Target selection: aiming at the ship instead of its surrounding targets

Make the intended target easier to distinguish

The source question describes a battleship surrounded by cannons, SAMs and nearby aircraft; repeated cycling selects the wrong component. IronNam’s reply says targeting usually favors the target closest to screen center.

1. Approach with enough distance to see the main target and nearby components.
2. Move the intended target toward the screen center, then use your configured target-selection input.
3. Check the selected target’s label before firing. A lock on a component is not proof the whole ship is selected.
4. Break away and reposition if selection is taking too long. Do not continue toward the hull while focused entirely on the HUD.

Steps #1, #3 and #4 are our practice checklist around that reported behavior. We do not claim a tested priority or a guaranteed main-hull shortcut.

Weapon switching is a separate symptom

In another thread, a commenter says changing from a missile to a weapon with different target eligibility can change selection. The original poster replies that their problem also occurs when switching between air-to-air missiles and QAAM. That explanation therefore does not resolve their case.

If your target changes on weapon switch, record the old and new weapon, target type and aircraft. Do not assume it is fixed by changing bindings, or that every occurrence is normal eligibility filtering. This page’s center-position suggestion addresses target clutter, not a proven weapon-switch repair.

A short selection drill

In a low-pressure situation, identify one target, select it, change weapons, and note whether the label stays on the intended enemy. Repeat while the intended target is off-center. This is a suggested comparison, not a benchmark performed by this site.

If pitch corrections make the drill impossible with a mouse, try secondary keyboard pitch. If the selected enemy is a Shadow but weapons will not connect, use the mission’s firing-window reports.