How come I can not get permission to dock?

[Imortalin]

Ok Maybe it's me or maybe it's the tgame mechanics, but I picked up slaves ( I know it's illegal lol) and was ordered to bring them to another station, but when I arrived they would not permit me to dock. Maybe I am at the wrong station I don't think so but I would appreciate any help from the experienced players.

Oh 1 more thing when I start the game with 1,000 CR and the station that I'm in has no quest on the bulletin board available what should I do to make cash?

1 last thing is solo play just that? Just you in the galaxy or is it just instanced missions, and open is just like any regular MMO with thousands of people running around?

[GrandHardy]

It could be that your too far out when you make the request, or more likely all landing platforms have been taken.

[Ser Cartoon of House Head]

just make sure you are within 7.5 km and just keep asking, in busy systems they take a while to get clearance. It is annoying, but when you move away from starting area it hardly ever happens.

In Solo you are in the same galaxy as everyone, so stuff like trading effects stock levels in station and such, you will just play the same as everyone else, you just wont see them.

If I were you I would look at your map, hover over a star and see the popluation, looks for something with over a million population, go there find a station, guarenteed to have missions.

[Eedrah]

I'm still a newb myself, and have been too scared to even try smuggling yet, but did you remember to engage silent running? or did you allow them to scan your illegal goods which they won't allow on their station?

As for your other question, the missions refresh every 5 mins or so, so, I usually wait 5 mins for the board to refresh, then if nothing good comes up, I fly to another station in the system....

[Ser Cartoon of House Head]

Even when smugging I never use silent running. I just get an auto docker, line myself up with the letterbox, get permission and fly full speed through before I get scanned then slam my brakes on and let auto dock do its thing.

I hate silent running it cooks my ship.

[Parane]

You're probably too far away from the station or all the bays are full.

[Editfish]

Originally posted by Annoying eating noise:

Even when smugging I never use silent running. I just get an auto docker, line myself up with the letterbox, get permission and fly full speed through before I get scanned then slam my brakes on and let auto dock do its thing.

I hate silent running it cooks my ship.

And using autodock in conjunction with silent running will likely result in your ship blowing up...

[Ser Cartoon of House Head]

yep, is why I never use it. Rather the boost through letter box and slam the anchors on approach. Is safer.

[Dread]

...for a relaxed definition of "safe"

[Sapyx]

One final issue with Solo versus Open, with respect to docking permission. A system with lots of CMDRs (human players, not NPCs) can clog up a space station, especially a small one like an outpost. If you play in Solo, you pretty much never get denied docking permission if you're within 7.5 km of the station.

Furthermore, a newbie still learning how to dock can hover in front of the mailslot for ages, slowing everybody else down - and giving the cops a much greater chance of eventually spotting your illegal stash.

FInally, you get given 1000 credits for a reason. Your starting Sidewinder doesn't have much cargo space, but it does have some. Go to Commodities (unless you're still in that useless Trevethick Outpost place that doesn't have a Commodities screen), buy a couple of tons of things that are in "high supply", and take them to another station / star system that wants those things. That's basic trading. It doesn't earn much profit (compared to smuggling or other missions), but "not much" is still better than "nothing at all".

You'll be much happier if you leave the newbie star systems behind. Travel three or four jumps away and find yourself a relatively emptier patch of galaxy to trade in.

[rasabt]

a) your to far away (7,5 or below)
b) your in open-play and you just gotta live with long periods of waiting for clearance (rarely happens in singel/private-play aswell), since all landingpads are busy
c) your ship is to big for the station (outposts)

if your scanned with illegal goods you get fined, not blocked from docking; even when fined you can still dock. silent running is only important if your keen on not gettin fined; if you can manage speed-landings there`s no need for silent running while smugglin. silent running and autodock is asking for tears....

sometimes there are community-events which block of stations (plague etc.) which you can see when lookin at GalNet; stations aren`t blocked otherwise...some systems are behind a permit-wall thought.

[Yuki]

For smuggling try the smuggling missions. Take a look at the destination. If it says [Outpost] behind the name- it is relatively safe to do. Outposts are rarely visited by security agents, while stations often have at least one patrolling the "mail slot", often more. Furthermore outposts are more likely to have another smuggling mission to send you back to the outpost where you came from.

Just make sure to evade interdiction and you can earn a fortune by smuggling between two outposts.

As for silent running: Silent running mode is not a guaranteed stealth mode. It closes your heat radiators. So it just lowers the chance to get scanned, and only for a specific time slot. If you are this hot your cockpit is about to melt- your hull will emit more than the radiators ever did and the security will see you.

Locking someone means locking on their heat signature. You see how much you emit on your right little window- the one with mass lock and landing gear as well. The waveline on its top. If its nearly a flat line, thats even better than silent running mode. And can be achieved by shutting down unnecessary modules and using a relatively small reactor. Overall, speed docking is more safe than silent running, and autodock is a valid part of that- past the mail slot. Past the slot you can not be scanned anyways ;

So, simply "staying cool and making haste" is far better than activating silent running mode (without some other preparations, such as shutting down shields and using heat sinks, which can make you so "cool", your windows grow ice blossoms!).

[Ser Cartoon of House Head]

It is like a guy I seen when i was woring in wines and spirits in my local supermarket when i was a teen many years ago.

He was trying to steal some vodka. The security seen him so started running toward him, he didn;t run, he just downed as much as he could before they got there. Once he drunk it and it was in his belly they could do nothing about it. Or he could have tried to be sneaky and get it out of the shop. At least he won himself a stay in the warm cell for the night and had a buzz on.