Loading is where a paper solution becomes a physical gun state. A correct map and calculator result can still fail if the shell, powder count, or barrel differs from the card. Work slowly enough that every committed item can be named before the mechanism advances.
2950790, Windows public 1.0, checked 2026-08-09. Follow current onboard clipboards and prompts for exact lever order; this guide does not assume Demo-era unload or cost behavior.Arrive with a complete card
Do not requisition from memory. The firing card must identify target, required effect, shell, powder charges, range, elevation, bearing, and left/right barrel. Recheck the dispatch before committing a specialized round. If the mission changed target or effect, void the old card.
Inspect current stock and Requisition Console state. The official materials describe more than thirty unlockable ammunition types and abilities combined; they do not promise that every item is available in every operation.
Confirm the shell at handoff
Read the shell label or current interface description. Match its role to the objective rather than choosing by appearance. HE fragmentation, armor-piercing, smoke, star illumination, phosgene, tear gas, and leaflet ammunition are examples named in the developer FAQ, but exact availability and effects belong to the live operation.
Stage the round for the selected barrel and keep the other side’s state visible. If both guns are being prepared, use separate cards and complete one loading chain before starting the other.
Count powder as a ballistic input
Add only the charge count calculated for this shell and range. Count aloud or mark each charge on the card. The elevation output is tied to that count; changing powder without recalculation produces a different shot even when the dial is unchanged.
If actual powder differs from the plan, stop before firing. Return to the calculator with the actual combination if the current mechanism cannot safely be reversed. Never “correct by feel” with a remembered value from another shell.
Respect mechanical sequence
Use the current tutorial clipboard and prompts for bridge, rammer, breech, and loading operations. A lever that will not move often means another state is incomplete. Inspect indicators and physical position rather than repeatedly forcing input.
Elevation may remain unavailable until loading and breech state are valid. That interlock protects the sequence; it is not evidence that the control binding failed. If the mouse itself stops responding, update first—PATCH 1.0 (1558) improved mouse movement after loading a menu or mission.
Prevent wrong-load dead ends
Community discussions report demand for an unload option, but recovery can depend on exact current state. Do not promise a universal unload sequence without public-build reproduction. Prevention is more reliable: verify side, shell, and charges before each irreversible movement.
If a wrong item is committed, pause. Read available prompts, avoid adding more powder, and decide whether the safe outcome is recalculation, mission restart, or normal firing into a valid state. Preserve valuable progress and do not edit save files to solve a loading mistake.
Final loaded-state check
Trace the gun from shell supply to barrel. State: “Left/right, shell name, actual charges.” Compare that with the card and calculator result. Then set bearing and elevation on the same side and arm only the intended barrel.
For two guns, repeat independently. Shared direction controls do not prove shared loads or arming. The Dual Guns guide provides the two-row check.
After the shot
Observe which side reset and what the impact report shows. Leave the map marks and card intact until the objective responds. If a range miss occurs, actual charge count is one of the first fields to review.
Finish the mission through its newspaper and transition. PATCH 1.0 (1558) fixed elevation/linkage state not resetting after leaving a mission following a shot, so reproduce any lingering state only on current public content.