Landing pads...and why they're (mostly) stupid.

[Daynen]

As it stands, we have essentially two types of station landing pads: Ones inside a coriolis-type port, and external ones. Indoor and open-air, if you like. These pads require a specific facing to complete your landing, notably with the raised "arrow pads" as they appear behind you. Once you prepare for takeoff, the pad rotates 180 degrees (if it hasn't already by virtue of you going into the hangar) before releasing the docking clamps.

Within an interior station this is a handy feature, as it removes the need to flip around and face the exit.

On an exterior pad...it is an infuriating waste of time.

On an indoor pad, you have one and only one exit; you can't possibly be facing the wrong direction flying in the mail slot, so it makes sense to face you toward the exit when it's time to leave. For outdoor pads, there is no need for this at all. When you consider that, a vast majority of the time, unless you fly around your target station/planet to purposely align yourself with your landing pad, you're going to end up turning around just to LAND, then the fact that the pad then spins you BACK around before you can leave is, quite frankly, insulting. It ensures that, one way or another, you're going to spin 360 degrees for every landing, either before, during, or after.

I ask you, commanders and devs alike: what is the point of this? When every pad in the game is VTOL and there is nothing keeping you from flying off in any direction, WHY do exterior pads bother to rotate us AFTER they were so picky about which direction we landed? Who in their right mind would design a landing pad to do this in this situation? It's a complete waste of time and energy. It's even more of an aggravation when I see just how much leniency there is in your ship's alignment and angle on landing--I've seen tilts of almost 40 degrees "corrected" by the ship simply sliding into place, yet we have to circle the pad before landing and then get spun around to face the same direction we came in from to begin with? It's absurd. Some parts of landing are almost surgically picky, while others just go "ahh it's okay we'll just defy physics for a sec, aaaaand perfect landing, yaaaay you!" It's patronizing, aggravating and totally unnecessary. It's a time sink that benefits no one and I firmly believe no one would complain if it was corrected.

 

[JetsonRING]

As it stands, we have essentially two types of station landing pads: Ones inside a coriolis-type port, and external ones. Indoor and open-air, if you like. These pads require a specific facing to complete your landing, notably with the raised "arrow pads" as they appear behind you. Once you prepare for takeoff, the pad rotates 180 degrees (if it hasn't already by virtue of you going into the hangar) before releasing the docking clamps.
Within an interior station this is a handy feature, as it removes the need to flip around and face the exit.
On an exterior pad...it is an infuriating waste of time.
On an indoor pad, you have one and only one exit; you can't possibly be facing the wrong direction flying in the mail slot, so it makes sense to face you toward the exit when it's time to leave. For outdoor pads, there is no need for this at all. When you consider that, a vast majority of the time, unless you fly around your target station/planet to purposely align yourself with your landing pad, you're going to end up turning around just to LAND, then the fact that the pad then spins you BACK around before you can leave is, quite frankly, insulting. It ensures that, one way or another, you're going to spin 360 degrees for every landing, either before, during, or after.

I ask you, commanders and devs alike: what is the point of this? When every pad in the game is VTOL and there is nothing keeping you from flying off in any direction, WHY do exterior pads bother to rotate us AFTER they were so picky about which direction we landed? Who in their right mind would design a landing pad to do this in this situation? It's a complete waste of time and energy. It's even more of an aggravation when I see just how much leniency there is in your ship's alignment and angle on landing--I've seen tilts of almost 40 degrees "corrected" by the ship simply sliding into place, yet we have to circle the pad before landing and then get spun around to face the same direction we came in from to begin with? It's absurd. Some parts of landing are almost surgically picky, while others just go "ahh it's okay we'll just defy physics for a sec, aaaaand perfect landing, yaaaay you!" It's patronizing, aggravating and totally unnecessary. It's a time sink that benefits no one and I firmly believe no one would complain if it was corrected.

You DO understand, don't you that like Witch-space travel, landing-pad rotation is simply a wait-screen? So much more entertaining than "Please Wait" with a blue progress bar underneath . . .

 

[MBaldelli]

As it stands, we have essentially two types of station landing pads: Ones inside a coriolis-type port, and external ones. Indoor and open-air, if you like. These pads require a specific facing to complete your landing, notably with the raised "arrow pads" as they appear behind you. Once you prepare for takeoff, the pad rotates 180 degrees (if it hasn't already by virtue of you going into the hangar) before releasing the docking clamps.

Those "arrow pads" are considered blast shields to deflect your exhaust wash and lessen possible damage behind you. In front of you is the conning tower where the ATC and administration staff are. You wouldn't want your exhaust wash going in that direction because of the potential to structural damage and human lives for point in that direction.

Although I do have one gripe on this. There's no additional blast shields to protect the conning tower when you're taking off. So it can cause people like you some issues about launch sequences based on what I just told you.

And if you look carefully on some of these landing pads in front of you is the same sort technology used on highways: Impact Attenuators.

These are here to create a sense of pseudo realism you might not appreciate.

Because not all pilots have the sense to land vertically in this game for you don't have wheels on your landing gear. You have magnetic claws. And believe me when I tell you -- I've watched players and streamers alive land as though they're flying a pipe cub with wheeled landings.

Hope this helps you understand what you think is illogical.

 

[DocLooshkin]

You DO understand, don't you that like Witch-space travel, landing-pad rotation is simply a wait-screen? So much more entertaining than "Please Wait" with a blue progress bar underneath . . .

Hello, JetsonRing.

Are you quite sure about this? Only a wait screen would presumably be waiting for something - but I've never seen the slightest hint of the kind of delay here that would logically be caused at times by server or networking issues or my decrepit machine's degrading performance. I don't suppose you happen to have a citation handy...?

