Docking without Targeting ROM

[palmiche]

The game has the ability to make you life miserable when you arrive St Katharine without the Targetting ROM. Mostly finding the right position will get you docked to the CW Station but I had to begin a new game because no matter where I pressed "D" I always ended up docking to the Nav Signs, the Hotel, the Temple, or something else.

This happened also in the Battle Arena with a wreck near the BA Building. Fortunately I made copies of the .sav and that saved me from begining a new game (again), but I had to beat the oponents again.

This is frustrating. Buildings in St. K can be layed out a bit more distant but you can predict where are the wrecks going stop in BA, even if you can manage not to kill the BA oponents near the building.

If somebody already found a solution please tell me.

[FAD]

There is practically no easy way to dock at the CW in St. K's, short of having a targeting ROM installed. It is very frustrating at times especially whenever the other friendly ships are docked in the little opened area.
Although there is a 30/70% chance that you'll dock whenever you position your ship in the very center of the CW station.

As for trying to dock whenever there's wrecks nearby and if you have a NAMI installed, use the KM100 Missile's (or any "momentum" weapon) on them . They'll move out of your way.

[Burzmali]

Actually, your ship homes in on open docks. Try positioning yourself so that you are closest to an open docking port on your target, that usually works pretty well.

[Lord Trogg]

I find that if you go between the CW station and the hotel and a bit up then you will dock with the station and not the hotel.

[F50]

I believe the left side of the ship controls docking (point the left of your ship towards the docking port). I never have to target the St K stations. The only trouble is those nav beacons which can sometimes catch you. Wait until the green boxes around the becons fade before your next attempt.

[kaypy]

Dock at whichever of the following is unoccupied:

1) over the top of (ie so its hidden by your ship) either nav marker
2) over the top of the church spire of domina's

[palmiche]

I can't say for sure how many times I've successfully docked at St. K. Station without even paying attention. But this time I arrived in a Wolfen with a 150MW Reactor, a S550 shield, four 90hp ceralloy plates and a x-ray laser with a laser collimator and I had no intentions of giving up easily. I tryed every single spot and it just didn't happen.

For systems other than St. K. there is a workaround: wait for some enemy ships to show up and the other ships will undock leaving ALL ports free... but in St. K. those enemies will never come so...

I believe the left side of the ship controls docking (point the left of your ship towards the docking port).

F50 definitely has a point here. If the game changed so when in range of multiple docking targets you could dock to the object right in front fo you... This is truly a smart solution (I think).

[evilbob]

do you know why the left side of a ship is called "port"? no? because ships docked to port, and I think it's safe to assume not many ships have a docking port on the front... more likely the side, and where better than the traditional "port"?

[F50]

Enemies will come, use a system mapping rom and bring in the cavalry. Hopefully one enemy will get a shot off at the station.

[palmiche]

I think it's safe to assume not many ships have a docking port on the front

You don't use the front of your ship for dockig. You use it to select where you want to go (or dock).

[Kamikaze]

Too true.

But you misread.

And misspelled "docking"