Open Docking in PC 1.35 tips?

[SM84CE]

I have tried docking in PC 1.35, but the lack of a closest approach numerical value makes this a lot harder that 1.4, does anyone have any tips on making the process easier?

It took me nearly 20 minutes yesterday to dock to spacecraft together, and if I want to manually build a space station, I need some tips so I spend more time trying to dock that designing and launching...

 

[Altaïr]

There's no closest approach value indeed, but the graphical tip still helps a lot, even with that single information you can normally get precise encounters...
Do you really struggle to get encounters with that method?

 

[SM84CE]

Yeah... I wish there was a mod to add that in... *hint* *hint*

 

[SM84CE]

Is modding that in for 1.35 even possible, btw?

I'd make it myself, but I have 0 experience in modding SFS, and the how-to for making the closest approach lines...

 

[Chara-cter]

Is modding that in for 1.35 even possible, btw?

I'd make it myself, but I have 0 experience in modding SFS, and the how-to for making the closest approach lines...

Don't cheat, dude
Cheating for goals is not cool

 

[Altaïr]

Don't cheat, dude
Cheating for goals is not cool

That's not cheating, he just wants what exists in 1.4 under version 1.35 (the closest approach value).

I don't know if you can make a mod for this, but that will surely be a pain. Especially that SFS 1.35 should receive less and less support as 1.5 comes out. Just my opinion though.

 

[SPQRALAN]

You don't need a closest approach value. I judge by when I zoom in sooo much that the line starts glitching and moving around then that shows that the value is less than 1000 m.

If you docking in LEO then I get what you mean by struggling because everything is fast and a close approach still have a relative velocity difference of 50m/s; but if you're docking in HEO, Deimos/Phobos, or lunar orbit then canceling out relative velocity is pretty easy since everything is slow and you don't need much delta-V.

 

[TtTOtW]

https://jmnet.one/sfs/forum/index.php?threads/docking-the-easy-way.220/

 

[TtTOtW]

Follow it step by step and practice practice practice. But don't change the procedure. You'll be docking in a day or two.

 

[SM84CE]

You don't need a closest approach value. I judge by when I zoom in sooo much that the line starts glitching and moving around then that shows that the value is less than 1000 m.

If you docking in LEO then I get what you mean by struggling because everything is fast and a close approach still have a relative velocity difference of 50m/s; but if you're docking in HEO, Deimos/Phobos, or lunar orbit then canceling out relative velocity is pretty easy since everything is slow and you don't need much delta-V.

HEO is easier? Hmm... my astronauts might need a longer trip, but oh well...

How high is HEO, anyways?

 

[Horus Lupercal]

HEO is easier? Hmm... my astronauts might need a longer trip, but oh well...

How high is HEO, anyways?

HEO is 'easier' because the orbital speed is slightly slower. However, that's a relative thing, as it depends on what orbit the other vehicle is coming from. If you attempt to dock an object from LEO with an object in HEO direct, then the speed difference is going to be ridiculous and it's even harder than doing it in LEO. The tip to reducing relative velocity before docking is having the intial object orbits close to each outher, like within 10km distance close.

However, if you want to go that high, HEO is above 'geo-stationary' at 1770-ish-km so you'd be talking 1800km to halfway to the moon.

 

[SM84CE]

Oh well... SFS Fuel is free I'll just use a 120T to LLO lifter fir a small escape pod