Not much this is why some of us use DC exactly!
Docking Computer
- Thread starter davlon
- Start date
Not much this is why some of us use DC exactly!
That all, although Conda is not the worst to dock, try Cutter or T10 :x
Corvette is easy. You're sat on top of the superstructure so just aim a little lower than you think you should and you're good to go.
Now, go buy a Beluga and try getting that glorious beast of a ship out of the mailslot.
I sometimes put a DC in my large ships, mainly for the convenience of docking while I deal with system/galaxy maps, check mail or chat with other CMDRs while at a station. I almost never have a DC in a medium or small ship, just not enough slots for one.
At some point you will figure it out. I can slip my Corvette and Cutter through the slot at any speed, in or out, and not touch the slot. When I first got the Corvette though, it took me three rebuys and 4 stuck-in-the-toast-rack relogs to figure out the landing gear is a big no-no when trying to fit through the slot.
I don't think it's a difficulty issue but rather a convenience/inconvenience issue (for some).
I'll never fit a docking computer simply because taking off and docking is pretty much 80% of my enjoyment of the game.
That said it's not hard to see how it is just a waste of time for those looking to multiply missions related dockings.
The only ship I can't fit a DC into is my Chieftain, simply because it has one slot too few.
As much as I enjoy the Chieftain's performance, I only use it for combat/Assassination missions. The primary reason is that when doing any other mission types that require a lot of A to B trips and docking, having to manually land the ship is just a boring tedium I would rather avoid.
So... I switch to my Python and its DC for Planetary Scan Missions, Boom Delivery Missions and pretty much anything else that requires a Medium/Small pad and a lot of docking at stations/outposts.
I frankly don't get the obsession with manual landings. After you have done it a couple of hundred times, what possible fun is there in it? It doesn't take any real skill, just your focused attention to land the ship. Time much better spent doing something else.
As much as I enjoy the Chieftain's performance, I only use it for combat/Assassination missions. The primary reason is that when doing any other mission types that require a lot of A to B trips and docking, having to manually land the ship is just a boring tedium I would rather avoid.
So... I switch to my Python and its DC for Planetary Scan Missions, Boom Delivery Missions and pretty much anything else that requires a Medium/Small pad and a lot of docking at stations/outposts.
I frankly don't get the obsession with manual landings. After you have done it a couple of hundred times, what possible fun is there in it? It doesn't take any real skill, just your focused attention to land the ship. Time much better spent doing something else.
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Once you get used to flying it will likely be more of a hindrance.
I rarely get my 'conda, 'vette or cutter stuck, but I usually scrape them at some point when going though the slot. Good job I don't have a Beluga. It must be my '...get out of the f.....g way, I'm coming though...' method, that I can't seem to change. Plus I'm not really bothered about scratching the paintwork either!
You just have to memorize the distance to the top of the slot for each ship. They are all very different in this regard, so if you don't take the time to create a lasting visual memory of each ship's required clearance to the top of the slot, you will always end up banging into something on the way out.
I took the time and can now boost out with any of the big ships, including the Cutter.
I suspect most of those who now use auto-docking would just as soon skip the docking sequence entirely, if only ED had the option.
That's how i play anyway, in FFE/FE2. Occasionally i still like to dock manually, if only cos it's so much faster than autopilot. Mostly tho i just skip it - one moment you're outside the station or above the base, and the next you're looking at the station splash screen, ready to collect rewards, refuel and re-arm, repair etc... ie. actually doing stuff, interacting with the game, exercising one's will, to wit, 'playing', instead of just passively watching and waiting, or else robotically crawling thru the same slow-motion sequence of manoeuvres over and over again, ad insanitum...
Then again, i suppose you could say that the docking chore is the one moment in the game where the space speed limits aren't utterly inimical to the whole game's reason for existence, since docking is about the only circumstance in which a self-imposed speed limit would even make any sense. So if all you were doing was docking all day, technically, it's probably not that bad a game, just as a stand-alone docking simulator.
That's how i play anyway, in FFE/FE2. Occasionally i still like to dock manually, if only cos it's so much faster than autopilot. Mostly tho i just skip it - one moment you're outside the station or above the base, and the next you're looking at the station splash screen, ready to collect rewards, refuel and re-arm, repair etc... ie. actually doing stuff, interacting with the game, exercising one's will, to wit, 'playing', instead of just passively watching and waiting, or else robotically crawling thru the same slow-motion sequence of manoeuvres over and over again, ad insanitum...
Then again, i suppose you could say that the docking chore is the one moment in the game where the space speed limits aren't utterly inimical to the whole game's reason for existence, since docking is about the only circumstance in which a self-imposed speed limit would even make any sense. So if all you were doing was docking all day, technically, it's probably not that bad a game, just as a stand-alone docking simulator.
I've never fit a DC on a single ship I own. Standard docking computers are for standard pilots. Be exceptional, fly your ship.
Who bothers with speed limits ? - being able to land\takeoff at any pad in any station, ship or planet base at full speed is a good skill to have - good idea to practice never letting yourself be scanned as well. Not only will this make smuggling easier if you choose to do it, but when in open it makes you a harder target for griefers.
It's a bit like having one of those cars that parks itself - not good for your driving skills and you'll be up the creek without a paddle when it goes wrong.
My trader/mission runner ships have DC's. My Python has had one since I bought it and I wouldn't do without it.
It is pure laziness however. I have never struggled with docking a ship apart from the Beluga which I was continuously getting stuck. It was mostly outbound where it was getting wedged however so the DC was no good to me.
It is pure laziness however. I have never struggled with docking a ship apart from the Beluga which I was continuously getting stuck. It was mostly outbound where it was getting wedged however so the DC was no good to me.
Its not *hard* to land. You got the reason confused:
Making coffee isn't any more or less interesting than docking, but the game can't make coffee.
So you automate what *can* be automated, to get time to do what can't be automated...
I started using the docking computer when I was still in my Cobra - out of principle: Computers are here to do stuff for us, not to give us the run-around. I like computer games that play themselves to a large extent. Bots are great... Love bot programmers! And the DC has become a pretty great little bot. The X series of games gave me a trading computer, that did the flying and trading long before ED came out! It provided lots of built-in bots for you.
EVE's auto pilot was pretty great. You could even tell it systems to avoid along the way. Such a time saver on long, repetitive routes! You could go through the available contracts, while your ship was doing the flying. Or you could go take a swim in the garden, if the trip was really long.
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