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'.
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