Bigger mail slots

I imagine it would be too difficult for these devs to implement an actual traffic control (queue) system that gives each individual ship clearance to enter and exit.

I never like the aspect of these large ships having to enter the mail slot. When first playing the game and getting accustomed to landing, I had imagined these larger ships would be dry docked externally, with an umbilical attaching to the side of the ship - or wherever the primary hatch would be located. I imagine the landing sequence would be automated partly, similar to the way an SLF docks with a mothership.

the ships we currently have are not very large compared to the mailslot.
there are like SUVs ...

now imagine driving your SUV through a totally normal toll gate with 360 km/h... (=100m/s)
 
It would solve alot of problems if FDev initiated the "passthru" type of landings, 1 way in, 1 way out, --- Would not need the landing pad rotation or a traffic pattern alteration for the 1 entrance/exit model now in place.
 

Lestat

Banned
It would solve alot of problems if FDev initiated the "passthru" type of landings, 1 way in, 1 way out, --- Would not need the landing pad rotation or a traffic pattern alteration for the 1 entrance/exit model now in place.
I think they are going with Gravity and what the orignal game in 1984 was like.
 
I think the crux of the problem is, the NPC's aren't too bright and considering the number of Belugas I've seen destroyed because they got themselves stuck in the mailslot, business must be booming for Saud Kruger.

Ideally, the better way to resolve a lot of these issues would be a queue system that prioritises larger vessels, espceially if the mission system would let you pre-book a landing schedule for inbound cargo transports.

If you front up in a medium ship at an outpost, you should be able to submit ONE docking request and be assigned a queue slot that tells you, and starts your landing countdown timer when the pad becomes free of traffic.

A similar mechanic could be used to advise heavy traffic and ask you to standby while something large leaves via the mailslot instead of just "give way to larger vessels", which NPC's seem to ignore with impunity regardless.

Let ships out, before more come in is so simple FDev probably overlooked it, lol :p
 
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Helpful hit that has been mentioned before: Use your scanner and look around, if someone is coming through the portal be patient and let them pass.
 
It would solve alot of problems if FDev initiated the "passthru" type of landings, 1 way in, 1 way out, --- Would not need the landing pad rotation or a traffic pattern alteration for the 1 entrance/exit model now in place.

Some thing like this station has for large ship at the top and small ships at the bottom.


WFyZEj6.png


This is with common sense that using a traffic controller to direct traffic.
 
I'd agree with making a the mail slot a bit bigger or wider or both. Even better, introduce a new station with bigger landing bays to prepare for at some more ships in the future of a cruiser class i.e. panther clipper size. There were some conceptual ED paintings that could indicate a different type of station or docking other than current ones.
 
I'd agree with making a the mail slot a bit bigger or wider or both. Even better, introduce a new station with bigger landing bays to prepare for at some more ships in the future of a cruiser class i.e. panther clipper size. There were some conceptual ED paintings that could indicate a different type of station or docking other than current ones.

We might already be headed that way with the cargo depots introduced with the new wing cargo missions, although I didn't try them out during beta so I didn't see how the ships connected to them. Panther Clippers were pretty big in Frontier but could be redesigned as a solid, mailslot sized paving slab that overhangs a large pad.

Any of you guys try them out and see how they work?
 
Some thing like this station has for large ship at the top and small ships at the bottom.


https://i.imgur.com/WFyZEj6.png

This is with common sense that using a traffic controller to direct traffic.

Not watched Season 1 Episode 5 (By any Means Necessary) then?

As the episode opens, we see ships lined up waiting to dock at B5, and Ivanova and the dockworkers overwhelmed trying to get all the ships in safely. This is nice following after Garibaldi's numerous assertions in the previous episode ("Survivors") that the workers were generally working way too many hours. A Narn ship entering the station has an accident which kills at least one dockworker and destroys equipment and docking ports.

People will crash, doesn't matter what you do.
 
Not watched Season 1 Episode 5 (By any Means Necessary) then?



People will crash, doesn't matter what you do.

Yea. But on other episodes bigger ships still enter and leave from the top docking port.

PS and yes I have seen season 1, I've got the box set.
 
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Lestat

Banned
I think it fine the way it is. If you use basic common sense. Use radar and practice you never have a problem.
 
I think the crux of the problem is, the NPC's aren't too bright and considering the number of Belugas I've seen destroyed because they got themselves stuck in the mailslot, business must be booming for Saud Kruger.

Ideally, the better way to resolve a lot of these issues would be a queue system that prioritises larger vessels, espceially if the mission system would let you pre-book a landing schedule for inbound cargo transports.

If you front up in a medium ship at an outpost, you should be able to submit ONE docking request and be assigned a queue slot that tells you, and starts your landing countdown timer when the pad becomes free of traffic.

A similar mechanic could be used to advise heavy traffic and ask you to standby while something large leaves via the mailslot instead of just "give way to larger vessels", which NPC's seem to ignore with impunity regardless.

Let ships out, before more come in is so simple FDev probably overlooked it, lol :p
The AI is pretty dumb when it comes to entering and leaving space stations. That said, as long you keep an eye on the scanner, it's usually not a problem.
 

Lestat

Banned
You also thought that the green and red lights have nothing to do with traffic control.
Ya it for color blindness. Read what the art director Simon Brewer who work for Elite Dangerous explain about it in my earlier post. If you click the source you can read the 40 plus page topic about it. It has nothing about thoughts I found facts.
 
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Ya it for color blindness. Read what the art director Simon Brewer who work for Elite Dangerous explain about it in my earlier post. If you click the source you can read the 40 plus page topic about it. It has nothing about thoughts I found facts.

Colour blindness, it's why I fly straight down the middle, it's like a grey area for me...
 
Pay more attention, the [Edit: RED] lights FLASH - keep them on your left ;)

More edit: Basic marine navigation:
Easy reminder: "The ship left port"
Red is port (like the fortified wine)
 
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Yea. But on other episodes bigger ships still enter and leave from the top docking port.

PS and yes I have seen season 1, I've got the box set.

My point was, it doesn't matter how easy you make it, ships are gonna crash, it's called the human (or in the case of bab 5, sentient) factor. We really have all the information we need to not crash at the moment, in two years I have never crashed in the mail slot even when I was testing Beluga's in the beta, and that was only once because I turned to soon after entering the station. Yes we can redesign all the star ports, make them bigger, rebuild all the assets, redo all the artwork, and you know what? People will still crash, and people will still complain that it's to hard!

Have you ever seen a video of a big ocean ship docking in a port, they're huge, and it takes ages to get hem in, and often with only a few metres clearance, and they still manage to hit each other in the open ocean :eek:

I am a big fan of licencing, I don't think we should even be allowed to fly one of the big ships unless we can demonstrate competence in docking and landing with smaller ships, but that would raise a hue and cry from the entitled so it's not something I particularly push for, it just seems bizzare that we practically get given a big ship (credits are easy to get after all), ocean liner sized basically without having to be tested to see if we can handle it or know how to manage the docking system properly, which includes awareness of other ships entering and leaving the station. I wouldn't let half the people I see flying ships in game anywhere near my valuable space station I can tell you that.

Oh and hi, another bab5 fan I see :D
 
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