Hello!...First post...Wow!...Thankyou and Questions!...

[Micha]

I don't really care either way either.
Just make up your minds!

[CheeseRedux]

As a matter of principle, I disapprove of allowing equipment to decide whether I can turn it on or off.

[Okti]

As a matter of principle, I disapprove of allowing equipment to decide whether I can turn it on or off.

I agree on that as well

[JensAyton]

We’ll keep the fix for 1.75.1, and be on the lookout for people complaining that they accidentally enable the autopilot in combat. :-)

[TGHC]

Hmmm, I will of course go along with the majority and humbly bow to the superior beings that are known as Oolite developers, they can do no wrong.

However, I don't see that there is much difference in comparison in a fight situation, between fleeing through a wormhole, Galactic hyperspacing, deploying an escaped pod or autodocking when within range of a station. It's a sort of "beam me up Scottie get me out of here NOW!".

But hey that's just my take on it.

[Eric Walch]

We’ll keep the fix for 1.75.1, and be on the lookout for people complaining that they accidentally enable the autopilot in combat.

With a bit of luck, you still survive. I just tested it 3 times: adding some pirates and than engaging the docking computer. Result:

My clean ship got hits, this was noticed by the station who launched a squadron vipers. I was send to a docking abort position to make room for the vipers. My ship sustained heavy damage before the vipers took it over and my ship docked safely in two times. On the third test my docking computer was damaged by the pirates before the vipers killed the pirate. (Viper help is there only for the clean player though)

When the computer would not allow its function when under attack, it also should break off its task when under attack. But, that never happened and feels as a minor flaw in the 1.75 way of handling it.

I have no strong feelings against any of the options, because a normal player would always choose to break off the docking procedure when under fire and there is no real difference in the end. I always have a slight preference to give the decision to the player were possible.

[TGHC]

a normal player

There's no such thing!

I'm happy!

[Micha]

However, I don't see that there is much difference in comparison in a fight situation, between fleeing through a wormhole, Galactic hyperspacing, deploying an escaped pod or autodocking when within range of a station. It's a sort of "beam me up Scottie get me out of here NOW!".

All of those options you mentioned have a negative impact on the pilot:

1. wormhole - has to be there, and the pirates can follow you anyway to continue the fight. Also, you end up elsewhere than you intended.
2. (Galactic) Hyperspace - takes time before it kicks in (which you have to survive), and see (1). In the case of galactic hyperspace, it's quite expensive too.
3. Escape Pod is instant, but at the very least you lose your cargo and escape pod, so it's expensive.

Before it was changed, the fast-docking was literally a 'get ouf of jail for free' card. 1ms before exploding? No worries, Shift-C will fix it. So definitely a major game cheat.

[Bugbear]

Got a bee in my bonnet about this...want to lend my weight to the support of the non-teleporting docking computer.

The docking computer is not a combat computer. So if you engage it and you've got hostiles on your 6, then you're a sitting duck. At that point, unless you've got rapid charging shields, and your enemies are attacking you with mining lasers, I can't see how a docking computer could dock you before your ship is destroyed.

So as a compromise, auto-docking while in condition red should give you a marginal chance of surviving. If you've got the auto-eject OXP installed then it's more likely that your escape pod will kick in.

However, if you bought my (non-existent) docking and combat computer, then you can alleviate yourself of the tedium of dogfighting all together

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Now to argue for the opposition, here's Cmdr Bugbear...

So maybe the docking computer has been programmed to perform automatic evasive manoeuvers while in the presence of hostiles.

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I still think the 'no auto dock while red' behaviour is most appropriate...

[Zireael]

I still think the 'no auto dock while red' behaviour is most appropriate...

Seconded.