To hit a moving ship in IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator, lead it by the distance it will travel during your remaining preparation time plus projectile flight time. The operational relation is: lead distance = target speed × (preparation seconds + flight seconds). Plot that distance along the target’s direction of travel, then fire at the predicted point—not its old mark.
The moving-target equation
Keep units consistent. If speed is metres per second and time is seconds, the result is metres:
Lead metres = speed m/s × (prep seconds + flight seconds)
Example: a target moving at 12 m/s, with 18 seconds left before fire and a displayed or observed 22-second flight time:
- total delay = 18 + 22 = 40 seconds;
- lead = 12 × 40 = 480 metres.
That is an illustration of the method, not an IRON NEST mission value. Replace every number with the current report, stopwatch, and firing solution.
If the game reports speed in another unit, convert it before multiplying. Do not combine kilometres per hour directly with seconds and call the result metres. When the unit is unclear, measure target travel against known map distance over a timed interval and label the result as an estimate.
Build the static solution first
A lead calculation cannot rescue a wrong Nest origin. Confirm the current firing position, mark the target’s observed position, measure range and bearing, choose shell and charge, and obtain a static elevation. Use Manual Aiming or the Firing Table if the ballistic computer is unavailable.
Once the gun elevation is set, current community guidance says the gun dial provides projectile flight-time information. Read the actual current display; do not copy seconds from a different range, charge, or shell. Record it beside the static solution.
PATCH 1.0 (1577) fixed turret position and movement not resetting between missions. A pre-patch replay or any current relocation can invalidate the origin and every derived lead point.
Measure direction and speed
Plot two time-stamped positions rather than guessing from the ship’s bow. Note the first position and stopwatch time, wait for a useful interval, then mark the second. The line from first to second gives the recent direction of travel.
Measure the map distance between marks and divide by elapsed seconds:
Estimated speed = measured travel distance ÷ elapsed time
Longer intervals reduce the effect of a small marking error, but waiting too long risks a course or speed change. Use the latest straight segment that represents current movement. If the target turns, discard the older direction vector and take two new observations.
Count all preparation delay
Flight time begins after the shot, but the target also moves while the crew is still preparing. Include the time you reasonably expect to spend on the remaining actions: final gun movement, loading or charge work, closing the breech, confirming controls, and triggering fire.
Use the stopwatch rather than a perfect-memory estimate. Run one safe sequence to learn your own preparation time if the operation permits it. If a shell is already loaded and the gun is nearly laid, the delay can be shorter; if the target report arrives before loading, it can be much longer.
Do not add time that already elapsed before the latest target mark. Define a common “now,” measure the remaining preparation from there, and project forward once.
Plot the predicted impact point
From the target’s newest mark, extend the current direction line by the calculated lead distance. That predicted point becomes the target for bearing and range at the moment of impact. If the added distance materially changes range from the Nest, recalculate elevation for the predicted point rather than keeping the old static range.
Fire at the right moment
Current community guidance describes calculating a firing moment from the target’s start time, movement, preparation, and projectile flight. The simpler practical method is to maintain one time origin: mark the target at a known stopwatch time, project it to the intended impact time, and trigger when your measured preparation schedule reaches its firing point.
If preparation finishes early, wait only if the lead point was calculated for a specific fire time. If preparation runs late, the old point is stale—advance it by the extra delay or take a new pair of marks. A few seconds can matter at high speed.
After firing, keep the predicted point and note actual impact time. That record tells you whether the main error was speed, direction, preparation, flight time, bearing, or elevation.
Correct a miss without chasing the ship
For a miss behind the target with range otherwise good, increase lead time or speed estimate. For a miss ahead, reduce it. If the shell is short or over along the Nest-to-predicted-point line, correct elevation and verify range. If the ship turned, do not apply a straight-line lead correction; create a new vector.
Change one major input at a time. Moving both elevation and lead after an uncertain impact destroys the evidence. Use observer feedback and craters when available, and record the patch, mission, shell, charge, angle, times, and map marks.
Ultrawide stopwatch placement
PATCH 1.0 (1577) added a stopwatch horizontal-offset setting for ultrawide displays. Use it to place the timer where it is readable without covering the map or controls. Older advice about a fixed off-centre stopwatch is stale after this patch. The setting changes presentation, not ballistic timing.
What still needs in-game measurement
Exact flight time by shell, charge, elevation, range, and height difference remains unverified as a public table. The acceleration and turning behavior of each moving target, mission-specific speed reports, stopwatch precision, and whether every gun state exposes the same flight-time readout also need current-build testing.
A trustworthy flight-time Dex should contain only rows with AppID, patch, mission/mode, shell, charge, elevation, range, height context, displayed flight time, observed impact time, and sample count. Until those samples exist, use the live dial and correction loop rather than invented decimals.