Docking - Does anyone find it fun?

Tarman

Tarman
Yep, I like it. I enjoy the game at the very least for its flight aspects, so for me it's an integral part of my gaming to bring the birds home. Like has been said, full-tilt-boogie onto the pad like a boss is fun when you're in the groove, and still exciting (due to shield-peeling) when you're off your game and too much on the thrusters.

Also nothing like throwing around a Vulture for a week and then trying to land a fully laden Asp. :D This is where I get a lot of (unintended) emergency thruster training; both ships have highly engineered thrusters with similar output really, but the Vulture backpedals a straightline speed waaaay faster. I get back in the Asp and it's like "oh yeah, I needed to be going 203 four seconds ago." The thruster input to get a good brake then becomes like entering an NES cheat code.
 

Red Anders

Red Anders
Tarman said:
Yep, I like it. I enjoy the game at the very least for its flight aspects, so for me it's an integral part of my gaming to bring the birds home. Like has been said, full-tilt-boogie onto the pad like a boss is fun when you're in the groove, and still exciting (due to shield-peeling) when you're off your game and too much on the thrusters.

Also nothing like throwing around a Vulture for a week and then trying to land a fully laden Asp. :D This is where I get a lot of (unintended) emergency thruster training; both ships have highly engineered thrusters with similar output really, but the Vulture backpedals a straightline speed waaaay faster. I get back in the Asp and it's like "oh yeah, I needed to be going 203 four seconds ago." The thruster input to get a good brake then becomes like entering an NES cheat code.
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In the Asp, I used to just flip it over as soon as I crossed the threshold, hit boost again whilst facing back the way I entered and then zero throttle as soon as your speed starts to decrease significantly. Then I worry about finding where the hell my pad is :D
 

CmdrJacks

CmdrJacks
I'm always trying to synchronise my horizontal and vertical velocity with my landing gear deploying at the exact moment I hit the docking sweet spot all in one smooth motion. So yes, it's fun for me. I've never put a DC on any ship in ED even though it means I'm missing out on the Blue Danube (which I think should play when getting permission anyway). It's even more fun to do it on planet surfaces. I don't get bored of it because I have never yet achieved a perfect dock.
 

Gully Foyle

Gully Foyle
Glowyrm said:
Hey guys,

I gotta ask, does anyone find docking to be a fun experience? To me, as a new player, it seems like it was designed to be as stressful and difficult as possible. Approach a rotating space station, maybe from the wrong side, line up with a tiny slot, match rotation, fly in, and land on a tiny pad that may be behind you - all while a timer is counting down and knowing that if you mess up badly, you'll be fined or your ship will be destroyed. :eek: In short, it's a pain in the butt. Does anyone else feel this way, or, did you when you first started playing?

I guess I need a docking computer!

What do you think??
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With usage you will get the hang of it
A DC is great for traders and big ships.

Practise landing manually first though.
Its a great skill to have.
o7
 

Gully Foyle

Gully Foyle
Red Anders said:
If I hadn't known him for about five years I may have been offended. As things are, if I were to list the offensive things he's said to me in that time, his comment above wouldn't even make the first book. :D
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Amateur jokers they are the both of them Anders lol

In the name of the Flying Spaghetti Monster who boiled for our sins I wish the auto merge timer was not so short on our forum.
 
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Manticore

Manticore
Red Anders said:
Or if you don't want to do that, do what about 80% of players do.

Set a keybinding in the menu for 75% throttle. When your HUD shows you as being 0.07 (i.e. seven seconds) away from the station, press your bound key. The time display will drop to 0.06 - don't panic, don't touch anything. Wait for the safe disengage message. Done.
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I've never set a key binding for any other throttle state than "all stop".

I don't mind the occasional "loop of shame". It can be quite fun jockeying the throttle to slingshot around planets etc. on the way back to the target.

Interstellar roller-coaster ride (no apologies to FD and Planet Coaster). Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

o7!
 
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Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
Jack Dalton said:
If you turn orbit lines on (function tab on the right panel) you can always see the orbit of the station around its home body and you should aim to disengage supercruise right between it and the station, you can always fine tune it with the holographic representation of the station on the left side. Just know that the mailslot always points generally in the direction of the thing it is orbiting.
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Approaching from below the plane of the ecliptic helps this.
 

Spacecat

Spacecat
I always approach with the orbits rotated 90 degrees so I can make final vertical adjustments with the mouse while I stab at the "J" key with my left hand. Always have done this.
 

HBosch

HBosch
Glowyrm said:
Hey guys,

I gotta ask, does anyone find docking to be a fun experience? To me, as a new player, it seems like it was designed to be as stressful and difficult as possible. Approach a rotating space station, maybe from the wrong side, line up with a tiny slot, match rotation, fly in, and land on a tiny pad that may be behind you - all while a timer is counting down and knowing that if you mess up badly, you'll be fined or your ship will be destroyed. :eek: In short, it's a pain in the butt. Does anyone else feel this way, or, did you when you first started playing?

I guess I need a docking computer!

What do you think??
Click to expand...

You should have tried back in 1984!
Lost many a cobra....
http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/386/Elite+Plus.html
 

NotFragile

N
Docking was a nightmare...back in Beta days when I was a noob in a Sidewinder.

Now, I've done it so many times I don't really even need to think about it much, it just kinda happens while I think of other stuff.
 

Ralph Vargr

Ralph Vargr
Outposts and surface ports allow one to practice.

The Coriolis station docking is part of the Elite Holy Writ, and many not be challenged by humans.

I'm a dog, and I will not say what I would do to those who refuse to accept that technology has moved on, and the game does not need the Blue Danube played anymore. You, who want the 1984 Elite preserved forever, need to give it a rest.
 

Xious

Xious
Whaaaat ???!!!

You don't like docking? That's one of the best parts of the game.

At least, for PC users. It might suck on console. I have no idea.
 
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space voyager

space voyager
I find if fun. Both the very good landings and the still present mocked up landings. The only not fun landings are those in the middle, the 'meh' landings.
 

Captain Squareyez

Captain Squareyez
Jack Dalton said:
If you turn orbit lines on (function tab on the right panel) you can always see the orbit of the station around its home body and you should aim to disengage supercruise right between it and the station, you can always fine tune it with the holographic representation of the station on the left side. Just know that the mailslot always points generally in the direction of the thing it is orbiting.
Click to expand...
I dont have orbit lines on myself most of the time....now i know why im always at the backside of the station when i disengage lol

Red Anders said:
Or if you don't want to do that, do what about 80% of players do.

Set a keybinding in the menu for 75% throttle. When your HUD shows you as being 0.07 (i.e. seven seconds) away from the station, press your bound key. The time display will drop to 0.06 - don't panic, don't touch anything. Wait for the safe disengage message. Done.

There are faster ways to get in but if you want something that is 100% reliable and will never see you having to do the loop of shame again, that's it.

Edit - Christ, if a mod wants to edit those into a single post be my guest, I expected them to auto-merge.
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i do the loop of shame quite a lot it seems lol. For the most part, because i dont use orbit lines much :)
 

charognard

charognard
Is landing a plane is fun ? Is parking your car is fun ? I don't know if docking is fun or not, i don't ask myself this kind of stupid question, it just must be done, correctly done is you don't want paid your rebuy cost. End :D
 

Deleted member 115407

D
"Docking - Does anyone find it fun?"
"I love docking!"
"I don't find it fun, but I do it."
"I adore docking."

I only made it to about page 14, but I'm shocked that a thread with such a title and subsequent posts made it that far without having rapidly descended into wild and comic innuendo.
 
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