The Problem
The Beluga is big. Coriolis docking port max, in fact.
Some pilots seem to be discouraged before they learn that it does in fact fit through, just requires a bit more precision than the smaller ships.
I started learning to fly it last week, and I tried to make use of the Docking Computer.
Turns our the Docking Computer hits the letterbox pretty often. (Lost of posts about that.)
Particularly annoying for me, flying without shields to fit in more passengers. Angry passengers, it turns out. Angry passengers that wouldn't pay.
Anyway the whole no shields approach is another topic entirely - I'm not trying to cover that here. In any case it's an inelegant part of a flight.
Couldn't find an answer online, unusually.
What I thought might be useful to share is that I did figure out how to get 100% success with the Beluga at the Coriolis with the Docking Computer.
The Solution
It's just a matter of making the correct approach, i.e. from ABOVE.
In detail, the last manoeuvre the computer makes before entry to the port is (normally) a vertical slew.
...that's it.
Just make sure you are aligned ABOVE the docking port so that last manoeuvre the computer has to make is DOWN.
If the approach is below the port, turn off the computer (a little throttle), and slew up until above the port, turn it back on again.
Assuming you don't loose your entry slot, and mostly even if you do, it sorts the computer out.
...now you only have to worry about getting out manually, which is a fair bit easier to do because there is only a little rotation right at the end.
The Beluga is big. Coriolis docking port max, in fact.
Some pilots seem to be discouraged before they learn that it does in fact fit through, just requires a bit more precision than the smaller ships.
I started learning to fly it last week, and I tried to make use of the Docking Computer.
Turns our the Docking Computer hits the letterbox pretty often. (Lost of posts about that.)
Particularly annoying for me, flying without shields to fit in more passengers. Angry passengers, it turns out. Angry passengers that wouldn't pay.
Anyway the whole no shields approach is another topic entirely - I'm not trying to cover that here. In any case it's an inelegant part of a flight.
Couldn't find an answer online, unusually.
What I thought might be useful to share is that I did figure out how to get 100% success with the Beluga at the Coriolis with the Docking Computer.
The Solution
It's just a matter of making the correct approach, i.e. from ABOVE.
In detail, the last manoeuvre the computer makes before entry to the port is (normally) a vertical slew.
| Last Vertical Slew Direction | Damage Received from Letterbox? |
| UP | YES - failure  |
| DOWN | NO - success |
...that's it.
Just make sure you are aligned ABOVE the docking port so that last manoeuvre the computer has to make is DOWN.
If the approach is below the port, turn off the computer (a little throttle), and slew up until above the port, turn it back on again.
Assuming you don't loose your entry slot, and mostly even if you do, it sorts the computer out.
...now you only have to worry about getting out manually, which is a fair bit easier to do because there is only a little rotation right at the end.