Request Auto docking auto pilot for the XR2 series?

[Bendarr]

Yes, I admit it, I suck at docking. Would it be possible to have a auto pilot auto docking sequence like the DGIV series? I'm mainly interesting in the XR2 for this.

 

[IronRain]

http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=14704&highlight=UAP&page=11

Universal Autopilot is your friend

 

[Lucy]

Universal will work for that, yes. This kind of autopilot, however, does detract slightly from the purpose of the XR2, that it is a "pilot's" vessel - how are you going to get good at docking if your ship just does it for you every time? Docking is fiddly but there's no great secret to it - it just needs practise.

 

[Loru]

Solution is this thread

http://orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=14704

 

[Bendarr]

http://www.orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=14704&highlight=UAP&page=11

Universal Autopilot is your friend

Reading the thread now. I'll grab it and see what's what with it. Thanks for the link. It'll advance my plans for stealing the ISS and putting it into orbit around the moon.

---------- Post added at 09:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:28 PM ----------

Universal will work for that, yes. This kind of autopilot, however, does detract slightly from the purpose of the XR2, that it is a "pilot's" vessel - how are you going to get good at docking if your ship just does it for you every time? Docking is fiddly but there's no great secret to it - it just needs practise.

I've also heard the Xr2 series described as a "Rich mans spaceplane" as well. My thoughts as far as autopilots are this. I don't know any pilots personally (particularly spaceplane ones) who hate the concept of Autopilots. Or at least accessibility to ones. Given the option of manually doing something or kicking back and letting the autopilot take over and you drink a Pina Colada which would you choose? Or at least having the option at all?

In my case, it helps me avoid what I refer to as "Frustration point". Frustration point is where you spend time after time after time doing something (and making changes as you do so) and not succeeding. It gets to a point where you want to throw your hands upwards and say "To bleep with it all!!". I was that way at first with getting the DGIV to orbit. I tried, burned up, tried and tried again. Then I fired up and used the autopilot. I watched and learned from it. It took several autoflights before I managed to "get it". I now can fly manually from the KSC to Orbit and feeling pretty confident I can make it. Circularizing orbits and aligning planes I managed to figure out. My next frustration point was docking with the ISS. In a DGIV I can autodock and slowly learn from it. In a XR-2 with no autodock autopilot, I don't have that opportunity to learn.

Hmmm, that does bring to mind though. How many people have downloaded Orbiter in the past, hit the Frustration point and decided to "F" it?

 

[IronRain]

Hmmm, that does bring to mind though. How many people have downloaded Orbiter in the past, hit the Frustration point and decided to "F" it?

I don't know who it has in its signature anymore, but I quote him:

We don't play orbiter because it's easy, but because it's hard

 

[dbeachy1]

I've also heard the Xr2 series described as a "Rich mans spaceplane" as well. ...

Ah, but rich men can afford to hire highly skilled pilots to fly their XR2s!

Sorry, couldn't resist. :tiphat:

 

[supersonic]

I find that a docking auto-pilot really tends to take the fun out flying.
At least sometimes, anyway.