Help with docking!!

[gooddoc]

My advice to you is simple, buy a DC. Ignore all the crap you read about them being no good & always crashing your ship, that's absolute garbage!

Iv been playing this game now for 8 months - since release.

As soon as a could afford my first DC, i bought one. I won't fly any ship without one.
In all the thousands of times that iv landed with a DC, i have only ever had 3 occasions were iv had to override the DC & land myself.
All the players that say it's destroyed their ship, haven't also told you that when the DC took over, they then went off & did something else & came back to see the insurance screen.

Do i trust it 100%? - No! FD's Elite is prone to bug's.

ALWAYS be there 100% while using the DC be ready to take over if needed. By using a DC you'll land quicker & with more success than you would yourself. As one CMDR stated, it actually gives you tips on how to approach & line up to landing pads.

Some players can land quick without problems, some struggle - if you struggle buy a DC & don't listen to those who can land OK & rubbish this brilliant module!

 

[Agony_Aunt]

There are only 2 issues with the DC.

Clipper can wig out sometimes when close to the pad and you have to grab control for a second before it will fix itself.

It sometimes has the bad idea of boosting when close to the station, again, this might be clipper specific, although i think i've had it in an Asp as well, and can bang into the wall... i wouldn't recommend relying on the DC if your shields are down. At least watch what its doing and be ready to take control.

 

[Senex VII]

Awe man... I'm going to sound like a total noob, but I can only successfully dock 1 out of 10 tries. Its getting frustrating now.
I understand the need to align the ship until the dot goes blue, then lower it to the pad. When it makes contact, the ship begins to receive damage. its like the landing gear isn't down, but it is.
Any ideas??

Thanks

Here's an easy to learn technique, adapted from the days when the pad number holograms used to disappear on us. It's not the fastest technique, but that can come later when you've got your confidence back.

Let's assume you're not docking at an outpost.
And let's assume you have shields fitted. (You must, at least at first while you are learning.)
And finally, at this stage, you're not in a rush.

First, when you fly through the mail slot, I see you've already worked out to follow the blue dot. Good. However, don't follow it immediately. Instead fly along the central axis of the station, drop your gear, and roll your ship until your docking bay (and dot) will be above you, not below you, while still staying on the central axis. Seriously.

The best way to learn is to approach your docking bay inverted when flying along the central axis of the station. Why? Because (a) visibility up is always better than visibility down in a ship's cockpit, and (b) you will never get a loitering infraction from a nearby pad.

When you're close enough to your target pad so that to get there you'd have to pull the nose up and dive upwards at 45 degrees to get there, do exactly that, coming in very steeply, as you do so roll the ship back to right way up and pull the nose up a second time at the last minute to level again and to bring you just above the pad. By that time the docking hologram will have activated and you can lower yourself down.

 

[askavir]

Practice makes perfect.

1- Make sure you are in the correct landing pad. If the docking assist does nor replace the scanner when you are over the pad, you're on the wrong pad.
2 - Make sure you're in the correct direction. You should see the blas shields in front of you. And the docking assist should show your ship going "up", not "down".
3 - Approach at slow speed and at low height.
4 - When near the "blue circle", slowly use lateral thrusters to align, and then drop down slowly.

After a bit of time,it will become second nature.

Or, buy a docking computer, never learn how to dock and waste a component slot forever.

 

[xaisis]

As some here have said, u can use the docking computer so that it can show u how it is done. BUT do not trust it with ur ship, be there to take over in case it starts acting up.
It may not fail often if at all, but for some 1 time is anuff.

Also when u are landing, take it easy, u got alot of time, find ur pad, make sure are pointed in the right direction when landing or u will just keep bumping into the pad.
Have a shield on ur ship.
If u are running out of time then just leave the station and "cancel docking" then "ask for docking" again.

It also helps, having a joystick with hat and thrust. the HAT is for moving the ship up, down & left, right.

