Since introduction of Engineers, "everyone knows" that planetary ports are "pain". And if you have a choice, you try to avoid them. Should you? Not really.
I guess the conclusion comes from the fact planetary landing is not "self explaining" and most videos about the topic demonstrate how complicated, unreliable and slow landing is. When you see something "everywhere", you believe that is true. I also had the same impression, and when I have realized some construction mats are available on planetary ports only and I have to construct planetary facilities, I was thinking "oh no... why they don't supply all mats from orbitals?". Many players are still thinking such way.
These days, when I have a choice to get Steel from Coriolis or planetary, I choose the second in most cases. Why? That is FASTER (and in hauling the speed is the only variable you can change).
Note: if you fly T8 and use orbital outposts, that is the fastest way. The whole comparison is for T1 planetary vs T2 orbital. Landing numbers are for Currer, from (small) experience also valid for T9, probably also ok for T8 but that is not proved.
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Unfortunately I have not found a single good video tutorial how to land properly. I am sure they are many, I just can't find them. I don't have time and willing to make a video at the moment, so I will write the procedure and explanation in text.
You approach the planet usual way, preparing to enter the orbit at ~53° to the surface (approximately, exact number is not important at that step). Since you don't see numbers till close to orbiting, it can take a while till you do this "automatically" (but since you will do this 100s of times, you will get it).
When you see the height, but not yet the angle, just keep (fast changing numbers) the distance greater then the height (but lower then 1.5 of it). Also simpler after you have done that several times.
When you see the angle, you adjust it to ~53° (the "ring" is between 50 and 55°). Some seconds before entering the orbit, you set "Entering orbit thrust" (more on that later).
You "orbiting" till gliding height, with the same ~53°, eventually adjusting "Orbiting thrust".
In glide, turn off engine, point at 55° ("in front" of the port), till the end of gliding (final break), during which you point over port. At that time, port (ring center) should be at ~40-45° (for high gravity planets smaller angel can be better).
Once there, ask to doc and let computer do the rest.
Sure, (almost) everything so far is known, the evil is in details...
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"Entering orbit thrust" and "Orbiting thrust" have to be correct (for fast and safe landing). In the following, the speed is in "seconds till target".
The speed rules during landing are in general the same as in space "6 seconds" is optimal, "7 seconds" is ok, "5 seconds" is looking for troubles, "8 seconds" is too slow. But at different stages of landing, achieving that is not as strait forward as in space.
The first thing to realize: optimal thrust is planet dependent. Since you are going to land 100s of times, you will know what is good, for each port you use.
From personal experience:
In all cases, after entering orbit, wait several seconds before considering adjusting the thrust. Even if you see 10+ seconds. After several seconds, if/when you see 8 seconds or more (can happened later), switch to the "next level". So 75%, 100%, 50/75/100% for mentioned body sizes. Following that approach, even when at some point speed is (critical) 5 seconds, I had no problems. Speeding too early (f.e. when you see 8 seconds right after starting orbiting) can trigger "too fast" drop out. Keeping low speed makes the landing slower.
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About the approach I have described for gliding. Have you observed docking computer "burst up" instead of landing (periodically hitting center tower)? I guess the answer is yes...
(I think) the reason is vertical speed which computer is unable to compensate, so it decides rapidly "fly away" instead of crashing to the planet. Described procedure seems like keep vertical speed at the end of gliding sufficiently low.
---
Even after you can land "good", using described approach or your own, in particular:
"Well, all that is good, but I can't 'instant break' with SCA and I am near Coriolis immediately after drop from 1Mm, instead of orbiting/gliding. Planetary can't be faster, no way!"
It can. And in most cases it is. And here are the reasons:
1) when you departure from planetary, you just burst once and you are out of mass lock. Even in case the target system is obscured, you enter hyperspace, SCO (yes, that makes huge difference for using planetary ports) and then jump (immediately, no cooling time after SCO). And in most cases you just jump (turning during charging). All that is fast.
But when you departure from Coriolis, you first have to fly throw the gate, then burst and only then you are out of mass lock. So, for departure the difference is 30+ seconds.
