L-584-B Passenger Liner, Trade Lane problems

[Haste]

Bret Liner just looks cooler imo (smoke)

I've used all the liners in game, easiest one is Bret, then I'd say Lux or Piligrim. But I never found very good use for them, so I keep mine for storage etc.

Bret Liner is like half the size of the other liners, if not smaller. That's the reason it takes lanes much more easily. It does look good, and smaller=better PvP wise, but I kind of like how gloriously huge the other Liners are (:

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[Nightingale]

Bret Liner is like half the size of the other liners, if not smaller. That's the reason it takes lanes much more easily. It does look good, and smaller=better PvP wise, but I kind of like how gloriously huge the other Liners are (:

Is it really? I've never actually compared the Liners, size-wise. I assumed they were about the same size, though the Bret Liner was a bit sleeker than the rest, the Luxury Liner ridiculously big, and the old Prison Liner a kind of middle-ground in terms of size. Never had a look at the model scale differences, though.

[Haste]

The Bretonian liner is dwarfed by the other liners. Not sure about the Gallic one. The Renzu Liner is about the same length as the Enterprise (and thus the 'Passenger Liner', too), although it's a little wider.

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[Nightingale]

Interesting. As for the Gallic one, the in-game stations using the model sure look rather small.

With regards to the topic, this is an issue with all ships above a certain size, and can even occur with ships like the Gull, so it's not that it's unheard of, just that it's highly unlikely to get "fixed": the game simply wasn't made for these ships to use the lanes. My suggestion is to just manually dock and try to use the directional keys rather than the mouse to adjust the heading, as they always use the maximum input in a direct angle, making them good for precise adjustments.

[Sol]

I'm wondering how you're flying your liner? I'm using the Passenger liner as well, and I usually have no trouble getting through even the worst lanes (i:e those where the next lane is on the opposite elevation of the one you came from). In fact, it's one of the most agile liners.

It's mostly a matter of time before you find the correct way of flying it, though. The trick I found for myself is to always dock manually and line it up with strafing movements. Takes a bit of time, granted, but the ship's worth the tradeoff for me, personally. Liners are a bit different to the other transports; even the 5kers aren't that much of a bother compared to the likes of the Luxury Liner, despite usually being less agile. It's mainly the size which screws it over with lanes. If you can't get it lined up, try heading for the next lane ring and line it up on the way. Look through the rings and make sure the next one's near the middle of the one you're heading through, that usually does the trick. Using pilot view makes it a breeze.

I wonder how can you call all this meticulous positioning thing easy. And it still feels like you are having an easier time than me. Is it only my ship that just flies to the right or left side of the lane and gets stuck, unless I somehow manage to find a working angle with godly luck?

[Scribbley]

Sounds like you aren't hitting the middle of the lane. Are you using pilot view, and getting it lined up with the ship straight by the time you get there?

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For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else.
-Sir Winston Churchill

[Nightingale]

I wonder how can you call all this meticulous positioning thing easy. And it still feels like you are having an easier time than me. Is it only my ship that just flies to the right or left side of the lane and gets stuck, unless I somehow manage to find a working angle with godly luck?

Well, perhaps calling it a breeze was pushing it a little. It's more a matter of trying and trying until you notice the pattern which allows you to successfully dock. I know that the Liners tends to veer quite severely to the side occasionally when I try to dock with a lane, especially the bigger, original game-models; if mine does, I usually head for the next ring, unless it looks like I can fix it.

I'll try to write a few suggestions on how to counter the control issues, then: if you struggle to line it up correctly, my advice is to give yourself more of a run-up, never auto-dock unless you can see that it'll make it through, and aim through the rings towards the next one when you manually dock. In systems where the rings converge sharply, like in Galileo and Frankfurt, I suggest backing up (and wishing that you had the Mastodon's reverse thrust) and making sure that your approach angle is as straight towards the next ring as possible.

Giving it time and practice will make it easier on you if you really want to pilot a Liner, though the game engine does have it's limits, so it'll never be a 100% flawless process. It just makes the occasional lane problem more bearable. Oh, and if you do get stuck, it's usually no idea to reverse and try again, since the ships seems hell-bent on repeating the same stupid maneuver over and over until you move on, or get some distance between you and the ring before trying again (and it's soooo slow, gah!).

[Sol]

Thanks for your advices. (bow)

Guess docking the lanes is another skill that needs to be mastered, which I wasn't aware of.

[Karst]

Bret Liner is like half the size of the other liners, if not smaller.

I've only flown the Passenger Liner very briefly since 4.87, but it was pretty tricky to get into lanes before, too. Nothing like the buttery smooth Bretliner.

It's just practice, though. Once you get used to positioning a big ship, it's pretty straightforward.

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