This docking queue (or lack of) thing - what are the limits at stations?

[millsaw]

How many pads/hangar bays are there in each type of station? I read that NPCs also take up a bay. The problem I have is that I'm out in the sticks at startup (umm LHS 5447 is it?), lots of Outposts, some very remote from jump in point, MAJORITY of the time I'm encountering docking denied and players waiting at these. Never have an issue at starports.

I'm not intending here to moan about the docking thing as I'm sure it's being moaned about enough already (and hopefully being attended by Frontier), but I'd like to know how busy these places have to be before becoming inaccessible. So: how many slots do outposts and starports have?

An immediate part-solution is simply to have NPC ships not take up an internal bay when inside. To hell with realism when I have to spam the dockking button for 15 mins to get in or just play in solo mode (I don't want to).

 

[Zplintz]

Any ship whether npc or player takes up a landing pad if occupied on the surface or in the hanger. That pad does not become available for use by another ship until it is vacated either by undocking or logging off (in the case of players - I don't know whether npcs de-spawn when docked sometimes or always re-appear.

You are also limited by pad size versus ship size. Ouposts have no large pads and often only one medium.

If a player docks and goes afk, the pad is occupied until they undock.

If you are desperate to dock you can try logging out and back in to try and get an instance where the pad isn't occupied.

 

[Crank Larson]

Outposts have a limited number of pads, which is fine, but there should definitely be a queuing system whereby you are informed when a pad is available.

Mind you, I got a Type 7 and was waiting ages for a pad at an outpost. Until I realised that there weren't any large pads there at all.