Can't dock

Mikkel Toxwenius · Aug 2, 2014

Maybe I am an idiot or something, but I have spend 30 minutes trying to land at a spacestation. I have followed video and text tutorials but for some reason I can't land. I have successfully requested docking and I have deployed my landing gear. I am in position over the correct landing pad and the interface shows a blue highligh which I know indicate that my position above the landing pad is correct. I descend slowly towards the landing pad but it won't land. I just softly bump in to the landing pad instead of landing. What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? Do I need to press a certain button or select something from a UI panel?

Obsidian Ant · Aug 2, 2014

Mikkel Toxwenius said:
Maybe I am an idiot or something, but I have spend 30 minutes trying to land at a spacestation. I have followed video and text tutorials but for some reason I can't land. I have successfully requested docking and I have deployed my landing gear. I am in position over the correct landing pad and the interface shows a blue highligh which I know indicate that my position above the landing pad is correct. I descend slowly towards the landing pad but it won't land. I just softly bump in to the landing pad instead of landing. What am I doing wrong? What am I missing?

This is a bug, and happened to me last night.

Quit out the game, log back in and try again.

Nomadski · Aug 2, 2014

Mikkel Toxwenius said:
Maybe I am an idiot or something, but I have spend 30 minutes trying to land at a spacestation. I have followed video and text tutorials but for some reason I can't land. I have successfully requested docking and I have deployed my landing gear. I am in position over the correct landing pad and the interface shows a blue highligh which I know indicate that my position above the landing pad is correct. I descend slowly towards the landing pad but it won't land. I just softly bump in to the landing pad instead of landing. What am I doing wrong? What am I missing?

If all of what you have stated is correct, then it may well be a networking issue. Try leaving the station, save and exit, and reload the client completely to ensure you are connected to the best server available to you.

From your post, you have done everything right, and you should be docking.

Deadlock989 · Aug 2, 2014

You're facing the back wall of the station?

Yaffle · Aug 2, 2014

Mikkel Toxwenius said:
Maybe I am an idiot or something, but I have spend 30 minutes trying to land at a spacestation. I have followed video and text tutorials but for some reason I can't land. I have successfully requested docking and I have deployed my landing gear. I am in position over the correct landing pad and the interface shows a blue highligh which I know indicate that my position above the landing pad is correct. I descend slowly towards the landing pad but it won't land. I just softly bump in to the landing pad instead of landing. What am I doing wrong? What am I missing?

There was a bug where for some reason you needed to be facing the wrong way, as in towards the entrance not the back.

Or, are you facing the entrance already?

Are you sure you've landed. You should have 0, 0, 0 as the co'ordinates below the diagram.

Aewarin Jameson · Aug 2, 2014

Regarding the landing bug - it's easy to tell.

Look at the holographic display of your ship that appears when you're close to the landing pad. If you see the ship facing you then you need to do a 180 and turn round. The correct orientation is to see the thrusters not the nose - then you can land.

(Happened to me a couple of times - that's how I noticed it)

forger · Aug 2, 2014

Mikkel Toxwenius said:
Maybe I am an idiot or something, but I have spend 30 minutes trying to land at a spacestation. I have followed video and text tutorials but for some reason I can't land. I have successfully requested docking and I have deployed my landing gear. I am in position over the correct landing pad and the interface shows a blue highligh which I know indicate that my position above the landing pad is correct. I descend slowly towards the landing pad but it won't land. I just softly bump in to the landing pad instead of landing. What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? Do I need to press a certain button or select something from a UI panel?

sometimes you cannot dock when your nose is down, you will not see it much on the screen, so next time you are in blue zone and station don't accept it just pitch your nose up and will be fine. i once spent like 30 seconds bumping into station while i just tried to pitch nose up and immediately i was docked, it happened also 4-5 times now but as i know what to do there is no problem

SharkH · Aug 2, 2014

forger said:
sometimes you cannot dock when your nose is down, you will not see it much on the screen, so next time you are in blue zone and station don't accept it just pitch your nose up and will be fine. i once spent like 30 seconds bumping into station while i just tried to pitch nose up and immediately i was docked, it happened also 4-5 times now but as i know what to do there is no problem

Yes , I had this too and after a while I realized that the angle of the ship's nose is not right in this situation so I have to pitch up a bit.

