Horizons Unable to enter glide mode always get "Dropping: Too Close"

jurre

J
I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but I just can't land on a planet or moon.
I approach a body in Supercruise and enter orbital mode but then when I reach the DRP marker i receive the message "Dropping: Too Close".
At first I thought because mi angle of attack was not in the blue zone , but even keeping my angel at -1° and minimal speed I get the same issue
 

CMDR Ramsgate

C
I'm in the same boat as the OP. I was about to start a thread, then saw this one. I'm not sure about the OP, of course, but I do have:

1. an Asp with the Planetary Approach Module installed (came with Horizons)
2. Horizons (see above - I assume I can't have that module unless I'm running Horizons)
3. a planet to land on (namely, Europa, but I tried a dinky little rock in Alpha Centauri too, with the same results)

Is there a separate launcher for Horizons, or something? I'm using the regular old launcher, but now the 64-but version rather than the 32-bit option. Do you have to have a vehicle hangar fitted to land?
 

Lightspeed

Lightspeed
Sounds like you are still in Supercruise, not Orbital Cruise. You would get a message that Orbital Cruise is engaged - are you getting that message first? If not,

then either you are trying to land on a planet that is not permitted (no blue circle around the planet in systems map) or you have uploaded Elite Dangerous 64 bit by mistake instead of Horizons.

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Jameson Whitlock said:
I'm in the same boat as the OP. I was about to start a thread, then saw this one. I'm not sure about the OP, of course, but I do have:

1. an Asp with the Planetary Approach Module installed (came with Horizons)
2. Horizons (see above - I assume I can't have that module unless I'm running Horizons)
3. a planet to land on (namely, Europa, but I tried a dinky little rock in Alpha Centauri too, with the same results)

Is there a separate launcher for Horizons, or something? I'm using the regular old launcher, but now the 64-but version rather than the 32-bit option. Do you have to have a vehicle hangar fitted to land?
Click to expand...

There's a new launcher, and the tab to upload and play is now a blue one, not orange
 

android

android
yes there's a separate launcher for horizons that you should download; your elite dangereaux launcher will send you to 1.5, not 2.0. if you're using steam then you can get the product key off frontier's website. install the new launcher and you're good to go.

upppp.png
 
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jurre

J
I'm using steam, I presumed it would be an extesion to the game not a s seperate game to install. Now instaling horizons. Will get back once installed.
 

DaveB

DaveB
Glide is supposed to engage if you're at low enough speed and at between +5 and -60 pitch. In my experience, don't believe it. I think there's a sign error in there resulting in the actual limits being -5 to -60. I've tried to enter glide at minimal pitch angle (about -3) several times to maximize my distance and got "glide failed - too shallow"
 

fennster

fennster
You still get the planetary approach module and OC in 1.5, somebody last night had this problem and it wasn't until he posted a screenshot, that I could see the 1.5 watermark in the corner (since removed).
 

Kristov

K
android said:
yes there's a separate launcher for horizons that you should download; your elite dangereaux launcher will send you to 1.5, not 2.0. if you're using steam then you can get the product key off frontier's website. install the new launcher and you're good to go.

View attachment 86881
Click to expand...

This, although I don't play through Steam, I had the 32bit, 64bit and Training showing in my launcher last night and didn't notice that there was room on the bar to go up..launched the 64bit and saw the 1.5 watermark, paid it no attention, until I got the same message when approaching a planet. Exited out, was about to submit a ticket and noticed the bar had some room on top...Horizons!

Simple and silly mistake, a purely user error moment, but I'm SO glad I'm not alone in that one :)
 

AdioKIP

A
Can someone give me more exact instructions. I bought horizons thru steam. When I start thru steam I only get the options to Start 32-bit/ 64-Bit / Arena / Training. I downloaded the launcher from Frontiers site, installed and logged into my account, but it looks identical to the Steam launcher. The color is the same and the login options are the same. Do I need to link my steam key from horizons to the game somehow? I don't see any options on Frontiers site to put the Key. Do I really I have to do a completely separate install from my steam one and if so is there any reason to keep my steam install after? If this is the case they really should sell horizons as DLC on steam if you cant use it thru steam. Anyways, thanks in advance for any help.
 

Chris Simon

Chris Simon
AdioKIP said:
Can someone give me more exact instructions. I bought horizons thru steam. When I start thru steam I only get the options to Start 32-bit/ 64-Bit / Arena / Training. I downloaded the launcher from Frontiers site, installed and logged into my account, but it looks identical to the Steam launcher. The color is the same and the login options are the same. Do I need to link my steam key from horizons to the game somehow? I don't see any options on Frontiers site to put the Key. Do I really I have to do a completely separate install from my steam one and if so is there any reason to keep my steam install after? If this is the case they really should sell horizons as DLC on steam if you cant use it thru steam. Anyways, thanks in advance for any help.
Click to expand...

If you bought Horizons while it was a standalone game in Steam, it can be a bit messy, I've heard. the Horizons season is now listed under DLC as "Horizons Season Pass"
Check if you have that one installed, or if it's showing in the DLC section, eventually try deleting the game data completely and reinstall with the DLC at once.

