Newcomer / Intro How do I dock on a docking pad

TheDockingPad

T
Greetings,

I have requested docking permission and it has been granted. They told me a number which I am able to read and I go to land on it. Landing gear is down. The circle is blue. I am not an idiot, in any way. I watched the 2 minute youtube video and I did it.

I did it correctly. I left the system came back and did it again.

Oh it's bugged? I'm going to spend most of my time slamming my face into the docking pad, literally a simulator of smashing my head into the wall?

You have developed a simulator where I literally smash my head into the wall and fail to accomplish anything.

STOP DOING WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND MAKE IT SO I DONT HAVE A DOCKING PAD BUG MOST OF THE TIME I LAND YOU HORRIBLY INCOMPETENT MORONS
 

Toffa

T
TheDockingPad said:
Greetings,

I have requested docking permission and it has been granted. They told me a number which I am able to read and I go to land on it. Landing gear is down. The circle is blue. I am not an idiot, in any way. I watched the 2 minute youtube video and I did it.

I did it correctly. I left the system came back and did it again.

Oh it's bugged? I'm going to spend most of my time slamming my face into the docking pad, literally a simulator of smashing my head into the wall?

You have developed a simulator where I literally smash my head into the wall and fail to accomplish anything.

STOP DOING WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND MAKE IT SO I DONT HAVE A DOCKING PAD BUG MOST OF THE TIME I LAND YOU HORRIBLY INCOMPETENT MORONS
Click to expand...

Pad,

1 -Are you facing the right way? On the hologram is your ship facing away from you? If so, should be no problem. If the hologram is facing toward you, turn around.

2- Don't be rude....

Toffs
( '-')7
 

Dave1235

D
TheDockingPad said:
Greetings,

I have requested docking permission and it has been granted. They told me a number which I am able to read and I go to land on it. Landing gear is down. The circle is blue. I am not an idiot, in any way. I watched the 2 minute youtube video and I did it.

I did it correctly. I left the system came back and did it again.

Oh it's bugged? I'm going to spend most of my time slamming my face into the docking pad, literally a simulator of smashing my head into the wall?

You have developed a simulator where I literally smash my head into the wall and fail to accomplish anything.

STOP DOING WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND MAKE IT SO I DONT HAVE A DOCKING PAD BUG MOST OF THE TIME I LAND YOU HORRIBLY INCOMPETENT MORONS
Click to expand...

Wow, I read the title and thought I might be able to help.

Sorry, my mistake.
 

clivewil

clivewil
are you pointing in the right direction? the nose of the ship needs to be pointing upwards in the hud display, and if there's a docking arm (? large yellow long thing at the side of the pad ?) then that needs to be to your right

---> beaten by faster typers than myself. my slothful two-finger typing just doesn't cut it any more
 
Last edited:

HughJanaconda

H
TheDockingPad said:
Greetings,

I have requested docking permission and it has been granted. They told me a number which I am able to read and I go to land on it. Landing gear is down. The circle is blue. I am not an idiot, in any way. I watched the 2 minute youtube video and I did it.

I did it correctly. I left the system came back and did it again.

Oh it's bugged? I'm going to spend most of my time slamming my face into the docking pad, literally a simulator of smashing my head into the wall?

You have developed a simulator where I literally smash my head into the wall and fail to accomplish anything.

STOP DOING WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND MAKE IT SO I DONT HAVE A DOCKING PAD BUG MOST OF THE TIME I LAND YOU HORRIBLY INCOMPETENT MORONS
Click to expand...

Take 3T of Performance Enhancers and call me in the morning.

images.jpg
 

TheDockingPad

T
clivewil said:
are you pointing in the right direction? the nose of the ship needs to be pointing upwards in the hud display, and if there's a docking arm (? large yellow long thing at the side of the pad ?) then that needs to be to your right

---> beaten by faster typers than myself. my slothful two-finger typing just doesn't cut it any more
Click to expand...


I literally hope this doesnt help me because then it is a design flaw to turn the thing blue when it is not actually ready to dock, as opposed to a bug where they have failed to search with difficulty to find a coding error.

Thank you everyone for your help.
 

Dave1235

D
TheDockingPad said:
I literally hope this doesnt help me because then it is a design flaw to turn the thing blue when it is not actually ready to dock, as opposed to a bug where they have failed to search with difficulty to find a coding error.

Thank you everyone for your help.
Click to expand...

What Clivewil said is the most likely option, when you look at your ship on the "landing radar" you need to be seeing it from behind, if you see it from the front you are the wrong way round.

You need to land facing the structure (unless pad is bugged then see previous) and the "ramp" should be behind you, also top tip, turn your landing lights on, it makes it a bit easier to see.
 

Ted Striker

Ted Striker
You get used to which way you have to face. You always face toward the towers or buildings and away from the moving platforms at outposts.
 

Sisca

S
TheDockingPad said:
I literally hope this doesnt help me because then it is a design flaw to turn the thing blue when it is not actually ready to dock, as opposed to a bug where they have failed to search with difficulty to find a coding error.

Thank you everyone for your help.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call it a design flaw but I would agree that there needs to be some indication that you've met all of the criteria for docking. Perhaps have the grid turn green if you're lined up, facing the right way and your gear is down.

I know I've had the same thing happen to me several times and I had no idea that it might be that I was facing the wrong way.
 

Floorwax

F
Like most things in life, its easier when you don't smash you're head to the point of lossing brain cells.

Just face the right way before landing and you'll never have an issue, problem solved, no face smashing required.
 

DiddleDum

D
I thought you might be referring to a bug of some sorts. I sometimes will do a "buzz the tower" while requesting docking permission, and I'm facing the correct way, at the correct pad. I've got permission, but the landing grid doesn't appear. I usually have to fly a half KM off the platform, and approach like a normal pilot. And a few times, it'll let me land, even without the landing grid. It's not game-breaking, and rarely happens.

Now, sometimes I'll come in the wrong way. I stop, nose down, roll, and pirouette until I'm turned the opposite way. Got pretty good with that move in the Sidewinder. With the Adder.... not too bad, but I've crashed a few stations :)

Good luck and fly safe.
 

Nebiroth

N
I dunno, I just ran the instructional video and tutorial on landing and didn;t find it hard. I'm using a keyboard/mouse which is afaik way harder than a decent joystick/hotas and had no real problems, it's a fiddle but got much easier after the first go. Only mistake I made was not reading the message saying "land on pad 29" and trying to land on 14, and getting a fine. Whoops

Basically:

Ask for docking permission
Fly into the station
Go to the pad it tells you - with the orange flashing markers over it
Align over it roughly
Thrust down until you get the landing tool on your console
Use the thrusters to align until you get a blue
Thrust down until you land (remembering to deploy landing gear, it warns you!)

Other than that it's easy. The alignment tool that triggers when you get low enough is wonderfuly effective (and I think pinched from the lunar lander sequence in 2001!)
 

MoonDragn

M
Just one of many little quirks that newcomers have to put up with in this game. It is not game breaking but annoying as heck until you figure it out. There are many many more of these little quirks in the game. Have fun finding them all.
 

DogTailRed2

D
I think the OP does have a small point.
It shouldn't go blue when you are facing the wrong way and could they fix the bug so the docking animation is always available.
However I've never had a problem docking.
 
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