I am too impatient for a DC.
In the defense of the Docking Computer.
- Thread starter CMDR MERANGO
- Start date
HAL? That would be wayyyy too advanced. Somewhere between 2014 and 3300 AI went so nuts that it is not even trusted to serve drinks in a concourse bar. AI is allowed to take off, dock/land but at a maximum distance of 7.5km, and fly in a straight line in supercruise and that's it.
Whatever AI did must have been pretty catastrophic.
Back 8 years ago I used to fit a docking computer everytime I got a new ship so I could learn where to aim for when going through the slot. After I had learnt I would get rid of the DC as the general view at the time was that they were maniacs and would try and kill you as soon as you weren’t paying attention.
The only other time I would fit them was if I was hauling to bases in high gravity worlds as the DC was magnificent at dealing with the gravity without crashing you through the planet.
Now I have ADCs on ships of all sizes some for trivial reasons some because why not.
The only other time I would fit them was if I was hauling to bases in high gravity worlds as the DC was magnificent at dealing with the gravity without crashing you through the planet.
Now I have ADCs on ships of all sizes some for trivial reasons some because why not.
I use it on most ships. It's not that I can't land, I just find them convenient. But you can't just zero throttle and AFK with it. While it lands and takes off decently 99% of the time, you need to be able to override it for that 1% where it just gets too polite. If you're still waiting in queue at 3:00 left to exit, hit the throttle and gun it.
Also it bonks my Cutter if it takes off from a pad close to the exit. I find that kinda cute and that 1% shield damage isn't too bad.
Also it bonks my Cutter if it takes off from a pad close to the exit. I find that kinda cute and that 1% shield damage isn't too bad.
They saw ChatGPT et al and promptly decided to not pursue that line of development in favor of simple, reliable scripts that don’t attempt interpretation of data while the technology is nowhere close to advanced enough to actually make it a possibility.
Me, I use a docking computer on the Cutter (because it is mostly used for moving cargo in low threat areas - relatively speaking - or in solo for CGs… don’t think I need to say why, or evacuations where I don’t want to take the pad up for people fighting at a station), and depending on the type of activity also medium pad ship.
I love that they kept the waltz. This is forever stuck in my head:
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-VJeVPeawk
I always have a DC onboard but most of the time I fly trought the mail slot in & out myself to avoid waiting in line, and then let the DC find my spot and park.
When I'm on a long hauling session watching a film on the second screen, this thing & the supercruise assist are really helpfull
When I'm on a long hauling session watching a film on the second screen, this thing & the supercruise assist are really helpfull
I don't know what you mean ... I just asked it why there is no AI in ED lore and it gave me some spiel based on dubious sources that gave rise to generic sci-fi answers.
What I have heard is that AI came within inches of wiping out humanity as a whole earlier in the Elite universe, and after that, AI has been pretty much banned in almost everything.
The autodocking feature is quite an admirable piece of programming. After all, consider all the different ways in which your ship needs to automatically navigate in different space ports and surface settlements, around all kinds of obstacles, avoiding other ships, to reach the landing pad and make a perfect landing. There are many surface settlements with unusual structures, like very high towers, or which are in really awkward places, like at the bottom of a crater, surrounded by walls, and the autodocking just works.
But it's not perfect. I don't know if it's a bug, defect or oversight in the code, or if it might actually be intentional, but sometimes the autodocking actually doesn't avoid all obstacles and may collide with the environment, both when landing and, most commonly, when taking off. It might sometimes even fly directly towards the wall when trying to exit the mail slot, missing said slot completely and just hitting the wall, repeatedly.
There's also the added problem that in open mode (and I believe sometimes also in PG mode) the mail slot may be obstructed by NPC ships that are stuck there, and the autodocking computer just can't get around that, so you are either stuck or need to override it and navigate yourself.
For those fine-tuning their ship builds to the extreme, it's one extra slot that could be used for something much more useful than the ADC, as manual docking is no problem (and in fact many find it both faster and more fun).
But it's not perfect. I don't know if it's a bug, defect or oversight in the code, or if it might actually be intentional, but sometimes the autodocking actually doesn't avoid all obstacles and may collide with the environment, both when landing and, most commonly, when taking off. It might sometimes even fly directly towards the wall when trying to exit the mail slot, missing said slot completely and just hitting the wall, repeatedly.
There's also the added problem that in open mode (and I believe sometimes also in PG mode) the mail slot may be obstructed by NPC ships that are stuck there, and the autodocking computer just can't get around that, so you are either stuck or need to override it and navigate yourself.
For those fine-tuning their ship builds to the extreme, it's one extra slot that could be used for something much more useful than the ADC, as manual docking is no problem (and in fact many find it both faster and more fun).
My current car is from 1983, which makes it older than Elite. The car didn't cost much. Maintenance, taxes and insurance is cheap. Only 90 PS but it's enough for ~1000 kg and quite fun. The last thing that broke was the fuel pump. A new one cost me 50€ and two screws. Try that with a modern car.
There is nothing wrong with the docking computer, I use it in every single ship I own. It removes part of the space simulation experience but I don't really care. Also, I mostly use big ships which are harder to dock. Aah, and another good thing of the docking computer is that you can take the opportunity to take a leak in the meantime and I'm sure a lot of people do it.
So AI is trusted to dock a massive ship laden with 712T of explosives ... but not pour me a drink? I want my robot bartender damnit!
Edit: And have you seen the state of some of the hangar bays? I mean a few dozen rumba are not going to bring down humanity.
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I practically live on the forums and cannot recall seeing anyone disparage docking computers recently.
