In the defense of the Docking Computer.

[IstvaanDCIV]

Not sure any defence of EDs DC will stand up in a court of law.
DC in 1984 Elite was not required, but was a huge QOL addition.
DC in Elite Dangerous is also not required, but is a huge IOL if fitted (Inferiority of Life)...and should be made illegal galaxy wide.

Reasons being:
1. It's slow, so slow! I can manually land, do my business and take off before a DC has chance to land a ship
2. It's dangerous, very dangerous. The DC thinks the best way to slow a ship down, that's going full speed. is to turn and crash head long into the station
3. It's poorly implemented. Instead of an enabled/disable DC toggle button the mechanics are as soon as your throttle goes to minimum position it auto engages, which can have disastrous consequences (see pt 2)
4. Wasted modules slots. Modules slots can be better utilised with MRPs and HRPs, or any other modules for that matter. I'd rather fit a class 1 dead hedgehog than a DC.

The DC is akin to stabilisers on a bike when you're learning to ride, or armbands when learning to swim, but once you have learnt then you ditch them.

1. Some people are perfectly happy trading docking speed for the ability to take their hands off the controls for a bit and/or focus on other things.

2. The "danger" of the ADC is massively overstated, and I submit that any impression of its dangerousness is being inflated by a reporting bias. For each and every forum thread or Reddit post documenting one hapless CMDR getting their ship blown up, there are going to be at least hundreds, if not thousands, of automated dockings that happen entirely without incident. Nobody is going to make a post every time the ADC works as advertised, but they will do so if they lose their ship.

3. It's hardly some arcane secret how ADC activation works. If one is sufficiently inattentive to the point where zeroing the throttle and activating ADC leads to disaster, then that's more of a problem with the pilot than with the machine. It's a poor worker who blames their tools.

4. That's a choice subject to personal preference. Now personally I wouldn't mind if ADC was integrated as a default rather than taking up an optional module slot, but as it currently stands it's up to the pilot to decide if they think the functionality is worth it.

 

[Phill P]

Source: https://youtu.be/DP3dhh0Of08

 

[Hellfire85]

Ban the ADC, be better, don't give in to automation.
It started with basic automation, evolved into AI and was banned for a reason.
Don't let the cycle begin anew!
NO TO AUTOMATION MODULES!

 

[Gabriel H]

It started with basic automation, evolved into AI and was banned for a reason.

Leading to a situation where they allow AI to auto-dock a freighter with 712T of explosives in its hold, but they don't allow a robot bartender to serve you drinks?!
Wake up sheeple, this is clearly a conspiracy!

 

[Kira Goto]

The DC is akin to stabilisers on a bike when you're learning to ride, or armbands when learning to swim, but once you have learnt then you ditch them.

Or you're in a Cutter which is a dog to fly* and you're not bothered to take it into and out of a station repeatedly.

... although I have turned off auto launch (been too lazy to replace with the standard docking computer) because all it takes is one NPC in a DBX or similarly small ship to get priority (so much for "make way for large vessels, right?) and it to completely bug out, thus bashing your ship's nose into the mail slot's underside repeatedly. Albeit this only appears to be an issue for large ships, according to my memory (and is separate from NPCs clogging it because something messed up their pathing in a multiplayer instance).

Never had any issues with it on landing. Nor did I ever face the rebuy screen on the Cutter thanks to docking computer because I have a size 6 shield fitted at all times. I occasionally liked to give NPC pirates a beating instead of beating the interdiction or just running away after submitting... and an extra 64 tons of cargo was not worth sacrificing basically guaranteed chances of not getting blown up, to me.

*This is also why I am never going to even touch a T9, ignoring its boxy look befitting of a pure cargo mover (even if it is used as a miner by some).

 

[tomalus]

Ive been playing on and off entire year, and only one time I had the docking computer get confused on a megaship (torval mining ship)
used it on many diffferent ships with zero issues

 

[Rock Hunter]

I love a DC. That said, not on all ships, the combat ships need more MRPs and a HRPs etc. However a good number get one stuffed in a C1 spot.

