Moving-target guide
Rock of Gibraltar — how to lead the moving vessel
Treat the vessel report as a timestamped moving state, then aim where the vessel will be when the shell arrives.
Quick answer
Do not aim at the vessel's last reported position. Keep position, report time, course, and speed together. Lead time is the report age by the time you fire plus the remaining setup, firing, and projectile-flight time to impact. Convert that into lead distance with speed × lead time, project the vessel forward along its reported course, then build the normal firing solution to that future point.
Lead the vessel to its impact position
1 — Keep the whole vessel report together
Mark the reported position together with its observation time, course, and speed. A moving-target solution depends on all four pieces sharing the same report context; copying only a coordinate removes the information needed to know where the vessel will be later.
2 — Measure time from the report to shell impact
Use one consistent clock reference. Total lead time runs from the report timestamp to the planned impact: time already elapsed since the report plus whatever setup, firing delay, and projectile flight time still remain for your shot. If any part of that timing changes, update the horizon instead of keeping the old intercept point.
3 — Convert that time into movement along the reported course
Project the vessel forward with distance moved = speed × lead time, using consistent units. In the Version 1.0 (1618), Patch #4 research snapshot, Rock's structured vessel report gives course 12° and 9.7 knots, also expressed as 0.10 km per 20 seconds. Treat those as the captured mission-report values, not as a promise that every future patch will use the same numbers.
4 — Plot the future intercept point
Starting from the reported position, move the calculated lead distance along the reported course. That projected point is the target location for this shot. Do not substitute somebody else's observed grid, sub-grid, clock time, or impact point for the values in your current run.
5 — Build the normal firing solution to the projected point
Once the future point is plotted, solve bearing, range, powder/elevation, and the rest of the normal firing setup for that point rather than the old report position. The moving-target step changes where you solve to; it does not justify inventing a separate hidden ballistic formula.
6 — Recalculate when the state drifts
A stale report, delayed firing sequence, changed flight-time estimate, plotting correction, or uncertainty in course/speed all change the intercept. Recalculate from the current timing instead of adding unsupported precision or assuming one universal one-shot recipe.
Moving-vessel intercept method
Current-version note: the moving-target method is corroborated for the Version 1.0 (1618), Patch #4 research baseline. The captured Rock report uses course 12° and 9.7 kt, also expressed as 0.10 km per 20 seconds, but those are captured mission-report values rather than guaranteed future constants. Exact run coordinates, timing, hit tolerance, one-shot success, and post-Patch-#4 Order of Merit requirements remain unresolved.
Avoid these moving-target mistakes
- Aiming at the last reported position as if the vessel were stationary.
- Using only projectile flight time and forgetting how old the position report already is.
- Calculating from the report age but forgetting remaining setup or firing delay before the projectile is actually in flight.
- Mixing knots, kilometers, and seconds without converting to a consistent movement rate.
- Copying another player's grid, clock time, or intercept point as a universal Rock solution.
- Treating the moving-target method as proof of Rock's unresolved post-Patch-#4 medal requirements.
Why the intercept method works
The stable idea is kinematic rather than coordinate-specific: a position report describes where the vessel was at a known time, while the shell must meet it later. Current structured Rock mission evidence supplies a course/speed report and explicitly asks the player to calculate the course and lead the shot. An independent full-release moving-target guide uses the same course/speed relationship and includes shell flight time in the intercept workflow. Together they support projecting from the report to the impact time, while the exact observed coordinate, clock time, preparation delay, and final intercept remain run-state inputs.
What you may need next
Moving-target lead method corroborated; run timing remains variableCorroborated scopeChecked Aug 14, 2026
Project the vessel from its timestamped report along the reported course for the full report-to-impact time, then solve the normal shot to that future point. The reusable method is supported; exact coordinates, timing, hit tolerance, and medal optimization are not universalized.
Version context: Version 1.0 (1618), Patch #4 repository research baseline. Current structured Rock mission evidence and an independent full-release moving-target guide agree on projecting the reported vessel state forward to shell impact. Run-specific coordinates/times and post-Patch-#4 medal criteria are not generalized.
Still uncertain
- Whether the observed vessel entry grid or sub-grid varies every run
- Exact vessel hitbox and tolerance for small lead or plotting error
- Exact projectile flight-time UI interpretation in every configuration
- Whether a future patch changes the captured Rock course or speed values
- Exact preparation timing and number of attempts needed in any particular run
Evidence and verification context
- Current structured Rock of Gibraltar mission snapshot: Provides the moving-vessel report, course/speed relationship, and instruction to calculate course and lead the shot. Generated report placeholders mean one observed coordinate or clock time is not promoted to a universal constant.
- Independent full-release moving-target Steam guide: Uses the same Rock course/speed relationship and demonstrates projecting to the future intercept while including projectile flight time. Its exact coordinate and clock time are treated only as one worked run.
- E4 Research Run 01 synthesis: Cross-checks the structured mission report against the independent workflow and defines the safe reusable contract as report state + elapsed time + remaining impact time, excluding fixed run coordinates and D7 medal debt.