What the spotter report means
Mission 2 introduces a spotter problem that is easy to misread under pressure. A spotter bearing describes the direction from the spotter to the target. A spotter distance describes the length of that same vector. Neither value is automatically the bearing or range that the Nest must use. The spotter is one origin and the Nest is another. Your job is to project the spotter vector to find the target, then calculate a second vector from the Nest to that target.
Public Steam discussion confirms that players struggle with this Mission 2 conversion, but discussion does not provide an official universal answer. This guide explains the geometry without publishing guessed live coordinates. Read the current Mission 2 report, capture the exact spotter position, spotter bearing, and spotter distance, and capture the current Nest position from the map. Those six values are sufficient for a transparent spotter plot. Shell, charge, and elevation remain current-client tasks after target range is known.
Use one spotter bearing convention
The planner reads a spotter bearing in degrees clockwise from north. A spotter bearing of zero points straight up the map. Ninety points right, one hundred eighty points down, and two hundred seventy points left. Confirm these four cardinal directions before entering the Mission 2 report. If the game view or your private map uses a different axis orientation, convert it first and write down the conversion. Mixing mathematical angles measured from east with compass bearings measured from north is a common cause of mirrored spotter targets.
A spotter bearing of three hundred sixty is equivalent to zero, and the planner accepts both endpoints. Distances must be positive. Coordinates may be positive, zero, or negative if the current map uses them. Decimal values are allowed. Keep the precision shown by the Mission 2 report; adding invented decimals does not improve accuracy. After the target is plotted, perform a cardinal check: describe where the target lies relative to the spotter in plain language and compare that description with the entered spotter bearing.
- 000 or 360 degrees: target north of the spotter.
- 090 degrees: target east of the spotter.
- 180 degrees: target south of the spotter.
- 270 degrees: target west of the spotter.
Project the spotter target
Write the spotter origin as Sx and Sy. Convert the spotter bearing to radians for calculation. The east-west target offset is the sine of the spotter bearing multiplied by spotter distance. The north-south target offset is the cosine of the spotter bearing multiplied by spotter distance. Add each offset to its matching spotter coordinate. The result is Tx and Ty, the plotted target position. The firing planner performs these deterministic steps and draws the Nest, spotter, and target on one diagram.
Treat the diagram as a diagnostic, not as decoration. The line from spotter to target should point in the report direction. The distance should look proportional to the map scale. The Nest may appear anywhere relative to that line because it is a separate origin. If the plot looks wrong, inspect the Mission 2 source values before continuing. A beautiful numeric output cannot rescue an incorrect origin, swapped coordinate, or reversed spotter bearing convention.
- Read the current spotter X and Y from the Mission 2 report or map.
- Enter the spotter bearing clockwise from north and the positive spotter distance.
- Project the target from the spotter origin and label the result T.
- Compare the spotter-to-target direction with the cardinal direction expected from the bearing.
Calculate the Nest vector
After finding the target, subtract the Nest coordinates from the target coordinates. The resulting offset defines the target relative to the Nest. Range is the straight-line length of that offset. Bearing is measured clockwise from north using both offset components. This second bearing, not the original spotter bearing, is the direction that belongs on the firing card. The second range, not the original spotter distance, is the distance used by the current game calculator.
Use labels every time you copy a value: 'spotter bearing' for the report vector and 'Nest bearing' for the firing vector. Use 'spotter distance' and 'Nest range' for the two lengths. This naming prevents the most expensive Mission 2 transcription error. If the spotter and Nest happen to share a coordinate, the values may match, but do not assume that coincidence. Recalculate from the actual Mission 2 positions. A spotter report can be correct while the firing card is wrong because the operator skipped the second vector.
Worked spotter example, not a mission answer
Consider an example Nest at X 20, Y 25 and an example spotter at X 50, Y 40. The spotter reports bearing 90 degrees and distance 30 map units. Ninety degrees points east, so the target is X 80, Y 40. From the Nest, the target offset is 60 east and 15 north. The Nest range is about 61.85 units and the Nest bearing is about 75.96 degrees. These values demonstrate the method only. They are not claimed to be the live Mission 2 solution.
Change the spotter bearing in the planner and watch the target move around the spotter while the Nest stays fixed. This makes the two-origin relationship visible. Then change the Nest position without changing the spotter report. The target remains fixed because the observer report did not change, but the Nest bearing and range change because the firing origin moved. This is the key Mission 2 idea: spotter geometry locates the target, and Nest geometry builds the firing vector.
The planner loads this exact example so you can verify the cardinal direction before replacing it with current Mission 2 values.
Transfer the spotter solution to firing data
Copy the target coordinates, Nest bearing, and Nest range into a fresh firing card. Choose the shell role that matches the Mission 2 objective using current interface information. Enter the Nest range into the in-game calculator, then transcribe the displayed charge and elevation. Do not use the spotter distance in that calculator unless it exactly equals the separately calculated Nest range. Do not use the spotter bearing on the turret unless it exactly equals the separately calculated Nest bearing.
At the turret, verify the Mission 2 card line by line. Confirm shell, charge, bearing, and elevation. The developer guidance cited in the evidence ledger says wind is not part of the current firing problem discussed, so an unexpected result should not trigger an invented wind adjustment. After firing, wait for reconnaissance and record the direction of error. A large miss calls for a full spotter and origin audit. A small miss calls for a measured correction based on the observed direction.
Common Mission 2 spotter mistakes
The first common mistake is using the spotter bearing as the Nest bearing. The second is using the spotter distance as the Nest range. The third is projecting from the Nest instead of from the spotter. The fourth is measuring angles counterclockwise from east while reading them as clockwise from north. The fifth is swapping X and Y. The sixth is copying a coordinate from an earlier mission state. Each mistake can produce clean-looking numbers, so visual reasonableness alone is not sufficient.
The safest check is reconstructability. Another person should be able to take your Nest position, spotter position, spotter bearing, and spotter distance and reproduce the same target. Then that person should be able to calculate the same Nest bearing and range. If the calculation cannot be reproduced, do not fire. Use the planner diagram, the first firing guide, and the missed shot ladder as separate checks. Mission 2 becomes straightforward once each origin and vector has a unique label.
- Never relabel a spotter value as a Nest value without calculation.
- Never reverse X and Y to make a target look more plausible.
- Never treat this worked example as a current mission coordinate.
- Never automate an unverified elevation formula after the spotter plot.