I can't put my finger on it but somehow this wonderfully succinct post comes across as both sexist and patronising. Or perhaps it's just me.
The Docking Computer thread.
- Thread starter Caledonian
- Start date
I can't put my finger on it but somehow this wonderfully succinct post comes across as both sexist and patronising. Or perhaps it's just me.
Station voice over for docking computer
How do we feel about each station we dock at has the voice of the docking computer the same as the station voice over...instead of your own ships computer voice, just a nice little touch to add a feel of more realism, anyone think this is a good idea, "apologies if this is a repeat post".
Also with regards station I would like to see some different interiors of stations with more going on like lighting issues or something like a large crashed ship something to look at while we dock etc. I know some empire stations have trees etc which is great but I would like to see more variety in stations.
How do we feel about each station we dock at has the voice of the docking computer the same as the station voice over...instead of your own ships computer voice, just a nice little touch to add a feel of more realism, anyone think this is a good idea, "apologies if this is a repeat post".
Also with regards station I would like to see some different interiors of stations with more going on like lighting issues or something like a large crashed ship something to look at while we dock etc. I know some empire stations have trees etc which is great but I would like to see more variety in stations.
We don't see enough of this already?
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Docking computer taught me how to dock 
As a new player, I was doing without docking computer at first because all the old threads made it sound like useless - but then read a few new posts that said it was much improved, so tried it out.
And oh man, it works really awesome. But point of this thread is that while it's awesome, I'm now sure I can do without it - especially on ships where I'd rather use that compartment for something else to mount.
But I did learn a bunch of docking tips from this new-and-improved docking computer.
Before, I was approaching landing pads and always trying to figure out which way to come in from, since I was landing like a typical horizontal plane landing jet fighter - e.g. glide path down a modest slop from IP to landing pad. But since the landing pads are pretty finicky about your direction, I learned you had to come in from the direction where the blast shield is, and then fly over it, to land on pad for it to register as a landing - otherwise would just not register as a landing. Read many posts about this and the tip was as I described here.
But the docking computer does it as a vertical landing, like say a horizontal plane landing jet fighter, a harrier jet for example. So now on outposts and places where I was confused before, I just come in at top speed, with nose of ship pointing down completely 90 degree vertical to the landing pad - which allows super quick rotation to get your tail of ship pointed right way (just like that tricky docking computer AI does it) - and then rotate to horizontal to land with down thrusters only.
Really sped up my manual docking times.
And next tip was how the docking computer uses combination of boost, full engine power, and reverse thrust to kind of slide up, sideways, diagonal, etc really quickly. Before I was just using engine throttle to kind of boost ahead, slow down, and turn ship by yaw to line up with the mail slot from where ever i dropped into the system.
With some docks, like the coreolis ones, it requires a decent bit of travel to get into correct side of the cube and the way the docking computer taught me to move via combo of engine thrust, throttle, reverse throttle, and thruster slide sideways/up down was eye opening. At first it moved so, so much more quickly than I could manually docking that odd as it sounds - it was not only smarter, but much faster.
Eventually I'm now where I'm about 80% as good as the docking computer - sad as it is to say, it's so good that I'm not sure my manual docking will ever beat it's times except on mail slot stations where you are already lined up mostly when you jump in, and can just boost right away and stay boosted through the slot (like when smuggling)
kudos to whoever re-desgined the docking computer, for my type 6 where I don't really have anything else to use that slot for, I leave the docking computer in for much faster trade runs. And on my cobra - it taught me how to drive my ship better
Go AI!!!
As a new player, I was doing without docking computer at first because all the old threads made it sound like useless - but then read a few new posts that said it was much improved, so tried it out.
And oh man, it works really awesome. But point of this thread is that while it's awesome, I'm now sure I can do without it - especially on ships where I'd rather use that compartment for something else to mount.
But I did learn a bunch of docking tips from this new-and-improved docking computer.
Before, I was approaching landing pads and always trying to figure out which way to come in from, since I was landing like a typical horizontal plane landing jet fighter - e.g. glide path down a modest slop from IP to landing pad. But since the landing pads are pretty finicky about your direction, I learned you had to come in from the direction where the blast shield is, and then fly over it, to land on pad for it to register as a landing - otherwise would just not register as a landing. Read many posts about this and the tip was as I described here.
But the docking computer does it as a vertical landing, like say a horizontal plane landing jet fighter, a harrier jet for example. So now on outposts and places where I was confused before, I just come in at top speed, with nose of ship pointing down completely 90 degree vertical to the landing pad - which allows super quick rotation to get your tail of ship pointed right way (just like that tricky docking computer AI does it) - and then rotate to horizontal to land with down thrusters only.
Really sped up my manual docking times.
And next tip was how the docking computer uses combination of boost, full engine power, and reverse thrust to kind of slide up, sideways, diagonal, etc really quickly. Before I was just using engine throttle to kind of boost ahead, slow down, and turn ship by yaw to line up with the mail slot from where ever i dropped into the system.
