How to approach a station faster? (D > 100Ls)
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Am talking about the timing if you are on a long SC trip. You still have to focus for the deceleration, otherwise SCA wont drop you out.
In the original elite the stations faced the planet. Stations orbit the body in Elite dangerous, it's orientation changes as it orbits.
I do, it's the mundane parts that I automate.
The slot on stations face a point above the south pole of the parent body*. That is why before they showed the slot on the station hologram in supercruise we used to loop-in to try to end up facing the slot (50:50 chance back then, now it is obvious).
*For some reason the stations in the starter-zone don't do this, they seem to point along the station's orbit which is daft if you think about it.
I've always hated the fact that one can be interdicted at any time while in the slowdown period before falling into the systems instance. Some time so close that they actually follow you into the instance, the later I don't mind, because if they open up, the station is only a few kilo's away. It's the time where one is actually interdicted, wins the mini game and has lost so much distance in the mini game process. They basically have to do their approach all over again.
I now using a hotas which gives me greater control, when the ship and number's stabilize when dropping to 7 or 6. I wait until the distance matches the seconds and then stand on the gas and make sure my finger is on the drop from super configured button.
If I get interdicted under 10, I throttle to zero, keeping the systems vector in my view and when the interdiction happens, boost boost boost. Yes I'll take a couple of hits, but rarely does it cause any let alone a bit of damage. Because I throttled down to zero, my fsd is accessible faster, engage it and finish the rest of the few seconds not minutes one generally gets if fighting and winning the mini-game.
Took a few loops of shame before getting it down, but now I don't have to bother winning a mini game and having additional minutes added to the distance I had already accomplished.
I now using a hotas which gives me greater control, when the ship and number's stabilize when dropping to 7 or 6. I wait until the distance matches the seconds and then stand on the gas and make sure my finger is on the drop from super configured button.
If I get interdicted under 10, I throttle to zero, keeping the systems vector in my view and when the interdiction happens, boost boost boost. Yes I'll take a couple of hits, but rarely does it cause any let alone a bit of damage. Because I throttled down to zero, my fsd is accessible faster, engage it and finish the rest of the few seconds not minutes one generally gets if fighting and winning the mini-game.
Took a few loops of shame before getting it down, but now I don't have to bother winning a mini game and having additional minutes added to the distance I had already accomplished.
Just my cents -
In my experience, using SCA to line up with the station, turning it off, then flipping it back on at the last possible second - is by faaaaar the fastest method......But i refuse to sacrifice a slot (and i'm l̶a̶z̶y̶ not usually in a rush), so i tend to just follow the 'seven second rule')
That being said, if i'm evading a Ganker (Or just plain old bored!) going full speed towards the station, then hitting full-stop and deselecting it at about 2 seconds, before reselecting a couple of seconds later and smashing 'J' (preferably within the gravity well of a planet) is a fun way to s̶h̶o̶w̶o̶f̶f̶ get to a station quickly (Never forget to send a PM to your ganker/wingman asking "whats taking them so long?" ehehehe)
It's a bit hit or miss for me though - it's easy to be off by a fraction of a second and either end up with a loop of shame, or sitting at 30 km/s faaaaar away from the station looking stupid
(I just need more practice lol!)
But also.....If your in a Wing - Navlock ftw!
In my experience, using SCA to line up with the station, turning it off, then flipping it back on at the last possible second - is by faaaaar the fastest method......But i refuse to sacrifice a slot (and i'm l̶a̶z̶y̶ not usually in a rush), so i tend to just follow the 'seven second rule')
That being said, if i'm evading a Ganker (Or just plain old bored!) going full speed towards the station, then hitting full-stop and deselecting it at about 2 seconds, before reselecting a couple of seconds later and smashing 'J' (preferably within the gravity well of a planet) is a fun way to s̶h̶o̶w̶o̶f̶f̶ get to a station quickly (Never forget to send a PM to your ganker/wingman asking "whats taking them so long?" ehehehe)
It's a bit hit or miss for me though - it's easy to be off by a fraction of a second and either end up with a loop of shame, or sitting at 30 km/s faaaaar away from the station looking stupid
(I just need more practice lol!)But also.....If your in a Wing - Navlock ftw!
In this case, doing a wide barrelroll gets my vote.
Same method works when approaching glide, and to an extent in glide as well.
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no SCA for the same reason no DC. I wouldn't bring my boat up to the dock on auto, I won't do it with my spaceship either. I choose my flightpath to the destination, not a computer. I sometimes don't pick the "most efficient" either. I don't travel in straight lines down the shipping lanes. I follow an arc that takes me out of the system's orbital plane and ends up with me lined up for a clean run in to the front of the station, one that may be wider or narrower depending on what's in my way, whether there are any blips (hollow ones especially) that I want to keep out of my six. I can win interdiction minigames, I can submit and either tank incoming fire long enough to spool up and ship out or make a scrap of it. But that's tactical. The strategic plays a part too and if I can manage to never show their interdictor a sniff of my FSD until it's too late, so much the better. This requires piloting the ship, not just ordering the autopilot to "go there."
Turn off SC assist first. Full throttle in usually in a curve to compensate for gravity. Watch the timer. At first hold the timer to 7 seconds. After a lot of practice, we in the Buckyball Racing can and do hold as low as 2-3 seconds, but it takes lightning reactions. This is much much faster.
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Can you elaborate?
Well if you watch the timer it tells you how much time to destination. Hold the throttles at max until the timer drops to 7 seconds or so. Pull back on the throttles to keep the time at 7 seconds. When the display says destination drop. Drop out of SC. As for curving in, well its as simple as this - the game follows Newtonian physics whenever it can The quickest way to a body in a gravity well is a curve not a straight line.
When you get really brave you will start to boost up the slotting speed too. My personal record is is around 900 m/s but even regular I will enter at 2-300 m/s. Seriously the only way you will do this is go for it and practice. Just make sure you can afford to lose a ship before you get brave.
When you get really brave you will start to boost up the slotting speed too. My personal record is is around 900 m/s but even regular I will enter at 2-300 m/s. Seriously the only way you will do this is go for it and practice. Just make sure you can afford to lose a ship before you get brave.
I'm no racer, but I go full throttle boring straight in until the counter hits 5 seconds, then zero throttle, dive until the target dot on the icon hits the 12 o'clock point on the compass, then ramp speed back up to mid-blue and re-centre the target.
Then, as soon as the speed indocator drops deep into the blue, I ramp the speed up smartly, keeping it just inside the blue until its time to drop out of supercruise.
It's a bit of a close thing at times, and if the counter drops to 4 seconds an overshoot often occurs, but it relieves the monotony of just "surfing the six" all the way in.
Nobody taught me this, it's just lessons learned from a series of 'kcufups' as a noob.
Then, as soon as the speed indocator drops deep into the blue, I ramp the speed up smartly, keeping it just inside the blue until its time to drop out of supercruise.
It's a bit of a close thing at times, and if the counter drops to 4 seconds an overshoot often occurs, but it relieves the monotony of just "surfing the six" all the way in.
Nobody taught me this, it's just lessons learned from a series of 'kcufups' as a noob.
I stopped using SCA long ago when I saw that it doesn't get me to the destination faster than grav assist. SCA only provides reliable AFK SC. Since I almost always have an alt ship at my mission giver station, the fast approach time is 100% throttle and let alt ship navlock pull me out of SC. And when I'm looping between stations, I use a 2nd alt to pull me out of SC at the far end of the loop.