2) planetary on tidally locked planet (or on poles of any planet) is always in the same position relative to the star (and with colonization you can choose where to build). So approching is always the same. Orbitals are moving relative to the planet (and you can't control the orbit), the orbit in most cases is in the "system plane", so your orbital station is obscured half of the time from usual arraving direction. To effectively use "instant break" SCA feature, you have to know if it is obscured in advance. So, the first time you approaching orbital (after significant pause) you use "instant break" at the very end only. And half of the time you need "curved fly" to be in good position when at 7ls for "instant break". That costs time. So yes, SCA give advantage, but not always.
3) after drop, you are sometimes "behind" the station (when you don't use "instant break", you can relatively fast change approaching curve to come from good direction, but then you loose "instant break" advantage...). Flying to the entrance cost significant time. Planet landing is not direction (the side of the port) dependent, there is no "single entrance" there.
4) arrival and departure directions are different when constructing in other system, the first is "to the local star" and the second is "to the target system". So you usually have to "fly around" the station, at least partially, during arrival and turn a bit (or not a bit) when departing. All that costs extra time. As explained in (1), for planetary ports arriving direction is always good and departing direction is not relevant (or fast to deal with).
And so, when you can "instant break" from 5-7ls, you are dropped in the front of entrance and your destination is visible throw the gate when you are departing, then sure, Coriolis is faster to haul from then from planetary port. The problem is that such "perfect conditions" stay "perfect" for rather limited time (if they can be perfect at all, the entrence can be in "bad" direction all the time).
As the result, when I am houling several hours (orbital is definitively not in "best disposition" for the whole period), the end number of trips I manage from planetary is greater then from orbital. Measured with "Trip computer" in my "ED Lonely Architect" construction tracker.
---
It is worse to mention that planetary ports are:
a) T1, need no points, not counted as T2/T3
b) faster to build (50 vs 70)
c) way simpler to orient toward required economy
Happy hauling
I guess the conclusion comes from the fact planetary landing is not "self explaining" and most videos about the topic demonstrate how complicated, unreliable and slow landing is. When you see something "everywhere", you believe that is true. I also had the same impression, and when I have realized some construction mats are available on planetary ports only and I have to construct planetary facilities, I was thinking "oh no... why they don't supply all mats from orbitals?". Many players are still thinking such way.
These days, when I have a choice to get Steel from Coriolis or planetary, I choose the second in most cases. Why? That is FASTER (and in hauling the speed is the only variable you can change).
Note: if you fly T8 and use orbital outposts, that is the fastest way. The whole comparison is for T1 planetary vs T2 orbital. Landing numbers are for Currer, from (small) experience also valid for T9, probably also ok for T8 but that is not proved.
---
Unfortunately I have not found a single good video tutorial how to land properly. I am sure they are many, I just can't find them. I don't have time and willing to make a video at the moment, so I will write the procedure and explanation in text.
You approach the planet usual way, preparing to enter the orbit at ~53° to the surface (approximately, exact number is not important at that step). Since you don't see numbers till close to orbiting, it can take a while till you do this "automatically" (but since you will do this 100s of times, you will get it).
When you see the height, but not yet the angle, just keep (fast changing numbers) the distance greater then the height (but lower then 1.5 of it). Also simpler after you have done that several times.
When you see the angle, you adjust it to ~53° (the "ring" is between 50 and 55°). Some seconds before entering the orbit, you set "Entering orbit thrust" (more on that later).
You "orbiting" till gliding height, with the same ~53°, eventually adjusting "Orbiting thrust".
In glide, turn off engine, point at 55° ("in front" of the port), till the end of gliding (final break), during which you point over port. At that time, port (ring center) should be at ~40-45° (for high gravity planets smaller angel can be better).
Once there, ask to doc and let computer do the rest.
Sure, (almost) everything so far is known, the evil is in details...
---
"Entering orbit thrust" and "Orbiting thrust" have to be correct (for fast and safe landing). In the following, the speed is in "seconds till target".
The speed rules during landing are in general the same as in space "6 seconds" is optimal, "7 seconds" is ok, "5 seconds" is looking for troubles, "8 seconds" is too slow. But at different stages of landing, achieving that is not as strait forward as in space.
The first thing to realize: optimal thrust is planet dependent. Since you are going to land 100s of times, you will know what is good, for each port you use.
