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Newcomer / Intro Docking for newbies is a nightmare (dev's U need to do something)
- Thread starter claretonmyshirt
- Start date
This isn't Microsoft Flight Simulator. You just have to reduce speed to zero when you're in the general vicinity and hear the fast beeping. If it doesn't catch, you're too high off the pad. Press "F" to thrust downward. If you get a loitering warning, you're on the wrong pad.
Hell as a trader docking is one of the few pleasures in this game... Rocket in at max speed, lower gear just as you slam on the brakes and drop into a perfect 3 point landing. Then to take off Thrust up pull in gear max speed barrel rolling out the door. Everything that takes effort is worth doing with style =D.
I've been flying without shields in my sidewinder for quite a few hours...dozens of dockings and undockings, and only a few scrapes here and there. Just takes practice, lots of practice.
What really helped me was early on I spent a lot of time playing with different control mappings. Eventually I found something that gave me the control I was looking for, but it was very different from the default mapping.
What really helped me was early on I spent a lot of time playing with different control mappings. Eventually I found something that gave me the control I was looking for, but it was very different from the default mapping.
Have you tried smuggling Onionhead yet? It's on my list after I get a ship with a cargo hold...
I played the original Elite and you are right it was a nightmare. One of the first things everybody bought when they could was the docking computer (mind you the docking computer was a close your eyes and hope it got it right as it lined up with the entrance and went full throttle).
Elite: Dangerous is easy and a joy to land. So may of your instruments are there to help you.
The only thing that took me a while to learn was that on Orbitals and other Stations where you dock "outside", you approach the landing pad from the side with the "ski ramp". Go over that and land and you are OK. Kill your main engine when near to zero or almost and use your thrusters to go backwards, forwards, left, right, up and down. It is almost too easy.
Elite: Dangerous is easy and a joy to land. So may of your instruments are there to help you.
The only thing that took me a while to learn was that on Orbitals and other Stations where you dock "outside", you approach the landing pad from the side with the "ski ramp". Go over that and land and you are OK. Kill your main engine when near to zero or almost and use your thrusters to go backwards, forwards, left, right, up and down. It is almost too easy.
Back in the summer you would have found a similar post from me in Beta testing, as a returnee commander from the original class of '84. I was advised (nicely) to cool down, and keep trying. And guess what, six months later I'm still here. These boards are littered with posts from people who've hit the 'toastrack' multiple times, or boosted not braked, and pancaked into stations, or crashed into walls, or slammed into the deck, or hit another ship, or expended the 10 mins and got shot for trespassing. You are far from alone.
A couple of things I did. I have a basic (i.e. non gaming) laptop. My graphics was stuttering thus making precision moves difficult, including on docking and hitting the 'envelope' slot. Hit CTRL + F to bring up the frames per second (FPS) bottom left of screen. Then go to Graphics settings in Options and drop the standard settings towards the bottom of that menu list until FPS is at least 15+ or 25+. That helped me a lot.
Next, practice. Back before the tutorials added docking I just took myself into Solo and off to a quiet station and did 15 or 20 practice launch-exit-turnaround-enter-dock routines for about an hour, until I was barely glancing off the walls anymore (this was in a Sidewinder!). Like so much in Elite, practice is needed, whether it's exiting SuperCruise just right, mining for maximum gain, fuel scooping without getting scorched, fighting without dying (too often), trading for profit, etc. If you think docking is frustrating try exploring and trying to find that second or third star (clue, it's the small dot of a star moving on a background of a million other stars).
Finally, orientation. The two-digit dock number will display at one end of the bay, but (unhelpfully) will also read correctly from the reverse side. Make sure the nose of the ship is pointing at the numbers, and the numbers are at the far end of the pad. This is easy inside an orbital station, but a little harder on the outpost types. On orbitals just keep the ship aligned to the direction you entered the hanger (i.e. don't spin the ship around), and kill the engines and use the six-way thrusters for final approach and landing (up/down, forward/back, left/right). And don't forget to drop the landing gear. A number of new commanders drop the landing gear before entering the hanger, which also serves to slow speed.
So long story short, just grab a favourite non-alcoholic drink* and the tutorial and try docking 10,20,30 times until you've got it down.
* Alcohol has probably caused more late night docking 'errors' than just about anything else.
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this is not supposed to be a snarky comment, but ... you DO request permission to land first, right?
It doesn't have to be zero, but it does have to close to it. I usually go to hover over the pad then drop using 'F' until I get the schematic, then I manoeuvre until I'm over the pad centre and drop onto the pad but I have swooped into place at least once, swearing, thinking I was going to crash as I frantically hit 'X'
. I only use the keyboard/mouse when landing as the control is finer, too fine for combat.
