Supercruise Assist On/Off button please!

[Dimmu-Jan-Kaarl]

I nearly pancaked with many millions worth of cartographic and genetic data because I accidentally hit the wrong button in the navigation tab trying to cancel supercruise assist.

It's a great feature to be able to safely afk during long interplanetary trips, but it never fails that as I get close I want to full-min the speed or adjust my orbit, but the closest thing we get to an override is to change pitch, but the assist very quickly (and aggressively, i might add) takes back over if it already put you in orbit. So there's this delicate dance of getting close to the target body, pitching away to override SC assist, and then quickly hitting your zero-speed hotkey so that you don't slingshot.

Barring all that, it's a matter of head-looking or hot-keying over to the nav panel, selecting the target body, then selecting SC assist deactivate. In my case I panicked and got confused by the "nearest body" location (blue) marker, and the target (orange) marker, and opened the wrong panel, and quickly hit SC assist before realizing it was "activate" not "deactivate". I then panicked again realizing my mistake but by that point i was accelerated into the target body, FSD emergency cancel activated, and I slammed right into the surface before I could even look away from the nav panel. I was sure I was dead (i don't have shields as this was a long run and i wanted to maximize FSD distance) but the military armor saved me, and otherwise i don't know how i didn't get destroyed. but i digress.

PLEASE let us hot-key SC Assist on/off!

PS - yes i know i'm totally to blame. I got flustered, panicked, made a mistake that nearly cost me several days' worth of exploration data. I've pancaked MANY times and I just never learn I guess, but this seems like a simple QoL change that would really really help!

 

[varonica]

Surely you just set throttle to zero or something? At least that's how I thought it worked, moving the throttle away from the blue zone should turn it off.

The wiki seems to agree;

If the ship's trajectory or speed are manually adjusted, including in the event of interdiction or sudden close proximity to an object, the module will disengage

 

[Kimosabe_X]

Don't use it at all and there's no further need for an on/off key...

 

[Fnord Velkor]

Sorry, why do people fit this waste of a slot? Especially exploring, there is no way you would want to be in the close orbit it inserts you in for DSS probing - so what's the point?

 

[Greasetrap42]

Surely you just set throttle to zero or something? At least that's how I thought it worked, moving the throttle away from the blue zone should turn it off.

Nope. Once supercruise assist is ON it stays ON. A cmdr can't change throttle unless they point the ship away from target. But as soon as the ship gets pointed towards target again it re-engages the supercruise assist. As OP says sometimes it behaves very aggressively. Cmdr must turn it OFF.

The auto-landing assist is the same way. Once its ON its ON. unless you go into the menu and turn it off. I tried it a couple times in rough terrain (where I thought it might be helpful) nope! Its awful and very dangerous. It can really screw up bad and the only way to overcome it is to abandon ship controls, go into the menu and turn it off. While your ship is smashing wildly into the rocky cavern.

Edit: Not to confuse auto-landing with auto-dock. Auto-docking generally works fine landing the ship on a pad. Auto-landing is the feature that lands your ship on the planet surface.

Edit: I just noticed supercruise assist has AutoThrottle and Manual Throttle feature. Never played with that before. Edit: I just played with it. Manual Throttle just lets you adjust the throttle, but zero-throttle doesn't turn off supercruise assist. As soon as throttle is returned to blue zone supercruise assist fully takes over.

 

[nemolomen]

...

Edit: I just noticed supercruise assist has AutoThrottle and Manual Throttle feature. Never played with that before.

It allows one to have SCA on and then to turn it off, by increasing or decreasing the throttle outside of the blue zone, and turinig it back on by setting the throttle back into the blue zone. Very handy for when one wants to intentionally create runaway speed but still make the transition from SCA to the station...much more quickly...

 

[777Driver]

Sorry, why do people fit this waste of a slot? Especially exploring, there is no way you would want to be in the close orbit it inserts you in for DSS probing - so what's the point?

It allows you to do much faster trade runs in manual mode (high speed drop outs) I also use it on alt accounts when loading/unloading my carrier. Exploration, I sometimes keep it enabled on a long SC trip. I don't have to worry about slots, my entire fleet is used for exploring these days

+1 OP, not sure why it wasn't added in the first place. You could create a macro, but I doubt the devs will change anything, took us years just to get SCA

 

[Greasetrap42]

It allows you to do much faster trade runs in manual mode (high speed drop outs) I also use it on alt accounts when loading/unloading my carrier. Exploration, I sometimes keep it enabled on a long SC trip. I don't have to worry about slots, my entire fleet is used for exploring these days

In addition, when exploring a jump arrives you near the star. I FSS system then quickly choose the closest planet of interest and engage SCA. Then while supercruising I return to system map and take my time figuring out what other planets are of interest. When I close the system map I am often orbiting the first planet of interest. No overshoot from not paying attention.

And ya... the crazy long trips to secondary stars... SCA is pretty nice. Allows me to watch late night talk shows without vastly overshooting.

