[7.0 B4HF1] M ships docking on L/XL ships incredibly slow - perhaps they could teleport the last distance?

[Archaeosis]

Using medium ships in combat from a carrier is nigh-on unbearable in-sector because docking is so painfully slow - first there is a crawling twisting approach to get to the same side of the ship as the docking platform, often from bizarre angles, regularly getting stuck for a while against part of the hull or bouncing out of position for a minute or more in a bizarre tight-angled spin; then it takes another minute or two for the medium ship to roll or otherwise rotate to properly align with the landing platform; it then descends for a further minute or two so slowly that it can ultimately take several minutes or more to achieve what should take only a few seconds. We're coming up to version 7 now but using carriers effectively in combat areas like this still feels poorly implemented because of docking issues - just a handful of passing fighters can happily shoot down anything that lands so slowly and often do in busy combat areas. Once the docking process has begun ships are often locked into it so you can't get them to flee or react to prevent them being destroyed. It can be agonizing to watch.

Docking on static station targets seems to work much better (though not infallibly so); perhaps the problem is landing on a moving or moveable target ship? If so - why not just let ships docking on other ships teleport the last distance? Technically it must be challenging to fix the docking issue or I'm sure things would work better by now. A workaround like teleporting feels quite reasonable and proportional and would probably be less work to achieve. Small ships are a bit less sluggish on their final approach most of the time (ignoring the collision difficulties with the boron carrier highlighted elsewhere) but would very much benefit from the same ability to teleport the last few metres.

I've attached a save near carrier HMY-580 visible in the fleet menu for anyone who wishes to experience the horror - simply launch the medium ships and order them to dock again and cry gently, preferably with an alcoholic drink to numb the pain. A selection of images are also available which may trigger those who have experienced the same frustration.

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