I haven't had this with Sidewinder or with the Hauler only with my recent ship the Lakon Type 6 maybe because its big compared to the other two.

Humbug · Aug 2, 2014

My first time I was facing the "wrong" direction as well. To be perfectly honest I don't think it should matter which ever way you're facing. Seems more real to me if not everybody in the station were 100% aligned in the exact same direction. And if it has to be this way it should probably be more clear to a new pilot which way is the "right" direction.

Mikkel Toxwenius · Aug 3, 2014

Thanks for the help, after I restarted ED I have been able to dock and land without this happening again

peteuplink · Aug 3, 2014

I had this problem with I first played the game. I quit and restarted and it was fine.

It's happened to me since, so I just faced the ship back towards the entrance. I think it has something to do with the way the pads rotate. Sometimes they seem to get stuck in the exit position (facing the letterbox) so you have to turn and land the other way around to what you normally would.

Nutter · Aug 3, 2014

Mikkel Toxwenius said:
Maybe I am an idiot or something, but I have spend 30 minutes trying to land at a spacestation. I have followed video and text tutorials but for some reason I can't land. I have successfully requested docking and I have deployed my landing gear. I am in position over the correct landing pad and the interface shows a blue highligh which I know indicate that my position above the landing pad is correct. I descend slowly towards the landing pad but it won't land. I just softly bump in to the landing pad instead of landing. What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? Do I need to press a certain button or select something from a UI panel?

If you ever get this again, do a 180 yaw and land the 'other way' all will be fine

Skaldy · Aug 5, 2014

When I first started playing I just dropped down onto the pad (probably facing the wrong way) and it wouldn't connect. Now I always approach from the ramp side and I've not had a problem since.

pcgneurotic · Nov 28, 2014

I just had this same exact problem in Gamma 1.03 - in fact, I'd had it a few times before I came here for an answer. That answer was, for me anyway, what others have said above about the facing of the ship. Basically, I was facing the hydraulic ramp and the port authorities wouldn't 'grab' me. So I used my thrusters to spin around the pad and re-approach it, landing with the ramp behind me. That worked perfectly.

It's not really an issue in stations where you straight-line in and out, but landing on the outside of objects can get you on the wrong approach and cause a docking failure.

Sarduca · Nov 28, 2014

I have the same problem, I requested docking clearance and when I tried to dock I had no hologram of the pad and my ship for the landing sequence, and when I landed with my landing gear down I softly landed on the pad...but it did not dock me, so I had to get of the landing pad and cancel the docking and request docking again and this time the docking hologram appeared and I docked successfully, it happed to me all through the beta and gamma.......WHAT THE ........

kel808 · Dec 22, 2015

Thank goodness for this thread! This was driving me nuts!

vbwyrde · Nov 21, 2016

Sarduca said:
I have the same problem, I requested docking clearance and when I tried to dock I had no hologram of the pad and my ship for the landing sequence, and when I landed with my landing gear down I softly landed on the pad...but it did not dock me, so I had to get of the landing pad and cancel the docking and request docking again and this time the docking hologram appeared and I docked successfully, it happed to me all through the beta and gamma.......WHAT THE ........

I got a fine for not docking on time. It had told me, and my wing partner to dock at the same dock 36. So I waited for him to dock and he had serious problems getting docked. But he finally made it. Then I went to dock and it gave me a warning and changed my docking port to 6. Fine so I tried to get there on time and ran out of time. Fine. I went out and back in and docked. It charged me 900 credits fine. Ok. whatever Elite. Whatever. But when I went to pay the fine no "Local Security Office" showed up in contacts. What? Where is it?? No idea. Online search says "It's a bug" go out and come back in. Um. . Ok, anyway, the fine was for Adel's Armada and there's another station in the same system owned by the same faction so I figured I could go there and pick up my credits for the data delivery mission and pay my fine. So I jump there and - dang - I absolutely can't dock because even though I'm on the center facing the correct direction and the pad is showing me blue - can't dock. So I pause and go look up why. Internet says: It's a bug. Go out and come back in. I'm like at this point. So I go back in and plan to do that - but the timer has run out. The station starts shooting at me and blows up my ship. I get a new one but now owe 1200 credits in fines. Seriously? I don't think I can take much more of this, frankly.