Rework station entrance. Current design is dumb.

[GrimSageX3]

The "mail slot" narrow groove entrance to space stations is TERRIBLE DESIGN. There is no skill issue or confusion about the "intended experience" or how buggy current implementation is or is not. This suggestion addresses a fundamental flaw that shouldnt even be a game mechanic or issue.
The basic design is horrid both as a player navigation challenge, onboarding nuisance, toxic multi-player point of interest and generally bad traffic funnel.

Narrow station entrances are one of those "fundamentally bad" designs in this game that doesn't even function correctly with autopilot under normal conditions, much less during random glitching, server load displacement, or network / wifi stutter. To be blunt, the narrow entrance into stations is garbage is very similar to some bad designs and broken elements of Star Citizen. It works fine as a solo mode game mechanic or with good network connection, but the rest of the time...its garbage.

I got banned in the steam forum for discussing this topic and telling a troll to off so here is the topic. Devs probably don't care about one forum complaint, but they should care about how station entrance design is making Elite Dangerous look like a clown fest compared to other space games with better and more practical solutions and a little less funneling of players in the docking and station approach scenarios.

 

[varonica]

The mailslot design is one of the iconic hark backs to the original 1984 game and has been used on every version since then, it isn't going anywhere!

 

[oblivionmanman 2476]

see why you got banned, lol.

 

[GrimSageX3]

Well that's information I didn't have before. So because the design is old or part of the original ....it must be accepted in all its imperfection.
Whatever. I wont get my hopes up. Im not saying it has to be radically different, but I am saying it needs to be modified and given some breathing room, because right now, its funneling players into small spaces that look like bad develper implementation and pure jank more than "original design"

 

[GrimSageX3]

The mailslot design is one of the iconic hark backs to the original 1984 game and has been used on every version since then, it isn't going anywhere!

Don't care how old or original the design is. It's current implementation in the game is garbage. The CG and Starlace thing are just another iteration of the same derpfest caused by the mailslot overly fickle design.

 

[thistle]

Precisely, Elite = Mailslot.

Concept art from 2012 :

original 1984:

 

[alexzk]

Furthermore, it was "filter" to start play original game You could spend day or two, or a week, prior you could dock it 1st time and start to play.

 

[thistle]

Don't care how old or original the design is. It's current implementation in the game is garbage. The CG and Starlace thing are just another iteration of the same derpfest caused by the mailslot overly fickle design.

Except it's great design, and what sized hole do you prefer?

And of course there are reasons

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZoSYsNADtY

 

[Alec Turner]

The mailslot design is one of the iconic hark backs to the original 1984 game and has been used on every version since then, it isn't going anywhere!

And beyond …

"garbage?" … Stanley Kubrick wants a word!

EDIT: arghh, ninja’d by Thistle

 

[oblivionmanman 2476]

we can all get through why change it just because you cant. elite dagerous wouldnt be the same without the mail slot.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

The context has changed a bit since the original game, of course.

In the original (and for that matter in Kubrick's original), stations had fairly low traffic. In FE2/FFE they might have a ship or two arrive or depart each day.

In Elite Dangerous even "quiet" stations have a ship arrive or depart every couple of minutes and the wisdom of funneling them all through a narrow two-way corridor with no active traffic control looks rather more questionable. It's not a remotely plausible design for a station expected to have that sort of throughput: at the very least it should have separate entrance and exit slots on opposite sides of the station.

(On the other hand, ED is not a game intended to be played for its realistic depictions of orbital architecture)

 

[thistle]

I think there would be rows of pitchforks outside Frontier Towers if the mailslot were to go Well, a small gaggle of old folks like something out of Father Ted, but still.

 

[GrimSageX3]

"we can all get through why change it just because you cant. elite dagerous wouldnt be the same without the mail slot."
"Except it's great design, and what sized hole do you prefer?"
"Precisely, Elite = Mailslot"
These comments suggest a desire for nothing to change and that means stagnation.
Defending flawed implementations and worshiping "intended design" is how Star Citizen remains a jankfest even though it has more players.