Honestly, I know why Frontier joined Steam program, but it's a mess. The trouble is that if you bought Horizons through steam, you won't have it in your Frontier account, so you have to rely on Steam forever, whereas if you buy the game from Frontier store, not only you support them more, but you actually have an option to install it directly or activate it on steam. Just something to think about for future expansions. :)

If you are still having trouble, I would take it to the support forums. You will find similar threads, there, already, I am sure.
 

AdioKIP

A
I bought it after it became DLC. The DLC shows and the check mark for installed is ticked. I just wiped Elite and am redownloading now.
 

AdioKIP

A
An email to support got me straightened out. Steam really needs to give some clear instructions to people who buy the season pass and let them know they have to take the key and register it with frontier. Easy to do but I dont remember it being mentioned anywhere when I bought horizons. Great support though, not a lot of companies will respond to an email in under 15 minutes on a Sunday afternoon. Thanks Frontier.
 

Simon Darkstep

Simon Darkstep
I see you got it sorted out, but also be sure not to approach too quickly (above the sweet spot speed) or too steeply (into the hashes on the attitude indicator).

Also, practice with a Sidey is never a bad idea.

Good luck, Commander!
 

AdioKIP

A
Simon Darkstep said:
I see you got it sorted out, but also be sure not to approach too quickly (above the sweet spot speed) or too steeply (into the hashes on the attitude indicator).

Also, practice with a Sidey is never a bad idea.

Good luck, Commander!
Click to expand...

I tend to throw caution to the wind and trust in my piloting skills. As soon as it was fixed i loaded my game which had me in my ASP at a planet ready to land. After all the warnings and disaster stories I've read landing was a lot easier than I was expecting. First attempted landing got me a fine (apparently some bases are restricted) so I just pulled off and landed in the middle of nowhere. Flying around the planet was fun, although I wish my ASP had a little more speed to offer as I'm skimming the planets surface at a few hundred meters. Next I need to figure out what I'm willing to remove to fit an SRV on my ship.
 

Curried-Cat

C
I had a few issues but have made it immensely easier by:

1. Approaching the target while it's near the edge of the planet but not at the edge as you'll drop out of glide far away (maybe an inch or so 'inside' the planet). Don't fly straight down as that will lead to a fail.
2. Set your throttle line until it's blue, it should then slow you down automatically.
3. Keep your approach generally between 20 and 40 deg down. It should be blue.
4. You should transition from orbital cruise to glide then it'll drop you out. You might look like you're going to crash but you shouldn't.

All the heights are on the altitude gauge.

If you want to travel longer distances above the planet keep the orbital cruise between -5 and +5 (blue).
 
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Lightspeed

Lightspeed
Curried-Cat said:
I had a few issues but have made it immensely easier by:

1. Approaching the target while it's near the edge of the planet but not at the edge as you'll drop out of glide far away (maybe an inch or so 'inside' the planet). Don't fly straight down as that will lead to a fail.
2. Set your throttle line until it's blue, it should then slow you down automatically.
3. Keep your approach generally between 20 and 40 deg down. It should be blue.
4. You should transition from orbital cruise to glide then it'll drop you out. You might look like you're going to crash but you shouldn't.

All the heights are on the altitude gauge.

If you want to travel longer distances above the planet keep the orbital cruise between -5 and +5 (blue).
Click to expand...

Yes this.^^^ It is the kind of approach that I adopt and it works every time (unless I make a mistake).

Approach the planet from a distance, setting the throttle down to a speed that indicates 6 or 7 seconds for the target and leave it at that, unless it slows down too much as the approach gets close. The speed entering orbital cruise should be in the "blue" in the indicator on the left of the screen.

Ideally, the target station should be near the horizon as you enter orbital cruise, and fly in its direction until it requires a drop of about 30 degrees on the nose to reach it. The Glide will kick in at about 28 km height. Then comes the drop out of glide at a frightening speed/distance of approximately 7 km over the station, but the station is then ready to contact for landing permission.

Keep an eye on the dock that lights up first. This is the one you will be landing at, even if it is (sometimes) over on the far side of the station. The station tries to trick you into heading for another dock (part of the game, I guess) by lighting up other docks subsequent to the correct one, as a distraction.
 
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Curried-Cat

C
If you don't see which lights up then centre the white dot on the scanner to the top left of your main scanner as that will point towards your landing pad.

Also I always throttle to blue when travelling anywhere as it accelerates and brakes for you (lazy throttle!).
 
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GraysonBellamar

G
Thank you for this thread. Even with the description above it took me a while to get this figured out... very confusing!

In case anyone else comes along, here's what I encountered and the fix:

- Purchased ED Horizons Season Pass as Steam DLC
- Confirmed installed and enabled
- ED Launcher still had orange text and no option to play ED Horizons
- Playing in-game, when approaching a land-able planet I would exit from supercruise into orbital cruise but always 'bounce off' the planet due to the exclusion boundary

Fix:
- Right click on Elite Dangerous in your Steam library listing (left side of Steam)
- Select 'View CD key'
- Copy key for Elite Dangerous Horizons
- Login to my Frontier account (www.frontierstore.net)
- Go to My Account
- Add a billing/shipping address (I couldn't add the key without a valid address)
- Select 'Product Access Key' under My Account (left side)
- Enter the copied ED Horizons key (copied from Steam)
- Relaunch Steam, launch Elite Dangerous (same library listing as before)

Finally, my launcher has blue text and shows ED Horizons as an option!

Well, there went all of my free time for the day... guess I'll test it tomorrow.
 
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