Auto UNdock

[Tobasco da Gama]

Big ships are Whales. The real issue is that Orbital Station Traffic Control needs to advise if there's conflicting traffic during approach or departure, "Foxtrot Alpha One heavy traffic departing/ behind".

Or, like, make the green lights flash red when a big ship is entering or exiting. Something. ANYTHING.

I don't really intend to ever use a docking computer, so I don't care if docking computers get the ability to auto-undock, but otherwise I have to concur with everything the OP says. Everything about the mailslot station procedures is just monumentally stupid and seemingly exists solely to cause accidents and enable griefing.

 

[Arry]

Or, like, make the green lights flash red when a big ship is entering or exiting. Something. ANYTHING.

I don't really intend to ever use a docking computer, so I don't care if docking computers get the ability to auto-undock, but otherwise I have to concur with everything the OP says. Everything about the mailslot station procedures is just monumentally stupid and seemingly exists solely to cause accidents and enable griefing.

It is like it is because of the Lore.

Personally, I think they should make it harder to enter; especially now with the Alien threat. Some kind of revolving cylinder, like you got in the old bank night safes. To stop direct fire into the station. That said, I believe that you should have to pass a basic flight competence test; in the tutorial section, before you are allowed into the game. This could cover basic landing and un-docking etc. This would then be a re-buy free place to learn and be made aware of the basic docking rules and silly little things like, what those green blinking lights mean etc.. As things stand right now. A novice, can be looking at fines; along side re-buy costs. This from someone who needed seven sidewinders, just to exit and return to the station, on day one.

 

[zegram33]

well...there is the training option right there in the main menu, which does that automatically
I know somepeople really don't like playing tutorials, but id argue elites the sort of game that's not super viable for

 

[Virandar]

I wouldn't mind if the docking computer had an undock function, not like it would make it OP
to TC though: you do know that you're meant to go through on the "green" light side of the station right? that's always the correct lane so nothing should slam into you head on at least? even 2 T('s can get through simultaneously though there is a little scrapage in that case

This is not true. If you are flying something like T9, T10 or iCutter, even small ships getting through the mailslot are going to be a problem. Even if you stick to the greens. You can ram them, of course, at least in Solo. Though it's still highly annoying. Recently had to destroy a Beluga this way to clear the slot and it takes a while. Didn't see what's approaching, decided to go through and when in the slot I saw it's a Beluga. It was too late to go back and wait. I was in the slot first, it approached anyway.

So I do get the OP and why they are asking for this. It's been asked for a few times already and it is also an option I would like to see. Not because taking off is a problem, I've done it gazillion times in ships of various sizes, but because there is no traffic control in Elite. Or at least it seems so. There is some order to this chaos when you're using DC to dock, there is a total mess when you're taking off. Especially in busy starports. NPC vessels do not seem to be taking the player's ship under consideration.
This is another game design feature where FD shot themselves in the foot, in my opinion. Had they decided to part with the mail slot design and instead have external docking to stations (The Expanse style for example, Starship Troopers style or even current rescue ships style), not only would they free themselves to design ships in a broader range of shapes and sizes but would also avoid creating issues like the one OP mentions. They went for Space Oddysey version and it looks nice in the film because it's done once there. Sure, the mailslot looks cool. The first three times. As soon as the novelty wears off it's just plain boring. But, it is what it is and we have to live with that, so I think it's not unreasonable to ask for auto - take off or at least introducing some sort of order in the mailslot. Or perhaps one mailslot for landing and one slot for take off at least at some point? Surely there's room for two slots sitting one above the other? At least this way all the ships are going in the same direction, there's still chance for collisions, but less so than when all traffic goes through the same slot.

 

[Virandar]

Does our ship rotate with the station while inside? I suppose it does due to the rotation option in the panel. If so I guess that's why the DC doesn't undock.

When you're inside there's no rotation until you're in the mailslot for some reason. It certainly rotates when you're landing and that doesn't stop DC from functioning properly. Sure, auto take off would require FD to do all the programming for it, but there is no other reason for the absence of this feature.

 

[Virandar]

It is like it is because of the Lore.

Personally, I think they should make it harder to enter; especially now with the Alien threat. Some kind of revolving cylinder, like you got in the old bank night safes. To stop direct fire into the station. That said, I believe that you should have to pass a basic flight competence test; in the tutorial section, before you are allowed into the game. This could cover basic landing and un-docking etc. This would then be a re-buy free place to learn and be made aware of the basic docking rules and silly little things like, what those green blinking lights mean etc.. As things stand right now. A novice, can be looking at fines; along side re-buy costs. This from someone who needed seven sidewinders, just to exit and return to the station, on day one.