 

[Bunkerkind Anni]

Those "arrow pads" are considered blast shields to deflect your exhaust wash and lessen possible damage behind you. In front of you is the conning tower where the ATC and administration staff are. You wouldn't want your exhaust wash going in that direction because of the potential to structural damage and human lives for point in that direction.

Although I do have one gripe on this. There's no additional blast shields to protect the conning tower when you're taking off. So it can cause people like you some issues about launch sequences based on what I just told you.

And if you look carefully on some of these landing pads in front of you is the same sort technology used on highways: Impact Attenuators.

These are here to create a sense of pseudo realism you might not appreciate.

Because not all pilots have the sense to land vertically in this game for you don't have wheels on your landing gear. You have magnetic claws. And believe me when I tell you -- I've watched players and streamers alive land as though they're flying a pipe cub with wheeled landings.

Hope this helps you understand what you think is illogical.

well, it still makes no sense to rotate the ship, as you would always have the blast shield where the thrusters are

 

[mr.wolfie]

You DO understand, don't you that like Witch-space travel, landing-pad rotation is simply a wait-screen? So much more entertaining than "Please Wait" with a blue progress bar underneath . . .

a) no. not that much more entertaining.
b) I doubt that it is a wait screen, because nothing additional is being drawn/loaded when you're on an external pad. It is the same as being parked on a planet surface.

You should be able to land/take-off on an external pad in any north/south direction.

I'd also like to see an option to configure my preferred landing pads inside a station, which the traffic controllers will check and pay more attention to the higher my faction with them is - because I'm sick of getting assigned bays near the slot. Personally, I much prefer the back row landing pads, and I'd like to make that preference known to the station authorities. I'm sure other pilots would have different preferences, but right now, no-one can communicate that.

 

[MBaldelli]

well, it still makes no sense to rotate the ship, as you would always have the blast shield where the thrusters are

That I know is a big problem. As I was writing my post, I remembered toward the end there is no additional blast shield coming up when the ship is taking off. Keyboard & Mouse Users and definitely HOTAS users have the ability to perform excellent VTOL, but most are simply rocketing off like their gear have wheels and they're Commanders from Space Patrol.

I believe it's been brought up, but mostly ignored. Who knows, maybe they'll address it in the future?

 

[Skizomeuh]

Simple: Landing pads' system was developed along with stations. Behavior was copy-pasted unaltered to other landing pads locations, for the sake of continuity and simplicity of development. Period.

Is it a big issue? I don't think so. But you're free to dislike.

 

[StiTch]

You DO understand, don't you that like Witch-space travel, landing-pad rotation is simply a wait-screen? So much more entertaining than "Please Wait" with a blue progress bar underneath . . .

Are ya sure? This only makes sense in context with outfitting, and even then I can't see more than a fraction of a second load time needed. All other station facility can be utilised before taking the plunge.

 

[Bunkerkind Anni]

That I know is a big problem. As I was writing my post, I remembered toward the end there is no additional blast shield coming up when the ship is taking off. Keyboard & Mouse Users and definitely HOTAS users have the ability to perform excellent VTOL, but most are simply rocketing off like their gear have wheels and they're Commanders from Space Patrol.

I believe it's been brought up, but mostly ignored. Who knows, maybe they'll address it in the future?

it think one of the factors here is the size of the hangar modules. the tower structure is always above the actual hangar,
and your ship probably needs to park in the hangar backwards for immersion reasons.

you get a compact box by doing that. but i see no reason why non-indoor hangars cant have landing and launching direction in the same direction.

 

[MBaldelli]

it think one of the factors here is the size of the hangar modules. the tower structure is always above the actual hangar,
and your ship probably needs to park in the hangar backwards for immersion reasons.

you get a compact box by doing that. but i see no reason why non-indoor hangars cant have landing and launching direction in the same direction.

Maybe... I see where you're going with this; keep in mind it takes time to get used to things in this game. Veterans more than 6 months wouldn't think twice about it, but I remember my first three months where I was looking for visual cues when landing along with keeping the blinders on when taking off. I was also excessively anxious going through mail slots with demented Belugas doing their dance in front of the barn door, trying praying the landing pad wasn't right below the mail slot, and generally making sure I was pointing in the right direction.

As I'm coming up on a year, I don't even think twice about even coming in wrong. If I'm backwards it's a simple flipping the ship the correct way, landing gear extended, and simply come down vertically. If the bays in the front of the station, it's stop the ship, go down vertically, adjust of distance from the mail slot and the bay and come down vertically.

I might find it stupid as it is -- even with the copy paste going on... But I'm still reminded of when I started.

 

[Bunkerkind Anni]

meh, my visual clue for right direction was the number holo

then they made it always show up correct

 

[Daynen]

I understand the point of the blast shields and other equipment on the pad. None of those are relevant to my point, however. If I land on an external pad and immediately launch, there is ZERO logical need to lower the pad, spin it around, and THEN let me go, ESPECIALLY since there's about a 90% chance I had to turn around on my approach to begin with. I understand turning me to enter the hangar; then something's actually happening that's worth the orientation change. I also understand the "loading screen by any other name;" I just don't find that to be a very good excuse anymore. I know it's basically a copypasta thing; I just find that to be an even weaker excuse for something that can't conceivably be a monumental task to change. the time and aggravation it would save every pilot in the game is surely worth the addition of a few lines of conditional code.

 

[Stellar Gambit]

It could just be a simple as outposts don't want ships crossing over the station on departure as this makes landing for others far more tricky.

So they spin you around so your exit vector is away from the landing pad and the outpost.

...could also be to annoy careless pilots who picked up a wanted passenger by accident and now have to play Pad roulette with the outpost and system forces. that's always fun, as it's always the pad furthest away and you have to turn round 180 degrees.