Newcomer / Intro Docking for newbies is a nightmare (dev's U need to do something)

[InMemoriamSirocco]

Devs don't need to do anything. Every newbie has eventually learned how to dock up until now, so unless they encounter the bug where the docking hologram does not appear on the right pad, they'll be right as rain.

 

[willowfan]

When I first started I'd heard all these horror stories about landing being "impossibly" hard, so was dreading having to try.

Then the time came to try landing in the tutorial and... it was easy, no problem at all and has continued to be no problem in the main game apart from the odd misaligned approach to the slot making entry a bit hairy.

I really don't understand those that seem to make landing their ship such a performance.

 

[the100thmonkey]

I love landing - I wish the music would play while I was doing it in FA-on.

It's much harder (though not impossible) in FA-off.

And docking computers? No thanks.

 

[Zaclobsterboy]

I for one struggled to land in the original Elite but I do manage to land in Elite Dangerous…I still hold my breath as I squeeze through the airlock and let out a sigh of relief when the designated landing pad is towards the back of the space station and not tucked right below you as your ship slips through the letterbox. It's all part of the fun and would be extremely boring if all landings became too easy…mind you I like the idea of the docking computer! Just remember to ask for permission to dock as I completely forgot recently, so wrapped up in the landing procedure and paid a heavy price for "trespassing"!

 

[tutike]

I asked my GF to dock once, just to see how a newbie would do it. She literally never played a game in her life (except for the Sims), and she managed it in about a minute.
Docking is very easy. There is no need to make it easier.

FASTER, maybe - by allowing us to dock facing any direction

 

[Himmel Tropf]

I asked my GF to dock once

why do you tempt me so...

Tutorials give a basic understanding, but with most things in ED, there are nuances that should be learned which will help with not losing your mind. Like the chevron approach...
Doesn't docking computer take up an internal slot in your ship? waste of tonnage and space if that's the case, and i'd say it's mostly irrelevant unless it helps with larger ships like the T6/9.
I have been told that the t9 will test your ability to slide through the letterbox however, and you'll probably need to exercise patience what with NPCs dragging their feet in/out of stations.

Don't panic though. Even if you are loitering or inside the station without permission, you have a few minutes to get out. More than enough time to turn / reverse.

 

[Simon853]

Directional thrusters. Map 'em. Use 'em.
I've never had a single problem docking since I got my controls set up properly.

 

[Ancipital]

Doesn't docking computer take up an internal slot in your ship? waste of tonnage and space if that's the case, and i'd say it's mostly irrelevant unless it helps with larger ships like the T6/9.

The T6 is actually pretty small, for a "medium", you can flop it through the letter box at crazy angles without any difficulty once you get used to it- and squeeze past almost everything.

 

[Himmel Tropf]

ah yes, meant the t7 or whatever that long chinook looking thing is called. T7 Transporter?

 

[tutike]

Just give us 'free' docking computers on every ship. Everyone will be happy

 

[Red_13]

manual Docking is just too tedious and difficult

I played Elite years ago and docking without the auto docking was a nightmare.
This version is worse. If you are a newbie like me it's frustrating to the point i just can not be bothered after spending 6 hours going back and forth getting to a new station and trying to land. It is and will drive your customers away. The game is supposed to fun, not about spending a day or more trying to learn how to do this. Landing your ship should be reasonbably easy, make the combat hard, but something as basic as this for a game should be 10 times easier at least. For us older guys who played Elite back in the day we now don't have days on end to practise mundane stuff like this, we have lifes and families and can pick the game up for a few hours at most.
It looks such a great game and it's such a shame so please change this, thanks.

I agree with you 100%... I played the original Elite and apart from the odd scrape while going through the slot, that was all you had to do. This extra level of complexity is just a turn off.
I have just spent 2 hours of my very precious time, having tried a dozen times and not been able to land once.

Now I have noticed that as soon as landing gear is down, all my controls get screwed up, including my joystick yaw and roll being swapped. I saw another message that says you can fix up your key mapping and the like when in landing mode in the Control Options. I'll load the game up again and try fixing them... But at this point in time, I had to turn the game off in such utter frustration that I have NEVER before felt with ANY game, EVER. And that is on the TRAINING mission for docking!!

Absolutely terrible that the developers would put up such a huge barrier to this great game. I can understand it, and you can always have some stations only having manual landing... But initial stations could so very easily have "tractor beams" that guide you to the pad once you pass the slot. Or how about the gravity of the station takes over once inside so that you remain stationary relative to the station, rather than constantly drifting into the side! Just have the first few stations a little easier, and the Docking Training scenario have the 3 or 4 different types of docks to practice on.

I just hope I can get the hang of docking or I have blown $60!!

 

[EvulKlowne]

Docking is really not that difficult. It's primarily a matter of setting up your controls correctly (Red_13 you seem to have set controls for Flight landing overrides in Options>Controls. If you don't want these to kick in when your landing gear is lowered, clear them to keep using default flight bindings) and getting used to them.

 

[Vergoth]

Don't feed the troll.

 

[Evyl Minkey]

Take off the landing overrides.
There are no tractor beams in the elite universe.
Its not that difficult after you have done it once or twice.