No, it is like this because someone watched Space Odyssey and got all wet observing spacecraft docking to the station there. They just didn't consider that what looks awesome in a film done once stops being awesome when you do it 100 times a day.

Yeah, rotating cylinder. Sure. Why not make it an Elite version of the Frogger, huh? Bring more of the old arcade feel into the game! Have bars of various width moving across the slot, so you have to squeeze between them... Sheesh...
You want to counter the alien threat? I can tell you what can counter the alien threat. Guns. Lots of guns. Big ones.

Oh, this is from someone who didn't need to crash a single ship, ever, to learn to dock and take off. And never crashed a ship into a station, not a single time, in three years of playing ED.

 

[LuxAeterna]

Seriously now, WHY does the autodocking module NOT include exiting the space station? There's been PLENTY of time to include this! If the module can fly me into the station without crashing, it can fly me out without crashing.

I was past the point of return exiting a station and right in the middle of the mail slot, an Orca decides to come in.

So now I'm wedged in the exit after the cruiseliner blindly pushes it's way in, I'm getting trespassing warning, huge penalty fees, and DAMAGE TO MY SHIP because the AI is as dumb as a bag of wet mice.

Where's the tower control???
Airplanes don't take off unless the tower authorizes it and planes don't land without a clear strip. How did the future get so bass ackwards?

TL;DR Docking computer sucks! Learn to dock and undock!

I hope you know that the station traffic control is there for ambiance and isn't a working algorithm to control station traffic other than assigning docking pads, issuing fines and terminating loiterers. As for the docking computer, I feel is a cop-out for noobs to learn how to un/dock their ships and requesting an undocking computer isn't going to solve your problem. Also the docking computer (or your proposed undocking computer) still wouldn't maneuver away from other oncoming ships. I would suggest learning to dock and undock to better avoid collisions with other ships.

As a Federal Corvette pilot, I know it's hard to fit larger ships through the docking slot without banging into someone or something every-now-and-then but a docking computer would make that transition through the slot uncontrollable, if not stressful, since the computer doesn't account for station traffic and you're completely at the mercy of Hal.

 

[Nilt]

Everything about the mailslot station procedures is just monumentally stupid and seemingly exists solely to cause accidents and enable griefing.

Agreed. They need some sort of indicator that it's our turn for the slot or they need to turn away NPC traffic when an player is docking or undocking. There are way too many times I'm flying a larger ship like my Cutter and some NPC just pops up and slides into the slot as I'm already in it or too late to stop. This is unacceptable.

It is like it is because of the Lore.

Have a source? There's traffic control for ambiance, of course, and NPCs manage to not have this issue so I have my doubts shy of an actual source.

When you're inside there's no rotation until you're in the mailslot for some reason.

That's part of the flight assist stuff. If you turn off rotational correction in the Functions tab of your UI you can see how it works without this.

 

[Virandar]

TL;DR Docking computer sucks! Learn to dock and undock!

I hope you know that the station traffic control is there for ambiance and isn't a working algorithm to control station traffic other than assigning docking pads, issuing fines and terminating loiterers. As for the docking computer, I feel is a cop-out for noobs to learn how to un/dock their ships and requesting an undocking computer isn't going to solve your problem. Also the docking computer (or your proposed undocking computer) still wouldn't maneuver away from other oncoming ships. I would suggest learning to dock and undock to better avoid collisions with other ships.

As a Federal Corvette pilot, I know it's hard to fit larger ships through the docking slot without banging into someone or something every-now-and-then but a docking computer would make that transition through the slot uncontrollable, if not stressful, since the computer doesn't account for station traffic and you're completely at the mercy of Hal.

There is traffic control when you're using docking computer, it puts you in the queue, stops the ship when there are NPC vessels taking off whilst you're already inside etc. Also, the docking algorithm is part of the station operation (not your ship or at least it used to be this way). I'm not sure if NPCs taking off are managed by the station as well, I would suspect so.
Anyhow, docking and taking off is not the problem here. The AI is a problem here. NPCs seem to be aware of other vessels (including player's ship), just their reaction to player's ship seems to be erratic.

That's part of the flight assist stuff. If you turn off rotational correction in the Functions tab of your UI you can see how it works without this.

