finding it hugely difficult to exit access corridor ("mailslot") with big ships

[ragingspeed]

Fellow commanders,

I did my fair share of ED playing hours with various ships (mostly diamondback explorer, asp explorer, type 9, and recently Federal Corvette), various missions (mostly data/cargo/passenger/exploration ... almost never combat yet though), so I don't think this is a case of "noob"

As mentioned above, I recently bought the Federal Corvette (and maxed out its thrusters and FSD with engineering) ... very happy with this behemoth however I'm finding it extrrrremely difficult to exit through a station's Access Corridor ("Mailslot") and it's really really making me disappointed, frequently ending up busted by security after the 5 minute limit to exit (yes this would mean a rebuy of some 18M+ credit!!!!) I'm always doing my best by aiming at the very center of the corridor, driving slooooowly (sluggishly you can say) but I almost always get stuck somehow

Is there any valuable help? hints? directions? instructions? how-to's? ANYTHING with these huge ships' access corridor entry/exit? (with entry I "solved" it by using the docking computer)

Thanks in advance!

Geoff

 

[Chorda]

Make sure your landing gear is up and aim for the top of the slot if flying the Corvette or Annie. There's also some misinformation going around about keeping the Beluga's landing gear down on exit due to the lowered tail flaps (they don't affect the hitbox size, but the undercarriage does).

 

[Xious]

Fellow commanders,

I recently bought the Federal Corvette... I'm finding it extrrrremely difficult to exit through a station's Access Corridor ("Mailslot")

Raise your landing gear...

Other than that, just practice, practice...

 

[DocPossible]

The Corvette cockpit is right at the top of the ship - the exact opposite of the T9 and T10. In those ships you've got to scrape the bottom of the slot. In the vette, you've got to almost bang your head on the top. There's more room than you think, but you also have to be much higher than you think.

 

[NY09]

Pay attention to how high in the slot your POV is when the docking computer is taking the ship in and try and aim for that. I had to do this for the Beluga, had to have its chin on the deck almost.

 

[Stigbob]

Have a look at your ship in outfitting, gauge where the pilot seat is positioned in relation to the ship and match that when approaching the letterbox.

 

[Vardaugas]

Yeah, always remember where your cockpit is. And I'd suppose you could fit a docking computer and check where it's aiming for you while docking to get a feel how to fit through the slot. The rest is practice and avoiding other big ships passing through the slot at the same time as you. Found out the hard way two T-9 don't fit side by side. Good thing my shields were tougher than his.

 

[Eloy]

Is this serious? :S

Look where the cockpit of your ship is. On the Corvette it is on the top ... so you can pass the slot with your head near the "ceiling" of the slot (not to close though of course).

Another example: With the Type7 it´s vice versa - it´s cockpit is near the bottom of the ship, so you´d have to pass near the "bottom" of the slot.

EDIT: ninja´d

 

[Tosan James]

The Corvette cockpit is right at the top of the ship - the exact opposite of the T9 and T10. In those ships you've got to scrape the bottom of the slot. In the vette, you've got to almost bang your head on the top. There's more room than you think, but you also have to be much higher than you think.

Also , line yourself up with the slot, then increase your speed to around 80 or 90 so the station does not hit your ship when exiting the slot. The station is rotating, so the toaster rack will hit your ship if you don't clear the area quick enough. If the collision warning is sounding, don't worry about it as long as you clear the slot smoothly. Each ship is different and you just have to practice. I have played this game over 2000 hrs. and I still have trouble with the Beluga Liner when going through the mail slot. That ridiculous tail on the Beluga makes it very tricky.

 

[BuzzBee]

I have gear up every time and rotate a little, clockwise, as I'm exiting through the 'toast rack'. When I took a larger ship out for the first time I'd equipped it with a docking computer. Went out, spun round, requested docking and switched to external camera view and watched how the docking computer positioned the ship through the slot and after a few 'scrapes' practicing, it kinda clicked. I still scrape a bit of paint off when I first switch from a t9 or t10 to the Anaconda or Vette, but the above might help to visualise position.

 

[ragingspeed]

THANKS !!! and replying to you all guys ....