GL xD

 

[Firestarter]

The OP's problem sounds a lot like the issue I had when I first tried to dock. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=25936&highlight=firestarter+diary

My problem was that I was confused by the angle of the ship graphic over the pad such that I was holding down the nose of the ship too much. Once I lifted up the nose I was OK.

These days once I'm through the slot I don't lift or lower the nose of the ship, I just stay straight. Lower the landing gear. Rotate until the compass dot of the landing pad is below me. Move forward until the dot of the landing pad intersects the compass' outer circle. At this point the landing pad is directly underneath me and I am straight and level. Use thrusters to lower ship onto the pad. Once near the pad use thrusters to centre ship on the pad. Lower slowly and the ship will successfully dock.

As a previous poster said you will probably want to remap the thruster keys and practise with them outside of the docking bay.

I haven't used the DC since pre beta (when it was rubbish) but docking is an important skill. Even if you have a DC you will need to occasionally take control manually. I'm convinced I can dock more quickly than the DC and not having one means I have an extra compartment for something else.

 

[The Rifter]

Use a HOTAS.

 

[SMcA]

It is rude to call people liars. The fact that CMDR's are still loosing ships to docking computers proves that this is true. I haven't used them from the beginning and am more competent because i don't use them...not because i do. Most of my friends that use them admit they do out of laziness...which i am fine with..at least they admit it....but laziness does not make you better.

Recently I started using the DC again. I had not used it since Beta where it was so poor it was laughable. I wanted to listen to the Blue Danube so I bought one.
I was pleasantly surprised by how it had been improved and decided to keep it.

Laziness, I thought so but I've changed my mind. (I am lazy I will admit.)
One benefit to using one that I've not seen mentioned is, that is when I use one I don't need to enter the station's orbit from the planet side. The DC will take me to the letterbox faster than I would normally do it my self. If you don't want to wait in a queue. You can use manual control to go into the station and let the DC take over when you are inside. (as has been mentioned.

Another benefit is being a passenger and being able to have a gander at the scenery.

 

[M00ka]

Recently I started using the DC again. I had not used it since Beta where it was so poor it was laughable. I wanted to listen to the Blue Danube so I bought one.
I was pleasantly surprised by how it had been improved and decided to keep it.

Laziness, I thought so but I've changed my mind. (I am lazy I will admit.)
One benefit to using one that I've not seen mentioned is, that is when I use one I don't need to enter the station's orbit from the planet side. The DC will take me to the letterbox faster than I would normally do it my self. If you don't want to wait in a queue. You can use manual control to go into the station and let the DC take over when you are inside. (as has been mentioned.

Another benefit is being a passenger and being able to have a gander at the scenery.

Add to the fact with the DC on you can fly faster than the speed limit and be safe

 

[Morbad]

If you are on the right pad, facing the right direction, and have landing gear down, you are going too fast if you are taking damage.

So your comment that DC's are crap isn't truthful, you just chose not to use them because you are a competent pilot. Yet the OP has admitted he isn't and is after assistance. Yes, very helpful for the OP !

Having someone who isn't a competent pilot rely on a potentially unreliable crutch instead of helping them learn to be a competent pilot is not going to help them in the long run.

Add to the fact with the DC on you can fly faster than the speed limit and be safe

Become a skilled pilot, and you'll be safe far more often, in anything you choose to do.

 

[Steve50]

My advice:-

1: don't buy a docking computer, it's a crutch and you'll come to rely on it so much that you'll never be able to dock manually.
2: spend an hour practising docking again and again and again. It's time well spent and I had problems docking too at first but after I spent an hour docking over and over I've never had a problem docking since. Well worth putting the effort in.

