Planetary landing alignment indicators should also be active over landing pads
- Thread starter viz
- Start date
No.
The alignment indicators are useful for landing in unprepared terrain so that your ship lands relatively flat.
Landing pads are prepared terrain designed to be flat for ease of landing so you don't have to waste time trying to orient you pitch/roll to land. Just set down.
Use your instruments for crying out loud. You get a full ship indicator to replace your radar at the bottom when you're close enough to the landing pad you can tell if you're off balance.
The alignment indicators are useful for landing in unprepared terrain so that your ship lands relatively flat.
Landing pads are prepared terrain designed to be flat for ease of landing so you don't have to waste time trying to orient you pitch/roll to land. Just set down.
Use your instruments for crying out loud. You get a full ship indicator to replace your radar at the bottom when you're close enough to the landing pad you can tell if you're off balance.
Something is a bit weird after 2.2 - it almost seems like the border between aligned and not aligned has gotten tighter. Takes more time pitching up and down when dropping onto the pad.
Somehow I don't think I suddenly forgot how to land a Python in the space of a few days.
I've been having a lot of trouble landing the beluga in stations to be honest. Lousy piloting skills I know - but a level indicator wouldn't be a bad idea.
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I agree that it feels like something has changed.
I'd love some kind of better approach indicator on the hud when it comes to actually approaching the landing pads once you have clearance, but are still out of range of the landing UI. Some of these ships have very bad downward visibility and its ridiculously easy to lose alignment on approach, or even tell which way the darn pad is oriented. This is mostly for planetary bases and outposts, the big stations are pretty straight forward.
I've been having a lot of trouble landing the beluga in stations to be honest. Lousy piloting skills I know - but a level indicator wouldn't be a bad idea.
I'm not changing my stance. With unprepared terrain you get all those little bumps and hills you can't really see rendered on the radar which makes landing more difficult. With a flat surface you can see in the impact/damage indicator just to the right of the radar flash telling you what's impacting the ground and it gives you an idea of what angle your ship is at so you can adjust accordingly.
Also looking out your front viewport to ensure you're level with the horizon helps too. If the tower looks wrong, you're probably not oriented correctly. There's already several dozen indicators alone before Horizons that tell you if you're off balance.
What you thought piloting was easy? You sit back and let the computer do the work? That's just horsecrap.
People already don't pay enough attention to their instruments as it is and ask for more instruments they'll ignore just so they can ask for something else try and make their lives easier? Automation is a beautiful thing but the more sophisticated something is, the more likely something is going to go wrong. (Docking Computers slamming you into the station because their pathing corrupted. Sounds realistic to me.)
This is one of those things I cannot understand such strong opposition to. You are arguing for the sake of arguing.
You don't really need it for planetary landings either, it's just another mini game that serves as a conditional check so the game can determine the players intention to land on the surface. Stop acting like its any more than that.
The reason this would be a nice improvement in stations is so you can position yourself roll and pitch wise and then thrust down. Any angle will cause you to drift of target just lengthening the process. It doesn't do anything for you, it's just an indicator. Will help big ships more than small ships as some you can't see the tower until you are right over the landing pad.
"What you thought piloting was easy? You sit back and let the computer do the work? That's just horsecrap."
Not easy, but most pilots have instruments even in today's planes.
Hey - how about an option to turn the instruments on and off...then you can fly blind if you want.
Seriously though, I love flying in Elite.
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We have that. It's an official module you can buy.
Why you care so much about a HUD addon wanted by other people is beyond my comprehension.
Had this problem today with docking - check out the first 30 seconds or so. A lot of people are telling me I pointed the nose of the Beluga too low (it was very low). Many other people are saying since 2.2 they are having this same issue with their Cutters, Anacondas and Pythons:
[video=youtube_share;7gLK3LP5K0Q]https://youtu.be/7gLK3LP5K0Q?t=10s[/video]
[video=youtube_share;7gLK3LP5K0Q]https://youtu.be/7gLK3LP5K0Q?t=10s[/video]
Thats... well, strange. Currently flying a Liner myself and so far i never had this problem. Sure, a little bump to the shields due to incorrect placement every now and then, but never something like what can be seen in you vid
But yea, at least compared to the first few secs i usually have my ships in a balanced position or the rear a bit down like a plane during touchdown.
Thats... well, strange. Currently flying a Liner myself and so far i never had this problem. Sure, a little bump to the shields due to incorrect placement every now and then, but never something like what can be seen in you vid
But yea, at least compared to the first few secs i usually have my ships in a balanced position or the rear a bit down like a plane during touchdown.
That's interesting to hear. My initial thoughts were that this is a bug, but many of the comments on the video told me I was mis-aligned. However since then many more comments have appeared from other people saying they are having this exact same problem in other ship types.
So maybe something has changed regarding the landing parameters and we now need to have a more accurate approach?
I've been having a lot of trouble landing the beluga in stations to be honest. Lousy piloting skills I know - but a level indicator wouldn't be a bad idea.
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I agree that it feels like something has changed.
Time to pull out that bit of early 20th century technology and super glue it to the dash. An artificial horizon, I think it was called...
Z...
I haven't played for a while now, last time was a few months ago when the Imperial Cutter was released. So, most probabably like you, just did land the Liner as i would have thought it would be right. Haven't tried my Conda and Cutter for now as i am mostly doing passenger missions. But yea, and without offense, when i look at your video i would say your allignment is incorrect with the nose coming down first and therefore preventing the landing gear to connect to the ground. Not saying that it couldn't be a bug, but at least i haven't checked where exactly the gear is located. But if the front landing gear is located rather far away from the nose, that would explain the behaviour in the vid, at least to me. Gimme a few and i will take a screen of my position right before touchedown.
BTW: Whats your UI color code? Looks great
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I think it's more than that. With the amount you have played this game I'm willing to bet landing is not an issue for you.
In my opinion I think the size of the beluga is probably pushing the model envelope limits for the landing pads. With its length and large wing span in the aft I don't think the game was really designed to work with such a large unique shaped ship. Some landing pads you have to overshoot and back in so you don't get that whale of an stuck in the mail slot.
Alright, did take another tour and made some screenies, one of the landing gear and two of the actual landing at an outpost. Touchedown was nice and clean.
Dunno if it's visible, but rear is a tad lower than front, therefore allowing rear gears to touch the ground first, like an airplane. Just to add, i usually come to a stand right above my parking lot before i start the real touchedown, meaning i come from a primary horizontal angle.
Edit: Checked a bit more - sometimes, even in case you land properly (at least in a way that suits the landing gear etc), it won't touch down. So yea, while i personally still think that your ship is a bit more tipped towards the nose in your vid, it seems that there is at least also some strange / buggy part.
Dunno if it's visible, but rear is a tad lower than front, therefore allowing rear gears to touch the ground first, like an airplane. Just to add, i usually come to a stand right above my parking lot before i start the real touchedown, meaning i come from a primary horizontal angle.
Edit: Checked a bit more - sometimes, even in case you land properly (at least in a way that suits the landing gear etc), it won't touch down. So yea, while i personally still think that your ship is a bit more tipped towards the nose in your vid, it seems that there is at least also some strange / buggy part.
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