Newcomer / Intro Supercruise assist - what's the point?

[Lucius Neng]

I'm just starting out, and wondering if I need all these assist things on my ship. I get the impression they are new(ish) to the game, so maybe I could free up some slots and perhaps have more fun without them.

So far I've turned off launch assist (really, is launching so hard?), Docking assist (that took a bit more practice, but it's ok, and quite satisfying when you get it), flight assist (whoa, I'm spinning, how do I turn it back on again?)

When in supercruise, I'm already looping past my destination ('the loop of shame' as some people seem to refer to it, or 'the way to get there' as I think of it) but I read that supercruise assist should stop that. Have I been doing it wrong? Do I need to activate it somehow? If so I'm really not going to miss it if it's not there!

 

[[PS4] Lorenzo Waringos]

Hello!

Flight Assist is very helpful in the early stages, in fact, I never switch mine off, I believe it is most helpful to switch it off (and on again) in combat. You can access this control in the right panel.

Docking you’ve sussed. Supercruise assist. Some like it, others dont. It’s helpful if say you have a clear run to a base, you can activate it and it will drop you off at the station doorstep leaving you to just dock. It’s a lazy cruise control, you can roll a cigarette or whatever. If you can live without that, you could just get rid of the module.

In its default setting it will automatically apply cruise brakes so that when you arrive in a new system you dont go full pelt into the nearest star. If you’ve only ever had this feature activated it takes a few goes to remember to steer around the star. You can individually switch its features on and off in the right hand panel (under ‘ship’ heading).

At the moment i’m in a Python, it has tons of slots so it doesn’t kill me to have it installed, in a smaller ship you may find a better use for that module slot.

Have fun!

 

[Northpin]

I also turned off the Auto Launch - i'd rather take it out myself skipping the launch queue or on the contrary, staying put to scan all the leaving/incoming ships
Auto Dock i have it ON - either i use it fully, or if im in a hurry i put the ship through the slot then let the DC slam it on the pad
Flight Assist On/OFF - i usually fly FA On and very rarely use FA Off mostly for faster turns or if i want to face a direction different than the one i'm moving

Supercruise is different
Easiest is to face the target, engage Supercruise Assist and let it drop you at destination. But it is slow since it will run your ship at 75% throttle
Also if the destination is a Planet, it will start orbiting it (nice feature) but if it is a station then you need to be at the helm when dropping out at destination because it will crash you in the station
Faster is to drive to destination at 100% throttle and when the timer reaches 7s just use 75% throttle for a clean drop off
Even faster is to have SuperCruise Assist engaged on target, keep 100% throttle while driving to destination and when timer reaches 5s set throttle to 75% to have a faster terminal approach. However, it is somehow hit and miss based on nearby gravity wells.

Or you can simply sell the SCA and the docking computer and use them slots for something else

 

[Lucius Neng]

So not crashing into a star is automatic, and I've noticed the slowing down thing, but I've never "engaged" supercruise, and I've never had it drop me out automatically. Is there a button for that somewhere that I've been missing?

 

[Northpin]

Left panel, Navigation, select the target destination and on the bottom row of buttons, 2nd Button is Lock and Supercruise

 

[Northpin]

So not crashing into a star is automatic

You can deactivate that too, Right panel, Ship, Flight Assistance (on the vertical column of buttons), Hyperspace dethrottle On/Off

 

[Lucius Neng]

Thank you, helpful replies! I'll give it a go and see if I can understand it properly in game!

 

[GonzTheMalificent]

Good for you learning to dock first, OP. Reason all these unnecessary modules clutter up your ship is Newbies bleating about docking being so "hard".

First, Flight Sim Game!! Second, you're living proof you just need to practise and take care....!

 

[aRJay]

So not crashing into a star is automatic, and I've noticed the slowing down thing, but I've never "engaged" supercruise, and I've never had it drop me out automatically. Is there a button for that somewhere that I've been missing?

A word of warning, when you come out of a jump you are in supercruise which with the throttle at zero has a speed of 30 m/s enough to eventually take you into the star if you doze off or are AFK.

So it isn’t so much crash prevention as a means of giving you time to think on arrival.

Personally I have not used the SCA enough to be confident about it being worth more than whatever else I could fit in the slot.

 

[Old Duck]

I'm a veteran pilot, but I have SCA on most of my ships. The main reason is that after so many hours playing this game, sitting in supercruise has become boring to me, so in systems where the journey is more than a minute or two, I'll turn on the SCA, get out of my chair IRL (it's good for you), walk around, perhaps do some chores, visit the loo, etc. Oh, and of course the most important SCA activity - refresh this forum!

Though as fate would have it, I sometimes get interdicted as I'm washing dishes and my hands are all wet

 

[Para Handy]

.....
So far I've turned off launch assist (really, is launching so hard?), ........

Since players can now find themselves in Anacondas very quickly then you could say that launch assist actually is a newcomer's friend.

To me S A is a waste of a slot - ADC launch assist is good for loading up with ship scans as you launch but the novelty has worn off and I no longer fit an advanced DC.

 

[dm06]

It has been added for FD streams. You can push the button and continue talking, no loop of shame.

 

[aRJay]

Since players can now find themselves in Anacondas very quickly then you could say that launch assist actually is a newcomer's friend.

To me S A is a waste of a slot - ADC launch assist is good for loading up with ship scans as you launch but the novelty has worn off and I no longer fit an advanced DC.

I have the ADC fitted to my T9 and T10s in large part for the ease of acquiring ship scans but as that mostly comes up with storage full messages I might well not bother much longer.

 

[Codger]

You're right, they are new, and you don't need them. They are conveniences, nothing more.

 

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

The SCA could do with some smarts to know how to circumnavigate a planet to a station "behind" it.

But, on the flip side, that may be too "easy mode on".

I quite like the auto-launch on the ADC but I don't like to queue. It can be interrupted by applying manual thrust but that needs to be timed and controlled to avoid upset FC and pranging into other ships.

 

[Gobin Splat]

I can't imagine life without super cruise assist. I just engage and go into the kitchen and make tea and toast with headphones on just incase I get interdicted. Especially if the target is 300,000 ls (15 minutes) away. In fact I want more automation for the passive players