Oolite Bulletins

Commander McLane wrote:

It's always been a myth (as in: a factually untrue lore) that docking is so hard in Elite, and that pilots die by the dozen doing it.

<nods> A myth that I see perpetuated on the E: D forum and elsewhere. As you say, it's even easier with Oolite.

Cody wrote:

it does take ship's clock time.

Am I understanding correctly that what you're saying means it will still count the time it would have taken to manually dock, so any time-sensitive missions can be failed by "teleporting" to the dock?

Yeah... that's about the way of it. I forget the actual numbers, though.

Also to notice is the difference between c and C. Shift c (C) does something different to just c (No shift c). In the reference sheet you will see a few capitals and they all require shift to be held as a capital.

Am I understanding correctly that what you're saying means it will still count the time it would have taken to manually dock, so any time-sensitive missions can be failed by "teleporting" to the dock?

Right. The "insta-dock" mode takes 20 minutes (I haven't timed how long the autopilot mode generally takes, but it's not quick). It also takes 10 minutes to launch and 10-15 minutes to refuel. Worth knowing if you're desperately trying to shave a few minutes off your journey (cutting things a little fine on one of your delivery contracts, maybe).

It's always been a myth (as in: a factually untrue lore) that docking is so hard in Elite, and that pilots die by the dozen doing it.

I remember it taking a few goes to get the knack of manual docking in the original Elite, but after that it wasn't difficult. It's definitely easier in Oolite, where the docking port isn't just a wobbling rectangle. I guess it has a fearsome reputation because rookie pilots inevitably need to attempt it long before the controls (and controlling a craft in 3 dimensions) have become second nature.

rayner wrote:

Worth knowing if you're desperately trying to shave a few minutes off your journey...

<nods> For kit, fuel and ordnance, just about everything takes time... some kit-fitting/repairs take a lot of time (days, even).

The shortest game clock time to refuel is sunskimming.

Fatleaf wrote:

The shortest game clock time to refuel is sunskimming.

<mutters something about beancounters>

I got so good at docking in Elite that I would pretty much fly at the station at speed from any angle and still managed to twist my way into docking position at the last moment (about 1 in 100 times that resulted in splat). My friends had to pick their jaws up off the floor after watching. I still used the DC whenever I could.

In Oolite I didn't want to invest the time needed to get that good again. I limped my way through several ungainly dockings and bought a DC as soon as possible. The only time I manually dock now is if the damn thing's damaged.

Fatleaf wrote:

The shortest game clock time to refuel is sunskimming.

Using my (OXP) Fuel Stations is quicker, as you don't need to fly all the way to the sun to do it. Nor do you need to dock, hence no time penalty either.

The shortest vanilla trunk way though indeed is sunskimming, just don't forget your fuel scoops too, and preferrably heat shielding.

Cody wrote:

Fatleaf wrote:

The shortest game clock time to refuel is sunskimming.

<mutters something about beancounters>

<chuckles quite a bit>



Brings back a lot of good memories

Fast docking puts 20 minutes on te clock...

Cody wrote:

rayner wrote:

Worth knowing if you're desperately trying to shave a few minutes off your journey...

<nods> For kit, fuel and ordnance, just about everything takes time... some kit-fitting/repairs take a lot of time (days, even).

I think, generally, this is based on the value of the piece of kit being installed/repaired. The more expensive it is, the more time it takes. Can be quite a bugger during a time-sensitive mission, if you limp in to dock with a big list of repairs ... can you afford the time it'll take to fix everything that's broken? Is it worth the gamble to leave them broken until you make your delivery? Decisions, decisions ...