Arma 2 Weapon Ranging and Correction Tables

[galzohar 31]

I don`t know how to create tables for RPG-7 and M-136 - aims have only 1 point.

Just like you did the 150 marker for the RPG-18 ;)

Though what's with the 150-700 line on the SMAW? There must be *some* noticeable difference and a distance at which it seems *most* accurate?

[nicolasroger 11]

this is really really cool. I've never used those little lines before. I was just going with guesses and feeelings. That made the game more enjoyable for me :) thx

about the rocket launchers, how can I know the distance of the target?

[Li0n 10]

nicolasroger, press the space (command mode by default ) and you will see distance.

galzohar RPG-18 and SMAW have visible aim points ( Not one like m-136 ). I cant graduate aim myself because your seeing of the aim and mine will be different. So as your question about SMAW - you will see it not like me, so I set only middle point 1000. Dont worry - rocket will fly straight from 150 to 700 meters.

[galzohar 31]

What I got with the SMAW so far:

Main cross = always above target. Only at 0m the cross will be dead on target. Even at 10m you'll hit under, and I couldn't find any range at which the main cross actually hits dead on target.

75m: 1/2-way between the first and second cross

100m: 0.6-way between the first and second cross

200m: second cross.

300m: 1.1 crosses

400-1000m: ~1.2 crosses (yes it's weird it's flying so flat but it's definitely very close to 1.2 in all of those, which means the above image is quite off for 1000m).

Will try looking for a place to test above 1000m, but I will probably need to switch to a bigger target (was shooting at small signs).

As for M136, this is hitting the target (painted red by paintbrush so you can see it) at 100m:

This image is same resolution as seen on my 1680X1050 monitor so it can't be made any clearer (unless I force it to run at higher resolution but that won't be huge help either). Can do something similar for other ranges. This obviously is slightly inaccurate as it's done by me hitting printscreen as close as I can before the firing and then saving the image if it's a hit (I'm definitely hitting printscreen before firing but during the fraction of a second between the printscreen and the firing there could be slight movements). Would be better with a mod that disables sway.

Also this seems to hit a tank at 500m reliably with M136:

700m:

Of course these aren't thoroughly tested, would be nicer to get some images that managed to hit a smaller target than a tank, like I did with the SMAW. It's hard though as you have to remember where the target is on your screen before you aim as your sights cover it.

Edited August 18, 2009 by galzohar

[Li0n 10]

Thanks, galzohar =)

For Joining your results:

Edited August 18, 2009 by Li0n

[galzohar 31]

You may want to do some more thorough testing, though, I was just illustrating a point and can't guarantee it's 100% accurate (though it did score a hit on a tiny sign at 100m and hit tanks at 500m and 700m). Also I find it quite absurd that I can even hit a tank at those distances.

My SMAW tests on the other hand are a lot more accurate as they were all done by shooting signs and repeating the same measurements multiple times to verify the accuracy of my data.

[nicolasroger 11]

nicolasroger, press the space (command mode by default ) and you will see distance.

.

I feel it's like cheating. Mabye we could use the line (on the smaw) like the mil dots for the sniper

[CarlGustaffa 4]

I'm wondering if the real life common infantery are studying and using tables to the same extent as the simulated soldiers do...

[galzohar 31]

IRL you study tables MORE extensively than the simulated soldier does. Then again you don't study tables for shooting targets at longer than your effective range (that is, you won't study how much you need to raise an M136 to hit a target at 700m).

[mils 10]

hey i have a question on ranging a crouched and prone targets, how best can you range them? What would the height of an arna2 character model when its crouched? 1 meter?

[galzohar 31]

Use shoulder width. It's also more useful IRL for that very reason ;)

And don't forget the spacebar, at least until they fix it.

[tsb247 0]

These tables are amazing! Thanks!

[mils 10]

And don't forget the spacebar, at least until they fix it.

spacebar? doh can't believe i didn't think of that!

Edited August 23, 2009 by mils

[Kramxel 10]

Alright, I believe I have finished my ranging and correction guide. It may not be in the best printer-friendly format, but I believe it to be a good compromise of information vs space. Please let me know what you think.

ARMA 2 Weapon Ranging and Correction Guide

Daniel_Malloy

HUGE thread!!!

Thank you for all the hard work!!!!

It adds so much to the game once you start using it the right way!!!

[Parabe11um 10]

Thanks, great job, whilst I still miss sight adjustment this at least helps.

[galzohar 31]

i made a more accurate image for SMAW corrections (both rocket types seem to be the same):

It's really about as accurate as a sniper rifle with the proper corrections, only noticeable difference in accuracy is that you can't fire it from prone...

[galzohar 31]

Still not as accurate as I like, but still pretty damn accurate, most likely way more accurate than anyone will ever need. Above that I was having a hard time hitting anything reliably, so didn't bother trying to find the proper correction.

---------- Post added at 01:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:48 AM ----------

Again, like the M136 it's not 100% but still pretty damn nicely accurate:

Tried also doing it for the RPG7 but it seems too random... If you aim slightly higher you will usually hit though.

