What are you doing (ingame) now?

[Darr Valen]

The anaconda isn't bad to dock. It just takes getting used to cockpit position to dock. But it *does* have the starting effects that are exponentially worse/more realistic depending on your point of view, on the Imperial Cutter. The is, the inertia drift of ships with extreme mass. When you go to turn in the Anaconda, it's responsive, and just has the hint of "woah my thrusters can't compensate for this". In the Cutter, it's pronounced greatly. You know you're fighting the forces of gravity. Any pilot should be able to feel the ship fighting to turn, with the underpowered thrusters it has to compensate. I can only imagine how it will be with the PantherXL.

The Cutter is really the first ship that gets the inertia/mass issues in enough force to really overcome the auto-fly easy mode flight we get. It's not bad per se. It's certainly something you need to learn to fly through. That's one reason a lot of traders grinding that last 600 million or more doing the fast speed runs will use the docking computer to compensate for all that jazz.

Unless they're peasants that can't use the Cutter.. It is arguably the hardest special faction ship to unlock, since imperial grind was never as easy as the fed grind.

Anyway, off to put in my x56 preorder..

[JustSomeGuy]

I have no trouble manually docking or undocking a ship, even that Cutter with 700+ tons of cargo. That docking computer is more of a time and trouble saver, tool for a lazy man like me. The small size ships are just too fun to dock, would not even consider putting a DC to them.

Lately it just has felt like DC now has more trouble handling the mass of Cutter which pretty is much the heaviest ship in the game at the moment, and when added that amount of cargo it really feels when flying it. Won't stop or turn very easily. Maybe it would help a bit to put on those A rated thrusters but I doubt that it makes a big difference.

Anyway, I think I'll at least try flying without the DC for a while, and as a bonus I can replace the module with yet another cargo rack and make the ship even more heavy.

It just has been easy to close in to 7.5km of the station, ask for docking permission and let the DC do the rest. Maybe it is most useful at planetary bases (which I do use even with Cutter), I find those the more "difficult" to land even if they are not difficult but I just find my ship pointing the wrong end of the landing pad most of the time. This happens often on outposts too, plus that added trouble of finding the pad.

Also, I would not mind if they raised the speed limit around the station a bit. I'm sure this scenario is familiar for you too: Getting closer to the mailslot, flying a bit over the speedlimit and the authorities ram you. Then they slap a fine for you as it was YOUR fault that the cop was DUI. And just hope that the little Viper survives the hit, otherwise the station slaughters you to that spot. With DC turned on, the red [speeding] light turns off even if the computer boosts towards the station clearly over the speedlimit.

[JustSomeGuy]

Anyway, off to put in my x56 preorder..

I expect to see at least 45 minute long video of unboxing, review and teardown after you receive it.

[Falcon_D]

Hello,
Don't use a DC on the Cutter or Corvette. Takes up cargo rack space on the Cuttet and the Vette is just agile enough that I don't need one. Tried it for awhile on the Cutter and my Python thinking it would save me time while doing a well known trade route. Could always plan the next jump while the ship was docking. But realized after awhile that I just didn't need it. More cargo, more money. So the DC got replaced with an ADS for when I want to do some long distance, not done before trade route.

Currently doing Robigo runs to get enough CR for my explorer Conda. Then going to check out the Formadine rift.

Have fun, fly safe. o7

[Darr Valen]

I have no trouble manually docking or undocking a ship, even that Cutter with 700+ tons of cargo. That docking computer is more of a time and trouble saver, tool for a lazy man like me. The small size ships are just too fun to dock, would not even consider putting a DC to them.

Lately it just has felt like DC now has more trouble handling the mass of Cutter which pretty is much the heaviest ship in the game at the moment, and when added that amount of cargo it really feels when flying it. Won't stop or turn very easily. Maybe it would help a bit to put on those A rated thrusters but I doubt that it makes a big difference.

Anyway, I think I'll at least try flying without the DC for a while, and as a bonus I can replace the module with yet another cargo rack and make the ship even more heavy.

It just has been easy to close in to 7.5km of the station, ask for docking permission and let the DC do the rest. Maybe it is most useful at planetary bases (which I do use even with Cutter), I find those the more "difficult" to land even if they are not difficult but I just find my ship pointing the wrong end of the landing pad most of the time. This happens often on outposts too, plus that added trouble of finding the pad.

Also, I would not mind if they raised the speed limit around the station a bit. I'm sure this scenario is familiar for you too: Getting closer to the mailslot, flying a bit over the speedlimit and the authorities ram you. Then they slap a fine for you as it was YOUR fault that the cop was DUI. And just hope that the little Viper survives the hit, otherwise the station slaughters you to that spot. With DC turned on, the red [speeding] light turns off even if the computer boosts towards the station clearly over the speedlimit.

