Bigger mail slots

[Trekari]

While leaving a station today, my Anaconda was hit head-on by an incoming ship which was not visible until I was already committed to the mail slot. I was following the green light, and he was presumably not (AI).

His ship impacted mine, and we both became stuck in the mail slot. If you're going to continue to make larger vessels, then this situation will happen more frequently. I could not back out, nor could I go forward. I ended up getting a fine, and thankfully force-closing the game before being destroyed.

Now here's my secondary gripe about this: I have five minutes to leave the station once I've undocked. There is no time limit which will result in your destruction if you're trying to enter the stations. So who should have right-of-way if no changes are made? THE DEPARTING SHIP.

A simple solution to this is to make the mail slot wider, and force AI ships to follow the green. For humans, punish whomever is NOT on the appropriate side of the mail slot. What good are traffic lights if the CMDR following protocol is fined/destroyed because someone else decided not to?

 

[Lestat]

While leaving a station today, my Anaconda was hit head-on by an incoming ship which was not visible until I was already committed to the mail slot. I was following the green light, and he was presumably not (AI).

His ship impacted mine, and we both became stuck in the mail slot. If you're going to continue to make larger vessels, then this situation will happen more frequently. I could not back out, nor could I go forward. I ended up getting a fine, and thankfully force-closing the game before being destroyed.

This when the Radar is important. It see what you do not see.

Now here's my secondary gripe about this: I have five minutes to leave the station once I've undocked. There is no time limit which will result in your destruction if you're trying to enter the stations. So who should have right-of-way if no changes are made? THE DEPARTING SHIP.

You are giving 5 Minutes is fine. Just watch your Radar and make sure the Slot is open. `

A simple solution to this is to make the mail slot wider, and force AI ships to follow the green. For humans, punish whomever is NOT on the appropriate side of the mail slot. What good are traffic lights if the CMDR following protocol is fined/destroyed because someone else decided not to?

Please note this is not setup as a boat. When you ask premission to land the Green light just tells you the landing pad is below you if it to the right. There no right or left in Elite. most larger ships like Type 10 has to use the Whole Slot.

 

[Non Grata]

I ended up getting a fine, and thankfully force-closing the game before being destroyed.

Subscribed.

 

[DARGAN]

never a problem (solo), I go in and I often go out with the boost.

in Open by cons I am much more cautious .. the idea to see my cutter be destroyed by the station because of a player in sidewinder malicious, because of a slight excess of speed makes me a little headache.

one of the reasons why I play little Open, i'm rich (in game lol) it's easy for me to take a sidewinder and do the same thing, but I will soon become poor if my cutter explodes with each exit loL, although this will only happen by malicious players.

no problem in solo as already written, after a few years playing this game, I only exploded near a station once or twice, at first, because of the lack of experience only.

 

[Stellar Gambit]

Couple of things,

Deploy and retract landing gear should dislodge you.

Second, Agree, leaving ships should have priority. Make sense, when your getting on a bus you let passengers get off before you get on. Simple space management.

The mail slot being bigger seems like a, and I hate to say it, can't be bothered to 'git gud' so want to change the game.

I personally never have any problems with the mail slot, and here is why. KEEP YOUR SPEED BELOW 100.

Plenty of time to see what's around you, plenty of time to manoeuvre and take evasive action (if you can) if people try to suisidewind you then your fine, and that's what your suppose to do as that's the flight procedures around a starport.

Nothing hurts your credits per hour like a rebuy screen.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

The slot is huge.

Rule of thumb when undocking and docking.

Don't speed, atleast, not too much.
Avoid speeding in open at popular stations.

Put your headlights on for other CMDRs.
NPCs won't care, but CMDRs will notice.

Check your radar, if you fly an Anaconda, you should know how it works by now, and know if something's in infront of you.

Give way to NPC's. They're dumb, and need to be avoided. Just let them through. If they get stuck, they'll be shot. Don't let them get you stuck too. Lol

Once you're in the slot NPC's WILL give way. Usually.

Don't go too slow through the slot. You'll trigger the 30 second loitering warning, which can cause mass panic (well, just your own panic) and can make you do odd things to try and get away.

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

 

[Iskariot]

While leaving a station today, my Anaconda was hit head-on by an incoming ship which was not visible until I was already committed to the mail slot. I was following the green light, and he was presumably not (AI).

His ship impacted mine, and we both became stuck in the mail slot. If you're going to continue to make larger vessels, then this situation will happen more frequently. I could not back out, nor could I go forward. I ended up getting a fine, and thankfully force-closing the game before being destroyed.

Now here's my secondary gripe about this: I have five minutes to leave the station once I've undocked. There is no time limit which will result in your destruction if you're trying to enter the stations. So who should have right-of-way if no changes are made? THE DEPARTING SHIP.

A simple solution to this is to make the mail slot wider, and force AI ships to follow the green. For humans, punish whomever is NOT on the appropriate side of the mail slot. What good are traffic lights if the CMDR following protocol is fined/destroyed because someone else decided not to?

The situation you describe virtually never happens if you are careful. The slot is big enough for current ship sizes.
I have had two or three collisions in the slot perhaps. Mostly because I was reckless.
Your radar scanner gives you useful info and if you fly carefully the chance of accidents like these happening are slim.

 

[CMDR Cosmic Spacehead]

I once got my FDL snagged in the geometry of the slot once...
But I hit it at 400~m/s....

I think I broke the collision detection...
I couldn't wiggle free and had to quit the game. Lol

Technically I should have let the station blow me up for reckless flying, but it was a bug/glitch that caused me to be stuck.