Visually and artistic wise. The rectangular port entrance limited gateway is fine, it just need reworked or re-designed and re-implemented to account for modern, multi-player scenario and actual mmo game traffic at a station. Like Ian said. The context has changed, adjustments and re-design are needed.

 

[alexzk]

These comments suggest a desire for nothing to change and that means stagnation.
Defending flawed implementations and worshiping "intended design" is how Star Citizen remains a jankfest even though it has more players.

Ye, that's the problem. I would cancel / remove couple latest "improvements".
Game is about Very Big Space. In real life everything there would be measured by 1000's of the years. So even downscale to "game time" should not be too fast.

 

[GrimSageX3]

The context has changed a bit since the original game, of course.
In the original (and for that matter in Kubrick's original), stations had fairly low traffic. In FE2/FFE they might have a ship or two arrive or depart each day.
In Elite Dangerous even "quiet" stations have a ship arrive or depart every couple of minutes and the wisdom of funneling them all through a narrow two-way corridor with no active traffic control looks rather more questionable. It's not a remotely plausible design for a station expected to have that sort of throughput: at the very least it should have separate entrance and exit slots on opposite sides of the station.

Exactly. Docking at stations has always had an odd vibe that felt flawed at some basic level. Scrapes and glitches with autodock happen all the time because the basic proportion is simply too fickle and trying to make a game mechanic out of something that should be an undisturbed visual moment with autodocking.

Now with all the talk of revitalization and new player potential and onboarding.... This issue needs to be examined, because "barely" being able to get in a station with a new ship x player just bought. Especially when compared to other space games where the station door for medium and LARGE hangers usually have plenty of room.

 

[oblivionmanman 2476]

but why compare elite with other games,if you arnt happy the way elite plays out and what it is go and play the other games,no matter what you say this game is not going to re-write its progamme just to make the mail slot bigger,after 11 years its still here and here it will stay.

 

[PilotB]

Are you aware that the mailslot contains an armoured shutter to lock down and protect the interior of the station? The docking path at most stations and outposts is fairly crazy with large obstructions in the flight path all over. They certainly could improve but the mail slot does somewhat make sense. Centre aligned to make it easy to match rotation. Small so that the vulnerability isn't large and designed for 1 or 2 ships at a time so that if the shutter slams shut not too many pilots are killed.

 

[Knuttin Atoll]

Trying (and sometimes succeeding) to boost past a large ship without a scratch in my small ship is enjoyable and challenging gameplay that I'd rather see more of instead of making things more boring, so no thanks.

Plus, I've gone through the pains of learning to dock in the C64 version at 5fps and with a digital (but spongy) joystick back in the days and appreciate ED keeping this design. Plenty of outposts and planetary ports that don't have mail slots already in the game anyways.

 

[Doctor Dread]

Plus, I've gone through the pains of learning to dock in the C64 version at 5fps and with a digital (but spongy) joystick back in the days and appreciate ED keeping this design.

Same here.
Do you remember the funny thing, when we started on C64, The Docking Computer was the object of desire - "when will I ever make enough credits to purchase one?" - but by the time you could buy one, you didn't need it any more

 

[GrimSageX3]

but why compare elite with other games,if you arnt happy the way elite plays out and what it is go and play the other games,no matter what you say this game is not going to re-write its progamme just to make the mail slot bigger,after 11 years its still here and here it will stay.

There are many things i like about Elite. The clownfest and fundamental flaws of the current mailslot implementation is not one of those things.

As far as how magnificent the game is or is not or how long it will stay, there was a lot of discussion regarding stagnation and player onboarding until some "oh no" big changes were made. Oh and remember the financial difficulty that nearly vanished when there was a 'redesign' for monetization? Yeah. whatever.

The evidence is strong. Fixing the stupid fickle mailslot situation would improve the games image, reduce player annoyances, reduce toxic player opportunity and help onboarding. PERIOD. It's OBVIOUSLY an issue. Why defend a fickle and garbage implementation when it OBVIOULY needs adjustment and fixed or redesigned.