IRON NEST Controls

IRON NEST controls: Caps Lock clipboard, teleprinter copy, red/yellow pencils, calculator levers, loaders, traverse, elevation wheels, and fire triggers.

Official-style deck tour — teleprinter clipboard, map pencils, calculator levers, loaders, traverse, elevation wheels, and firing triggers.

~9 min read

Triangulation Beginner guide

At A Glance

IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator controls split into keyboard shortcuts (clipboard, teleprinter copy) and physical levers (map pencils, calculator, loaders, traverse, elevation, triggers). This iron nest controls reference maps every interface on the gun deck so you know which input opens a window, copies a bearing, or moves five thousand tons of turret. Verified August 16, 2026 · Steam.

Fact	Detail
Input mix	Mouse + keyboard for UI; levers/wheels for gunlay
Clipboard toggle	Caps Lock show/hide · Tab maximize
Map copy tool	Red pencil — bearing + range to clipboard
Measure-only tool	Yellow pencil — no clipboard copy
Gunlay	Fast traverse lever + fine bearing wheel; dual elevation wheels
Platform	PC (Steam · GOG · Epic)
Deck Verified	Steam Deck Verified · Overwhelmingly Positive

How do I open the clipboard and copy teleprinter lines?

Mission intel starts at two teletype machines: High Command orders and field reports. Iron nest keybinds here are simple — left-click any line on either printer to copy it to your clipboard. The clipboard is the floating panel that holds grid references, bearings, and notes while you work the map.

IRON NEST tactical map pencils and clipboard panel

Action	Input
Copy teleprinter / field report line	Left-click the line
Show or hide clipboard	Caps Lock
Maximize clipboard (read long orders)	Hold Tab
Remove a clipboard row	Right-click the row
Open tactical map	Interact with map table (see deck layout below)

Two printers, one clipboard

High Command carries shell restrictions and primary grids; field reports carry spotter bearings and counter-battery warnings. Both feed the same clipboard — color or source does not matter for copy behavior.

New Operators open the map before Caps Lock. Flip the clipboard visible first, then read both printers so grid squares and "STAR only" lines stay in view while you draw.

When to clear clipboard rows

Right-click stale bearings after a counter-battery move or emergency reposition. Old range lines that no longer match the turret token will send the calculator the wrong kilometres if you forget to delete them.

With copy behavior set, the map pencils are the next control layer — and the red/yellow split trips more missions than any lever.

How do I use map pencils, tokens, and switches?

The tactical map is a 20×10 grid (columns A–T, rows 1–10). Clipboard tools sit along the map edge: a compass (range circles), white marker (freehand emphasis), yellow pencil (measure bearing/range without clipboard copy), and red pencil (measure with clipboard copy for firing solutions).

Tool / switch	Control effect
Compass	Draw range circle from a point
White marker	Freehand lines — no clipboard data
Yellow pencil	Bearing + range measure only
Red pencil	Bearing + range copied to clipboard
Spotter tokens	Up to 4 spotters — drag from left rack
Reference tokens	Up to 4 reference points
Target tokens	Up to 8 target marks
Reset kill tokens	Moves kill markers to top-left
Delete all map measurements	Clears drawn lines
Reset all tokens	Returns placed tokens to left rack
Blast radius iris	Right side — preview round effect by shell type
Map legend key	Bottom-right — icon reference

Move the IRON NEST token first

Teleprinter orders name your turret grid cell. Drag the IRON NEST piece to that coordinate before drawing red lines — calculator range is measured from the token, not from the teleprinter text alone.

Triangulation missions add spotter tokens, draw yellow lines spotter→target for distance checks, then red lines turret→intersection for clipboard range. Full walkthrough on triangulation.

Blast radius before you fire

The right-side iris dial selects shell type and shows blast footprint on the grid — critical when friendlies sit near the aim point. HE and HCHE do not discriminate; the map key explains infantry vs hardened icons.

Map controls mastered, the ballistic calculator panel is the next physical interface — inputs are levers, not keyboard typing.

How do I operate the ballistic calculator controls?

The ballistic calculator sits left of the map table. Upper controls fill the fire mission card (bearing, target description, authorized shell). Lower controls, left to right: range input, powder charge selector, and the compute lever that prints the card and displays elevation.

Control	Function
Range dial / input	Distance in km from clipboard red line
Powder charge lights	Green = viable bands; first green = minimum charges for range
Compute lever	Prints fire mission card + shows gun elevation
Fire mission card	Green check / red X markers for completed steps (optional clicks)
Card output	Elevation degrees — must match loaded charge count

Charge lights before you crank

After range entry, charge indicators light red or green. The first green number is the minimum powder bags required to reach that distance. More charges lower elevation and shorten time-of-flight — but only if you load the same count at the breech.

Mismatch between calculator charges and loaded bags is the dominant "overshoot" bug in early missions. Charge bands by distance live on ballistics.

Fire mission card as checklist

Printed cards show bearing, shell type, elevation, and optional green-check clicks for turret rotation, elevation set, and ordnance confirmed. Under counter-battery pressure you may skip clicks — but never skip verifying numbers on the main console.

Calculator output in hand, walk to the loader stations — elevation wheels stay locked until a shell is seated.