I didn't learn. I did the same thing flying through a Farragut... Only at 500m/s... Lol

Moral of the story...
Don't....uh.. crash..

CMDR Cosmic Spacehead

 

[MickyG1982]

Sounds like someone is having a bit of trouble "getting it in"...

 

[Seizewell Warrior]

I find the biggest challenge with the mail slot is lining up in the vertical plane on exit. On entry I normally let the auto-pillock bring me in and it hasn't let me down yet. However there's no equivalent to get you out. A flight path guide "tunnel" on the HUD (similar to what older versions of FS had to assist with visual landings) might help, as if you're lined up you can, a. See oncoming traffic better and b. If the coast is clear boost out of there. Never yet had a fine for boosting in a station.

 

[Trekari]

The green light absolutely does mean to use that side of the mail slot. I've been told as much numerous times on my way out "follow the green."

I was not speeding. The other ship was a Beluga Liner (AI) flying right down the middle of the mail slot. There is not enough room for that ship and an Anaconda to pass through simultaneously, particularly if one of them decides to fly through the center.

If it happens again, I will attempt the landing gear suggestion - thank you for that.

 

[Lestat]

The green light absolutely does mean to use that side of the mail slot. I've been told as much numerous times on my way out "follow the green."

No it dose not. We been told by the Devs. It has Nothing to do which side you fly on.

Afternoon Commanders,

I will attempt to try to clear this up....!

• The lights are orientation lights so you can align your ship to the station in a consistent way. If you enter a station with the green on your right and red on your left you will find that the docking pad numbers are arranged front to back, clockwise, starting from below you. For legacy reasons, Pad numbers 1 and 13 were reversed. This is now fixed and will be included in a future update. All other pads follow a consistent numbering convention.

• There is no “traffic light” system in operation.

• The reason for the red lights on the cage flashing and the green ones kept steady is to help people with colour-blindness difficulties distinguish between them.

• Be considerate – use your scanner and look around, if someone is coming through the portal be patient and let them pass.

• Small ships should give way to large ships.

• If commanders wish to use the “green” side of the portal to enter or exit from the station it is up to them, but it is not a convention, rule or the intended use of the lights. Large ships will need to use the centre of the portal to pass through anyway. NPC ships will always pass through the middle.

• If you exit the station with the inner green light on your right and the red on your left, you will be orientated the same way up as an incoming ship, facilitating a gentlemanly wave between cockpit glass and the wish of good fortune between pilots.

Fly safe,

Simon

A little research dose wonders.
Please Use the Correct Entry/Exit!

I was not speeding. The other ship was a Beluga Liner (AI) flying right down the middle of the mail slot. There is not enough room for that ship and an Anaconda to pass through simultaneously, particularly if one of them decides to fly through the center.

The Beluga Liner a bigger ship and AI always fly in the center.

 

[MadDogMurdock]

I find the biggest challenge with the mail slot is lining up in the vertical plane on exit. On entry I normally let the auto-pillock bring me in and it hasn't let me down yet. However there's no equivalent to get you out. A flight path guide "tunnel" on the HUD (similar to what older versions of FS had to assist with visual landings) might help, as if you're lined up you can, a. See oncoming traffic better and b. If the coast is clear boost out of there. Never yet had a fine for boosting in a station.

Turn on the mouse widget.

 

[damon8r351]

If you see an NPC in a Beluga, Type-9, or Clipper, just stop and get out of the way. NPCs will follow the rule of entering and exiting on the green side, but the ships are so wide that it takes up more than half the slot. I've never been able to successfully pass these ships in the slot flying anything bigger than a Asp Explorer.

 

[Bunkerkind Anni]

Please note this is not setup as a boat. When you ask premission to land the Green light just tells you the landing pad is below you if it to the right. There no right or left in Elite. most larger ships like Type 10 has to use the Whole Slot.

this is plain wrong in all aspects.
the station anouncer tells you to use the green side,
its always the same position. in solo you just hardly ever get assigned to a landing pad other then "below" the slot with the green light to the right.
and i have no problems getting my T9 or Corvette through that slot when other ships pass through the in the other direction.

 

[Lestat]

this is plain wrong in all aspects.
the station anouncer tells you to use the green side,
its always the same position. in solo you just hardly ever get assigned to a landing pad other then "below" the slot with the green light to the right.
and i have no problems getting my T9 or Corvette through that slot when other ships pass through the in the other direction.

That might work for a Sidewinder. But it can't be done in a Type 10.

 

[Bunkerkind Anni]

That might work for a Sidewinder. But it can't be done in a Type 10.

huh? did you not read the post to the end... im flying corvette and type 9 on regular basis, and the only thing that makes we wait, is an npc beluga.
the port is wide enough to fit two T9 through it.

 

[MadDogMurdock]

this is plain wrong in all aspects.
the station anouncer tells you to use the green side,
its always the same position. in solo you just hardly ever get assigned to a landing pad other then "below" the slot with the green light to the right.
and i have no problems getting my T9 or Corvette through that slot when other ships pass through the in the other direction.

That was actually a change made after release based on Cmdrs insisting that was what the green and red lights meant.

They were originally just orientation markers as described in other posts.

 

[xxSHEPERDxx]

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.

 

[Arry]

huh? did you not read the post to the end... im flying corvette and type 9 on regular basis, and the only thing that makes we wait, is an npc beluga.
the port is wide enough to fit two T9 through it.

Agreed: I fly a Clipper and have no issues other than the Belugas. They seem to be a law unto themselves. I can pass Anacondas and T-9s without any issues.