Letterbox red and green lights

[jlhopwo]

Suggestion: Remove Green/Red Nav Lights

So, green/red nav lights used at some station entrances, and perhaps other places too... they are of course used on Earth for navigation of ships, aircraft. Where left/right has meaning vis a vis "down", because gravity. In space, "down", "left", and "right" have no meaning. There is no penalty for flying into a space station either "up" or "upside down", so why have green/red lights there? Doesn't make sense.

 

[kmw]

So, green/red nav lights used at some station entrances, and perhaps other places too... they are of course used on Earth for navigation of ships, aircraft. Where left/right has meaning vis a vis "down", because gravity. In space, "down", "left", and "right" have no meaning. There is no penalty for flying into a space station either "up" or "upside down", so why have green/red lights there? Doesn't make sense.

I disagree.
Green indicates which side to keep to on entry, & keep away from the red side as traffic is exiting that way. (the lights are the opposite way round on the inside)
It has nothing to do with gravity or left/right, it is simply green for yes and red for no.

 

[Half Giant]

You don't need to have a direction assigned to a colour. Just stick to the green side. A lot of people do. Or don't, large stuff goes down the middle.

 

[rciq]

I disagree.
Green indicates which side to keep to on entry, & keep away from the red side as traffic is exiting that way. (the lights are the opposite way round on the inside)
It has nothing to do with gravity or left/right, it is simply green for yes and red for no.

Exactly why even the docking computer aims precisely for the middle, eh?

 

[kmw]

Exactly why even the docking computer aims precisely for the middle, eh?

I don't know why the DC does that, but it is still obvious what green and red mean

 

[kmw]

Exactly why even the docking computer aims precisely for the middle, eh?

I don't know why the DC does that, but it is still obvious what green and red mean and it is a good protocol to follow. I don't like the idea of anything that dumbs it down.

 

[Half Giant]

Please explain why it would be to your disadvantage to stick to the green side?

Unless you are flying a larger ship in which case the middle is easier.

 

[KronenBrg]

I never even realised that there were lights on the docking bay entrances, so apologies to anyone that I've cut up in the past!

 

[Darkfyre99]

So, green/red nav lights used at some station entrances, and perhaps other places too... they are of course used on Earth for navigation of ships, aircraft. Where left/right has meaning vis a vis "down", because gravity. In space, "down", "left", and "right" have no meaning. There is no penalty for flying into a space station either "up" or "upside down", so why have green/red lights there? Doesn't make sense.

That's because they're not navigation lights. They're traffic lights, for small craft. If you turn around after going through the mail slot, you'd notice that the colors are reversed: outside green, inside red, and vice versa.

Of course, not everyone agrees, which makes docking so much fun.

 

[ddrooster]

I use them as aiming points to avoid when I crash exiting\ entering the station
after ive spun a couple of times I know where up and down is

 

[Yaffle]

The OP has a point. All this arguing about the meaning would be curtailed if they were removed and replaced just with strobes all the same colour to mark the points of the toast rack.

Doing something with the big arrows in the toast rack would be more helpful, or having a bit more sophisticated flight control giving access like an airport at the moment.

 

[Rafe Zetter]

I use the green side - just adds to the feel a bit. I say keep them.

 

[Frank]

I use the green side - just adds to the feel a bit. I say keep them.

Me too. It doesn't matter if nobody else uses them. At least WE will be able to avoid a collision.

 

[peteuplink]

I don't think the red and green lights were ever intended to indicate which side of the docking port you should use, as the AI and docking computer always flies right down the middle. I think they're there purely for show like the nav lights on the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek or the strobe lights that used to switch on when landing in Frontier Elite 2.

A much better use of lights on the stations, especially Coreolis (sp?) stations, would be a light on all sides that points to where the docking bay is, so you can tell from a distance which side you should be aiming at.

 

[kmw]

I use the green side - just adds to the feel a bit. I say keep them.

Exactly, it adds to the immersion for me.
IRL I don't believe for a moment that there would be a free for all at the entrance to spaceports, so if FD are going for a bit of realism, they could build in a fine for flying on the opposite side - I appreciate big ships might have to be near the middle but blatant disregard could be automatically punished.

(If the authorities take it seriously enough to issue 'loitering is punishable by death' messages, then a simple green/red system at the door is only to be expected lol)

 

[gabereiser]

That's because they're not navigation lights. They're traffic lights, for small craft. If you turn around after going through the mail slot, you'd notice that the colors are reversed: outside green, inside red, and vice versa.

Of course, not everyone agrees, which makes docking so much fun.

They are navigational lights... Port side is red, which is the "left" side, Starboard side is green, which is the "right" side. This is so you can orient yourself to the proper orientation.

DO NOT REMOVE THESE! For those of us pilots who know what they are for, they are important and a useful metric to know our orientation relative to the station.

 

[chaseydog]

I don't know why the DC does that, but it is still obvious what green and red mean and it is a good protocol to follow. I don't like the idea of anything that dumbs it down.

I disagree that stick to the green has been established as a protocol. While a good portion of the players believe it to be so I can find nothing in game that supports this assertion.

• FD have not stated that we should stick to the green
• The sidewinder manual states that we should request clearance and fly through the slot. There is no mention of sticking to the green.
• Large ships need to go down the middle, why have separate rules for large and small ships.
• There are no station announcements stating that we should stick to the green
• I have yet to read any lore that states we should stick to the green, though I'll admit I'm a long way from having read it all.
• The flashing arrows in the slot only point in. If one side is in and one is out why don't the arrows reflect this.

My problem with stick to the green though is too many players equate this to 'right of way'. The obvious choice from my point of view is not stick to the green but to use situational awareness, both visual and radar, to know when your clear to transgress the slot. If your clear what difference does it make what side your on.

 

[VR jefranklin18]

DO NOT REMOVE THESE! For those of us pilots who know what they are for, they are important and a useful metric to know our orientation relative to the station.

Fully agree. They are useful for avoiding obvious collisions and should be kept.

 

[SirNuke]

I never even realised that there were lights on the docking bay entrances, so apologies to anyone that I've cut up in the past!

same here

 

[Slawkenbergius]

Between the late LOD switching and mild red/green colour blindness, usually I can't tell which is which until it's too late... I'd welcome something a little bit clearer