Docking Comms Nerfed or just another bug?

[Canoe]

So what's the deal with station control now being silent? After the usual message of welcome and please request docking clearance etc, they're completely silent until you land. No "docking request accepted" no "bring her in gently" just a beep and silence.

This was possibly the most anti-climactic arrival to Union ever. After weeks in the black, - between this and all the missing discovery names, I kind of wished I'd just stayed away from populated space.

 

[MickyG1982]

Not something I've noticed, though if you are talking about an outpost they have always been quiet.

Voiceovers are only for major stations.

 

[GroG79]

With a docking computer you get some nice tunes!

 

[MoonRacer]

So what's the deal with station control now being silent? After the usual message of welcome and please request docking clearance etc, they're completely silent until you land. No "docking request accepted" no "bring her in gently" just a beep and silence.

This was possibly the most anti-climactic arrival to Union ever. After weeks in the black, - between this and all the missing discovery names, I kind of wished I'd just stayed away from populated space.

This happened in the April bug adding patch...

I reported it here: Issue-Tracker: Missing Message.

It is ignored since now, you could confirm it, if you wish. No idea if they will do something...

 

[CMDR John Luke Paperbone]

Just finished my evening session, traffic control from the station is always the same, nothing changed.

 

[MoonRacer]

Just finished my evening session, traffic control from the station is always the same, nothing changed.

Nothing changed since September update.
But before April update you were greeted when arriving near the station - just like now, and after requesting to dock you received a spoken confirmation naming the pad number. And this confirmation is missing since April update. It is triggered if you throttle to zero and have a DC. As soon as the DC kicks in, first the controller confirms your docking rights and your pad number and after this the automated docking is confirmed too. If you do not use a DC the docking confirmation is never spoken, but other communications are still present.
The confirmation of docking rights and the pad number should be spoken immediately and at the same time the blue line with pad number and remaining time is shown, this was the behavior before the April update. Activating the DC elicited another reply confirming automated docking before April update. Now both, the confirmation of docking rights with the pad number and the automated docking message occur at the same time and only if you use a DC.
So it happened after the April update and was reported at this time. Seems to be only a small issue, but should be easy to fix...

 

[Winterwalker]

Because at September update the pad number on HUD got smaller and it's hard for me to read now I listened out for pad number at an asteroid base last night .. and the station controller told me, I heard it.

(You don't hear a spoken pad number at outposts but I don't think you ever did).

 

[Raino]

station announcements work as usual, never noticed a change

 

[CMDR John Luke Paperbone]

But before April update you were greeted when arriving near the station - just like now, and after requesting to dock you received a spoken confirmation naming the pad number.

No, not for me. I have traffic control giving me pad number via audio after he / she gave me permission to land.

 

[CMDR John Luke Paperbone]

(You don't hear a spoken pad number at outposts but I don't think you ever did).

Outposts lack audio comunication at all, right ?

Surface installations like engineer bases have the same audio comms like stations, pad numbers included, but are all played by "ai like" voices.

 

[MoonRacer]

No, not for me. I have traffic control giving me pad number via audio after he / she gave me permission to land.

Seems to depend on the location. I watched this at Haxel Port (LTT 15574), my 'home port'. It is correct, that many smaller stations and outposts never had voice communication. But on many big stations I visited since the April update things have changed, no voice confirmation after requesting to dock, only after activating the DC.
Or maybe it depends if you have a DC? Do you have a DC? Having one and not using it makes no difference, maybe the presence of a DC on your ship changes this?

 

[Raino]

never used a DC, that is just slotwaste, and always have announcements when docking

 

[dm06]

I'm not using DC and always can hear message with pad number.
I know it for sure because I do not read the blue message (it's hard for me to locate pad number there after recent newbies oriented update) I just notice that the message is on the screen (it's blue and it's easy to detect that the request has been granted) and I use pad number from the voice message to dock my ship.

 

[MoonRacer]

Then it seems to depend on the presence of a DC in the ship. Which is idiotic, the presence of a DC before April update did work correctly, you did hear the confirmation and pad number (on big stations) and only after activating the DC you heard the additional text for automated docking. After the April update and the new DC things changed. It is not important, only a bit silly. Like the new '50% mapped' message on the DSS, which often ends just before the 'mapping complete' message, if one is experienced with the DSS.

 

[Raino]

I'm not using DC and always can hear message with pad number.
I know it for sure because I do not read the blue message (it's hard for me to locate pad number there after recent newbies oriented update) I just notice that the message is on the screen (it's blue and it's easy to detect that the request has been granted) and I use pad number from the voice message to dock my ship.

yep, now that you mention it, we fly(dock) by ear

 

[Old Duck]

If Frontier ever sells real mugs or t-shirts, they definitely need one that says "Just another bug".

 

[CMDR John Luke Paperbone]

Seems to depend on the location. I watched this at Haxel Port (LTT 15574), my 'home port'. It is correct, that many smaller stations and outposts never had voice communication. But on many big stations I visited since the April update things have changed, no voice confirmation after requesting to dock, only after activating the DC.
Or maybe it depends if you have a DC? Do you have a DC? Having one and not using it makes no difference, maybe the presence of a DC on your ship changes this?

Never used Docking computer.

 

[CMDR John Luke Paperbone]

If Frontier ever sells real mugs or t-shirts, they definitely need one that says "Just another bug".

Great contribution, thanks.

 

[VR Davemartin88]

Seems to depend on the location. I watched this at Haxel Port (LTT 15574), my 'home port'. It is correct, that many smaller stations and outposts never had voice communication. But on many big stations I visited since the April update things have changed, no voice confirmation after requesting to dock, only after activating the DC.
Or maybe it depends if you have a DC? Do you have a DC? Having one and not using it makes no difference, maybe the presence of a DC on your ship changes this?

Haxel Port is my home port as well and all the communications still work as they have since I started playing last year. I’m on PC. Played and docked with docking computer yesterday and received all the communications related to pad number, power down for auto dock, etc.

 

[Canoe]

This happened in the April bug adding patch...

I reported it here: Issue-Tracker: Missing Message.

It is ignored since now, you could confirm it, if you wish. No idea if they will do something...

Thanks, I'll add another vote to the pile already there. It's clear that things are broken since the introduction of the new docking computer mechanic. Assuming this will be another one for the "low priority fix, schedule shortly before heat-death of the universe" list.