Giving Way to Larger Vessels.
- Thread starter Langhorne
- Start date
The AI is dumb. They know how to give way for larger (NPC) ships, but can't predict the movements of players.
You would think that, when a Cutter is halfway through a mail slot (exiting), an AI gunship (docking) would hold his position outside the station until it is safe to proceed. Unless, of course, players are so unpredictable (even while flying straight through the slot) that AI ships simply ignore their existence.
This is the thing I find strange with the players of this game.
1st: NPCs around the stations, are just window dressing. Yes the security ships have a role to play; but the rest. Are just there.
2nd: If you use the D.C. with a bigger ship, it joins the queue and will follow the other NPCs into the station. Real players on the other hand, are what causes it to panic, stall and sit and wait for ages, before joining the queue and filling into the station.
3rd: The 'give way to bigger ships' is just more window dressing and added atmosphere. NPCs are just following a programmed cycle etc.. It is the humans that cause the issues. Most of the time anyway.
Fit the best sensors and flip though to targets at about 8Km out; then choose to follow one into the station, or ignore the queue and thread yourself though at your own leisure.
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I believe the NPCs think like this:
"ooo look at the fancy pants human is his cutter"
"well I dare you to ram and explode me: double-dare!"
"see my brothers, how weak willed the flesh bags are, our uprising shall be soon..."
Just give them space, and avoid any fines by flying under 100m/s.
"ooo look at the fancy pants human is his cutter"
"well I dare you to ram and explode me: double-dare!"
"see my brothers, how weak willed the flesh bags are, our uprising shall be soon..."
Just give them space, and avoid any fines by flying under 100m/s.
[weird] It occurs to me that inbound ships have the right of way over outbound ships. As such, any inbound ship will give way to a bigger inbound ship and any outbound ship will give way to a bigger outbound ship. AI or player. But inbound ships, of any size, aren't likely to give way to an outbound ship. Of any size. AI or player.
Just being IN the station; can be a danger to player pilots.That about sums it up. Ironically, exiting a station can be a real danger field for player pilots.
Which is a strange way of doing it, ideally you want outbound to have right of way, after all if no one leaves the station there'll be no free pads for the inbound ships, also you're fairly blind when leaving a station as you don't get much of a view out of the mail slot.
My biggest concern when leaving a station are the security ships, they seem to enjoy flying directly through the mail slot path at high speeds, and then when they hit me I get ed at for not avoiding collisions...
It's been my belief since I started playing that since the station can take control of your ship for docking (provided you have a docking computer) They should also handle exiting. It really doesn't make any sense to me that you can get assistance in one direction only.
It also seems unrealistic that the docking slot is so tight. That whole wall of the port is available to expand the slot, making way for larger ships and heavier traffic.
It also seems unrealistic that the docking slot is so tight. That whole wall of the port is available to expand the slot, making way for larger ships and heavier traffic.
What would be nice, though not likely ever to happen, is a full-on holographic traffic control system. Here are some thoughts on the matter.
When you request docking, you are allocated a place in a queue. The regions of space around the station are then one of four kinds:
HTC wouldn't necessarily be used every single moment of time, just perhaps something that would become operable when the traffic level gets above a certain point or there are oversized vessels in motion.
If HTC is in use then it is not compulsory to follow the holography, though beware passing into red regions, especially if you aren't on Silent Running.
If HTC is in use when you are docking manually then:
Finally, there are those whose noses get seriously out of joint at the mere mention of the Docking Computer. I am not one of those people, even though I don't use a DC. So, as part-immersion with the above, and to tweak some noses further still, how about that using a docking computer actively in use makes the user immune to all trespass-related and collision-related crime, even if external factors (read, other players mostly), push someone out of position or makes someone speed involuntarily. But also, let the use of a DC incur fees proportional to the hull mass of the ship using it.
When you request docking, you are allocated a place in a queue. The regions of space around the station are then one of four kinds:
- Blank regions are outside of traffic control's regime of restriction
- Green is where you are given formal right of presence by the station of that chunk of space
- Yellow is where a region is controlled by the station, but anyone can enter if it is empty
- Red is where a region is controlled by the station and another ship is already present (with or without permission, that much is not your business)
HTC wouldn't necessarily be used every single moment of time, just perhaps something that would become operable when the traffic level gets above a certain point or there are oversized vessels in motion.
If HTC is in use then it is not compulsory to follow the holography, though beware passing into red regions, especially if you aren't on Silent Running.
If HTC is in use when you are docking manually then:
- being inside your green regions and not speeding makes you immune to collision-related crime, even if a collision pushes you over the speed limit
- speeding from 100 to 125 while inside a green or yellow region is a low-level infraction, but is not a crime and you don't get charged with murder if some smacks into you and is destroyed
- speeding at more than 125 incurs a large fine and makes you fully culpable for other ships' damages if you are in a collision with them irrespective of who is at fault to whatever degree
- being inside a red region without good cause (eg someone else pushed you there) is serious trespass and triggers potential lethal response
- being inside a red region without good cause and colliding with another ship is a significant crime, even if the other ship shouldn't be there either
Finally, there are those whose noses get seriously out of joint at the mere mention of the Docking Computer. I am not one of those people, even though I don't use a DC. So, as part-immersion with the above, and to tweak some noses further still, how about that using a docking computer actively in use makes the user immune to all trespass-related and collision-related crime, even if external factors (read, other players mostly), push someone out of position or makes someone speed involuntarily. But also, let the use of a DC incur fees proportional to the hull mass of the ship using it.
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As someone who often uses a docking computer, it has been my experience that entering a station has never been a problem ... even the really busy stations. Consequently, it would be nice if some engineer could modify my DC to also function as an un-docking computer. As for those pilots who dock manually, the above post has some good ideas. Assuming all that information could be displayed on the HUD.
Personally, I use to on occasion have issues going in and or going out, with ships of all sizes. Then someone told me that I should pay closer attention to the scanner prior to doing either. Since then, I've never had an issue entering nor exiting. The scanner shows all the ships and their locations, I simply wait until the path is clear. It also helps to hug the green side going in or out. The slot is bigger than one thinks. Sit in or out and watch others will show one just how big it really is.