Newcomer / Intro Auto dock and type 6

Right i started doing abit more hauling and trading so thought i would invest in a type 6 more cargo and less jumps anyway thought because its the size of a bus and the sane maneuverability as the moon i would buy the docking computer but theres the problem on my old adder it docked me pretty fast now it gets me into position then stops and does nothing so you have to take over and dock so im wondering does it work with big ships...Just thought it would of been easier than me crashing as i came into a station.
 
I think the docking computer has always been a bit suspect.

The type 6 isn't really that much larger than an adder. I say just dock normally and use the space for more cargo... I personally would never give up internal compartment space for an auto docking computer. Docking is fun.
 
It's a bug the devs know about and are working on. Something to do with a database error causing the ship to sit doing nothing when at an Outpost. You can still use the Docking Computer OK at large Stations, but luckily it's easy to land at Outposts in a Lakon 6 manually. They may be sedate but they're steady. :)
 
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Right i started doing abit more hauling and trading so thought i would invest in a type 6 more cargo and less jumps anyway thought because its the size of a bus and the sane maneuverability as the moon i would buy the docking computer but theres the problem on my old adder it docked me pretty fast now it gets me into position then stops and does nothing so you have to take over and dock so im wondering does it work with big ships...

You're kidding, right? The T6 is tiny, and can be dumped through the letterbox at pretty much any angle (leaving aside the breathless lack of punctuation). It's really easy to dock a T6, and way faster and safer to do it by hand than trust the flaky docking computer :)
 
Used the docking computer exclusively while running trade in my T-6.
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It used to have a seriously heavy landing, scrapping across the pad before coming to a stop. They fixed this (not sure I like it, it always felt like a quirk of the auto pilot)
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Landing at outposts seems bugged, can sit for ages with small correctional thrusts but no final descent. Easier to go to manual.
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Of all the landings in the T-6, and there have been many, I've only had a couple of glitches when entering the station. It backs up and gets stuck in the letterbox. Thankfully with 4 pips in systems the shields have held out long enough for me to wake up and go to manual.
 
You're kidding, right? The T6 is tiny, and can be dumped through the letterbox at pretty much any angle (leaving aside the breathless lack of punctuation). It's really easy to dock a T6, and way faster and safer to do it by hand than trust the flaky docking computer :)
The bug doesn't affect landing at large Stations, but as you say the old bird is pretty easy to land anyway. Full power to SYS means even a novice can get away with a bump or two and with Landing Gear deployed you can't accidentally Boost into the station hull anyway.

As for me personally, I'm fine with manual landings but I loved my Docking Computer back in '84 so it's more of a nostalgia fix for me. :)
 
Right i started doing abit more hauling and trading so thought i would invest in a type 6 more cargo and less jumps anyway thought because its the size of a bus and the sane maneuverability as the moon i would buy the docking computer but theres the problem on my old adder it docked me pretty fast now it gets me into position then stops and does nothing so you have to take over and dock so im wondering does it work with big ships...Just thought it would of been easier than me crashing as i came into a station.

my 1st experiance with a docking computer was a while ago in a newly purchased Lakon Type 9, it was very hit and hit lol, decided to be a pain in the and cost me almost 1mill in repairs for a single hard landing, so erm.. that got removed pdq. However, since then, our lovely resident AI dev has been doing some work to improve it. i have an annoying neuro condition which causes, amongst other things, tremors and spasms in my hands. on bad days its almost like my ships develope acute, sudden onset, control system failures lol, so i never fly without a decent shield. when i got my new Conda, i decided to give the docking computer another go. what an improvement from the last time i used 1, every touchdown on the pad has been steady and controlled, with not even a hint of scraping, and ive completed a good many automatic landings, maybe it functions better on larger ships? im sure there is a thread about it somewhere, ill see if i can find the link for you and add it to this comment.

Regards


*here you go, as promised :)

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28452&highlight=docking+computer
 
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The bug doesn't affect landing at large Stations, but as you say the old bird is pretty easy to land anyway. Full power to SYS means even a novice can get away with a bump or two and with Landing Gear deployed you can't accidentally Boost into the station hull anyway.

