Question Docking with O'Neill Colony

[StGeorge]

Hi all,

I seem to be having trouble docking with the O'Neill colony add-on. I've tried with a DG and DGIV but they both just pass right through the docking port.

As a test, I fired up the supplied scenario with the DG already docked. I can undock but if I immediately thrust forward to re-dock I get the same problem.

Is this an issue or is it something I'm doing wrong?

TIA.

 

[Grover]

if you go faster than 1 ft per second (0.3m/s) it considers you to be going too fast to dock, do you approach the port slowly?

 

[StGeorge]

I thought I was going about 0.1-0.2m/s but I'll check it again tomorrow.

---------- Post added Jun 10, 2011 at 17:47 UTC ---------- Previous post was Jun 9, 2011 at 23:49 UTC ----------

I have just tested this on the supplied scenario. I undocked the DG then immediately used forward linear thruster only to get to a CVEL of 0.07m/s and it just flew straight through the docking port.

So I guess it's not a speed issue?

 

[Spacethingy]

What does the DGIV's docking autopilot do?

 

[Mandella]

Can you use the scenario editor to "force" the dock? And if that works, what does it look like from third person view? Properly lined up or offset?

Sometimes orbiter glitches with very large structures on some systems, and the O'Neill is a very large structure indeed...

Also, you may wish to try out frogsis' 2.0 work in progress here.

 

[dgatsoulis]

I tried to recreate this "bug". I undocked the DGIV from the default scenario, waited untill it was 30m away and tried all the different speeds to dock again. From 0.01 m/s, all the way up to 1.20 m/s. (each time adding just 0.01 m/s).

The DGIV docked successfully each and everytime. The reason i didn't try 1.21 m/s is not that it wouldn't work, it's just that i got bored.

This was made on a -rather- "heavy" Orbiter2010 instalation, with lots of other addons on it.

Have you tried recreating this bug on a clean Orbiter installation, with just the DGIV and the O'Neill Island 3 Colony?

 

[Izack]

Does the colony in your scenario have any rotation to it? A very small angular velocity would give a far more significant tangential velocity at the docking port's location so far from the centre.

 

[StGeorge]

Thanks for all the replies, sorry for the delay in replying but I had to wait for my posts to get moderated

I haven't tried using the DGIV yet, so no docking autopilot. It is the O'Neill 2 colony which I have if that makes any difference?

And I am just trying it with the supplied scenario "DG docked behind moon".

I uploaded a video to YouTube,

This is the scenario; I just undocked then applied some forward thrust and you can see what happens.

I wanted to populate the solar system with these colonies then fly to each one in a DG (or DGIV) but may use a different colony station if I can't get the docking working!

 

[Mandella]

I know it doesn't do much good to hear, "It works on my install," but since it does that means that something is up with yours, and can probably be corrected.

Did you try forcing the dock with the scenario editor? Does this only happen with the DG? And have you tried this on a clean install with only the colony and the DG loaded?

If the clean install works, it means you likely have some conflict with another addon. You'll just have to go down the list adding mods in until you find the one that breaks it.

Wish I could be more help!

 

[Adelanthal]

It appears in the video that you're not being kicked back far enough on the undock; that is to say that when you thrust forward, you're "behind" the docking port already. Have you tried backing off to, say, 100m and trying to close in?

 

[StGeorge]

I know it doesn't do much good to hear, "It works on my install," but since it does that means that something is up with yours, and can probably be corrected.

Did you try forcing the dock with the scenario editor? Does this only happen with the DG? And have you tried this on a clean install with only the colony and the DG loaded?

If the clean install works, it means you likely have some conflict with another addon. You'll just have to go down the list adding mods in until you find the one that breaks it.

Wish I could be more help!

I think I need to try the clean install thing, I don't have that many addons but obviously something is breaking it.

It appears in the video that you're not being kicked back far enough on the undock; that is to say that when you thrust forward, you're "behind" the docking port already. Have you tried backing off to, say, 100m and trying to close in?

I don't think that's an issue as I've tried docking on a normal approach - this video was just made to illustrate the problem.

Back to the drawing board!