Priority Target & Torp Aiming

[Landing_Skipper]

So I thought I knew how Priority Target worked. I assumed that selecting a target with torps engaged instead of guns still added to the target's counter. However, a new video from a high profile YouTuber [Flamu] says that ships do NOT see the counter go up if you select them with torps only. 

Which is it?

ETA:  ran Training Room exercise.  Flamu is correct.  When I switched back and forth between torps and guns, his Priority Target counter went up and down.  Torp lock does not count.

This actually is important to know. If I'm sailing Tirpitz, I could lock onto a distant cruiser with torps and track him until guns are hot, switch to guns for a moment and fire, then switch back to torps. 

When sailing torp DDs, I carefully do not lock on my actual target until just before firing. If there are multiple ships, I've amused myself rotating the Target marker among the cruisers in range assuming they all run PT. 

Regardless of ship type, I always try to select cruisers when I don't have a shot just to make them nervous with a high count. Behind an island?  Perfect!  He'll think someone he can't see has a shot at him and squirm around. 

[Lensar]

Odd. I always assumed torps showed up as well. 

 

I would keep it on ships I couldn't possibly torp, just to make them freaked out and nervous. Sad to think all that trolling might of gone to waste.

[Grevester]

I am less inclined to believe what you're saying since you do not say who, and that they 'say' rather then show evidence. 

[DOCTOR_CITADEL]

18 minutes ago, Pulicat said:

I am less inclined to believe what you're saying since you do not say who, and that they 'say' rather then show evidence. 

 

I actually know what the OP is talking about and am questioning it myself: 

 

 

It should start at the 13:35 mark. 

 

I can't test this since I'm at work, but now I'm fiercely curious. I've always assumed that locking onto a target showed up on PT, regardless of weapon system. Otherwise, the system has a built-in way to cheese it. If Flamwho is correct, then it's either a cheesy system, PT is not working properly, or Flamwho is wrong.

[GhostSwordsman]

It's for guns only. LWM has even said so herself:

Quote

Priority Target buffs the player, providing improved situational awareness through a UI addition that provides more information than simply the number of ships targeting you.

 

• As the skill only tells you when you're being targeted by guns only, it tells you the moment someone switches from guns to torpedoes.  This in turn lets you know when it's time to start wiggling.
• Like Situational Awareness, it allows you to know how many unspotted ships are within your immediate vicinity. 
• It allows you to take actions you might not contemplate without the surety of knowing if you're being actively targeted.  For example, parking pretty in Destroyer / British Cruiser / Mikhail Kutuzov and pew pewing to your heart's content at an enemy warship line without having to waste a smoke charge.  When that number ticks over, you know to blow smoke.

 

It is, hands down, one of the most effective skills for its point cost and is, quite frankly, under valued.

What people are catching onto when using PT, is you going from guns to torps, then back to guns. That'll cause the counter to jump up, down, then back up again, by one.

[MaliceA4Thought]

people need to learn to read...

The actual skill has a pop-up on it which states....

MAIN BATTERY GUNS.

 

M

[RipNuN2]

4 minutes ago, MaliceA4Thought said:

people need to learn to read...

The actual skill has a pop-up on it which states....

MAIN BATTERY GUNS.

 

M

 

Bingo, I was about to suggest people read the tool-tip but kudos for screenshotting it.

[DOCTOR_CITADEL]

5 minutes ago, MaliceA4Thought said:

people need to learn to read...

The actual skill has a pop-up on it which states....

MAIN BATTERY GUNS.

 

M

 

That should clear it up, then. At least, if you take that description at face value. Thanks.

 

I would still like to do a training room test to be 100% sure.

 

I seem to recall a thread on the forums months ago where the same topic came up and somebody ascertained it worked for torpedoes too, but I can't be sure. WG is notorious for having bad/vague descriptions on certain things detailing what they actually do.

[MaliceA4Thought]

7 minutes ago, DOCTOR_CITADEL said:

 

That should clear it up, then. At least, if you take that description at face value. Thanks.

 

I would still like to do a training room test to be 100% sure.

 

I seem to recall a thread on the forums months ago where the same topic came up and somebody ascertained it worked for torpedoes too, but I can't be sure. WG is notorious for having bad/vague descriptions on certain things detailing what they actually do.

dont disagree with the test it part, but on the face of it, I personally never suspected it would be for torps as well.

 

M

[awildseaking]

Well that changes a lot. Guess I'm sailing torps out from now on. 

[Captain_Dorja]

Well that's interesting. I could have sworn that the tooltip said it displayed the number of ships "locked on" but apparently that is not the case.

[SyndicatedINC]

23 minutes ago, DOCTOR_CITADEL said:

I can't test this since I'm at work, but now I'm fiercely curious. I've always assumed that locking onto a target showed up on PT, regardless of weapon system. Otherwise, the system has a built-in way to cheese it. If Flamwho is correct, then it's either a cheesy system, PT is not working properly, or Flamwho is wrong.