Edited September 4, 2009 by galzohar

[Ish 11]

I tried doing this for the SMAW. Now i hit like 95% of every shot irregardless of distance.

However, same distance does not mean you should aim the same. It's more complicated than that. The elevation of yourself and the target is more important too learn that just flat ground "distance line" adjustments.

[Daniel_Malloy 10]

The elevation of yourself and the target is more important too learn that just flat ground "distance line" adjustments.

This is absolutely true in RL, but...

As far as I am aware, there is no need to change aim because of a difference in elevation in ARMA 2. I have tried shooting from the taller buildings in Chernagorsk (I think that's the name, haven't had time to play in a while) with the M24, SVD, DMR, and even that silenced POS that can't hit anything past 400m. I couldn't tell any difference in bullet drop from 200 out to 800 meters (200m was the closest I could get with the height of the building and still be able to shoot off the roof without hitting the imaginary bounderies at the edge). This leads me to believe that either the elevation of the buildings weren't steep enough (thought I find that EXTREMELY hard to believe) or that elevation has no noticable effect on bullet trajectory.

One thing I should mention at this point though is that this was using the absolute distance from shooter to target, not the ground distance... For those who have a hard time understanding this, imagine a right triangle. The bottom line of the triangle represents the ground distance to the target. The side of the triangle (the vertical line) represents the difference in elevation from the shooter to the target. The angled line is what I'm calling the absolute distance (I know there is a proper term for this, but I can't remember it at this time)...

I wonder if it would be possible to test this by somehow getting a player to float maybe 600-800m in the air and then shoot down at various angles... maybe we'd see a difference in a -80 degree shot then...

[Sniperdoc 0]

Actually... I do believe that elevation in Arma 2 has an effect. I don't know about buildings, but when I was on a large hill or mountain, I had to aim LOW to hit a target. In some cases 3 - 4 mils low. This was only the case when I was on the hill and the target was at the base of the hill. If I was shooting at targets 1200m out, the same did not apply... or I just wasn't observant if they were at near the same elevation as I (like shooting from hilltop over a valley to a gradual sloped field that tops out at relatively the same elevation as the hill).

I know... bad observation skills... bad Doc!!! Bad Doc!!! Bearcrawl back to OP!!!

[galzohar 31]

Hadn't tested how the game simulates it, but IRL it only matters if you have at least a 15 degree angle to the target, and even then it's only small corrections. But yes, elevation does matter IRL, and what the above are saying about their in-game experience seems to point that in-game it's similar to how it's IRL.

Bottom line is, most of the time elevation does not matter, but if the difference is significant (big angles) then it needs to be taken into account.

[snakedoctor34 10]

hi, any charts or something like that for moving targets ? or usage of horizantal dots ? simple formula ?

[fincuan 0]

I'm pretty sure the effects of elevation are simulated in the game, but in the normal Arma2 shooting scenarios the difference is so small that you don't really have to bother.

Here's how to do it anyway, using the Improved rifleman's rule

adjusted bullet drop = (bullet drop at slant range) * cos inclination

Slant range means distance to target along your line-of-sight

Inclination in degrees

MOA or whatever adjustment you use can be used instead of bullet drop.

An example, which is quite extreme, as it's practically impossible to achieve that kind of incline from that range in A2:

We're firing the M107 to target 2000 meters away down a 15 degree incline.

Out of the top of my head I'll say the come-down for that situation in A2 is 93 MOA, so:

93 MOA * cos 15 = 89.831 MOA

In this case you would be miss a man-sized target if you didn't account for the difference, but should the range be shorter or the incline shallower it wouldn't matter much.

A good article on the stuff:

http://www.exteriorballistics.com/ebexplained/article1.html

[Hbomber110 0]

I dont think its as eazy as trigonometry , but it sure is a shortcut.

Its like playing golf, it harder if your target is higher

[Ish 11]

This is absolutely true in RL, but...

As far as I am aware, there is no need to change aim because of a difference in elevation in ARMA 2. I have tried shooting from the taller buildings in Chernagorsk (I think that's the name, haven't had time to play in a while) with the M24, SVD, DMR, and even that silenced POS that can't hit anything past 400m. I couldn't tell any difference in bullet drop from 200 out to 800 meters (200m was the closest I could get with the height of the building and still be able to shoot off the roof without hitting the imaginary bounderies at the edge). This leads me to believe that either the elevation of the buildings weren't steep enough (thought I find that EXTREMELY hard to believe) or that elevation has no noticable effect on bullet trajectory.

One thing I should mention at this point though is that this was using the absolute distance from shooter to target, not the ground distance... For those who have a hard time understanding this, imagine a right triangle. The bottom line of the triangle represents the ground distance to the target. The side of the triangle (the vertical line) represents the difference in elevation from the shooter to the target. The angled line is what I'm calling the absolute distance (I know there is a proper term for this, but I can't remember it at this time)...

I wonder if it would be possible to test this by somehow getting a player to float maybe 600-800m in the air and then shoot down at various angles... maybe we'd see a difference in a -80 degree shot then...

It's naturally a smaller difference with objects weighing less and moving faster (bullets). I was specifically targeting the SMAW "issue" though :)