 

[Lucky Dice]

I'm quite a noob myself, but I have the hang of docking now. Didn't want to buy a docking computer as I rather use the slot for something else. My usual strategy is to land it more or less like plane. I point the nose at landing pad, use roll and the bottom of my cockpit window to make sure I'm correctly aligned. I slowly keep throttling down as I near the pad, to a speed between 10 and 20 just before landing. Once the pad is really close I pull the nose up, hit x and use my keys,set R and F to reverse and forward, Q and E to roll, the WASD standard, to fine tune the alignment and land.
When I come from a weird angle, usually because I couldn't locate the land pad because it directly after entry, or because I approach from the opposite direct with outposts, I actually like to fly upside down towards the landing pad so I can use cockpit view to check how I'm algined (doesn't work with the Adder unfortunately), the I kill engines and use pitch or roll (depending whether I'm the correct directing) to flip the ship and and land.

 

[CYB34]

Get a docking computer, see how it does the job, try to replicate the movement and positioning.

 

[Lucky Dice]

Added tip, once landed, find a good recognisable spot in the centre of your screen, with blast boards I usucally use the central number, something on the building, that's where your should aim your nose towards when you land.

 

[bootsam]

I approach the letterbox at full chat and when about 1 or 2 clicks out I throttle back to 75% ish, once nr the toast rack I deploy landing gear. This acts as a brake. Once through the letterbox I rotate to align myself with pad and then I aim my nose right at my pad. I enter nose first and level out at docking level. I rarely ever have to use thrusters to dock. Works everytime. I aim just above the blast ramp and as I get nearer i begin to level.

 

[Khelder]

To those who recommend getting a DC to learn from it does... not sure that's great advice (although I'm sure you mean well). The DC is a handy tool. I love it. It can give me time to look at maps or whatever. Other than completing the landing on the correct pad, in the correct direction, with the landing gear down, there isn't a lot for a human pilot to follow. This is particularly the case for outposts where the DC will often plot a course so that the pad ends up directly beneath your ship (out of cockpit view) and then proceed to drop directly down a considerable distance and end up perfectly centre on the pad. Good luck imitating that as a human pilot.

Purchase a DC. Use a DC. But learn how to land as a human. If you need to follow technique, I would go look for youtube tutorials on landing or something.

Parting word of warning: If you've decided to complete the landing yourself despite having a DC installed... keep an eye on your speed. I had just about completed landing once (very close to pad) and slowed down too much. DC took over and gave me a bit of a start.

 

[jayken302]

First off, thanks for all the detailed responses!!! I really appreciate it.
Am at work now, but you guys gave some stuff to try when I get home. Before this game I was only playing the X series, so I never had to land!! Lol.
It sounds like my problem is orientation. I have been pointing at the yellow and grey ramp looking thing. It is only the smaller stations that I have a problem with. I was able to successfully dock at the bigger stations with the mail slot.

 

[bootsam]

Try flying into the dock nose first as if you are landing a plane rather than getting above and using thrusters. Its quicker and easier and with practice you can get the timing spot on so that landing gear acts as brakes just as you pass the letterbox, rotate to dock, then point nose at ramp and slowly fly in and then level out at dock level.

 

[Tarman]

Lots of good advice in here. Personally at outposts I fly full-tilt till I'm probably 2 klicks off, drop gear and reverse thruster down to a controllable speed, and approach the pad at whatever angle was closest and unobstructed by outpost sticky-out-bits (technical term). When I'm probably 50m above the pad I use thrusters to quickly align and descend all movie-style. Makes me feel like a badass and I don't have to worry about my approach angles.

I respect the airplane landers in this thread but I prefer to use space to its full 6DOF in this regard because it's fun. Once you get the feel of the basic placement of your landings though, you can approach them any way you like. It's getting that last 5m right that counts the most no matter how you get there.

 

[Lheim]

Guys, I'm disgraced.

This thread - a newbie asking for help thread - turned almost instantly into a stupid flamewar between a couple posters, with various other cretins coming in to post deliberately stupid advice.

Go hang your heads in shame. You want this game to get a reputation for it's community being like Eve's?