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No offense but as usual PEBKAC and lol.
claretonmyshirt :
Just a FYI there is a bug when prevents docking when you're landing at the small outposts which I can explain if it's useful. You should however have no issue at the larger rotating stations (assuming you're the right way round!).
What helped me dock was a couple things:
The front of your ship should be facing away from the triangles on the rear of the landing pad. The triangles go towards the back end of your ship. That way you will always be facing the right direction when landing.
Also, when you enter a larger station, look at the blue dot on your Nav Compass (same one you use to align with targets in supercruise). Once you get inside, the blue dot will change to point to your docking pad, even if the number disappears or isn't visible for some reason. Very helpful for those docking pads that are right near the entrance of a station and hard to see when you enter.
The front of your ship should be facing away from the triangles on the rear of the landing pad. The triangles go towards the back end of your ship. That way you will always be facing the right direction when landing.
Also, when you enter a larger station, look at the blue dot on your Nav Compass (same one you use to align with targets in supercruise). Once you get inside, the blue dot will change to point to your docking pad, even if the number disappears or isn't visible for some reason. Very helpful for those docking pads that are right near the entrance of a station and hard to see when you enter.
I'm sorry but pfft.
While Elite is one of those games that doesn't bother explaining itself, docking ain't hard. Request for docking permission, deploy landing gear, find the pad and slow down, some sideway wiggles them bam, you're on the ground.
If you don't know how to move sideways or vertically, that's your problem
While Elite is one of those games that doesn't bother explaining itself, docking ain't hard. Request for docking permission, deploy landing gear, find the pad and slow down, some sideway wiggles them bam, you're on the ground.
If you don't know how to move sideways or vertically, that's your problem
My first attempt at docking was a disaster..... Getting in and lining up was easier than the original I thought because the gap it actually 10 times bigger....With a SideWinder you can enter vertical or horizontal.
But the new problem for me was landing on the pad....Crashed 5 or 6 times.....Don't know quite when I got the hang of it but now its second nature...Confidently zoom in and land without thinking about it to much.
Practice makes perfect.... I learnt with Keyboard and mouse ( which a mouse is very sensitive to rocking ) It makes a joystick even easier
But the new problem for me was landing on the pad....Crashed 5 or 6 times.....Don't know quite when I got the hang of it but now its second nature...Confidently zoom in and land without thinking about it to much.
Practice makes perfect.... I learnt with Keyboard and mouse ( which a mouse is very sensitive to rocking ) It makes a joystick even easier
You're trolling hard.
Is navigating the fridge with your hand also difficult for you? Seriously. Docking is trivial as hell.
If you are somehow serious. Take more than 5 minutes to learn. Controls in any game take some getting used to. Don't come on here trying to get them to nerf something just because you can't manage basic controls.
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I have to agree with you 100%
Navigating Win 8.1 is harder
It took me weeks longer to get to grips with that !!
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The obligatory link sent in each one of these threads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VwDwvlSJRk#t=53
To the OP, I know peeps have been saying to make sure you are pointing the right way but I didn't see anyone mention it. When you are coming into the slot, that is the right direction, you dock in the large stations facing the back of the station.
Make sure you are familiar with the Manoeuvring thrusters controls. So not the Joystick ones (although they are used to line up with the pad and head towards it), there are additional controls that will move ship up down, left right.
Everyone's technique is different but this is probably how you should do it when you are starting out:
Make sure you have Full PIPS to System so shields are at full strength Just in case
Request Docking Clearance (make sure docking request granted)
Head in through the slot
Lower landing gear (you may want to do this before entering It slows you down a lot and disables Accidental Boost)
Sight Designated Landing Pad and if landing pad is not directly in front and below you, Roll Joytstick Right or left to get it in front / below you
Head towards the pad (I start moving down straight towards the Control Tower at the far end of the pad so I will reach it well below the number Display)
Go in slow and as you ship starts to go over the pad, the target display will change to show landing target and your ship facing forward (if it does activate not you may be too high or not over the pad yet)
Edge forward SLOWLY and manoeuvre the ship towards the target on the scanner. This is where you may need the Left Right thrusters in concert with your engines.
The pings increase and slow down more ...it will turn blue when you are over the sweet spot. STOP
Now use the manoeuvring thruster to slower the ship, it should lock in place and you are done.
If you get one of the pads way down the back, it is generally easier than the horrible ones right next to the slot they are the worst to practice on.
I hope this helps
BTW that is not how I do it. With practice and a bit of carelessness, I come flying in at high speed, Aileron roll to line up the pad, make a descending b-line right towards the back of the pad, and hit the landing gear so it deploys and slows me just in time (mostly). Its not pretty but I am in and out in seconds. I take a little more care if I have valuable cargo.
Bill D