External Docking System

[phkb]

From that, it all seems a bit random.

Oh, good! I love random!

Wait, no I don't.

Well, that's certainly weirder. I guess I need to look a little closer at what might be happening.

Quick question: You still flying the Warlance?

[phkb]

Did not get '<100' thing.

It's probably worth noting that a successful dock is not predicated on getting that message.

[MrFlibble]

Did not get '<100' thing.

It's probably worth noting that a successful dock is not predicated on getting that message.

It seems to be the 'tell' that I'll not bounce, and as such is the only symptom with any consistency. I've not failed when that message has been present, and not succeeded in it's absence.

[MrFlibble]

From that, it all seems a bit random.

Oh, good! I love random!

Wait, no I don't.

Well, that's certainly weirder. I guess I need to look a little closer at what might be happening.

Quick question: You still flying the Warlance?

Yes I am. I've tweaked it a bit (just textures).

[phkb]

It seems to be the 'tell' that I'll not bounce, and as such is the only symptom with any consistency.

Which would mean that the external dock is either (a) not getting set up properly (but if the "adding external doc for" message is appearing in every log, that that's not true); or (b) something is happening to the external dock after it's been set up, either it's moving or getting removed. Hmm.

[phkb]

Can I get you to try something for me? When you have a space bar that hasn't reported the "<100" message, make sure it's your current target and enter the following into the console:

Code: Select all

PS.target._isMoving

And let me know what you get.

[MrFlibble]

Can I get you to try something for me? When you have a space bar that hasn't reported the "<100" message, make sure it's your current target and enter the following into the console:

Code: Select all

PS.target._isMoving

And let me know what you get.

Code: Select all

text = Ident system locked onto Lobbie's Can-Can Lounge.
> PS.target._isMoving
false

..that was a stubborn attempt. I then asked for clearance, but still didn't get the '<100'. Flew through the ball a few times, asked again, crashed with still no '<100'.

[MrFlibble]

In case you hadn't clocked it, I've installed the Galactic registry recently, but before I added external docking.

Could that be causing issues, since the name of the bar is not the same as the generic "a seedy space bar" used to set it up? It still would'nt explain why it works sometimes and not others.

[MrFlibble]

I turned on docking clearance protocol.

It worked without the '<100' three times.

I got the message on the fourth attempt.

On the fifth try I got clearance, with a time window, and despite being well within that window, failed to external dock, twice, with a bang on the second attempt..

[Cholmondely]

On the fifth try I got clearance, with a time window, and despite being well within that window, failed to external dock, twice, with a bang on the second attempt..

Too much brandy?

[phkb]

I've installed the Galactic registry recently, but before I added external docking.

Should not have any bearing on external docking. Something else is happening, I fear.

[phkb]

OK, new one to try. ExternalDockingSystem_1.5.oxz

[MrFlibble]

OK, new one to try. ExternalDockingSystem_1.5.oxz

I'll start with rapid testing from a save in flight just over 25k from the space bar, approaching having jumped into the system.

With "Docking Clearance Protocol" set to on.
Attempt 1: Approached without asking for clearance. Flew through the ball. Granted clearance. No "<100". Crashed through ball.
Attempt 2: Granted clearance. Got "<100". Success.
Attempt 3: Granted clearance from far out. Zoomed through the ball too fast. No "<100". Flew through the ball at 66. Granted clearance extension. Crashed.
Attempt 4: Granted clearance. No "<100". Crashed.

With "Docking Clearance Protocol" set to off.
Attempt 1: Seems Randomhits rolled a high probability. Flew through heavy fire, was informed clearance not required when I asked. Slowed to <100 as approaching dock. External docked safe.
Attempt 2: Did not ask for clearance. Flew through ball with no "<100". Asked for clearance "do not require". No "<100" as I crashed through the ball at <100.
Attempt 3: Thargoid destroyed on approach. No "<100". Flew through ball. Asked for clearance "do not require". Flew through ball. Scraped hull. Whoops. "press space".
Attempt 4:: Flew in from a greater angle at over 100. Got "<100". Flew through slow, near horizontal. OK.
Attempt 5: Thinking I might have learned something from attempt 4. Flew in at a steep angle. Pulled up before hitting the deck. No "<100". Went in vertical. Bounced 'through' the deck at 33, span round and looked up at the underside of the landing pad. Crashed slowly into the deck at a shallower angle. Seems hitting the deck head-on is safer than scraping it.

Now a less rapid test starting from a conventional save at a GalCop station one system away. Docking clearance protocol off.
Attempt 1: No "<100". Bang.
Attempt 2: As 1.
Attempt 3: Flew near ball too fast Got "<100". Went through shallow and docked safe.
Attempt 4: Flew through too fast. No "<100". Span round, went in slow and shallow. Bang.
Attempt 5: No "<100". Flew through ball at speed 6 and bounced. Targeted space bar. Crashed into landing deck at low speed.
Attempt 6: As 1.
Attempt 7: Flew high enough through ball at about 70 to not scrape hull. No "<100". Assumed this would not work, so docked at normal docking port to test another idea. Departed, flew slow to external dock, no "<100", docked safe. Left. Docked external again. Flew over 50k away, came back and docked ok. Figured there's probably a 100% chance of it working if starting from the space bar. Also tested trying to fly in too fast. Got the "<100" message and docked ok.

I tweaked save in flight to let me repeatedly test from just after departing station, really close to external dock, so close you need to be pressing 's' straight after hitting 1. As expected, the dice for RandomHits, asteroids etc. all get rolled again, and it seems so does the external dock glitch,with different odds. From a sample of 10 attempts, 5 were good, so the odds of this save succeeding are evens, noticeably higher than the roughly 4:1 in the other tests.

For a final fling, I jumped into the system, went straight to main station and saved. Flew twice to the space bar. First time got <100, ok. Second, no <100, bang. Still random.

My conclusions:

One thing which seems to be absolute here, is that if we see the "<100" message, something has already gone right, and external docking will succeed. I've not seen that message and failed to dock. Occasionally I've docked without being aware of it, but that may be because I've approached slowly enough to not trigger it. Where I could not invoke it, the external dock has always been hazardous.

I feel it's also reasonable to assume that departing the space bar, the external dock will work every time.

I hope you can see more in that lot than I could.

[phkb]

I hope you can see more in that lot than I could.

Yeah, I'm not seeing a pattern, other than the one we've already identified: If you don't get the "<100" message, it's a fail.

One more try:
ExternalDockingSystem_1.6.oxz
SpaceBarFacelift_1.6.oxz

I *think* I know what's going on, but we'll try this fix first before I go to the trouble of explaining what I did. Fingers-crossed.

[MrFlibble]

I hope you can see more in that lot than I could.

Yeah, I'm not seeing a pattern, other than the one we've already identified: If you don't get the "<100" message, it's a fail.

One more try:
ExternalDockingSystem_1.6.oxz
SpaceBarFacelift_1.6.oxz

I *think* I know what's going on, but we'll try this fix first before I go to the trouble of explaining what I did. Fingers-crossed.

I've given those a blast from each of my saves. Not a b0rk so far. What was it?