Personally, I wouldn't dream of using a DC in a combat ship or multipurpose ship but when you're flying from station to station in a flying brick you generally get fed up of docking constantly. With the new DC you don't spend 5-10minutes docking, instead it's more like 1 or 2 minutes.

I have one on my FdL because what else am I going to put in the Class 1 slot without lowering the jump range further?
 
DC is also getting another upgrade... I'm making it a bit safer (fixing a few boost distance issues), and faster in some cases, especially when approaching the slot of a Coriolis station. It can avoid the holding position and fly straight in. For fun, if you briefly take control to hit boost, it can fly through the slot at over 260 m/s... and still dock safely! :D Now that is a scary ride! :eek: :D

The DC is already sufficiently freaky at outposts, and these improvements are beginning to sound like an advert against VR, unless your interpretation of total immersion is.... well, I don't want to draw a picture!

Actually, the 1.3 DC improvements are brilliant :)
 
I only got one recently.
I have no problems docking manually (haven't had a bump or crash yet) but I prefer to let the DC do it.
Still haven't tried it at an outpost though.
 
DC is also getting another upgrade... I'm making it a bit safer (fixing a few boost distance issues), and faster in some cases, especially when approaching the slot of a Coriolis station. It can avoid the holding position and fly straight in. For fun, if you briefly take control to hit boost, it can fly through the slot at over 260 m/s... and still dock safely! :D Now that is a scary ride! :eek: :D

I really love the progress the DC is making. I remember it as mildly okay at release dates, and now it's super awesome! I totally would use it, wasn't I a FAoff-manual-landing-chunky.
 
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DC is also getting another upgrade... I'm making it a bit safer (fixing a few boost distance issues), and faster in some cases, especially when approaching the slot of a Coriolis station. It can avoid the holding position and fly straight in. For fun, if you briefly take control to hit boost, it can fly through the slot at over 260 m/s... and still dock safely! :D Now that is a scary ride! :eek: :D

Thank you, this ride is scary enough. :)

The DC has improved so much that I've fitted it to two ships that do a lot of docking. It also makes for an ACLS (look it up) when the canopy is shot out in your fighter.

Thank you, Oh Great Mistress Of AI's.

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With a small, fast ship it's quite fun, especially when it buzzes the tower really close.

Negative, Ghostrider, the pattern is full...
 
I only got one recently.
I have no problems docking manually (haven't had a bump or crash yet) but I prefer to let the DC do it.
Still haven't tried it at an outpost though.

Wait till your Courier or other small agile ship boosts above the station and nose dives directly at the landing pad of the outpost for the first time. It goes Nose down and at the last second levels out. Brown moment for sure ;)
 
I think what makes the DC so good is the fact it finds the entrance instantly where I could be spending 30seconds flying around an outpost or certain stations trying to get the proper point of entry which can be hard to find even if you're coming in from the side of a planet. On the more obvious stations(Cylindrical) I don't fancy chancing it with DC in the odd chance it decides to faceplant into a pillar or something.
 
The old Docking Computer was...

The new, current one... Holy schmokes - only a madly Afterburning smuggler is (just a tiny tad) faster than this Docking Computer :D
I'm carrying one in every single ride... too bad it's now so incredibly fast, I hardly get the docking Music before the Ship hits the Pad :p

I love smuggling with the docking computer on, Line up 10k out, at 7k request docking, pop a heat sink and engage silent running. When in the slot, turn silent running off and hit the breaks. Half way down the bay the docking computer with take over, flip your ship to the right direction and start reversing into the slot you wanted.
No more flying the wrong way looking for the slot you missed!
 
DC is also getting another upgrade... I'm making it a bit safer (fixing a few boost distance issues), and faster in some cases, especially when approaching the slot of a Coriolis station. It can avoid the holding position and fly straight in. For fun, if you briefly take control to hit boost, it can fly through the slot at over 260 m/s... and still dock safely! :D Now that is a scary ride! :eek: :D

Love it! Reminds me of amusement park roller coaster. :D
:eek:
 
I'd be lying if I said I didn't do it on purpose. ;)
A big thank you to everyone for the nice comments. Makes me want to do better. :)
I think I speak for alot of people when I say we are all looking forward to your future efforts.
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Its strange, really. You look like such a sweet person in your picture, but behind the smile is a devious mind that is plotting our ultimate destruction, over and over. Its quite evil.
 
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I love smuggling with the docking computer on, Line up 10k out, at 7k request docking, pop a heat sink and engage silent running. When in the slot, turn silent running off and hit the breaks. Half way down the bay the docking computer with take over, flip your ship to the right direction and start reversing into the slot you wanted.
It definitely comes into its own here. Personally I don't bother with heat sinks or silent running, I just plough on in and hope I can beat any scans and/or dodge any other ships. But the ability to effectively toggle the docking computer on and off just by using the throttle is genius. Once through the slot I can throttle to zero and let Otto take over while my hands are shaking.

I wouldn't use it in place of shields, though, even on a trader. A couple of nights ago my docking computer rammed my Python nose-first into an outpost docking pad before doing a graceful pirouette and touching down. The shields saved me from losing a fair chunk of change in panel-beaters' fees, or possibly worse as I only fly with stock hull plating.
 
The DC is for safe docking, not fast docking. Safe docking entails traveling at a speed low enough to cause minimal damage to other ships should a collision happen.

If you want to dock irresponsibly fast, you can, but you'll be doing it without the aid of a safty system. Makes perfect sense to me. Kind of confused why you ever could boost while the DC was active.
 
Mocking computer meh, Lazy man/woman's tool. Manual all the way for me. Bet all you docking computer users have automatic gears in your cars/bikes
 
There is something to remember here. We are talking about the STANDARD docking computer! What is it going to be like when SJA finishes, and FD release (after many days of admiring viewing) the ADVANCED docking computer? I can see it now...

You trigger the ADC when you are within range of a major station. First, your ship stops moving. Then the ADC takes control of every other computer system in range, and, perfectly choreographed with the 'Blue Danube Waltz', all the small ships start waltzing around, while the larger vessels start running their engines to enhance the music. You ship deploys any light based weaponry, and starts using them as conductors batons (well, the ADC is now in control, so it is the orchestral conductor. Fortunately, as the ADC is in control of ALL systems you will not get a fine, and no vessels will get hit). Then the station start flying towards you, manoeuvring itself so that it flies over your ship, with the mail slot perfectly aligned (also in perfect time with the music). Then it positions itself so that the landing pad is just below your ship. There is another command sent by the ADC (depending on circumstances) which I will get to. Then your ship lowers the undercarriage, and the pad then connects with the ship. Finally the ADC, before shutting down, issues the commands to allow everything to go back to its correct place.

Remember the command I said I would get to? Well, if the planet that the station is orbiting is inhabited, and the dark side is facing you when you next launch, the city lights will read "This show was brought to you courtesy of Sarah Jane Avory. We hope you enjoyed it."!
 
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DC is also getting another upgrade... I'm making it a bit safer (fixing a few boost distance issues), and faster in some cases, especially when approaching the slot of a Coriolis station. It can avoid the holding position and fly straight in. For fun, if you briefly take control to hit boost, it can fly through the slot at over 260 m/s... and still dock safely! :D Now that is a scary ride! :eek: :D


Lol good stuff, and for more *evil grin* fun, when the DC engages boost, have the screen go black, like blackout from too many G's and then have a bunch of crashing, explosion sounds complete chaos, and then screen fades in to find yourself safely docked :D
 
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