- of course i'm serious my friend why cannot be? i'm very much finding it truly difficult in fact am not using it due to numerous rebuy incurrances

- landing gear I'm 100% making sure I retract it therefore for that aspect it's clear
- aiming to the top of the slot - was NOT doing this, I always aim to the centre or bottom of the slot, therefore lesson number 1 learnt and will try it for sure
- practice ... i WISH i can practice this a million times if possible, but the game does not allow you to do so without butchering you with rebuys costs (if there are any ideas where to practice, then fire away since I don't know about this)
- pay attention how computer docks gets through, lesson number 2 ... never paid attention and this will for sure do it next time!
- have a look at the ship, did have a look at it several times since I really really like its looks especially with the kit I bought for it... impressive I must say, but will look at again to observe even more cockpit positioning (mentioning cockpit, cockpit really is awkwardly different than say the ASP's and DBX's, again due to cockpit positioning and views) lesson 3 !
- going at mildly-annoyed speed 80 or 90 instead sluggishly slow like I'm doing, lesson 4, need to adjust speed
- switching to external camera view while auto docking ... lesson 5, brilliant idea agreed!

the more lessons, the merrier since I need to be happy again with the Corv!

 

[Schmack]

Punch it and crunch it!

The only issue I have with the Cutter is that, for some odd reason, an otherwise uneventful station suddenly has a parade of Belugas and T9s entering the slot when I have already launched and I have to sit there forever waiting for them, then one tries to come in as I am leaving. So I don't get it. I can fly any other small build all day with no company in the slot, but as soon as I go to the Cutter, it's Grand Central Station. I'll get out of the slot and scan the area, nothing there. They just magically appear suddenly.

 

[Cliché]

Make sure your landing gear is up ...

I haven't flown a big ship since a Cutter in the beta in which it was introduced. I remember seeing commanders getting stuck in the slot, on the verge of getting destroyed. Then I'd text them to lower their gear (which I read about). They'd stop struggling, lower their gear, and slide right through the slot with a thankful o7. It never made sense to me that lowering the gear would help, but it did work.

I always do it gear up, lowering them on final approach.

Anyway, just wondering if something has changed from that early beta? Did they update the hit boxes or something?

 

[Raino]

passing the mailslot is as easy as always, gear down? ,

line up propper and fly through

 

[dognosh]

I always enter slot with gear DOWN,to stop me accidentally boosting in the station. Never have had problems with T10,Conda or Cutter.

 

[NY09]

yw OP. Also - outside cam view can help you manual land in the station if you can't see where the hell the pad is!

 

[CMDR IPL Victim]

I haven't flown a big ship since a Cutter in the beta in which it was introduced. I remember seeing commanders getting stuck in the slot, on the verge of getting destroyed. Then I'd text them to lower their gear (which I read about). They'd stop struggling, lower their gear, and slide right through the slot with a thankful o7. It never made sense to me that lowering the gear would help, but it did work.

I always do it gear up, lowering them on final approach.

Anyway, just wondering if something has changed from that early beta? Did they update the hit boxes or something?

That was a bug with the cutter hit box fixed in beta or soon thereafter. Slips in pretty easy nowadays though it is a slidy beast outside the blue zone. I wonder if I just imagine it sliding faster when i release the thrusters or not ...

 

[Vardaugas]

I haven't flown a big ship since a Cutter in the beta in which it was introduced. I remember seeing commanders getting stuck in the slot, on the verge of getting destroyed. Then I'd text them to lower their gear (which I read about). They'd stop struggling, lower their gear, and slide right through the slot with a thankful o7. It never made sense to me that lowering the gear would help, but it did work.

I always do it gear up, lowering them on final approach.

Anyway, just wondering if something has changed from that early beta? Did they update the hit boxes or something?

I think lowering or raising the gear switches out the collision geometry of the ship. So the stuck state with the toaster rack gets reset and you can keep flying again, at least until you get into a stuck state again. Guess something to do with the way overlapping collision geometry works in the common physics models. At least you're not getting flung away at relativistic speeds as so happens all too often with some physics engines.

 

[EUS]

Apart form the above mentioned stuff, never use pitch when exiting, only thrusters.

 

[El_Hefe]

If i hit the slot in a corvette its because i was flying too low. As others have said you fly the ship from an elevated cockpit so you need to nearly feel like its going to hit on the top of the ship.

Also speed,of you line up the ship well enough and go about 60-70 ive found theres almost an assit that centres you as you start to go through the slot. Anyone else notice this?

Or you could only land at planatery bases and forget about orbitals