Create Big Cannons ballistic calculator

Aim a big cannon at a target without trial shots. Pick the shell and the load, enter where the cannon and the target are, and the calculator returns the pitch for a low direct shot and for a high lobbing arc, the yaw to turn to, and how long the shell is in the air.

How the numbers work

Muzzle velocity is set by the charge behind the shell. Every Powder Charge adds 2 blocks per tick, and a Big Cartridge adds 2 per level of fill, up to 8 for a full one. So four charges send a shell out at 8 blocks per tick, about 160 m/s. An air gap between the charges and the shell costs you one charge's worth.

In flight a shell falls 0.05 blocks per tick per tick (the Mortar Stone half that) and loses about 1% of its speed every tick to air resistance. Because of that drag, your longest shot is not at 45°. With four charges it is around 32°, and the more charge you add, the flatter the best angle gets.

Other dimensions change the arithmetic. The Nether pulls 10% harder and its air is 10% thicker, so shells drop short. The End has 80% gravity and no air resistance at all, which makes the same load fly several times further.

A normal cannon mount can raise the barrel to 60° and lower it 30°. An angle outside that range is flagged, and you would need a steeper platform to use it. Real shots also scatter a little around this path, more with a short barrel, so keep a follow-up ready for small targets.