With some docks, like the coreolis ones, it requires a decent bit of travel to get into correct side of the cube and the way the docking computer taught me to move via combo of engine thrust, throttle, reverse throttle, and thruster slide sideways/up down was eye opening. At first it moved so, so much more quickly than I could manually docking that odd as it sounds - it was not only smarter, but much faster.
Eventually I'm now where I'm about 80% as good as the docking computer - sad as it is to say, it's so good that I'm not sure my manual docking will ever beat it's times except on mail slot stations where you are already lined up mostly when you jump in, and can just boost right away and stay boosted through the slot (like when smuggling)
kudos to whoever re-desgined the docking computer, for my type 6 where I don't really have anything else to use that slot for, I leave the docking computer in for much faster trade runs. And on my cobra - it taught me how to drive my ship better
Go AI!!!
Sarah Jane Avory
Retro Queen
kudos to whoever re-desgined the docking computer, for my type 6 where I don't really have anything else to use that slot for, I leave the docking computer in for much faster trade runs. And on my cobra - it taught me how to drive my ship better
Go AI!!!
That'll be me.
And the next update will be even better! I've got it now so if your approach is towards the entrance, it can bypass the holding position and fly straight on through (if it gets clearance). I've tweaked a few other parts too, made the landings a little faster inside stations. 
As a new player, I was doing without docking computer at first because all the old threads made it sound like useless - but then read a few new posts that said it was much improved, so tried it out.
And oh man, it works really awesome. But point of this thread is that while it's awesome, I'm now sure I can do without it - especially on ships where I'd rather use that compartment for something else to mount.
But I did learn a bunch of docking tips from this new-and-improved docking computer.
Before, I was approaching landing pads and always trying to figure out which way to come in from, since I was landing like a typical horizontal plane landing jet fighter - e.g. glide path down a modest slop from IP to landing pad. But since the landing pads are pretty finicky about your direction, I learned you had to come in from the direction where the blast shield is, and then fly over it, to land on pad for it to register as a landing - otherwise would just not register as a landing. Read many posts about this and the tip was as I described here.
But the docking computer does it as a vertical landing, like say a horizontal plane landing jet fighter, a harrier jet for example. So now on outposts and places where I was confused before, I just come in at top speed, with nose of ship pointing down completely 90 degree vertical to the landing pad - which allows super quick rotation to get your tail of ship pointed right way (just like that tricky docking computer AI does it) - and then rotate to horizontal to land with down thrusters only.
Really sped up my manual docking times.
And next tip was how the docking computer uses combination of boost, full engine power, and reverse thrust to kind of slide up, sideways, diagonal, etc really quickly. Before I was just using engine throttle to kind of boost ahead, slow down, and turn ship by yaw to line up with the mail slot from where ever i dropped into the system.
With some docks, like the coreolis ones, it requires a decent bit of travel to get into correct side of the cube and the way the docking computer taught me to move via combo of engine thrust, throttle, reverse throttle, and thruster slide sideways/up down was eye opening. At first it moved so, so much more quickly than I could manually docking that odd as it sounds - it was not only smarter, but much faster.
Eventually I'm now where I'm about 80% as good as the docking computer - sad as it is to say, it's so good that I'm not sure my manual docking will ever beat it's times except on mail slot stations where you are already lined up mostly when you jump in, and can just boost right away and stay boosted through the slot (like when smuggling)
kudos to whoever re-desgined the docking computer, for my type 6 where I don't really have anything else to use that slot for, I leave the docking computer in for much faster trade runs. And on my cobra - it taught me how to drive my ship better
Go AI!!!
Buy some of SJA's books, if you really want to say "thank you".
Why do you think they delayed version 1.3.07? ::whistles innocently::
That'll be me.
this is awesome news, thank you Sarah
Please don't take this as offence in any way, it genuinely isn't meant that way.
I seriously don't understand why so many people have problems docking. To me it felt like the easiest thing from day 1. Never had issues, never touched anything while docking, tried the computer once and it feels like it takes ages in comparison to manual (easily 2x as long).
I would honestly like to know what exactly causes people to find it difficult to do.
Is it because of vertical landing, is it because of general lack of control of the ship, is it (in the letterbox) the rotation, is it the other ships around you? I would really appreciate if someone told me
I seriously don't understand why so many people have problems docking. To me it felt like the easiest thing from day 1. Never had issues, never touched anything while docking, tried the computer once and it feels like it takes ages in comparison to manual (easily 2x as long).
I would honestly like to know what exactly causes people to find it difficult to do.