 

I am not sure about torpedoes specifically, but PT doesn't always work for guns, either due to lag, delay, or some other factor.

 

I had occasionally noticed rounds coming in with no PT indication having ever been set.  I attributed it to blind/unlocked fire and played on, until one day I was facing off against the same ship as myself, with an island equidistant between us, that we could shoot over but ONLY with target lock on a target beyond the island.  My entire team was at distance between the island and my opponent, except me.  My PT never indicated a single enemy locked on.  Yet salvo after salvo shot over the island.  I tested on return fire, without lock, even aiming full distance away, rounds did not pass over island, not even close.  I tried locking onto an enemy closer to me than the island as my team was to the opponent, again I hit the island.  Locked onto them, my shells traveled the identical path back to the enemy that their shells traveled to me.  Clearly they were locked onto me, but PT did not show so.  Our ships did not have spotter aircraft to change the trajectory either.  

 

In the training room I was able to recreate this with a friend, but snap firing with a quick lock and then unlocking.  They would not see any PT indicator, even though I had fired a salvo on them while locked.  Thus my guess is delay.  However the instance I experienced the enemy was firing repeatedly staggered salvos, so if they were doing a lock/unlock trick they were spamming the 'X' key pretty heavily.

[Ulthwey]

1 hour ago, Landing_Skipper said:

So I thought I knew how Priority Target worked. I assumed that selecting a target with torps engaged instead of guns still added to the target's counter. However, a new video from a high profile YouTuber says that ships do NOT see the counter go up if you select them with torps only. 

Which is it?

 

This actually is important to know. If I'm sailing Tirpitz, I could lock onto a distant cruiser with torps and track him until guns are hot, switch to guns for a moment and fire, then switch back to torps. 

When sailing torp DDs, I carefully do not lock on my actual target until just before firing. If there are multiple ships, I've amused myself rotating the Target marker among the cruisers in range assuming they all run PT. 

Regardless of ship type, I always try to select cruisers when I don't have a shot just to make them nervous with a high count. Behind an island?  Perfect!  He'll think someone he can't see has a shot at him and squirm around. 

 

When someone aims torps at you, its the exact same as they were aiming guns. Priority target works for both, your youtuber is wrong.

[MaliceA4Thought]

10 minutes ago, SyndicatedINC said:

 

I am not sure about torpedoes specifically, but PT doesn't always work for guns, either due to lag, delay, or some other factor.

 

I had occasionally noticed rounds coming in with no PT indication having ever been set.  I attributed it to blind/unlocked fire and played on, until one day I was facing off against the same ship as myself, with an island equidistant between us, that we could shoot over but ONLY with target lock on a target beyond the island.  My entire team was at distance between the island and my opponent, except me.  My PT never indicated a single enemy locked on.  Yet salvo after salvo shot over the island.  I tested on return fire, without lock, even aiming full distance away, rounds did not pass over island, not even close.  I tried locking onto an enemy closer to me than the island as my team was to the opponent, again I hit the island.  Locked onto them, my shells traveled the identical path back to the enemy that their shells traveled to me.  Clearly they were locked onto me, but PT did not show so.  Our ships did not have spotter aircraft to change the trajectory either.  

 

In the training room I was able to recreate this with a friend, but snap firing with a quick lock and then unlocking.  They would not see any PT indicator, even though I had fired a salvo on them while locked.  Thus my guess is delay.  However the instance I experienced the enemy was firing repeatedly staggered salvos, so if they were doing a lock/unlock trick they were spamming the 'X' key pretty heavily.

any indicator in WoWs and even things like seeing another ship have a lag to them.   You will often see detected come up a few seconds before the ship pops into view.   Its the same with PA..  you can flick in  fire and flick out and it won't register.

Since its introduction, I have sailed Tirpitz and Scharnhorst into battle with torps selected and locked on and then hit 1 or 2 fired and then shifted out again unitl the range is close enough to not worry about a long range shot.

Way too many cruisers start manouvering as soon as the lock comes on and this way they dont even realise the shells are coming.  Now if the description is wrong, then I have just been lucky but it seems legit to me :)

Dr Citadels test willo be interesting to see if it is accurate or not.

M

[Grevester]

24 minutes ago, DOCTOR_CITADEL said:

 

That should clear it up, then. At least, if you take that description at face value. Thanks.

 

I would still like to do a training room test to be 100% sure.

 

I seem to recall a thread on the forums months ago where the same topic came up and somebody ascertained it worked for torpedoes too, but I can't be sure. WG is notorious for having bad/vague descriptions on certain things detailing what they actually do.

Yes, I recall probably the exact same thread. I guess I never bothered reading the full description of the skill myself. 

 

At least we have this better understanding now, and incorporate this into our gameplay. Unless of course the desc is also wrong. 

[Nachoo31]

If you going to rely on that tool to know when to dodge torpedoes it's going to be a long day.  I get a gut feeling when it's time to change speed and direction.   Anyone else?