 

[Danube]

For us older guys who played Elite back in the day we now don't have days on end to practise mundane stuff like this, we have lifes and families and can pick the game up for a few hours at most.

Age has nothing to do with it. I'm 60 this year and landed on my first trip out with no damage - a bit wobbly, and a bit of to'ing and fro'ing I admit, but even though it was my first attempt it took a couple of minutes at most. I didn't even do any of the Tutorials either, though I have played a lot of space games since the 80's.

In any case, a Docking Computer costs pocket change. ANYONE can afford 4,500 credits after a couple of courier missions in the Sidewinder.

EDIT: Maybe it's because you're using mouse controls? It could be, I suppose. I have a Black Widow joystick, used the ingame profile for it, and maybe that's why I can land smoothly?

 

[Red_13]

Now I have noticed that as soon as landing gear is down, all my controls get screwed up, including my joystick yaw and roll being swapped. I saw another message that says you can fix up your key mapping and the like when in landing mode in the Control Options. I'll load the game up again and try fixing them... But at this point in time, I had to turn the game off in such utter frustration that I have NEVER before felt with ANY game, EVER. And that is on the TRAINING mission for docking!!

Absolutely terrible that the developers would put up such a huge barrier to this great game. I can understand it, and you can always have some stations only having manual landing... But initial stations could so very easily have "tractor beams" that guide you to the pad once you pass the slot. Or how about the gravity of the station takes over once inside so that you remain stationary relative to the station, rather than constantly drifting into the side! Just have the first few stations a little easier, and the Docking Training scenario have the 3 or 4 different types of docks to practice on.

OK, I think during the training video on docking it needs to be made more clear that there ARE a different set of controls that need to be SET UP once Landing Gear is engaged. I had skipped over this bit, thinking it would be the same as normal flight, but no. Also, it seems I might have (don't know how) to have Flight Assist OFF. Once this is on, it seems the ship doesn't drift relative to the space station which makes a big difference. Landed right away after fixing the controls and having Flight Assist on, twice and traveled to the other training dock and that too was relatively easy.

All that said, I think the developers could still think about putting "tractor beams" on some of the earlier stations that take over once you pass the slot. And others still to have "Auto Flight Assist Fields" that lock your ship to it's gravity and thus make maneuvering all relative to the "static" station. And then further out stations to have no Flight Assist or Auto Docking available at all.

In short... We all love the realism... But you do have to keep in mind the learning curve on this is already quite steep with all the myriad of controls and putting a big hurdle so early in the game doesn't help.

Now... Onto actual exploring and trading and all the rest of the stuff I loved in the original game.

 

[Red_13]

Docking is really not that difficult. It's primarily a matter of setting up your controls correctly (Red_13 you seem to have set controls for Flight landing overrides in Options>Controls. If you don't want these to kick in when your landing gear is lowered, clear them to keep using default flight bindings) and getting used to them.

Thanks, yes that was the problem... As in I had Override set ON, but the controls not actually properly set. Once set, that made a huge difference.

Also, not sure how but seems my Flight assist was off and that would make you "drift" relative to the station. With it on, it seems a lot more "locked in".

So after 3 successful landings within a minute or 2, I think I am set. Thanks for the reply.

But, I still think it would not hurt for the developers to put "tractor beams" in the initial few stations, acknowledging (in the story) that those stations are visited by the "newbies" the most and had caused a lot of damage to the stations so they fitted tractor beams.

 

[Scimiter]

I played Elite years ago and docking without the auto docking was a nightmare.

This version is worse. If you are a newbie like me it's frustrating to the point i just can not be bothered after spending 6 hours going back and forth getting to a new station and trying to land. It is and will drive your customers away. The game is supposed to fun, not about spending a day or more trying to learn how to do this. Landing your ship should be reasonbably easy, make the combat hard, but something as basic as this for a game should be 10 times easier at least.

For us older guys who played Elite back in the day we now don't have days on end to practise mundane stuff like this, we have lifes and families and can pick the game up for a few hours at most.

It looks such a great game and it's such a shame so please change this, thanks.

I have to disagree, I think docking in this game is simple compared to the 1984 version, in this version you dont really need the docking computer, I only use it when I feel lazy!

 

[Zylark]

Docking is real easy - with a few assumptions:

- You've done the tutorial and got the basic gist of it down pat.
- You got a joystick with twist handle, throttle lever and a top-hat for controlling lateral maneuver thrusters.

[video=youtube;cysG7zVHyXg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cysG7zVHyXg[/video]

Ironically, docking the larger ships is much easier than the small ones...

 

[Zeeman]

Devs don't need to do anything. Every newbie has eventually learned how to dock up until now, so unless they encounter the bug where the docking hologram does not appear on the right pad, they'll be right as rain.

This.

Also, rep for Morena Baccarin avatar.

Z...

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Docking is real easy - with a few assumptions:

- You've done the tutorial and got the basic gist of it down pat.
- You got a joystick with twist handle, throttle lever and a top-hat for controlling lateral maneuver thrusters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cysG7zVHyXg

Ironically, docking the larger ships is much easier than the small ones...

Once you "get it", you can even do it with a keyboard and mouse - as painful as it is...

Z...