Docking computer is a noob trap

[lsjoyce]

The DC will wait in a queue so long that your docking request expires, but it still takes you into the station, causing a fine then ship destruction. If you have been relying on the DC you wont know how to leave the station before this happens.

[wolf]

Originally posted by WingedWolf9232:

I would suggest to get into the station by yourselft and then throttle down, letting the Docking Computer handle only that last part for you. It's both very easy and very quick :)

Wolfy has seen the light, this is by far the best way to use a DC. This way you get to bypass any queue related trouble outside a station, slip through the mail slot manually without the risk of DC failure (i.e. ramming into the slot if you're in a big ship), and once inside it's just nice to kick back and let the DC auto land your ship.

Smugglers do it like this to avoid being scanned and yet secure a relatively quick and easy landing inside. And with the advanced DC you can go make coffee while you auto launch from the station, then boost away as you pass the mail slot

It's also nice and convenient for explorers, the DC always finds an LZ no matter how tiny.

[PROM]

I use it all the time, it's what most would do in the 34th century

[Alucard †]

Yep. I had a mishap with it when i was a noob.
And later realized how faster it is and how easy it is to just learn to dock by yourself

[Wesker]

Sounds like the Tesla auto pilot, works most of the time... except when it doesn't see the giant concrete pillar and you burst into flames,

Seriously though, the docking computer is a tool ment to make the monotony of multi load trading a bit easier and faster, if you're waiting in the queue that long it's not faster, so pull out and cut in line.

[Dolphin Bottlenose]

Originally posted by Wesker:

Sounds like the Tesla auto pilot, works most of the time... except when it doesn't see the giant concrete pillar and you burst into flames,

That's why one shouldn't be sitting at a backseat, but should be able to interfere with an automation that went very wrong. :)

[Alyx]

I use it all the time, never have experienced this. DC is super useful when you can’t find the mail slot lmao!

[Sighman]

Originally posted by Master Max:

I use it all the time, never have experienced this. DC is super useful when you can’t find the mail slot lmao!

Mail slot is always on the face turning counter-clockwise.

For outposts, use the white/light blue dot in the circular targeting display top left of the main radar. (Also useful when you enter a large station and want to find your landing pad.)

[funkynutz]

Originally posted by klaxxin:

ye try to dock manually a t10 with the state of the game at 10 fps in stations , then come and talk

Time for a PC upgrade...

[restarter]

not even elon can relax enough to fall asleep at the wheel.

[JL::Jose-Juan Kenobi]

yep it happened to me once with the Sidey.
I use it everytime with the T9 without issues other than always scratching my paint on the mail slot.

Every other ship I land manually is way faster, will probably use it once I get the Cutter too.

Just keep your hands on the joystick and pay attention at all times lol

[jamespfp]

I must admit, I went from being a Docking Computer Only player to one who rarely relies on it. I found that Core Mining builds gave me a much better situational awareness of the ship I was flying (regardless of size) and that meant I didn't need the DC to get through the Slot. Being able to consistently get through the Slot is more than half the battle when docking anyway, and in my experience, the DC is most likely to mess up somehow due to the Slot: either the ship will bump into the wall instead of the slot, or get tangled up (Cutter is especially vulnerable to this), *OR* other ships in the Queue (NPCs every time) will be stalled out / timed out and the DC doesn't know how to handle that.

Anyhow -- I'd recommend that all players practice getting their ships through the Slot before throttling back and letting the DC take over from inside the station, instead of outside. Now, I'm confident enough as a pilot that I didn't even bother putting a DC on my first T7 or the last T9 I built. The Anaconda and to some extent the Corvette are both trickier to get aligned with the Slot due to the cockpit being so far back along the length of the ship, but they're also both less likely to collide with anything to the left, right, above or below the ship. That is to say, messing up alignment with the Conda / Vette will mean you're pushing the front of the ship into the side of the station.

[Rragar]

Originally posted by klaxxin:

ye try to dock manually a t10 with the state of the game at 10 fps in stations , then come and talk

I can do it just fine. You gotta hug the bottom of the mail slot.

If you're running at 10 fps in space, you also should be blaming your hardware instead of "the state of the game"

[secretdwarf02]

Tbh, this is why I went to my Outfitting section and went to basically sell the the docking computer outright. In a sense I should say that at the very least I went and purchased a DBX with what I wanted and eventually started remapping controls landing then to remap the game to using AC7 controls.

Overall landing and docking has been a lot smoother throughout my near so 190ish hours.

Firstly if players don't need to use a docking computer, they should probably at least consider selling it at first in order to really get ahead on landing and learning to land in a giant space port.

Secondly, I believe a lot of the players (at least in general when it comes to the highway), can be used unless it's used for something like exploration with a high tank capacity ship, in which case using the neutron highway (unless you really wanna get somewhere that's not a part of your scan jobs or passenger missions), such that it inherently self defeating unless you need to get to somewhere or out of a place in a jiffy, unless you don't have the fuel too, and to that end I say at the most destitute buy a fuel scoop first before going anywhere else provided that the station sells it, you're more likely to get additional fuel at a certain radius according to the relative speed and velocity between you and the sun and the absorption rate of the fuel scoop.

By and in far, the biggest thing I learn in so far is that in terms of the game itself, that the ship you need is the kind for the job that you're doing. What a ship for exploration? Get a dbx with a fuel scoop, a good reactor and some light weight (mostly D rated equipment) stuff for fuel efficiency and jump range, then once you get all the materials you need for engineering, try going for the best possible or the most convenient choice for your engineering path in the FSD department. Need something for combat, ideally get a Cobra MK III, with gimballed turrets and some good lasers with it, and maybe if you need it some sort of stuff for shields, unless you're going for the Python in which case for the python fully kit the thing with shields and weapons mainly.

For passenger ships ideally you're going to need a ship for long range trips, in this case a DBX should do the job, but if you wanna really go all out, an andaconda works as well, just spec it with a fully engineered FSD and a good fuel tank and fuel scoop with a quality passenger cabin.

After that, depending on what ever else you need, you should be fine on what you have, any sorts of credits can be earned through Scans combat or even sometimes just doing trade can help a person out (usually cargo is what a Type 7 Transporter is for at that point), other than that just have fun with the game.

[Konfurzius™]

Originally posted by Master Max:

I use it all the time, never have experienced this. DC is super useful when you can’t find the mail slot lmao!

its always where the blue lights are and there are huge arrows on the stations :D

and theyre always facing the planets so fly to the planet make a turn and face the station you will come out where the mailslot is always ^^

and you are way faster without that assists ...

[Barron von Beavis]

what a load of bull cr#p its failed once in like 300 times