As for me personally, I'm fine with manual landings but I loved my Docking Computer back in '84 so it's more of a nostalgia fix for me. :)

That is perfectly reasonable, blue :D

(Also, yeah, you're morally obliged to land the T6 in a slightly cavalier fashion when on manual- them's the rules..)
 
You're kidding, right? The T6 is tiny, and can be dumped through the letterbox at pretty much any angle (leaving aside the breathless lack of punctuation). It's really easy to dock a T6, and way faster and safer to do it by hand than trust the flaky docking computer :)

Me and punctuation have never been good together and i just thought with having a fair bit of cargo on that it would be risky trying to get it through hell i sometimes catch on the letterbox when i come through in a sidewinder hahaha so thought id use the docking computer but saying that u have to manually undock.
 
My T6 and DC work together like a charm, never had any issues with docking. General thing is that docking time is much bigger than doing it manually especially when dc on outpost. Downside of this is that if you have no shield, every landing will cost you 1000-3000 credits in repair, as scrapping the pad happens.
If you want to use dc do it, but keep your eye on monitor, you never know when NPC will ram into you :)
 
My T6 and DC work together like a charm, never had any issues with docking. General thing is that docking time is much bigger than doing it manually especially when dc on outpost. Downside of this is that if you have no shield, every landing will cost you 1000-3000 credits in repair, as scrapping the pad happens.
If you want to use dc do it, but keep your eye on monitor, you never know when NPC will ram into you :)


Ahh cool i tried again and same it just stops there so ended up docking it myself does a more expensive docking computer make any difference?
 
Me and punctuation have never been good together and i just thought with having a fair bit of cargo on that it would be risky trying to get it through hell i sometimes catch on the letterbox when i come through in a sidewinder hahaha so thought id use the docking computer but saying that u have to manually undock.

Nah, it's not risky at all, the T6 has loads of headroom in the letterbox. As long as you're fairly straight when you get to the grid outside, you'll be fine. Hell, you can go in pretty fast and then just deploy the landing gear as part of braking, as you pitch down hard and dump it on the pad. No finesse needed :)

That said, I always fly everything with shields, so am happy to scrape those last few meters until the docking coupling kicks in. I kinda wish that damage to paintwork actually affected ships like the t6, it'd look amazing.
 
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Nah, it's not risky at all, the T6 has loads of headroom in the letterbox. As long as you're fairly straight when you get to the grid outside, you'll be fine. Hell, you can go in pretty fast and then just deploy the landing gear as part of braking, as you pitch down hard and dump it on the pad. No finesse needed :)

That said, I always fly everything with shields, so am happy to scrape those last few meters until the docking coupling kicks in. I kinda wish that damage to paintwork actually affected ships like the t6, it'd look amazing.

I don't think I ever want to auto dock. Docking is always an adventure in itself and it's fun.
 
I don't think I ever want to auto dock. Docking is always an adventure in itself and it's fun.

Agreed, Hicks. It's part of the ritual, easing down on the throttle to mark the end of a small adventure. It's so much easier in ED than original elite, even if you're tired and slow, it's hard to stuff up- and manual landing is way faster, too.
 
^This

For some reason most of you think DC is only used by people who can't dock. In reality it gives me a little time to take care of some need IRL, or plan my next move on the galaxy map, etc.... and it's sooo relaxing to just watch it do it's thing, while listening to some music...

Docking on stations is fast once the computer manages to get inside (i could do it faster) but once it's inside, it's actually faster than i would be. Outpost are different -DC useless on the type6 (have no problem with my viper though)
 
Agreed, Hicks. It's part of the ritual, easing down on the throttle to mark the end of a small adventure. It's so much easier in ED than original elite, even if you're tired and slow, it's hard to stuff up- and manual landing is way faster, too.

Hudson sir...>> He's Hicks ;)
 
"...the size of a bus and the sane maneuverability as the moon...".

Ha! If you think type-6 handles poor, just wait until you try a T-9. T-6 is an agile fighter-esque compared to that dead space-whale.

Anyway, practice using the tutorials. As long as you get the hang of it with the sidewinder it's mostly the same in a bigger ship; Lining up, adjusting to the rotation, and keep fingers away from the boost button. As long as you have shields and don't stay in the slot too long, you have room for a little error :)
Besides, it frees up space for more cargo.
 
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