How do I load shells and powder at each gun?

Each barrel has an identical loading station on the left and right of the deck. Controls run left to right: shell selector lever (rotate magazine one round), shell rammer (seats round — irreversible except by firing), charge counter (calculator bags vs loaded bags), six powder dispensers (one bag each), and charge rammer (seats propellant and closes breech).

Lever / gauge	Action
Shell selector	Cycle ready rack by one shell type
Shell rammer	Drive round into barrel — cannot unload
Charge counter	Shows required vs loaded powder bags
Powder dispensers (×6)	One lever per bag — cannot return unused bags
Charge rammer	Seat propellant; closes breech; unlocks elevation
Magazine gauge (above loaders)	Remaining powder bags per gun

Loading rules that punish mis-clicks

Once the shell rammer fires, the only unload is shooting the round. Dispensed powder cannot return to the magazine — plan charge count before pulling dispensers.

The charge counter reads the most recent calculator solution, not a queue of future missions. Recalculate before loading if the teleprinter updated range.

Shell selector vs requisition rack

Quick magazines hold six ready rounds; deeper stocks come from the requisition console on the right deck. Selector lever only cycles what is already in the ready rack.

Authorized shell types (HE, STAR, AP, HCHE…) are on shell types. Loader done — gunlay wheels and traverse levers come next.

How do I traverse, elevate, arm, and fire?

Iron nest controls for gunlay are almost entirely physical. Elevation: twin wheels left of the trigger console — locked during loading, free once breech closes; numeric and graphic readouts on center display. Bearing: fast traverse lever (left/right, return to center to stop) plus fine adjustment wheel for exact clipboard degrees.

IRON NEST turret traverse lever and bearing wheel

Mechanism	Location / use
Fast traverse lever	Right of deck — swing turret coarse left/right
Fine bearing wheel	Dial exact degrees from clipboard / map
Elevation wheels (×2)	Left of trigger — match calculator angle per gun
Arming levers (×2)	Ceiling pulls — left gun / right gun
Main trigger	Center ceiling lever — fire armed barrel(s)
Main console	Elevation, time-of-flight, shell type, armed state, rotation
Confirmation switches	Optional pre-fire checklist — skip under timer pressure
Trigger raise lever	Next to bearing mechanism — lifts firing position

Do01Confirm shell type matches teleprinter authorization
Do02Cross-check bearing on console vs clipboard red line
Do03Match elevation wheels to calculator output (per gun if split)
Do04Pull arming lever for the barrel you intend to fire
Do05Watch map impact marker; adjust range or bearing for correction fire

Coarse traverse habits

Reverse the fast lever to stop — flipping direction does not brake faster. Skilled Operators start coarse swing early while finishing calculator work on the opposite side of the deck.

5,000-ton rotation has inertia; fine wheel work happens after coarse gets within a few degrees.

Optional confirmation switches

Below the main console, toggles mark ordnance, bearing, elevation, and armed state. Helpful for learning; optional when counter-battery timers demand speed.

First shot starts impact stopwatch — map shows fall of shot for corrections. Steam valve leaks mid-mission are covered in the FAQ; deck-access levers are next if you need quarters or engine room.

Drill map bearings next

Matched by build plan, shared topics, and guide progression — not random related links.

Triangulation

Spotter bearings

Beginner Guide

IRON NEST first operation

What levers open the engine room and quarters?

Not every iron nest control is about firing. Yellow-lit levers behind and in front of the map open the engine room (under the map) and crew quarters (below main deck). Downstairs: mission select, bed, coffee, newspapers, challenge boards. Upstairs: every interface in this guide.

Area	Access / controls
Engine room	Yellow lever — gauges; do not shut main engine mid-mission
Crew quarters	Yellow ladder lever — mission picker, rest, meta progression
Requisition bench	Right deck behind right cannon — credits, planes, emergency move
Teleprinters	Aft of map — High Command + field reports
Receiver desk	Mission objectives and newspapers

Quarters vs turret deck muscle memory

The beginner guide tour walks quarters → ladder → map once. After that, treat Caps Lock clipboard as your "am I upstairs?" check — clipboard only matters on the gun deck.

Engine-room steam valves may open during operations; rotate clockwise to close if visibility loss is unacceptable (valve detail in FAQ).

Control mistakes that break your fire mission

Most failed salvos are wrong control sequence, not bad aim. Scan this before your first live counter-battery shot.

Mistake	Fix
Yellow pencil for firing solution	Use red pencil turret→target for clipboard range
Clipboard hidden during teleprinter read	Caps Lock on before left-clicking orders
Computing before moving turret token	Place IRON NEST on teleprinter grid first
Elevation wheels while breech open	Finish charge rammer — then elevate
Charge count ≠ calculator	Re-read green lights before compute lever
Shell rammer before confirming type	Selector lever first — rammer is irreversible
Fast traverse left centered while loading	Stop lever in center before fine wheel work
Ignoring blast iris with friendlies near	Dial shell type on map radius tool

One pre-fire control habit

Main console glance: correct shell icon, bearing within ~0.5°, elevation matches card, armed lever up. Ten seconds beats recomputing after a friendly-fire report.

Controls learned — triangulation is the usual next skill for two-spotter missions.