shooting a moving target at range

[s0apbar]

N00b question, but if you're trying to shoot a running soldier at long range, is it better to aim down your sights straight at him, or does the game require you to shoot in front of him slightly to take into account the time it takes for the bullet to reach him?

Only bought the game last week... for the first few days I was incredibly frustrated with the difficulty, until I realised you're not really supposed to play this like any other game.... now I am so incredibly impressed with this game... the detail, the atmosphere.... its pure brilliance.

 

[=GG= Mr Moe]

I would lead him just as if you were hunting and the target was running. Depends on the distance and hopefully he keeps running in a straight path.

 

[Fedorov]

depends more on the ping than the distance, but is cool to think about it as if it was the time it takes for the bullet to reach its objective.

 

[=GG= Mr Moe]

I was going to mention to take into account your ping, but I figured one thing at a time

 

[Nagels]

Watch his direction and lead, leadtime will vary depending on distance and ping.
Leadtime required is a matter of practicing tbh.....no other way of learning it, oh and welcome to RO World

 

[K_Freddie]

It 'horrible' having to deal with ping but the way I do it, is adjust for a ping of zero, then adjust a bit more to compensate for ping.

Not only that - at distance you have to compensate for gravity - your bullet drops over time. This is not effected by ping.

An example on Orad Real Forests map. I was a sniper with a KR on the edge of the South Field hiding behind one of those low rocks. A T34 pops over the ridge at the red spawn area, stops and pops his head out of the turret. I take aim at a point about '5 feet' above the commander. Shoot and about a second later (my ping ~300) I see the guy 'fall down' the turret.. I laughed, purely out of surprise that I hit him.

 

[DorkFish]

Do bullets have travel time in this game?? I did actually get a kill while getting killed at the same time with rifle. I can't seem to hit any moving targets at all...

 

[Zetsumei]

there is a form of traveltime, although its not that much. Often the ping is the thing that makes you lead rather than traveltime.

Generally always try shooting the same amount of millimeters ahead of the enemy. If the enemy is further ahead a few millimeters becomes like half a meter, if hes closer its can be like 10cm. Logically its only a simplification, but it works rather well.

 

[Mormegil]

Do bullets have travel time in this game?? I did actually get a kill while getting killed at the same time with rifle. I can't seem to hit any moving targets at all...

Bullets do have flight time in the game. But as mentioned, ping also has an effect. It's very obvious with tank rounds that you can actually watch flying.

So bottom line is, you need to lead (shoot ahead of) your target if they're moving.

 

[Mormegil]

After trying to be more observant playing yesterday, I get the feeling flight-time is the bigger factor (at least under 200 ping).

I found on the same map, shooting a moving target requires a LOT less lead when they're close than when far.

If it was only ping, then my target would move the same distance for each shot, since the ping is the same before the bullet gets there.

With real life and RO's flight-time, the shorter distance to target made the lead amount far less.

I guess that what the prediction function in the netcode is suppose to do. Works well as long as your target is moving at a constant speed and direction - which is why I try not to when in the open.

 

[K_Freddie]

Ping explanation - Ping only effects the time the server sees an event (eg you pulling the trigger), and has no effect on shell ballistics, flight time.


Something you probably have noticed regarding ping.

Players A & B fire at the same time. A's pig is 10mS and B's is 100mS.
The server sees A's event first and sends a bullet to B. the bullet flight time is 80mS so the server calculates that B is hit at 10mS + 80mS = 90mS.

B is dead, but the server sends a message to B ( a 100mS away) to tell him he's dead. So B's Dead message and B's pulling trigger pass each other over the net.

the server receives B's Trigger 10mS after sending him/her the dead message, but as far as the server is concerned B is dead, so discards B's trigger.

This game is 'server centric' so you have to lead by ping-time + bullet flight time.

In IL2 the game is PC centric so you fight your online battle on the PC not the server. The server just passes on the info, thus the higher bandwidth and playability over higher pings.

hope that makes sense

 

[Zetsumei]

Ping explanation - Ping only effects the time the server sees an event (eg you pulling the trigger), and has no effect on shell ballistics, flight time.

