Instrument Landing System

[The space tyrant]

An 'ILS' is a relatively simple system used in aviation to put aircraft on the proper approach path without visually seeing it. Would be cool to have in this game.

1.) It's a neat concept, adding to "realism"
2.) It would save flying looks around outposts like a fool trying to visually spot your pad.

https://youtu.be/zgYNv9qhpdE here's how it works in aviation

 

[SMcA]

An 'ILS' is a relatively simple system used in aviation to put aircraft on the proper approach path without visually seeing it. Would be cool to have in this game.

1.) It's a neat concept, adding to "realism"
2.) It would save flying looks around outposts like a fool trying to visually spot your pad.

https://youtu.be/zgYNv9qhpdE here's how it works in aviation

Try a docking computer.

 

[Allchemyst]

Try a docking computer.

Nah, DCs are boring as hell.

If we could get the landing UI hologram from much further away, both docking and landing would be much more interesting, I think. It makes no sense to only see the docking crosshair when we're like 100m away from it.

 

[Hydrino]

yes, more immersive tools, particularly for passenger missions.

Modern passenger jets have "passenger comfort" instruments and the crew get training, so that outside of emergencies there is a focus on not slinging everyone around. In zero-g this would be even more important as passengers could be floating in zero-g in the ED lore- no artificial G that could partially compensate for changes in flight or environment.

Once we get planets with atmosphere my guess is ILS will be a thing, but possibly done like the fighter docking routine, where we have bounding boxes guiding us to the landing pad. We should have the option to turn those on or off today, IMHO; as this could eliminate the need to scan the station interiors to find the assigned pad- why isn't there a system that points us to it?

 

[Iskariot]

An 'ILS' is a relatively simple system used in aviation to put aircraft on the proper approach path without visually seeing it. Would be cool to have in this game.

1.) It's a neat concept, adding to "realism"
2.) It would save flying looks around outposts like a fool trying to visually spot your pad.

https://youtu.be/zgYNv9qhpdE here's how it works in aviation

Would there really be a use for ILS? We do not need to approach a landing strip at high speeds.
We can easily approach stations at low speeds and dock vertically.

I can imagine that in the future when we can land on atmospheric planets it might be handy to have some kind of guidance system if we need to approach station in a thick fog. I hope very much those kinds of situations will be added to the game.
There could even be planets that have a perpetual fog making a visual approach impossible.

 

[AJW]

A better way to indicate pad positions would be good, but I'm not sure that trying to duplicate an ILS is the way to do it. Conventional passenger aircraft are very restricted in how they can approach the runway, and the ILS is designed to get the aircraft precisely lined up from a long way off. ED spaceships are a lot more manoeuvrable, and only really need guidance regarding which pad to use, and which way the ship needs to be orientated to land on it. I'd have thought this could be done simply enough with some sort of 'target indicator' on the HUD.

 

[Iskariot]

I'd have thought this could be done simply enough with some sort of 'target indicator' on the HUD.

The compass already works extremely well as a target indicator.

 

[SMcA]

Nah, DCs are boring as hell.

Relaxing, I say. And it gives you a chance to rubberneck the graphics.
But then I'm not very macho.

If we could get the landing UI hologram from much further away, both docking and landing would be much more interesting, I think. It makes no sense to only see the docking crosshair when we're like 100m away from it.

That is a good suggestion.

 

[ChiefRedCloud]

I'll jump ion tis discussion as one who has used a Docking Computer up until the last two weeks. In which time I have been docking manually. My major concern, though I look as carefully as I can, is either getting run over by another ship or running into another ship unexpectedly. I would simply like some kind of proximity alarm that let's me know if a ship is on a specific side of me. In example "Danger Proximity Alert Left Side". Visual cameras would be nice also. But perhaps I going over board there even though more and more cars have these today.

Chief

 

[AJW]

The compass already works extremely well as a target indicator.

It works, but at insufficient resolution to distinguish between pads until you are quite close sometimes. It also doesn't tell you which way round you need to be. The proposal was to make things easier, and nobody is suggesting that you can't manage without.

 

[SMcA]

It works, but at insufficient resolution to distinguish between pads until you are quite close sometimes. It also doesn't tell you which way round you need to be. The proposal was to make things easier, and nobody is suggesting that you can't manage without.

You can infer that information from the compass. After a while anyway.

If the target is near the centre of the compass it is towards the far end. Then rotate until the target is at 6 o'clock and you are aligned with it.

 

[AJW]

You can infer that information from the compass. After a while anyway.

If the target is near the centre of the compass it is towards the far end. Then rotate until the target is at 6 o'clock and you are aligned with it.

I think you have missed the point of this discussion entirely. The OP is discussing landing at outposts, where you can be approaching from any direction, and where the orientation of the pad relative to your spaceship is unknown. Sometimes you can't even see the pad you are supposed to land on, because it is on the far side from you.

 

[Lestat]

I think it fine the way it is. Once you target the landing pad you can tell if it on one side or the other.

 

[SMcA]

I think you have missed the point of this discussion entirely. The OP is discussing landing at outposts, where you can be approaching from any direction, and where the orientation of the pad relative to your spaceship is unknown. Sometimes you can't even see the pad you are supposed to land on, because it is on the far side from you.

You are right I digressed. For that reason I use a DC for planetary landings and outposts.

 

[Gunnet]

It would be a bit of a niche use case, but I immediately thought how well this would go with this suggestion by CMDR Saber123316.

Also, realism and future proofing for landing in low visibility conditions on planets with atmospheres.