I will therefore do it myself.
They're slow. They have a tendency to try to kill you. They engage automatically, usually when you're actually trying to do something else. They suck the joy out of docking - there's no feeling of Satisfaction n quite like getting FA-off docking just so.
They're also used by noobs.
I will therefore do it myself.
They're slow. They have a tendency to try to kill you. They engage automatically, usually when you're actually trying to do something else. They suck the joy out of docking - there's no feeling of Satisfaction n quite like getting FA-off docking just so.
They're also used by noobs.
I've never had a docking computer try to kill me. I'm honestly perplexed at how anyone putting one to use can ever end up having their ship destroyed, unless they were actually trying to get blown up. Are these people leaving their ships banging away against the docking bay wall while unattended, for long enough that their timer runs out and the station blasts them? Because that strikes me as being the most plausible scenario, yet would also require the pilot to make a series of unforced errors sufficient to establish that the real problem lies between the pilot's seat and the controls.
These days I mostly don't bother putting a docking computer in my ships, since I can make a fun game out of lining up my approach, zooming through the access corridor, dodging any other ships in the way, and setting down to land as fast as possible without hitting anything or bouncing off the pad. The exception being the Cutter, its weird combination of high straight-line speed yet also poor manoeuvrability that will have you slide all over the place, making that ship uniquely un-fun to fly in a docking scenario.
But I still consider Supercruise Assist to be an essential shipboard technology, because having one installed means that I don't have to endure the absolutely riveting "gameplay" of "sit there and watch a number go down then press a button". The addition of SCO drives has done a lot to make supercruise flight a more engaging part of the game, but there are still enough situations in which SCA reduces the tedium enough for it to be worth having.
These days I mostly don't bother putting a docking computer in my ships, since I can make a fun game out of lining up my approach, zooming through the access corridor, dodging any other ships in the way, and setting down to land as fast as possible without hitting anything or bouncing off the pad. The exception being the Cutter, its weird combination of high straight-line speed yet also poor manoeuvrability that will have you slide all over the place, making that ship uniquely un-fun to fly in a docking scenario.
But I still consider Supercruise Assist to be an essential shipboard technology, because having one installed means that I don't have to endure the absolutely riveting "gameplay" of "sit there and watch a number go down then press a button". The addition of SCO drives has done a lot to make supercruise flight a more engaging part of the game, but there are still enough situations in which SCA reduces the tedium enough for it to be worth having.
There was a time in the early days when the DC would malfunction and get the commander and his ship damaged or even killed. But that was fixed a loooong time ago though some large ships (the Beluga in particular) would still snag their tail fin on the dock entrance cage from time to time.
People who don't like the DC like to recall those early DC troubles, they have long memories
The docking computer has its uses I guess. It's a shame though, that many new players don't really learn to fly anymore, and given the payouts nowadays they have Anacondas and fleet carriers before they even learned to dock manually.
That's a shame I think, because Elite's flight model is excellent and space flight sim is basically what it does. Especially if you get to use FA-off, at least for manoeuvres.
Apart from a few friendly jabs I don't really have an opinion on docking computer use, since Elite is still a game, and everyone's got to play it the way it's fun for them.
Gotta appreciate the blue danube though.
That's a shame I think, because Elite's flight model is excellent and space flight sim is basically what it does. Especially if you get to use FA-off, at least for manoeuvres.
Apart from a few friendly jabs I don't really have an opinion on docking computer use, since Elite is still a game, and everyone's got to play it the way it's fun for them.
Gotta appreciate the blue danube though.
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They were also used by some as a justification for attacking you back when the DC had largely stopped trying to boost your ship through the back of a station.
Not sure any defence of EDs DC will stand up in a court of law.
DC in 1984 Elite was not required, but was a huge QOL addition.
DC in Elite Dangerous is also not required, but is a huge IOL if fitted (Inferiority of Life)...and should be made illegal galaxy wide.
Reasons being:
1. It's slow, so slow! I can manually land, do my business and take off before a DC has chance to land a ship
2. It's dangerous, very dangerous. The DC thinks the best way to slow a ship down, that's going full speed. is to turn and crash head long into the station
3. It's poorly implemented. Instead of an enabled/disable DC toggle button the mechanics are as soon as your throttle goes to minimum position it auto engages, which can have disastrous consequences (see pt 2)
4. Wasted modules slots. Modules slots can be better utilised with MRPs and HRPs, or any other modules for that matter. I'd rather fit a class 1 dead hedgehog than a DC.
The DC is akin to stabilisers on a bike when you're learning to ride, or armbands when learning to swim, but once you have learnt then you ditch them.
DC in 1984 Elite was not required, but was a huge QOL addition.
DC in Elite Dangerous is also not required, but is a huge IOL if fitted (Inferiority of Life)...and should be made illegal galaxy wide.
Reasons being:
1. It's slow, so slow! I can manually land, do my business and take off before a DC has chance to land a ship
2. It's dangerous, very dangerous. The DC thinks the best way to slow a ship down, that's going full speed. is to turn and crash head long into the station
3. It's poorly implemented. Instead of an enabled/disable DC toggle button the mechanics are as soon as your throttle goes to minimum position it auto engages, which can have disastrous consequences (see pt 2)
4. Wasted modules slots. Modules slots can be better utilised with MRPs and HRPs, or any other modules for that matter. I'd rather fit a class 1 dead hedgehog than a DC.
The DC is akin to stabilisers on a bike when you're learning to ride, or armbands when learning to swim, but once you have learnt then you ditch them.