From personal experience:
- fastest to land are planets ~0.05 of the earth (normally 3 slots). "Entering orbit thrust" 50%
- a bit slower are bigger planets, ~0.5 of the earth (normally 5 slots). "Entering orbit thrust" 75%. Note: for big bodies you may want increase thrust, up to 100%, before you see orbiting scala.
- tricky are tiny, rock like moons/planets, f.e ~0.002 of the earth (1-2 slots). "Entering orbit thrust" 25% or even lower. Note: for small bodies you may want reduce thrust before you see orbiting scala.
In all cases, after entering orbit, wait several seconds before considering adjusting the thrust. Even if you see 10+ seconds. After several seconds, if/when you see 8 seconds or more (can happened later), switch to the "next level". So 75%, 100%, 50/75/100% for mentioned body sizes. Following that approach, even when at some point speed is (critical) 5 seconds, I had no problems. Speeding too early (f.e. when you see 8 seconds right after starting orbiting) can trigger "too fast" drop out. Keeping low speed makes the landing slower.
---
About the approach I have described for gliding. Have you observed docking computer "burst up" instead of landing (periodically hitting center tower)? I guess the answer is yes...
(I think) the reason is vertical speed which computer is unable to compensate, so it decides rapidly "fly away" instead of crashing to the planet. Described procedure seems like keep vertical speed at the end of gliding sufficiently low.
---
Even after you can land "good", using described approach or your own, in particular:
- not flying 2 minutes around the planet to start landing (in space or orbiting)
- not "crashing" to the atmosphere (too fast for entering it)
- not dropping in the middle of orbiting (too fast for orbiting)
- not dropping 80km from the port (too fast to glide)
"Well, all that is good, but I can't 'instant break' with SCA and I am near Coriolis immediately after drop from 1Mm, instead of orbiting/gliding. Planetary can't be faster, no way!"
It can. And in most cases it is. And here are the reasons:
1) when you departure from planetary, you just burst once and you are out of mass lock. Even in case the target system is obscured, you enter hyperspace, SCO (yes, that makes huge difference for using planetary ports) and then jump (immediately, no cooling time after SCO). And in most cases you just jump (turning during charging). All that is fast.
But when you departure from Coriolis, you first have to fly throw the gate, then burst and only then you are out of mass lock. So, for departure the difference is 30+ seconds.
2) planetary on tidally locked planet (or on poles of any planet) is always in the same position relative to the star (and with colonization you can choose where to build). So approching is always the same. Orbitals are moving relative to the planet (and you can't control the orbit), the orbit in most cases is in the "system plane", so your orbital station is obscured half of the time from usual arraving direction. To effectively use "instant break" SCA feature, you have to know if it is obscured in advance. So, the first time you approaching orbital (after significant pause) you use "instant break" at the very end only. And half of the time you need "curved fly" to be in good position when at 7ls for "instant break". That costs time. So yes, SCA give advantage, but not always.
3) after drop, you are sometimes "behind" the station (when you don't use "instant break", you can relatively fast change approaching curve to come from good direction, but then you loose "instant break" advantage...). Flying to the entrance cost significant time. Planet landing is not direction (the side of the port) dependent, there is no "single entrance" there.
4) arrival and departure directions are different when constructing in other system, the first is "to the local star" and the second is "to the target system". So you usually have to "fly around" the station, at least partially, during arrival and turn a bit (or not a bit) when departing. All that costs extra time. As explained in (1), for planetary ports arriving direction is always good and departing direction is not relevant (or fast to deal with).
And so, when you can "instant break" from 5-7ls, you are dropped in the front of entrance and your destination is visible throw the gate when you are departing, then sure, Coriolis is faster to haul from then from planetary port. The problem is that such "perfect conditions" stay "perfect" for rather limited time (if they can be perfect at all, the entrence can be in "bad" direction all the time).
As the result, when I am houling several hours (orbital is definitively not in "best disposition" for the whole period), the end number of trips I manage from planetary is greater then from orbital. Measured with "Trip computer" in my "ED Lonely Architect" construction tracker.
---
It is worse to mention that planetary ports are:
a) T1, need no points, not counted as T2/T3
b) faster to build (50 vs 70)
c) way simpler to orient toward required economy
Happy hauling
