What's the point of entering the hangar?

[Kitfox]

Existing parked up players don't get shifted to a new instance to make room for a new entrant. Usually the peer to peer instancing hits it's capacity before a large station's pads do, and anyone new to the station will find themselves starting another instance.

I've had this often in busy systems, like CGs, where I've followed anything up to half a dozen other commanders across a system, watched them all drop down in front of me and when I come to do so find myself in a completely empty instance, which then slowly fills up with the people following me.

Smaller locations like outposts, megaships and engineer bases can have their pad capacity overwhelmed, often resulting in a queue for the pads.

 

[Luna Valenwood]

Yep fair point. Just stop locking the controls while the ship moves.

You can press the backspace key after you click on outfitting. The ship will still move into outfitting but you will have control of the station menu whilst it lowers

 

[Cageman]

No it doesn't free up a spot, and doesn't save you from being scanned either.
I've targeted many CMDRs while they're on the pad, and the target lock keeps as they enter the hangar.

NPCs can't scan you though. They need "eye vision" to do that.

 

[Renown]

FYI - It only sends you to a different pad when you exit the hangar if you have changed ships and the pad size needs to be bigger or smaller. I have no idea what would happen if you changed from a small/medium ship to a larger pad ship and all the larger pads/hangars were already occupied (large on stations, or mediums on outposts). Anyone?

 

[Ian Skippy]

FYI - It only sends you to a different pad when you exit the hangar if you have changed ships and the pad size needs to be bigger or smaller. I have no idea what would happen if you changed from a small/medium ship to a larger pad ship and all the larger pads/hangars were already occupied (large on stations, or mediums on outposts). Anyone?

You change instance.

 

[Han Zulu]

I mean, we can do most things without entering the hangar. Is it really necessary?
Every time I want to check what outfitting options station offers I'm forced to look at this boring slow animation.
It's not even pretty. There's no surroundings or any other ships to look at. By staying on the surface I can at least look at stuff.
Can we just remove it completely please?

And could we perhaps have a hangar with all our ships next to each other, and maybe be able to outfit and move parts between them without the tedious selection and animation process.

 

[Mo Ronik]

And could we perhaps have a hangar with all our ships next to each other, and maybe be able to outfit and move parts between them without the tedious selection and animation process.

If I'm in a hurry on maybe a multiple time sensitive delivery I might squat the circle, go into Starport Services, make the delivery and head off right away but if I know I'm gonna be there for a short I always go in the hanger. I've launched from a different pad than I landed on and if you notice in the animation the cradle takes you away from the pad to a different location inside I presume to clear out the pad for the next ship. Otherwise the pad would be unusable when I shut down for the night and go to bed until the next day when I finally leave. I've also seen a pad that was lit up just as I've arrived at an outpost go dim after a ship went inside only to light up again for another ship before I can get to my assigned pad to land at.

 

[Braandlin]

I mean, we can do most things without entering the hangar. Is it really necessary?
Every time I want to check what outfitting options station offers I'm forced to look at this boring slow animation.
It's not even pretty. There's no surroundings or any other ships to look at. By staying on the surface I can at least look at stuff.
Can we just remove it completely please?

I always go into the hangar when I dock.
I can do other things while the ship is lowering and being stored like look at missions or the market.
But when It comes to launching the animation is much shorter .

 

[moorison]

I guess it has mostly to do with outfitting, even if the ship can be targeted while inside, the scanner shows only the orientation, not the complete model (with switching hardpoints/paintjobs etc).

Less rendering necessary until all changes are final.

 

[Arkadi]

I always thought that I am better protected in the hangar. You know outside of the hangar some suicidal fools still could try to damage my ship...

 

[Burke]

If all the slots are taken and you go into solo play and dock and then you log back into open and all the slots are still taken...where do you go? What ever mechanism handles that should ensure there is always room.

Edit: different instance duh. Should have thought before i posted

 

[Luna Valenwood]

I always thought that I am better protected in the hangar. You know outside of the hangar some suicidal fools still could try to damage my ship...

When docked your ship is invincible. It also seems to dump heat into the station. So you don't have to worry even if you aren't in the hangar. That being said IIRC it was possible during the early days to damage ships that were on the pad.

 

[SpocksOddSocks]

I always go into the hangar when I dock.
I can do other things while the ship is lowering and being stored like look at missions or the market.
But when It comes to launching the animation is much shorter .

Yep, me too for same reasons. You have to go in to be turned around before you launch anyway.

 

[Rock Hunter]

I go into the hanger for one simple reason. I was on the Gnossis.

If you don’t know, you weren’t there man.

 

[Misty_Dark]

From a recent FDev livestream - entering the hangar (at outposts at least) takes you into a location with atmosphere, so if you blow your windshield you need to enter or you will still suffocate...

Next!

That is only true on outposts, the big space stations is enough to enter through the mail slot, unless the game bugs out... I have not tested surface facilities, but would expect these to work like outposts.

 

[Stealthie]

Doens't matter. I answered the OP's question. Believe it or not. But whether you believe me or not won't change the fact that you do go into the hangar. So believe what you like.

Hard to believe that people still get confused about this.

I guess there are people who haven't had to wait for some other pleb' to finish whatever they're doing and sling their hook before you can land your Python at a medium-pad Platform.

Main reason for hangars, IMO, would be to create a smooth transition between ships though.
Also, IIRC, long ago it was also said that attacking ships on the pad would be acceptable too.... which has got to be one of the most naive ideas in multiplayer video-game history, but there we are.

Given that combination of ideas, I guess hangars were always going to be necessary, even if one of the reasons for them became redundant.



On a related note, does anybody know whether scanning player-ships gets their owners into trouble?
I mean, if I'm in, say, Robigo and I scan players who've got criminals on board, does that drop them in the poop?

I always avoid scanning player-ships at stations, out of courtesy, just in case I might be accidentally revealing dodgy cargos.

 

[Kitfox]

On a related note, does anybody know whether scanning player-ships gets their owners into trouble?
I mean, if I'm in, say, Robigo and I scan players who've got criminals on board, does that drop them in the poop?

I always avoid scanning player-ships at stations, out of courtesy, just in case I might be accidentally revealing dodgy cargos.

Only if you manifest scan. Passive targeting so you get their details doesn't do any harm.

 

[Sir_Prometeus]

I always thought that I am better protected in the hangar. You know outside of the hangar some suicidal fools still could try to damage my ship...

Not everybody is suicidal. Some of us use controllers, and by accident click the wrong stick. So instead of looking upwards to confirm clearance, we boost forward.

It happened today to me

 

[Ebel]

I mean, we can do most things without entering the hangar. Is it really necessary?
Every time I want to check what outfitting options station offers I'm forced to look at this boring slow animation.
It's not even pretty. There's no surroundings or any other ships to look at. By staying on the surface I can at least look at stuff.
Can we just remove it completely please?

Uhh, no one can lay mines on you or torpedo you? As an aside; I have taken some shield damage while in the hanger from explosions above on the pad (while pad closed). Some weird clipping I suppose.

 

[Tarman]

On outposts that's where they keep the air. Inside.