Cargo ships, smuggling ships, general mission runners with a little space - they can all make use of a DC whilst boosting or silent running into a station and then whacking the DC on and bringing the shields back online at the same time for those in silent running. I also get a chance to lift my VR HMD off and see exactly where I’ve spilt my coffee/dropped toast crumbs or even do something useful like let the (well and truly fed up) cat out.

I do admit to steering clear of the ADC though. I find they take way too long to leave a port and all too often only after a wee wobble into the side of the station (my Cutter had an ADC for a while which I swear was possessed by a mischievous spirit ) It was no better at landing in all honesty - several times it refused to dock at my fleet carrier and just drifted off elsewhere (and that wasn’t during the weird bug where we couldn’t catch up with stations and Carriers…it was just haunted I tell you)

So a big ole to the DC.

 

[CMDR MERANGO]

Or you're in a Cutter which is a dog to fly* and you're not bothered to take it into and out of a station repeatedly.

... although I have turned off auto launch (been too lazy to replace with the standard docking computer) because all it takes is one NPC in a DBX or similarly small ship to get priority (so much for "make way for large vessels, right?) and it to completely bug out, thus bashing your ship's nose into the mail slot's underside repeatedly. Albeit this only appears to be an issue for large ships, according to my memory (and is separate from NPCs clogging it because something messed up their pathing in a multiplayer instance).

Never had any issues with it on landing. Nor did I ever face the rebuy screen on the Cutter thanks to docking computer because I have a size 6 shield fitted at all times. I occasionally liked to give NPC pirates a beating instead of beating the interdiction or just running away after submitting... and an extra 64 tons of cargo was not worth sacrificing basically guaranteed chances of not getting blown up, to me.

*This is also why I am never going to even touch a T9, ignoring its boxy look befitting of a pure cargo mover (even if it is used as a miner by some).

T9 is an awesome mining rig.

 

[Narfiam]

I love a DC. That said, not on all ships, the combat ships need more MRPs and a HRPs etc. However a good number get one stuffed in a C1 spot.

Cargo ships, smuggling ships, general mission runners with a little space - they can all make use of a DC whilst boosting or silent running into a station and then whacking the DC on and bringing the shields back online at the same time for those in silent running. I also get a chance to lift my VR HMD off and see exactly where I’ve spilt my coffee/dropped toast crumbs or even do something useful like let the (well and truly fed up) cat out.

I do admit to steering clear of the ADC though. I find they take way too long to leave a port and all too often only after a wee wobble into the side of the station (my Cutter had an ADC for a while which I swear was possessed by a mischievous spirit ) It was no better at landing in all honesty - several times it refused to dock at my fleet carrier and just drifted off elsewhere (and that wasn’t during the weird bug where we couldn’t catch up with stations and Carriers…it was just haunted I tell you)

So a big ole to the DC.

I don't think that having an extra size 1 HRP/MRP mark the difference between your ship/module being destroyed 99.99% of the times tbh. ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[Rock Hunter]

I don't think that having an extra size 1 HRP/MRP mark the difference between your ship/module being destroyed 99.99% of the times tbh. ¯\(ツ)/¯

Completely true, but if I don’t need a DC in all ships I may as well stick something slightly useful in there - that said, I’m not a PvP’er so it really doesn’t matter what goes in a C1 slot particularly or if I take out a SB and replace it with a KWS. It’s a just giggles when you’re fighting npcs (or maybe it’s all just yawns if you’re a PvPer fighting npcs?!)

 

[Hellfire85]

I don't think that having an extra size 1 HRP/MRP mark the difference between your ship/module being destroyed 99.99% of the times tbh. ¯\(ツ)/¯

on a mission runner or multipurpose ship, no. But on a dedicated combat build for PvP for example, it can make a difference.