The Docking Computer(s)
Prohibitively expensive for the starting commander but once you can afford it then you don't really need it. So what's the point?
In elite it was perhaps two-fold:
- convenience (especially the fast-dock variety)
- novelty (it was 1984)
Even back then, the novelty would wear off pretty fast so we're left with convenience but in oolite there's a twist: the clock. Auto-Docking will add on a certain amount of time, to the extent that manually docking can be (and often is) faster.
So in oolite, with it's time sensitive missions/contracts, you're paying for the DC twice. Furthermore, Docking is easier in oolite on account of better graphics/collision detection and the fact that there's a docking bouy to alleviate what WAS the hardest part: lining up.
The great thing about Docking Computers of course is that just because you've installed them it doesn't mean you have to use them and the player isn't always 'against the clock'. It remains the case however that they represent a non-essential item who's biggest virtue is to save the player real time.
Docking can be fun but it gets old. Not everyone likes to play along while listening to a podcast, some just want to play. By the time you've got this equipment item then you've already done your time and even if you still like to manually Dock then the next time you're given a queue position of 15 then 'fast-dock' is an option that you might like to have.
So, where's the controversy? Well how about making their use save time more than cost it, not just sometimes but rather everytime?
It has its merits I think:
- more intuitive - in saving real time you're saving in-game time too (with the 'fast dock' option)
- actually useful - saving a few mins of game time can help in some situations
- it would become a strategic purchase - few, if any, veterans need one but for the contract-phillic player it would make a sound investment.
But...
How could it possibly save time?
The ship is no faster, you never see other ship's teleporting into the station so another example of undesired player-centricity?
There's another possibility in terms of time saving. Rather than saving time before Docking it could save time after. Priority landing and loading facilities for example.
If the clock doesn't add on some time however then what the hell just happened? There's another way to do it, which would be to add on even more time when the player doesn't use computers.
This might seem harsh but then if the player would rather take their time to manually dock then it remains intuitive: they're effectively loitering when on the clock rather than when they're off it.
Contracts are often quite achievable time wise, to the extent that many players take on multiple contracts simultaneously. That could be no less viable with the purchase of DCs.
Of course a combination of adding some time after Docking manually and reducing the time added after fast-docking could be used but the point would be utility.
Rather than just a curious relic of 1984, the Docking Computer would be a desirable purchase, potentially on a par with the extra energy unit whose price it shares.
