They all have now the docking module from the get go (you can still remove it if you need the slots). Just call station controll and stop the ship.

Same with planetary approach and super cruise assist module.

Yes, the adv docking computer handles landing and take-offs from stations. It is cheap, and I suspect it now comes with the starting Sidewinder ship.

Manual docking takes some practice, but is not terrible once you are used to the controls.

Hey, I also just returned to the game after a number of years, whatever ship you had before has the docking computer now, at least my hauler did, which it did not have before. Key bind for flight assist is Z out of box, not exactly sure if you need that on, guessing you probably do. Get within the 7.5km range, reduce speed to zero (already stated in a post above, just saying it again here) and do the request docking. Walk away, grab an adult beverage and when you come back you are docked. Very convenient. Some are against it, I think as long as you do know how to dock, it is fine (those first 2 days back for me last week I did not realize there was now an auto dock feature, spending 20 mins trying to find the entrance or pad at some funky station, having to cancel docking over and over, smashing my ship into the ground,, it really brought me back.... ). Got the hang of it again but then found the auto dock, such a time saver and great for stretching the legs.

There is autodocking now, as others have stated, but to be honest, if docking is too frustrating for you I really doubt you'll enjoy ED. Go for games with simple flight mechanics like NMS or Ace Combat.

Originally posted by EverySingleTime:

There is autodocking now, as others have stated, but to be honest, if docking is too frustrating for you I really doubt you'll enjoy ED. Go for games with simple flight mechanics like NMS or Ace Combat.

Lol i disagree with this. I enjoy the game and could care less about docking and taking off.

learn to dock manually, that way you can if/when needed. otherwise go for auto dock.
You can zero your throttle and just use fwd/rev left/right up/down. this is also very handy when it comes to mining or combat. learn them thrusters.

I have the thrusters set up on my joystick. That's how important they are. You use them for landing all the time, and also the upwards thruster can give you the edge in combat turns.

Docking manually is not difficult at all - you just rotate with the station like in Interstellar and fly through the massive slot. I have never used autodock. Its likely easier with a joystick than a controller or keyboard/mouse admittedly.

This game's landing is very easy as you never are affected by gravity which is magically 'cancelled' out. For a challenge try landing on a high gravity world in Frontier: Elite 2.

Originally posted by KrazyKrackA:

Lol i disagree with this. I enjoy the game and could care less about docking and taking off.

Whether one enjoys docking is neither here nor there. Virtually nothing in ED is less complex than docking; so if the difficulty of docking is a big turn off, the rest of the game almost certainly will be as well.

Like said, you should learn how to dock manually. Things can, and will go wrong during docking procedures. Sometimes AI get stuck in what's referred to as 'the mail slot' of a station and things go boom. Sometimes you even get blamed for it and station security makes sure YOU GO BOOM.

Then you can use autodocking, but the second something starts to go squirrely, you can NOPE out of it and save your own hide.

Originally posted by EverySingleTime:

Originally posted by KrazyKrackA:

Lol i disagree with this. I enjoy the game and could care less about docking and taking off.

Whether one enjoys docking is neither here nor there. Virtually nothing in ED is less complex than docking; so if the difficulty of docking is a big turn off, the rest of the game almost certainly will be as well.

IMHO, docking is an art in itself. Not sure I would call it the least complex activity, tho. Docking, and docking well can be both pleasurable and a real challenge. There are probably as many ways to dock as there are players. Over the years I have changed my docking style multiple times, and I'm still learning, hoping to find that perfect docking experience. Also in my opinion, the best ships to dock with are the ASP Explorer and the recent T8.

all small ships come with the advanced docking module pre installed, which allow you to dock automatically

but i would reccomend you learn docking manually. once you figure it out its not hard and leaves that slot open for better modules
for the start i would reccomend sticking to lower speeds.

Originally posted by M14:

Like said, you should learn how to dock manually. Things can, and will go wrong during docking procedures. Sometimes AI get stuck in what's referred to as 'the mail slot' of a station and things go boom. Sometimes you even get blamed for it and station security makes sure YOU GO BOOM.

Then you can use autodocking, but the second something starts to go squirrely, you can NOPE out of it and save your own hide.

Been using auto dock since like 2015. Have never once had the AI get stuck or crash my ship. To be fair I only use medium or small ships though so maybe large have that issue. I also do know how to manually dock though if I did need to.

Oh it's happened on console several times. Can't speak for PC as i've only just started playing it there, and so far every time I get to the mail slot there's no other ships around. Did get stuck on an exit queue though, despite no other ships coming/going, so I took control back and just boosted out.

There was always shenanigans at Jameson as well, so would have to go into solo mode when heading there.

ive also had the ship crash during autodock a few times. luckily it was not a problem with shields, but it is something to consider
might be some unlucky timing with larger ships

Originally posted by Red Jello:

because I could not figure out the docking

lmao. that is funny... thanks for the laughs... No I mean it... lmao... can't dock... got to be a real thread... lmao...