Surface Installation Docking Pad Number Display

[Johnny Cyclops]

Please can these be illuminated horizontally across the landing pad deck rather than vertically, for the surface installations.

I'm often coming down near vertically over such facilities and having the docking number illuminated also vertically makes it harder to see. I can understand the vertical format when landing inside a starport, as you enter through the letterbox and thus effectively perpendicular to the numbered signage. I'm ambivalent about the outposts, but given you can approach from any direction then illuminating the deck might be useful too.

Or just paint the numbers on the pads, as well as display the yellow lighting to show the pad is available.

 

[Skip Rockbounder]

Before I bought a Clipper and stopped going to smaller stations because I didn't want to fly anything else ever... I digress, I used to fly around those things looking for where to land and even sometimes in the larger stations I wished that the markings were on the floor when over them.

I'm a pilot that gets easily lost in the moment and distracted by unexpected stuff happening 'like the station blowing up a ship inside the dock' and often lose my place for a while, X4 have a solution for that... they generate a flightpath of green dots from wherever you are to where you need to be... very helpful!

 

[Lestat]

I think it fine the way it is. At the small stations, it easy to locate the pad by using the Compass. With smaller ship it easy to rotate and flip on a dime.

 

[Para Handy]

I don't have a problem with the way it is displayed at the moment but it wouldn't hurt to have the number on the pad too. I appreciate that the pads are "cut and paste" so a horizontal holodisplay as well as the vertical one might be easier than producing artwork for different pads? (I mean they have not enough art resources to have more than one image for each of these uber-powerful powerpants moguls. )

 

[Johnny Cyclops]

I'm not sure programming wise which is easier, either the artwork of paint on the decks, or the yellow holo-image horizontal as well as vertical. Way back when we only had starports then the vertical holo made sense, for arriving through the letterbox to the inside of a station. Outposts are ok, arriving ~8-9km out and having time to locate.

Whereas, on planet landings I find I drop from the SC/Orbital cruise around 4-5km out, and for heavy gravity systems can quickly find the ground racing up at me before I can safely spot and steer. I do agree that other than super-G (1.00+) bodies, it's possible to rotate the ship properly. I guess I'm suggesting a QOL improvement.

 

[Lestat]

Just remember at stations on the ground the landing pad is always facing to the center of the station. So if you see the landing pad on the other side you are going to have to turn around.

 

[Greasetrap42]

If I was in the Galactic Standards Association (GSA) I would require all starports to have pad numbers permanently painted on the pad surface. Necessary during initial starport construction and later in the event of power outage or hologram malfunction a pilot can still be directed to the appropriate landing location.

If power outage occurs the elevators might not function, but at least ships can land. Possibly providing crucial supplies for starport repairs.