Is it because of vertical landing, is it because of general lack of control of the ship, is it (in the letterbox) the rotation, is it the other ships around you? I would really appreciate if someone told me
I actually think it has a evil side, although rare it used to try and kill me by throwing my clipper into the sides of stations (namely the rings on the Orbis). 99% good 1% evil
Love the music though. Also remember to turn it off if you are smuggling lol. One time I was creeping along the sides of the station (jumped on the backside) and had to make the last turn to go in the envelope and throttled down ... didn't go quite as well as planned that time.
I only used it on the clipper when trading so I could spend more time looking at other things (trading is boring, Might as well automate part of it ).
Love the music though. Also remember to turn it off if you are smuggling lol. One time I was creeping along the sides of the station (jumped on the backside) and had to make the last turn to go in the envelope and throttled down ... didn't go quite as well as planned that time.
I only used it on the clipper when trading so I could spend more time looking at other things (trading is boring, Might as well automate part of it ).
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Yeah, new to the game and it took me a hot minute to pick up on that. Once I did, Stress level went all the way down on outpost/pad landings Also, flying in at 90 degrees helps the majority of the time. What would be helpful is... If on the Outpost HUD, if they put a little orange indicator for the pad location so you don't look like a spaz zipping laterally around trying to find your pad.
I think it might be a lot at once sometimes for some people, particularly if their controls are poorly mapped. Generally when I'm docking as quickly and efficiently as possible it's a matter of boosting constantly up to the birdcage, lining up the letterbox approach with lateral thrust, rolling, spotting the pad either by eye or by compass, rolling again, dropping gear, killing the engines and gliding to position above the pad before lowering smoothly into place. Most of those simple sounding individual actions can all happen within the space of just a few seconds, and I'm certain if I hadn't taken the time to lay out my controls in a more efficient manner I'd have trouble keeping up with doing everything at the right time to avoid various pitfalls and faceplants.Please don't take this as offence in any way, it genuinely isn't meant that way.
I seriously don't understand why so many people have problems docking. To me it felt like the easiest thing from day 1. Never had issues, never touched anything while docking, tried the computer once and it feels like it takes ages in comparison to manual (easily 2x as long).
I would honestly like to know what exactly causes people to find it difficult to do.
Is it because of vertical landing, is it because of general lack of control of the ship, is it (in the letterbox) the rotation, is it the other ships around you? I would really appreciate if someone told me
Please don't take this as offence in any way, it genuinely isn't meant that way.
I seriously don't understand why so many people have problems docking. To me it felt like the easiest thing from day 1. Never had issues, never touched anything while docking, tried the computer once and it feels like it takes ages in comparison to manual (easily 2x as long).
I would honestly like to know what exactly causes people to find it difficult to do.
Is it because of vertical landing, is it because of general lack of control of the ship, is it (in the letterbox) the rotation, is it the other ships around you? I would really appreciate if someone told me
Docking isn't a problem for most people. The convenience of leaning back, grabbing a cup of coffee, checking the forums
etc. is worth it too many.I trust the docking computer 100 percent. Well 99 percent. I still fly manually past the spokes on Orbis stations before engaging it.
When I want an optimal load out of course I do remove it, but for 90 percent of my gameplay that convenience is golden.
Now it is so good, that I sometimes just enjoy watching it do its thing
Cheers.
You said it right... for a new player it may be overwhelming with the clock ticking, threat of death, travel on 3-axis, looking for pad, watching traffic, it all adds up. Like you , I think it is also about mapping keys that make sense to you in a configuration that makes it easy for you. Once done, and with some practice, it gets rather routine. I shake my head at the folks that claim they never had an issue, were born into ED and knew everything instantly, pros at everything right off the bat--they aren't being honest--with themselves or the community.
Well that does actually make sense. This also explains why I didn't have issues with it. The first thing I always do is remap my controls to what I'm already familiar with from other games and/or what feels natural to me. So at least this issue is was pretty much non existent for me.
I'm sorry to disappoint you, but while I certainly wasn't pro at everything when i started playing, I did not ever have any issues with the controls of the game. They (keyboard and mouse) felt extremely intuitive and natural to me from the very first second of flight (after some remapping before playing, what I always do with every game I play).
I have almost 300hrs in this game and so far only died once and that in combat, being rammed by 1 of 3 simultaneously attacking condas. Maybe it comes from other games, maybe it's just coincidence, but assuming people are dishonest, simply because they never had an issue with something, you had issues with, is a bit of a stretch. I have really big issues learning instruments. Does that mean people who can instantly learn how to play one are all lying? No it doesn't.
Anyways I didn't want to get insulted or anything, I simply wanted to genuinely know what exactly people had issues with, exactly BECAUSE I never had any with it. Therefor I couldn't really imagine which of the many aspects of docking is the deciding factor.
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I found the perfect solution for landing in outposts. If I get to the pad and i'm facing the wrong direction, I just fly over the pad, flight assist off, pull up until i'm facing the pad again, flight assist on, dock. It's a lot faster than turning around with side thrusters.