Learn something new every day...

[rOmiLaYu]

I assumed they were just projections in your HUD but they're still visible via the external camera which would suggest they exist in the "real world".
Not sure if they're still visible when you've got a blown canopy though.
If they aren't, that's an inconsistency that probably needs fixing. [where is it]

Is it, though? I mean, we have holographic projection now, right?

 

[CMDR KRITIKOSK8]

I've been playing this game for a couple of years now, and I've only just realised that there's an easy way to tell which way you're supposed to approach a docking bay...the numbers are always at the rear.

Can't believe I've only just noticed this. That'll save me some time at outposts and planetary bases...

If you are exiting supercruise in the wrong side of station, then you still don't know how to approach the station in supercruise xD

 

[Lestat]

LOL that is funny.

 

[XW_Ziggy]

I'd leave a station in a large ship, boost straight away from the toast rack - I thought that was the quickest way to get out of mass lock - only when I'd cleared mass lock would I engage jump drive, line up perfectly with my jump target - then wonder why I was getting the 'Align with Target' message.

I've only just realised that it doesn't matter how perfectly you're aligned with the target system: the game won't consider you to be properly aligned till you stop drifting - and big ships do a lot of drifting.

Now, if I'm in a large ship, I boost turn onto my target system heading as soon as I get clear of the toast rack, so that I've stopped drifting by the time I'm clear of mass lock and can jump without waiting for the drift to stop.

Drifting is at it's worst on full throttle. You can boost to reduce drift, but you can also just reduce the throttle to 75% or so.

One way to look at it is to imagine that 100% of your engine output is on the forward throttle, there's 0% available for lateral thrusters so it can't correct your drift. The Cutter, for example, can drift for nearly a whole minute on full throttle.

If your throttle is set to 75% the spare engine power is diverted by the flight-assist computer to your lateral thrusters to correct your drift.

 

[Stealthie]

Drifting is at it's worst on full throttle. You can boost to reduce drift, but you can also just reduce the throttle to 75% or so.

One way to look at it is to imagine that 100% of your engine output is on the forward throttle, there's 0% available for lateral thrusters so it can't correct your drift. The Cutter, for example, can drift for nearly a whole minute on full throttle.

If your throttle is set to 75% the spare engine power is diverted by the flight-assist computer to your lateral thrusters to correct your drift.

Not sure about that.

I routinely dock my Corvette by flying it sideways around a station, at full-throttle, without getting any closer to the station until I release the directional thrusters.

Pretty sure that ED actually priorities directional thrust above main thrust, in fact.

 

[Pville_Piper]

Not sure about that.

I routinely dock my Corvette by flying it sideways around a station, at full-throttle, without getting any closer to the station until I release the directional thrusters.

Pretty sure that ED actually priorities directional thrust above main thrust, in fact.

The more you use directional thrusters the slower the ship will go in the forward direction. I do this as well when landing on outposts.

 

[Stealthie]

The more you use directional thrusters the slower the ship will go in the forward direction. I do this as well when landing on outposts.

Yep. That's what I meant.

If a ship's drifting at speed, it won't be because "there's no thrust remaining for the lateral thrusters" cos the lateral (or any directional) thrusters take priority over the main thrusters.
If a ship's drifting at speed, it's probably because it's just a big fat bucket of lard.

 

[Layne Vakarian]

I bet I am not the only one who is now disappointed on those occasions when I am not more or less directly in line with Station entrances when exiting SC.

Nor do I ever need to search for the pad anymore.

But planetary landings?

Waaay too time consuming. So now I run big shields and just crash land into the pad with zero error correction (works up to 2.8g so far, not tried higher), lining up properly after I hit. Much quicker.

It does take a tad longer to have the pulped passenger remains hosed out of their cabins though....

 

[XW_Ziggy]

it's probably because it's just a big fat bucket of lard.

*COUGH* Imperial Cutter *COUGH*

 

[Comandante]

I finally noticed when I am about to over-run my low-wake approach on a USS or a station or a planet, resulting in the "Loop of shame", I can nose-down (off the target trajectory) and un-select the nav-lock which brakes the ship speed instantly. Wait a sec till it slows and re-engage the nav to continue the approach with better control.

Nice tip! I'll try that one. Not that I do the loop of shame very often. Damn my attention span!

 

[Saool]

I personally prefer rudder pedals for yaw. Used various sets for over 20 years now since I started playing my first flight sim, Air Warrior.

This.

 

[Saool]

Another semi-useful one: when you on approach to a planet too fast and you go to 5 seconds or less, if you are a reasonably manoeuvrable ship, start doing a corkscrew, still heading towards the planet and you will often slow enough to get back on the 6s sweet spot without a loop of shame.