SUGGESTION: Change station pad blast shields to BEHIND ship when they take off

[CMDR Texas Stu]

Every time I land and take off from a station or outpost landing pad I wonder to myself WHY?

Why is the blast shield the opposite side of where logic would dictate it should be???

(I know it's been asked before)

Please change the blast shields to behind the ship when it takes off. It makes no sense in front except as a ramp but it retracts so that is senseless as well.

OH! And the blast shield should RAISE before docking clamps disengage, not lower (for those not paying attention)

 

[Thrace Fulton]

Agreed.

It would be simple to just have take-offs be the same direction as landings. We're all flying VTOL ships anyway. The rotation to face the door is pointless when you can just flip a 180 in place.

 

[Walter2]

Agreed. The odd crate left in front of the control tower seems to be impervious to takeoff blasts - it's always there on return to the station.
Even the current blast shields could lower while the landing plate is preparing for a takeoff, not wait until the ship is ready to leave.
Incidentally, the blast shields seem extraordinarily effective on the less utilitarian stations: palm trees seem unaffected.

 

[RallyPoint]

I really don't even see the point of them. Just take them out. We aren't "blasting off" and as you pointed out they aren't even in the proper spot anyway. They are an obstruction when landing too.

 

[omega9380]

To be honest, I would simply like the animation sped up! Not too bad with small ships like the SW and Cobra, but I recently got a Type-6, and the medium land pad blast shield animation takes FOREVER to run thru before your ship gets released. I'm guessing the Large landing pad's animation is even slower. Just my 2 cents. Thanks!

 

[Major Lag]

To be honest, I would simply like the animation sped up! Not too bad with small ships like the SW and Cobra, but I recently got a Type-6, and the medium land pad blast shield animation takes FOREVER to run thru before your ship gets released. I'm guessing the Large landing pad's animation is even slower. Just my 2 cents. Thanks!

No actually the large doesn't make you wait at all, only the medium. Those illogical blast shields should be removed but at least don't make me wait for them, except on a medium pad...

 

[Rosenkranz]

I have to agree. The blast shields are pointless. You come down vertically and you take off vertically. Even you just rotate up and take off horizontally, they're in the wrong spot.

Barring removal, speeding up the animation or at least timing it to occur while the ship is being rotated.

On this same note. It would nice if there was an option to ready ship for launch (similar to 'return to surface' if you're in the hangar. You could have the ship rotated while you're looking at station services. As it is you do your business and then have to sit through it when you're ready to go.

 

[CMDR Pantsu]

Am I the only one that have noticed the vehicle lane behind the blast shield? Would suck if any of the vehicles got blasted of hitting any incoming ships or ATC-towers right?

Edit: A note that the blast shields isn't even for takeoff, like ordinary blast shields seen on carriers for aircrafts. When you come in for landing the shield is raised to protect the vehicles passing behind the pad from your engine when you make adjustments for landing, i.e short bursts that potentially could blast them off the lane. The pad itself and it's surroundings should be cleared on take off, and the tower itself would probably withstand the engine blast anyways. It's a cool detail for immersion and nothing else, but I like that they had that in mind.
On the other hand, on outposts I have no clue why they are still there.

 

[InMemoriamSirocco]

I really don't even see the point of them. Just take them out. We aren't "blasting off" and as you pointed out they aren't even in the proper spot anyway. They are an obstruction when landing too.

This. A bazillion times this. Every time I land I have this idiotic, completely useless and illogical blast shield in front of me that serves no purpose - and even if it did (which it doesn't, because all space craft are VTOL vessels) it would be in the wrong place.

And please make the pad automatically rotate your ship once you have landed. There is no excuse not to do it. Every station would want their guests to be ready to free up their landing pads asap, as welcome as they may be. It's better for business.

Also: Get rid of the pads rotating on outposts. It makes no sense at all. There is absolutely no difference in the direction you are facing on an outpost landing pad. You are out in open space anyway.

 

[Hydrino]

This. A bazillion times this. Every time I land I have this idiotic, completely useless and illogical blast shield in front of me that serves no purpose - and even if it did (which it doesn't, because all space craft are VTOL vessels) it would be in the wrong place.

And please make the pad automatically rotate your ship once you have landed. There is no excuse not to do it. Every station would want their guests to be ready to free up their landing pads asap, as welcome as they may be. It's better for business.

Also: Get rid of the pads rotating on outposts. It makes no sense at all. There is absolutely no difference in the direction you are facing on an outpost landing pad. You are out in open space anyway.

Yay for this. +1.

I do see the point of blast shields, since even though the craft are VTOL they also have biggest thrust at the rear mains. However, the shields don't need to move since we can go vertical and there should be shields that pop up to protect the control towers at each pad rather than the front of the pad the mains face when landing.

I did read a developer comment a while back that said they were removing any waiting time for blast shields to lower, so it should be on someone's list to improve/remove.