Artillery aiming broken?

[Kalkalash]

Hello! This is my first post on these forums. (even though I have lurked here for some time now)

Today on Falaise pocket, I decided to give arty support to my team and I chose the leFH 18. I zeroed both of the dials, fired and pressed the RMB to see whether my shot hit. Unfortunately, I saw nothing. I adjusted the vertical dial few degrees and shot again. Nothing. I messed around with the arty a couple more minutes adjusting the dials but I newer saw a hit. So I decided to give up and start capping flags.

The next map was Totalize. I mounted the nebelwerfer (spelling?) and gave arty support. And the same thing happened again. There was a spot. I zeroed the dials and shot...and missed. I adjusted the vertical dial about 3,5 degrees lower from zero and shot, thus hitting the target.

So the actual question is, do I have to estimate how much the rockets and shells drop when aiming?

And as a small notification; I have never, and I mean never, seen anyone kill someone with the leFH in Falaise.

Thanks in advance.

A small edit: I didn't know whether to put this on the help/support section or here. So mods are free to move this if it is in the wrong place.

[THeTA0123]

Yes i noticed this aswel. Another example are the 25Pounders on Operation Goodwood

They seem to land in one spot, but if you even slight adjust the fire, it lands completly somewhere else on the map.

Notable places is the flag where the 2 Marders spawn, and the Flak 18 at Cagny

[Ts4EVER]

The reason might be, that this marder flag is quite close to the guns, perhaps the shots hit a hedgerow because of the low trajectory.

[Zrix]

Yes, the aiming can be a little off, you have to try and hear where the shell lands and adjust accordingly. Or use a spotter.

And it's possible the shell is hitting something on the way. Especially on Falaise I know there are some badly placed trees.

[Kalkalash]

I was shooting to the artillery battery. Not sure if there are any trees on the way. And when I asked my teammates to tell me where shots landed no one said anything

I also have another minor problem with all of the artillery devices: When I adjust the dials the numbers flash and sometimes the dials jump almost 15 degrees to one direction and then back to the original position. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just me?

[Eat Uranium]

I also have another minor problem with all of the artillery devices: When I adjust the dials the numbers flash and sometimes the dials jump almost 15 degrees to one direction and then back to the original position. Does anyone else have this problem or is it just me?

Everyone gets that, you just have to live with it as I don't think there is a fix for it.  You get used to it after a while though.

You also have to take into account your elevation difference from the target, since that isn't taken into account by the equation.

[Die Happy]

small deviations are normal and are a result of the hight difference between the arty and the target.
if the arty i placed higher then the target you have to fire short, and vica verca.

and on falaise ive seen people get kills with the lefh18 but it seems badly placed and high building + trees block many shot before tehy reach their target.

on that map better grab the mobile mortar, the high trajectory makes it perfect to hit between buildings

[Hockeywarrior]

Another thing you want to keep in mind:

Alot of times, when you're lining up a shot on Target A, someone else spots Target B and your gun sometimes automatically switches to the most recent spotted target. So as you're lining up your shot for A, you're dials will get all messed up because the gun automatically acquires target B.

I find that REALLY frustrating. Devs, is there a way that you could make it so that it stays on the spot you pick, and doesn't change as soon as someone else calls in a new spot?

[Moribund]

Today on Falaise pocket, I decided to give arty support to my team and I chose the leFH 18. I zeroed both of the dials, fired and pressed the RMB to see whether my shot hit.

On almost any map with any arty target, a first shot with -2 to -3 Elevation (and 0 Azimuth) will most likely hit the center of the screen when using HE-ammunition.

Only on Falaise Pocket you need to be aiming drastically different.
To hit the Destoyed Battery (southern flag) you need to set you dials to -18 Elevation.

Be warned...using the leFh18 on Falaise is a nightmare. Lots of obstacles out of your sight - church, barns trees...
and always lots of friendlies hiding beneath, beside and on top of them.

[Big Lebowski]

The Lefh18 on Falaise is off by about 5 degrees in elevation.

Think the 25 pounders on Goodwood has the same problem.

[Moribund]

The 25pdrs at Goodwood operate normally.

[Ionizer]

The 25pdrs at Goodwood operate normally.

I think they are at a weird angle for most useful targets, making it harder to correct near misses.  Normally, Arty is firing a straight North-South or East-West (with a little variance), so it's easy to correct.  The 25 lbers on Goodwood are in the Northeast, while most useful targets they will get are in the West or Southwest, so it's a bit of a departure from the norm, I think.  Nothing a bit of practice can't fix, though.

[HappyFunBall]

Ok before I answer, you should ALWAYS, before you even fire a shot, switch from AP to HE rounds! (AP rounds are useless, the only way they could harm the enemy would be if he overran your position and tripped over them!)

Sorry for the rant, but you are new to artillery and it is important you develop that habit.

As for not seeing any hits, there are two possible reasons.

1) Most likely the problem is elevation. This can be caused by two things:
   (a) Elevation difference between you and the target. In other words the target is either higher or lower than you and you must adjust your elevation accordingly.
   (b) The target has been sighted above ground level. For example, if someone targeted a church tower, and 'shot' the top of the church tower with their binoculars, then your elevation will be set to hit the top of the church tower. This is very common, if there is a building in the middle of your target area, try lowering your elevation until you see your shots.

2 You may, as has been suggested, be hitting something in the way. This often happens if you are shooting at a target in a city. This can be corrected with a slight adjustment left or right. Bear in mind however, that if your target is in a city then your elevation is probably wrong too as your target is probably a building, targeted at some point above ground level.

[DLFReporter]

I find that REALLY frustrating. Devs, is there a way that you could make it so that it stays on the spot you pick, and doesn't change as soon as someone else calls in a new spot?

You can always just press the comrose and select the previous target. Your settings won't be changed and you'll still be zeroed in to the first spot.

Iirc the switch has been implemented so that arty spotters notice a new target, since it can go unnoticed with all the radio chatter going on. It may also be a python thing, but it works in the same way.

[Kalkalash]

Thanks for the tips guys. There probably was a tree in front of me I couldn't see and I didn't know that the elevation affected the shot.

By the way HappyFunBall, I'm not new to artillery, I've been playing this mod since the first release

And just a small note; if some of you have been killed by Niko1992, that was me. And, if you see me on hslan as a squadleader and you like teamwork, you are free to join my squad.