, final point i want to make that i didnt see here;

Take the time to learn the "angle to range" for each new set of guns, ie. if 30* gives
you max range, 15* wont give you half... wehn i first moved into the 6" i practiced
and took note that 20* (of a max 30*) gave me near max range with a still bearable
spread, 15* was about my 2/3 max setting, 9* is 1/2 range, 5* is 1/3, and 3-4* is
knife-fighting, i never go below 3* because there is no need. By taking the time to
memorize these angles if you will, i can now look at where any target is along my
sight lines, set the angle and have 80% chance of first salvo hits, likewise, if target
closes or runs, a quick glance and the angle is set for 2nd salvo hits, no ugly
messing around resulting in over/under shoots.

once again i wrote way to much...but i hope somebody out there finds this useful,
cheers, and good hunting!

  • Re : Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    12. 08. 2006 13:51

PCShogun
*blows off dust and sets guide back on shelf*

  • Re : Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    11. 20. 2006 19:12

marinesgt364
gj....gr8 post

  • Re : Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    11. 20. 2006 18:47

DeathGiver
lol
nice job

  • Re : Manual aiming for new players v1.3 - Revised

    11. 20. 2006 07:06

PCShogun
To zoom out without a mouse scroll wheel, use the [ and ] keys.
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