[MaliceA4Thought]

Just now, Nachoo31 said:

If you going to rely on that tool to know when to dodge torpedoes it's going to be a long day.  I get a gut feeling when it's time to change speed and direction.   Anyone else?

I don't think thats the issue.. the issue is..  you can hide the fact you are aiming main battery at the enemy and get a salvo off without them being aware of incoming shells  which for a cruiser is deffinately not good.

M

[TheKrimzonDemon]

It is guns only. If you have torps selected, and no ship targeted, you won't be able to lock onto a target until you switch to guns. I drive a lot of DD's, it has always been this way. Torps don't lock onto a target, so this means torps won't set off someones PT.

 

Personally I prefer to lock onto 1 target, and then torp someone else. It's amusing to watch the targeted guy run, while my actual target sails blissfully unaware into a torp wall. :D

[MaliceA4Thought]

37 minutes ago, DOCTOR_CITADEL said:

 

That should clear it up, then. At least, if you take that description at face value. Thanks.

 

I would still like to do a training room test to be 100% sure.

 

I seem to recall a thread on the forums months ago where the same topic came up and somebody ascertained it worked for torpedoes too, but I can't be sure. WG is notorious for having bad/vague descriptions on certain things detailing what they actually do.

I think the test should be a little more comprehensive...

I don't have time today.. packing for holiday etc....   but I would be interested to know if the PA indicator come on with torps obviously..  then secondly  if the main battery guns are also pointing at the target even though torps are selected..  does that trigger the PA or does having torps selected completely negate the main battery lock indicator:)

 

M

[JCC45]

11 minutes ago, Ulthwey said:

 

When someone aims torps at you, its the exact same as they were aiming guns. Priority target works for both, your youtuber is wrong.

 

And you know this how?

[SyndicatedINC]

8 minutes ago, MaliceA4Thought said:

any indicator in WoWs and even things like seeing another ship have a lag to them.   You will often see detected come up a few seconds before the ship pops into view.   Its the same with PA..  you can flick in  fire and flick out and it won't register.

 

Oh yes, understood, what I find odd though is if you pop into and out of detection even the tiniest moment, while there is lag, you both render momentarily and the detection icon flashes.  Yes they may not both be synced to the exact time they should, but both occur.  In the case of PT it seems that as you suggest you do, and I have tried as well, the PT NEVER registers if your lock is momentary.

 

To my knowledge that would be unique to gameplay.  Torps even momentarily spotted still generate an icon, likewise for planes, and for detection.  Why does PT possibly rely on a duration?  Thus why I suggest it is based upon lag/delay but am not stating with certainty.  

[MaliceA4Thought]

1 minute ago, SyndicatedINC said:

 

Oh yes, understood, what I find odd though is if you pop into and out of detection even the tiniest moment, while there is lag, you both render momentarily and the detection icon flashes.  Yes they may not both be synced to the exact time they should, but both occur.  In the case of PT it seems that as you suggest you do, and I have tried as well, the PT NEVER registers if your lock is momentary.

 

To my knowledge that would be unique to gameplay.  Torps even momentarily spotted still generate an icon, likewise for planes, and for detection.  Why does PT possibly rely on a duration?  Thus why I suggest it is based upon lag/delay but am not stating with certainty.  

I agree we need testing...  my gut feel is that this is done on the network in such a way as to not be a priority and therefore if its on then off quickly, the net result is still off and registers as such.    PA is probably not something that they wanted to burden with real time calls to the server and players and as such gets missed in rare occaisions when it is used and abused :)

M

[Ulthwey]

20 minutes ago, JCC45 said:

 

And you know this how?

 

I play radar boats like DM/Moskva alot, and I saw many torp boats launch torps at me while my priority target indicator clearly marked them as a ship that was aiming at me.

 

How do I know it was them that was aiming at me? Because it was the only enemy ship left alive at the end of the match, I had them radared and I was watching their torps launched because of friendly planes in the air were spotting them as they were entering the water. During these moments my priority target indicator was always locked at 1, particularly as I was watching the torps hit the water. Immediately afterwards, the enemy DD tries to bail and thats when the indicator disappears.

[SyndicatedINC]

14 minutes ago, MaliceA4Thought said:

I agree we need testing...  my gut feel is that this is done on the network in such a way as to not be a priority and therefore if its on then off quickly, the net result is still off and registers as such.    PA is probably not something that they wanted to burden with real time calls to the server and players and as such gets missed in rare occaisions when it is used and abused :)

M

 Quite possibly and yes testing required.  I am wondering if maybe we will find it is actually an amalgam of things.  Like say requires both a target lock and MB guns aimed at you a certain duration or such.  

 

For example has anyone tried to test if target locking a person on the opposite of the ship as your guns are pointing generates a PT indicator?

[HazardDrake]

I'll frequently rapidly switch locks on ships, have the key re-mapped to my space bar, just to screw with them when I'm not firing for whatever reason.