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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

    05. 11. 2006 21:45

Big_Boomer
I still dont use it and I am in CVs and CAs :-/

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

    05. 11. 2006 21:45

Big_Boomer
I still dont use it and I am in CVs and CAs :-/

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

    05. 11. 2006 21:45

Big_Boomer
I still dont use it and I am in CVs and CAs :-/

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

    05. 11. 2006 17:39

TamamaW
Actually i'm not too fresh in this game as i have played it for half a year.
But for me, it's hard to control the Ctrl key (changing the torret speed) together with
the A,D,Q,E keys which are used for rotating the guns. It loses a lot of time during
the aiming.

Well. Need time to get used to it.

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

    05. 11. 2006 14:59

commanderspy
well people that are new too this game won't go on forums as often as the vets of
NF other than that great job

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

    05. 11. 2006 10:05

NX001
i have told the noobies... i came accross a few that were usin manual on FF and DD..
told them it was quite pointless using manual. the ships are small and gun fire is
closer together, meanwhile CL CA BC BB.. their guns are farther apart and shells are
even more powerful. auto on bigger ships give the spray effect shells land
everywhere.. with manual make the shells land in a smaller area.. can be considered
as a block shot

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

    05. 11. 2006 10:01

falkonmike
yeah i made the same mistake...used auto for about 8 months even in a cl2 now
that im in a ca almost in bbs im using manual and its frustrating and diff. but once
you get used to your angles and get better at judging distances you start to pwn.
some more advantages to manual aiming is that your shells travel farther and in
auto its impossible to shoot planes down

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

    05. 11. 2006 06:31

PCShogun
As an *Cough* older player I feel the need to remind everyone that Auto aim serves
two purposes in this game.

1: It allows new players to get into the enjoyment of the game quickly while trying
to learn manual, and ......

2: allows those who may have some disability involving their fingers, to still play
the game. Realize that manual aim gives a veteran player advantages, but is not a
requirement to success in the game. I do appreacite your favorable comments
though.

WISDOM of PCSHOGUN
"Skills of the mind are as important as skills of the body, Grasshopper. Learn this,
and grow."

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

    05. 10. 2006 13:18

NWHDarkWolf
I much agree with this one. Too often I still see people in CLs using auto. Having
played since beta, when auto was so bad it was almost unusable, I must say...Learn
manual NOW!!!!!!!! Everyone, just learn it. Yes, there is a learning curve with it, but
you need it later. I long for the days when a n00b in a BB comes into a room with
auto...It will happen, and I'm gonna die laughing as he is owned completely.

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

    05. 06. 2006 22:12

PandaOps
Great, thanks for the quick tips and stuff. Manual is sometimes difficult when the
other players are moving all over the map. Other than that, the advice was great!
Thanks.
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