 

[varonica]

Nope. Once supercruise assist is ON it stays ON. A cmdr can't change throttle unless they point the ship away from target. But as soon as the ship gets pointed towards target again it re-engages the supercruise assist. As OP says sometimes it behaves very aggressively. Cmdr must turn it OFF.

It appears the wiki needs updating then;

Supercruise Assist

Provides additional supercruise guidance to a predetermined destination. — In-Game Description The Supercruise Assist is an optional internal module that partially automates Supercruise travel to a specific destination. It is equipped by default in all newly-purchased ships.[1] The Supercruise...

elite-dangerous.fandom.com

 

[Greasetrap42]

It appears the wiki needs updating then;

The wiki is technically correct but misleading.

The Supercruise Assist module allows the ship's computer to regulate the approach towards a set location within the current system. To engage the module, the ship should be in supercruise and aligned with the target destination, with the throttle centred in the blue zone. If the ship's trajectory or speed are manually adjusted, including in the event of interdiction or sudden close proximity to an object, the module will disengage [MISLEADING - the SCA temporarily disengages, but is still ON and will automatically re-engage]. This module can also be used to enter orbit around a planetary body.

Later the wiki does describe it correctly. Gotta read it very carefully though.

Supercruise Assist will then take control, automatically maintaining the correct speed and approach to arrive safely at the target [CORRECT]. The ship will drop into normal space outside stations and throttle down the thrusters to bring the ship to a halt [CORRECT], or remain in supercruise and take up orbit around planets, moons, and stars [CORRECT - You must turn off SCA to make it stop orbiting]. Orbiting stars with Supercruise Assist also allows ships to scoop fuelfrom them with minimal risk, but this is less efficient than scoopingfuel manually because the module does not bring the ship closer to the star.

 

[varonica]

The wiki is technically correct but misleading.

Ah yes, often called the "best correct".

 

[nemolomen]

...
The auto-landing assist is the same way. Once its ON its ON. unless you go into the menu and turn it off. I tried it a couple times in rough terrain (where I thought it might be helpful) nope! Its awful and very dangerous. It can really screw up bad and the only way to overcome it is to abandon ship controls, go into the menu and turn it off. While your ship is smashing wildly into the rocky cavern.

...
Edit: I just noticed supercruise assist has AutoThrottle and Manual Throttle feature. Never played with that before. Edit: I just played with it. Manual Throttle just lets you adjust the throttle, but zero-throttle doesn't turn off supercruise assist. As soon as throttle is returned to blue zone supercruise assist fully takes over.

It appears the wiki needs updating then;

Supercruise Assist

Provides additional supercruise guidance to a predetermined destination. — In-Game Description The Supercruise Assist is an optional internal module that partially automates Supercruise travel to a specific destination. It is equipped by default in all newly-purchased ships.[1] The Supercruise...

elite-dangerous.fandom.com

At the bottom of that page is this comment:

 

[ThinkingPortals]

Ah yes another reason where the default mode of the SCA should be manual throttle, if auto-throttle should even exist at all.

 

[nemolomen]

Ah yes another reason where the default mode of the SCA should be manual throttle, if auto-throttle should even exist at all.

Auto throttle exists for newbies/less attentive players and is appropriate for those use cases.

 

[ThinkingPortals]

Auto throttle exists for newbies/less attentive players and is appropriate for those use cases.

I suppose? But it works as a more aggressive manual throttle, once it actually engages it works the same. I can only see it being useful if your controls have a tendency to change your throttle at random.

 

[nemolomen]

I suppose? But it works as a more aggressive manual throttle, once it actually engages it works the same. I can only see it being useful if your controls have a tendency to change your throttle at random.

Even now there are times when I just let SCA do its thing without interfering which is the same functionality as the Auto setting.

 

[ThinkingPortals]

Even now there are times when I just let SCA do its thing without interfering which is the same functionality as the Auto setting.

I think my issue with the auto is that people try out the SCA, see how it locks your throttle, then put it away as an ankle-breaking crutch. Then they miss out on the glory of the emergency drop trick, and the pants-pooping action of exiting supercruise INSIDE a station.

 

[nemolomen]

I think my issue with the auto is that people try out the SCA, see how it locks your throttle, then put it away as an ankle-breaking crutch. Then they miss out on the glory of the emergency drop trick, and the pants-pooping action of exiting supercruise INSIDE a station.

I've never exited inside the station but I have gone through them on several occasions and end up at the other side...LOL

Though I think, in my experience, going through the station happens much MUCH less often than it did in Horizons.

Of course these days I don't run much cargo in my T9 like I used to. That ship is almost the only one I have that has SCA. Might be one or two more that have it, and the rest mostly don't even have a docking comp...

 

[kf popeye]

2 years later. Would still love to see this added.

 

[Seeds]

Additionally, a warning about how it doesn't work when you super cruise to a planet side base, as it just slams you into the planet. (the base is more than 1Mm from where you intersect the planet.
And, for crying out loud, I want the planet BELOW not above when orbiting.