Author Topic: Rangefinders (Read 1850 times)

Krusty · « **on:** December 09, 2005, 11:16:18 AM »

What CV guns, Shore guns, and GV tanks need is a range finder.

Range finders in real life had 2 lenses, and they were spaced x amount apart but both aimed "ahead". Now taking what you know about the width, the angle at which they had to tilt in towards each other to produce 1 image (instead of 2 -- 1 for each lens) the math could be included in the gears and wheels that angle the lenses in and out. So when used, the rangefinder will tell you the current range it's "set" to, and you move it until the picture is a single, clear, picture, and you read the currently displayed range.

The AH tanks have these range marks in the turret but it's almost entirely useless because you can waste 10 rounds just finding the range of an enemy tank. There needs to be rangefinders.

Heck, even if you're only mimicking a rangefinder somehow.

Rangefinders were vital for ship guns as well. As it is you can sit in the 16" guns and fire for an hour trying to hit a shore battery, and then at the end of that hour find your ship dead and the shore battery intact. There needs to be a way of finding out what your target's range is, then adjust your range according to that. There are still variables such as height of target (shore batteries are rarely level with your ship, GVs can be uphill or down) and motion.

Bring rangefinders to AH!

EDIT: Heck, what if you only enable distance icons on GVs when you're looking right at them in your zoomed turret view? That would approximate a rangefinder. That doesn't help ship guns vs shore batteries, however.

SMIDSY · « **Reply #1 on:** December 09, 2005, 01:10:08 PM »

not for GVs. a veteran tanker can easaly estimate the range.

Krusty · « **Reply #2 on:** December 09, 2005, 01:12:43 PM »

GVs did have rangefinders, and maybe a "real life veteran" could, but the way AH works you don't have 2 eyes and you can't tell distance other than pixel size, and if you're already zoomed in 25x, your "okay it's this size it must be this far" sense is way screwed up.

AH is a computer game. Same with the planes, you will never ba able to "see" gvs like you normally would see them with your own eyes. To correct this flaw/lack/problem, other features need to be implemented. Planes have icons, and even -/+ because the naked eye would clearly be able to see the distance and whether its closing or opening. GVs not so, because there's no icon!

mussie · « **Reply #3 on:** December 09, 2005, 03:54:26 PM »

Sorry mate but I have to disagree

I am not a big GV'r but I spent a hour off line practicing with the tiger and then went to Tank Town... I nailed a moving panzer at d 2.4 in two shots.

Its just not that hard unless your being shot at

Krusty · « **Reply #4 on:** December 09, 2005, 04:02:37 PM »

Most times you are being shot at

And if you're hiding you don't want to waste a shot to give away your location (90% of GV drivers are cowards and hide -- this includes spawn camping from hidden places). Well at any rate I still feel we need them not only for GVs but especially for fleet guns.

SMIDSY · « **Reply #5 on:** December 09, 2005, 05:38:22 PM »

i didnt mean to imply that real GVs didnt have rangefinders. im just saying that a compitent AH tanker can estimate range without much difficulty.

frank3 · « **Reply #6 on:** December 10, 2005, 06:37:15 AM »

But, the rangefinder will tell you the range from you to the target? Or the range you're firing?

Skilless · « **Reply #7 on:** December 11, 2005, 01:50:35 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by frank3
But, the rangefinder will tell you the range from you to the target? Or the range you're firing?

The tick marks inside your gunsite tell you the range you're firing. The rangefinder that Krusty is talking about (which I think is a great idea) would tell you the distance to your target. I would suggest making it an option from the clipboard that is available in any vehicle/plane/boat in the game. A friend of mine who's a golf nut has a cheap version of this. You just turn the dial until the two images become one and the readout tells you the range.

frank3 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 11, 2005, 01:54:01 PM »

Why that would be great! Will add a whole new dimension to the GV war IMO

CAV · « **Reply #9 on:** December 12, 2005, 11:19:57 PM »

Historically, tank weapons were aimed through simple optical sights and laid onto target by hand, with windage estimated or assisted with a reticule. Range to the target was estimated with the aid of the reticule (The markings in the gun sight which are aligned to frame an object of known size, i.e. a tank) But I do not think the reticule for the AH tanks are to scale.

The sights on the tanks in WW2Ol are to scale and can be used to get range. Later tanks had a stereoscopic range-finder, The only WW2 tank I can think of having a range finder was the Panther.

As I understand it all main guns on ships had a ranger finder, not all ways on the gun, but the ship had one.

CAVALRY

Skilless · « **Reply #10 on:** December 13, 2005, 10:44:08 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by CAV
Historically, tank weapons were aimed through simple optical sights and laid onto target by hand, with windage estimated or assisted with a reticule. Range to the target was estimated with the aid of the reticule (The markings in the gun sight which are aligned to frame an object of known size, i.e. a tank) But I do not think the reticule for the AH tanks are to scale.

The sights on the tanks in WW2Ol are to scale and can be used to get range. Later tanks had a stereoscopic range-finder, The only WW2 tank I can think of having a range finder was the Panther.

As I understand it all main guns on ships had a ranger finder, not all ways on the gun, but the ship had one.

CAVALRY

So maybe the CV commander is the only one who can use the rangefinder and shouts out ranges to the guys manning the guns?

Krusty · « **Reply #11 on:** December 13, 2005, 11:49:08 AM »

Negative. Rangefinders were common on ships, but there were 2 command points for gunnery on an Iowa class battleship. They are modeled in AH. You don't sit in the gun anymore, you sit above the gun, in the gunney control tower. These would be the central points that designated targets and told the guns where to fire and at what range, angle, speed, etc.

moot · « **Reply #12 on:** December 13, 2005, 11:49:18 AM »

coaxial no good?

Krusty · « **Reply #13 on:** December 13, 2005, 11:50:38 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by CAV
Later tanks had a stereoscopic range-finder, The only WW2 tank I can think of having a range finder was the Panther.

The way you worded it, I'm not sure if you understood or not, but what I was talking about is a stereoscopic rangefinder.

Mister Fork · « **Reply #14 on:** December 13, 2005, 02:04:42 PM »

ALL AAA gun emplacments had range finders, epecially on ships. Just a FYI. I like the idea.