Its does have an effect on percieved flight time. Simply if a target is moving and you fire. you first need to wait your ping time before the server knows that you fired and above that comes the flight time.

Personally i find i need to lead pretty much the same amounts close by and at far distance. But not in amounts of meters in game but rather distance on my screen.

Remember that even though at a long distance your bullet gets there quicker, the enemies are a lot smaller as well. So if an enemy is close if you aim at him chances are big you hit him as well without a ping lead.

 

[Tontoman]

Not about ping but a different answer using tactics. If he's running to an obvious position and you'll still have the shot when he gets there (you have the angle), wait until he does.

No worry about leading, ping or sudden changes in direction. No giving away your position with multi shots. No inconvenient timing on having to reload....

 

[TheAncient]

That works fine as long as you are still alive when it's time to pull your trigger

 

[Tontoman]

Ah, that's another lesson for s0apbar which he's already on the way to learning as he has realized RO can't be played like other FPS games, keeping alive . Took me a while to realize if you pick a spot you can see everything, everything can see you. And with the skill people can shoot the rifle... well not the best idea heh. Why I love RO, working the angles, gets the brain juices flowing.

How not to be seen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltmMJntSfQI

 

[Mormegil]

Personally i find i need to lead pretty much the same amounts close by and at far distance. But not in amounts of meters in game but rather distance on my screen.

That's actually evidence pointing to flight-time being the main component. If it was only ping, then the target would move the same number of meters no matter how far or close they are.

If it's flight time, then the father they are, the longer the flight-time, and the more meters they cover. It about evens out at a run, so it's the same screen distance wether close running a half meter, or far running 2 meters.


Ping really matters if the target isn't going straight, which throws off the prediction in the net-code.

 

[wasp]

you have to aim a little before the soldier
same with sniperrifle

 

[Zetsumei]

That's actually evidence pointing to flight-time being the main component. If it was only ping, then the target would move the same number of meters no matter how far or close they are.

If it's flight time, then the father they are, the longer the flight-time, and the more meters they cover. It about evens out at a run, so it's the same screen distance wether close running a half meter, or far running 2 meters.

Ping really matters if the target isn't going straight, which throws off the prediction in the net-code.

True but,

Even though they run faster, with it comes that generally they are bigger as well (meaning that i might aim a bit ahead of the front of his belly and it will hit him in the back). it somewhat equals out for me. But this is primarily on 40 ping though and at real close range i use a bayo. Even though flight time matters at most far end sitances you never need to aim more ahead than like 1 meter.

With 100 ping you need to always aim a half meter to a meter ahead.

 

[Sined]

Ping explanation - Ping only effects the time the server sees an event (eg you pulling the trigger), and has no effect on shell ballistics, flight time.


Something you probably have noticed regarding ping.

Players A & B fire at the same time. A's pig is 10mS and B's is 100mS.
The server sees A's event first and sends a bullet to B. the bullet flight time is 80mS so the server calculates that B is hit at 10mS + 80mS = 90mS.

B is dead, but the server sends a message to B ( a 100mS away) to tell him he's dead. So B's Dead message and B's pulling trigger pass each other over the net.

the server receives B's Trigger 10mS after sending him/her the dead message, but as far as the server is concerned B is dead, so discards B's trigger.

This game is 'server centric' so you have to lead by ping-time + bullet flight time.

In IL2 the game is PC centric so you fight your online battle on the PC not the server. The server just passes on the info, thus the higher bandwidth and playability over higher pings.

hope that makes sense

Thanks HEAPS that has lowered my frustration count considerably, (I often have to fight on 200+ ping servers (tyranny of distance here in Australia)

I understood the ping delay but not the server side deciding i was already dead (EVEN though i had fired/thrown and {client side} knew it!



HA HA Ha "i was already dead and just didnt know it" ...LOLOL

Band of Brothers 2001
Ronald Spiers: "The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it."