This is not neccesarily the best place for this...one would think Freelancer Discussion would be better suited. Nonetheless, I still very much like the original docking system in Freelancer, hotdocking quirks and all.

I wouldn't like having to manually fly inside the station, then press dock basically because I'm lazy.

i don't like the auto-docking. it's too slow for me. when i go to a tradelane, i have cruise all the way to the very point of going passed it and then pressing dock. it's much faster

I dunno, if the flying in the station is well crafted, then it is enjoyable to do so. Check out X3 and all the screams of anguish because they removed the feature (although most probabily used the Esc button to speed up the docking).

I think that is the key, the docking is great if it is useful etc - incorporating queues and so on rather than just pilot into a twiddly hole, but leave a function that allows people to skip it if they do not want to partake.

I prefer using the (Esc) button myself, especially if my cargo gets searched. You avoid hostilities.

I want manual docking. If there were a manual re-entry feature, too (i.e. you have to hit a path shown in wireframe on your HUD, then get to fly through the atmosphere after a short sequence and manually land on the pad), I'd gladly take it. More control is better.

Thanks for the response. Looks like it would be best to use a combo of autodocking and a "skip docking sequence" option.

On the auto dock subject I actually liked the Elite system. Okay the realism, graphics etc would be updated, but the principle that you have to manually dock until you can afford to buy an auto-doc computer means that you have to learn the basics and later have the option of which to use. By the time you can afford the docking comp you probably will buy it as the novelty of manually landing has worn off.

@Chips:

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Check out X3

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Serioulsy, you can fly that thing? I could not make it past step one, figure out what all that crap on the screen is or step two, move. I thought that only quadranocular-centidigitarians could achieve such a feat.


Edited by - druid on 3/4/2006 2:39:45 AM

indeed, i myself was rather confused on how to control X3.