My point is that DC can still take you in despite the station rotation, so this is not a reason for it not being able to take you out.

 

[Non Grata]

My point is that DC can still take you in despite the station rotation, so this is not a reason for it not being able to take you out.

My guess is that since leaving is easy due to lack of rotation, it's not thought there's a need for it.

 

[Nilt]

My guess is that since leaving is easy due to lack of rotation, it's not thought there's a need for it.

Seems reasonable, yeah. Other than collisions I have no issue at all. Never did, really, though.

 

[Zcorruption]

Plays flight sim... turns on autopilot...

 

[Nilt]

Plays flight sim... turns on autopilot...

Flight assist is absolutely not an autopilot. It's an assistant model which makes the ships easier to control in general by automatically countering the various inputs for you so the pilot can focus on a general heading instead of every finicky thruster burn. Heck, they're working on this stuff for real life spaceships already, ya know?

 

[MadDogMurdock]

Enable the mouse widget and your docking/undocking woes will end.

 

[ZeroAi]

Seriously now, WHY does the autodocking module NOT include exiting the space station? There's been PLENTY of time to include this! If the module can fly me into the station without crashing, it can fly me out without crashing.

I was past the point of return exiting a station and right in the middle of the mail slot, an Orca decides to come in.

So now I'm wedged in the exit after the cruiseliner blindly pushes it's way in, I'm getting trespassing warning, huge penalty fees, and DAMAGE TO MY SHIP because the AI is as dumb as a bag of wet mice.

Where's the tower control???
Airplanes don't take off unless the tower authorizes it and planes don't land without a clear strip. How did the future get so bass ackwards?

+Rep

I agree it would be nice to have auto-undock.

I also agree it would be nice to know if a ship was inbound - sometimes ship's intentions aren't easy to read on the scanner imo.

 

[Cmdr-Wotherspoon]

I have it on good authority that the AI programming team has in fact written the auto-undock feature, and use it during testing. If you think about it, it's really not much more than the autopilot that NPCs use to do the same thing. I don't know the reason it hasn't been identified as a feature to be rolled-out to players; that's presumably a decision for the game designers.

I don't use auto-dock myself, and I wouldn't use auto-launch either. The thing I'm surprised about (still) is that we don't need to request clearance to launch. I miss being fined for undocking without clearance.

 

[Tobasco da Gama]

I have it on good authority that the AI programming team has in fact written the auto-undock feature, and use it during testing. If you think about it, it's really not much more than the autopilot that NPCs use to do the same thing. I don't know the reason it hasn't been identified as a feature to be rolled-out to players; that's presumably a decision for the game designers.

Yes, that's the frustrating thing. Not only the autoundock feature but also the queueing/traffic control feature clearly exists for NPCs and are used for them regularly. Not applying traffic control logic to player ships just causes problems for zero gameplay benefit.

 

[Zcorruption]

Flight assist is absolutely not an autopilot. It's an assistant model which makes the ships easier to control in general by automatically countering the various inputs for you so the pilot can focus on a general heading instead of every finicky thruster burn. Heck, they're working on this stuff for real life spaceships already, ya know?

I was referring to the concept of auto undock

 

[LuxAeterna]

There is traffic control when you're using docking computer, it puts you in the queue, stops the ship when there are NPC vessels taking off whilst you're already inside etc. Also, the docking algorithm is part of the station operation (not your ship or at least it used to be this way). I'm not sure if NPCs taking off are managed by the station as well, I would suspect so.
Anyhow, docking and taking off is not the problem here. The AI is a problem here. NPCs seem to be aware of other vessels (including player's ship), just their reaction to player's ship seems to be erratic.



My point is that DC can still take you in despite the station rotation, so this is not a reason for it not being able to take you out.

Thanks for correcting me on the docking computer mechanics! I used it once when I first started but then decided that I could do a better job and according to this complaint I was correct. I usually never have a problem undocking or docking in regards to station traffic.

The main issue I find has been posted in another thread about the docking pad alignment being active during takeoffs, limiting our use of the ship scanner to assess other ship(s) positions.
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...ng-Guide-when-Undocking?p=6279857#post6279857

 

[Bozworth]

Does our ship rotate with the station while inside? I suppose it does due to the rotation option in the panel. If so I guess that's why the DC doesn't undock.

it rotates you with the station when you auto dock as well, so... that's not it

Enable the mouse widget and your docking/undocking woes will end.

not the issue at all. try reading the OP