It's not that the cutter is nigh-flyable. I would go so far as to say I'd mastered it in a few hundred hours. But, it IS still an unwieldy beast, DC or no DC. Go fast isn't an issue. Going fast, lining up to dock, avoiding the latest in a long line of PC and NPC idiots that crash into me, when they get goggle-mouthed about the epic ship I am in, or whatever my cargo is, IS an issue. I really like that I can't just full speed (safely) into the dock with a cutter, like I sort-of could with my Tradeaconda, and everything below.

The Cutter is the first big spaceship in elite to really *feel* like it was the size it was. The Type 9 is big, sure. But it's realistically not that big. It's quite wide and bulky, but a bit small really. I can have fun pirating the pirates with my Type 9 Combat model. The ship feels like it's a nerfed version of a type 7. The Cutter feels like it is a big ship, with a substantial mass value. It feels like what it should feel like. It's underpowered in thrust, because it's really on the top tier of what a fighter/multirole would have. All the ships so far aren't large ships in the grand scheme of things. None of these are frigates. That being the case, really allows for elite to get BIG in future expansions. Imagine being on a dreadnaught capital going into a CG. The ship would feel large, because it is large.

The cutter feels large, because it has the same realism to it. My stripped down Courier feels like the smallest thing ever, because it has very little mass, large and overpowered thrusters and engines, and can do what it needs to do. My courier feels like what I'd expect it to realistically fly like.

Again, this is not me complaining about the ships in elite. I think the Cutter having some difficulty in maneuvering is the first real attempt at a properly large ship we've seen in Elite; and hopefully that is a sign of things to come. I mean, I wouldn't want my Panther Clipper to feel like a Type 7. I wouldn't want a Type 7 modified space train, with 10+ Seven Units attached, to feel like a Viper. There's an air of realism to the flight mechanics that are more appropriate to the newer ships.

Anyway, off to put in my x56 preorder..

I expect to see at least 45 minute long video of unboxing, review and teardown after you receive it.

I was packing up my gear to move. The x56 won't ship until the 30th of May, and I won't be game-ready again until mid-July, if we don't do a new construction.

So, expect a video around the time Star Citizen releases. Wait, wait, that's too cruel. I'd say realistically it will be July-August before I get to use it.



TL;DR the DC is a tool to be used, but it might have gotten a nerf, since it was overly effective at snapping a large ship onto the right path in an unrealistic physics type fashion. Otherwise, there's no point in having it.

[TorTorden]

The docking computer is fecking useless on the Cutter I might as well hand the sticks over to my cat. Less chance of crashing then.

No seriously half the time it can't even find the freaking pad right.

In fact I took that slot and put a buggy in it.

[Darwin]

The docking computer is fecking useless on the Cutter I might as well hand the sticks over to my cat. Less chance of crashing then.

No seriously half the time it can't even find the freaking pad right.

In fact I took that slot and put a buggy in it.

DC on the Cutter seems to work OK for me these days, but I only engage it when right in front of the slot
Gives me time to enjoy the view in VR.

[JustSomeGuy]

The docking computer is fecking useless on the Cutter I might as well hand the sticks over to my cat. Less chance of crashing then.
No seriously half the time it can't even find the freaking pad right.
In fact I took that slot and put a buggy in it.

Hehe I've had those 'what the hell is it doing now' moments many times now, wish I had taken a video of them but instead been just watching it with my mouth open wondering if this is going to cost me millions of credits in insurances.

[Loriath]

The docking computer is fecking useless on the Cutter I might as well hand the sticks over to my cat. Less chance of crashing then.

No seriously half the time it can't even find the freaking pad right.

In fact I took that slot and put a buggy in it.

I agree! In fact, I would say that it is less than half the time considering the issues I had with it which the A-Team witnessed Over and Over.

The only thing less reliable than the DC on the Cutter is ME landing it.

[JohnLuke]

Working on my combat rank.

Last Friday before I started the Phiagre BH CG, I was at Deadly 79%. Spent about 6-8 hours over the weekend, mostly in wings of 3-4, killing pirates for the CG. Made $12.5m, but more importantly... gained 3% rank. I haven't ran back over to pick up my CG bonus $ yet.

Moved the Vette to Aerial on Monday and have been working the CNB there. Selecting only Elite and Deadly ships whenever possible, I gained a few percentage points. Winged up with commander @Habu last night (his Cobra was good at keeping the gnats off of my back side), and gained another 3%.

I'm up to 87% deadly now.

I'll be in Aerial or Asphodel working the CNB's this weekend if anyone wants to wing up and gain some combat rank. Oh yeah..... and make some coin along the way.

13% to go to Elite!