Docking confidence low

[g0nz0]

Hello chaps,

So glad to be playing (well sort of) this game again after so many years. I played Elite on the C64 and Final Frontier on Amiga 1200!

Anyway I'm not as good as I was at playing games and have become very frustrated at travelling to stations and docking, any hints as I'm either too fast and don't know when to stop when using the frame shift button (J)?

I have just started and have been travelling around LHS 3447 and selling fruit and veg, so for example I choose Dalton Gateway and frame shift to it and it can take me 30 mins to get them and attempt to slow down and dock as I miss the stations as I'm going to fast and then when I do get near the station I try and dock the blue radar pops up telling where to land and sometimes it doesn't, does the ship need to be a certain orientation when docking?

Should I be using super cruise?

Last question is there a basic trade route everyone is using to get my confidence going?

Thanks

 

[kylania]

While in SC fly towards your target. Once you see the time remaining at 0:07 hit your bound 75% throttle button. Then just keep centered on your target till you see the Safe Disengage notice and then press J. It'll be at 1mm from the station.

The little blue dot isn't precise enough for me to use it. I look for the yellow docking numbers instead. Eventually you'll get a feel for things like "34 is right inside the letterbox but 31 is on the far end" kind of thing.

 

[Tooks]

Whilst frameshifting I like to align myself with where i'm going and let my throttle rest in the blue. Its not the fastest journey but 9 times out of 10 when I get there I'm approaching at the speed I need to shift down to normal speeds.

Whilst docking itself, your ship needs to be facing Toward the control tower of your docking bay (Whilst the 'guide' is open make sure the little model of your ship in it is facing away from you). If you're travelling towards the pad pay attention to the glowing box and the number above it, the number itself is actually on the edge of the box that you need to be facing. Depending on what controller setup you use it might be easier to bind your 'landing overides' to include easy access to forward, reverse, left, right and vertical thrusters, the over-rides kick in when your landing gear is fully deployed and having easy access to all directions of thrusters means you can get close to the pad, kill your throttle and ease yourself in using thrusters.

If you're wanting to practice you can always just run the lower training missions designed to help you practice docking, undocking and FSD travel.

As for trade routes, I can't help you much there sorry

 

[Sage Stark]

(1) Keep the throttle in the blue when in SC

(2) Facing the control tower i.e. same direction you came in with the dock no facing you, take it slow and put your gear down.

(3) No basic trade routes

(4) Forget fruit & veg, Try Onion(head)

 

[Schoolboy]

easiest way is to aim at your destination and bind a key to thrusters 75% once it tell you your ETA is around 8-10 seconds (6 optimum once you get use to it) flip the 75% thruster button. this will take you in with the ETA stuck at 6 seconds you ship will slow down at a pace with the target (this works for all object. it'll move to Mm distance starting around 27Mm or keep your current approach with the ETA at 6seconds when you reach under 1Mm you'll see some blue text saying save to exit or something just above the short range scanner, high the FSD (j) button and you'll reach around 8km from the station. you should never be more than 5mins a jump 10 if its very far like 10,000 ls

Hope that makes sense?

Just rememeber i made a video about take off nav and docking. Hopefuly it'll help if the above doesnt make sense

[video=youtube;Mdv62G9OJ6c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mdv62G9OJ6c[/video]

 

[Cula-Ta]

I'm getting lag entering stations. Anyone else suffering from this?
Likely graphics card issue I imagine.
Also I get a the lighted box disappearing quite regularly. Seen others have this issue too.

 

[Schoolboy]

For trading I would just do Delivery missions as all you need to do is drop items off and you get a good cr for doing it. Also it doesn't cost you anything to drop the items off, unless you fail the mission.

 

[g0nz0]

Let me take all this comments and spend some time on this later this evening. I like the idea of binding a key for a 75% throttle. I did read some players remove their sheilds and scanners to give them 10 cardo slots, which I might do (risky I know). Some have left LHS 3447 as it is so bad there.

 

[Schoolboy]

Let me take all this comments and spend some time on this later this evening. I like the idea of binding a key for a 75% throttle. I did read some players remove their sheilds and scanners to give them 10 cardo slots, which I might do (risky I know). Some have left LHS 3447 as it is so bad there.

Once you get a hang of docking take everything off the ship including guns just to get that extra light year of distance. If you're shipping goods the last thing you want to do is stop for a dog fight anyways. the sidewinder with no shields is risky but its a free ship so you dont have that much to lose.

 

[Exard3k]

I suggest you get out of LHS 3447. I started there myself and am happy that I followed the call of the Alliance (https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=73506). We got systems with minimal suppercruise time here...nothing near those 130k jumps that take 15min.

Ethgreze or 78 Ursae Majoris may be 15-20 jumps away, but in the end you get better trade routes.

If you don't like the alliance....there are lots of other systems in this game...enough for everyone to have their own constellation

 

[g0nz0]

Thanks for the tips guys, I can not travel and dock with confidence now.

just a couple of off topic points if I may, is there a camera view option where I can pan outside my ship like in Final Frontier so I can admire the ship and galaxy? Regarding trading, do I look for what stations are importing via the galaxy map and stock up and head there to sell?

I've only made 34k in the last coupleof days and that is just cargo missions, but they have all dried up .

A fantastic game and thanks again for your support.

 

[MJallday]

Glad youve stuck with it.

Currently there is no 3rd person viewl. A feature that hopefully well see soon.
Regarding trading, use the maps trading screen tomhelp plan your route. There are lots if tutorials on youtube for just this purpose.

Hth
Mj

 

[Quineloe]

Let me take all this comments and spend some time on this later this evening. I like the idea of binding a key for a 75% throttle. I did read some players remove their sheilds and scanners to give them 10 cardo slots, which I might do (risky I know). Some have left LHS 3447 as it is so bad there.

As soon as you can make the jumps, head to Zaragas. You have high tech there, a pure extraction colony in Velingai, a pure refinery within 7 Lightseconds (!!!) on Islastyara and LT7453 has agricultural and industry stations. Refinery runs are really good if cargo hold is your major constriction, as there are some really expensive metals with very high profit per ton.

The high tech systems will allow you to do your federal rank progression #1 and are great places to upgrade your ship.

 

[g0nz0]

I can't seem to get to Zaragas, map won't show a route...

 

[Quineloe]

That means you probably don't have enough jump range to reach LT7548. It's a pretty long jump, try upgrading your FSD by 1.

 

[g0nz0]

Thanks I will do. I just tried my first pirate mission, what a failure, I found 1 of them and took so long to kill him he FS away! What is also a good weapons upgrade in your opinion?

 

[Tubit]

Route calculation is quite slow and dependent on your computers CPU. When you're in the star map, make sure that you have enabled the option 'fastest route', then wait for the blue lines between star systems to work their way from your position all the way to your destination. When this is done, you'll be able to click the 'route to...' icon.

My approach in supercruise is to go full speed until I'm about 400-350LS away from the station. Then I lower my thrust to abut 45%. The ship will throttle down by itself and I rarely overshoot. Unless I get impatient and try to nudge the thrust up again. Some systems might have gravity wells that are so strong that you have to make slight adjustments, though.

A common weapon setup is to use beam weapons to wear down the shields and then projectile weapons like cannons or autocannons for the hull.