"loitering" means you are blocking the station airlock or access to a landing pad that's not assigned to you. It has nothing to do with your landing gear status. If you're trying to land with gear up, you get a red "Warning! Landing gear not deployed" text on your HUD and a similar audio message.
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Newcomer / Intro Docking for newbies is a nightmare (dev's U need to do something)
- Thread starter claretonmyshirt
- Start date
Snakebite
Banned
Worse, Really ? I find docking in ED FAR easier than in any of the previous games. For one thing the docking slot rotates far slower, and we have yaw and thrusters now which make docking a cinch. I actually loaded the original (Master 128) version up recently to check this and its definately harder. I find docking in ED to be way too easy, no challenge at all compared to earlier games, so I guess you must be doing something wrong, there are lots of youtube tutorials on it.
Trust me, they won't make it easier, too many people moan that its too easy as it is.
Here is a brief guide.
1) Make sure that you have 'rotation correction set to on' (look in the functions section on the RH interface)
2) Fly to within 7kn of the station.
3) Request docking permission. (make sure it is granted before proceeding)
4) Look at the the station scematic on your radar, the arrows point to the entrance.
5) Follow the arrows and fly past the station, stop, turn around, you will be roughly facing the entrance.
6) fly forward slowly, don't rush there is plenty of time. You can deploy landing gear at any point, may as well do it now.
7) Don't bother matching rotation at first, just get yourself lined up with the slot. dont just rely on roll and pitch, make use of yaw and the vertical/lateral thrusters.
8) As you get close look for the green lights, keep to the green side of centre. (I keep them to my left but its not important)
9) enter slowly using roll to keep level with the slot.
10) Once inside move forward (away from the slot) and reduce speed to dead slow
11) Locate your pad.
12) Fly towards your pad making sure you are facing towards the control tower (away from the slot)
13) position yourself as best as you can just above the pad (you should be looking at the tower) and level off
14) Use the manoeuvring thrusters to come down onto the pad, your flight grid scanner will change to a landing grid display, line up with the circle in the centre and descend slowly.
Hope that helps.
I played the original elite on a BBC model B and Spectrum....docking is supposed to be difficult as once you get to do it well you are probably flying in general better. Just practice, it really does not take long to master - and it is definitely much easier than in the original which took ages and hence why everyone went for a docking computer. In this version you really don't need one.
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Good brief guide.
It's really not that difficult and an essential part of the game experience.
I remember trying to dock in Frontier on the Amiga and half the time I'd die for no reason. This game is far too lenient on docking in my opinion. There's no way you should be able to thump your ship down on the pad as hard as you can currently. I wish FD would penalise this and make docking a more subtle affair which requires more finesse. But hey, that's just me...
Welp i made another newb mistake. In the process of figuring out how the outfitting store works i sold both "yes both" my weapons on my spidey and have since been roaming around trying not to get destroyed while saving up what little amount of coin i can. Ive been making most my money just running away and discovering new systems. Any tips would be appreciated..and yes i am stupid but i am definitely paying for it lol.
Why did you not just buy them back for the same price?
I wish I could tell you. By the time I realized they were gone I was light years away from the station. But on a good note I've now been camping at nav points and have earned a lot of credits that way. I'm now running an Adder and have it upgraded pretty well and am finally got a feel for the game.
Compared to the 1984 Elite, manual docking in this version is a breeze.
Absolutely.
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Philip Coutts
Volunteer Moderator
Compared to the 1984 Elite, manual docking in this version is a breeze.
This ^. I used to have to get my brother to dock for me because I was so hopeless at it! Make good use of the tutorials you can crash in those until your heart is content and not lose any credits.
Yes and no.Compared to the 1984 Elite, manual docking in this version is a breeze.
If you're completely clueless on what to do, E: D docking has more possibilities to get it wrong. But on the other hand, E: D has a docking tutorial, in Elite you had to figure it out yourself (or get someone to show you).
IIRC back then I used the "dead slow, listen to shields & energy drain while hoping for them to last long enough" method until I could afford Docking Computers. Then, when I saw how DC did it, it clicked, and docking in Elite has been a breeze ever since.
Hah, it sounds like you're made of the right stuff(tm). Just don't fly without insurance (see all the stupid QQ threads) and you'll be well on your way. Have fun!
IIRC back then I used the "dead slow, listen to shields & energy drain while hoping for them to last long enough" method until I could afford Docking Computers. Then, when I saw how DC did it, it clicked, and docking in Elite has been a breeze ever since.
When I watched DBOBE dock beeb Elite at BAFTA, he just flew out of the station, turned around, and flew back in, while still on-axis for the port.. what a cheat!
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TLDR all the other posts
When flying into a station follow these rules you will be fine:
1) Make sure your aligned with the slot
2) request docking permission, taking note of the bay our assigned
3) Fly towards slot making sure you stay aligned
4) When going through slot look for the bay you are assigned, if you cant see it you may be right near the door.
5) Put landing gear down and head to pad
6) when near pad (the centre console will change to a docking system where you have to face away from the player, align to the centre of the display and when it turns blue descend onto the pad). Descend slowly as its easy to damage your ship
When docked you will just get the docking system announcement and the three options.
I came from Elite, Frontier, FFE and tbh ED apart from Elite 1 is the easiest to dock with.
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I used to line up with the entrance and go full pelt into the docking door aligning at the last second, used to scare the hell outta me bro who asked me to dock LOL
Docking in ED is now a two-part exercise; getting through the slot and landing on the pad. I wonder which part people are having difficulty with. We keep laughing at them for thinking it is hard when the original Elite was a lot harder but that only applies to 'Getting through the slot' as Original Elite did not have a second part and landing on a pad would probably have been impossible with 1980s joysticks.
People - When you post to tell us you are having trouble, please be more specific. It is no use us giving advice on how to get through the slot if you are OK with that but can't land on the pad & vice versa.
People - When you post to tell us you are having trouble, please be more specific. It is no use us giving advice on how to get through the slot if you are OK with that but can't land on the pad & vice versa.
I just wanted to post (didn't read the thread except the OP) I am a day 1 newbie, and currently use a keyboard and mouse and am able to land just fine. Havent crashed once.
Put landing gear down use thruster F (fall) or R (rise) that's how i remember them.
CMDR Stompmaster
CMDR Stompmaster