Sailing by COMPASS

[Sven Niscadae]

Note carefully, that when you pan the camera view, you completely botch the compass along with it. You no longer can use the four triangles to estimate if your gunners can still hit, until you reset the view properly by pressing the up arrow key.

I admit that I do mouse look all of the time when sailing but doing so doesn't ruin (at least not for me) using the compass to aim at targets. You just need to re-orient your brain and spin the imaginary lines around. Using the dots in the corners of the compass (look like mounting points e.g. bolts?) does help find the edges of where you can be assured firing range, but it's possible to find the same angles based on how your ship's icon is oriented. The theory should stay the same, it's just that the ships (including yours) spin with it. I never really seem to have a problem using the compass to aim or orient the ship for gunners.

I do agree, though, that only using what you see in 3D isn't a smart way to sail. The compass acts as a radar and when navigating in any game that offers one, it's essential to proper strategy and knowing/predicting your enemies' whereabouts and intentions.

[Edward Edgemenace]

Wow! Thank you for all the positive feedback. Wasn't quite sure how it would be received. <<<sighs with relief>>>

Originally Posted by Sven Niscadae

I admit that I do mouse look all of the time when sailing but doing so doesn't ruin (at least not for me) using the compass to aim at targets. You just need to re-orient your brain and spin the imaginary lines around. Using the dots in the corners of the compass (look like mounting points e.g. bolts?) does help find the edges of where you can be assured firing range, but it's possible to find the same angles based on how your ship's icon is oriented. The theory should stay the same, it's just that the ships (including yours) spin with it. I never really seem to have a problem using the compass to aim or orient the ship for gunners.

I do agree, though, that only using what you see in 3D isn't a smart way to sail. The compass acts as a radar and when navigating in any game that offers one, it's essential to proper strategy and knowing/predicting your enemies' whereabouts and intentions.

The one point I'd like to add, is that when you pan the camera, your brain now how to work overtime to estimate those angles - you no longer get the "bolts" as gunner reference points - you have to estimate instead. Sven, I've seen you drive very expertly, so I know that you have figured out some way of doing just that - but my feeble little brain needs every crutch it can get...like having the bolts as exact measurements for my gunner's aim.

The "radar" concept is also very important. For that reason, when being chased in SvS, I will often pan the camera around to see who is following. That way, I can see behind me, up to twice as far as what the compass reports. But if I forget to reset my view, I invariably run into an obstruction, such as Devil's Anvil, Isla Tormenta or Isla Perdida. So I've found it to me more important, to reset the view very frequently.