My auto pilot has gone bezerk on me, why?

[Traijan]

Hi,

I went to play EM today and set a location on my nav map and then tasked the autopilot to take me there.

However, instead of it's usual routine of taking me close to my set nav point it simply started to go around in circles, not circles like going around the block in your car, but rather spinning until you are dizzy type of circles.

I reset the nav point someplace else and turned on the Autopilot again and once again it started to spin constantly.

It's almost like the AI can't figure out how to get to the nav point so it just spins around constantly.

Is this a known bug or is the game telling me something that I am not astute enough to pick up on?

2. Is there any audible or visual cue that the game gives me to tell me that the autopilot has taken me to my nav point destination? I often sit staring at my screen wondering why the autopilot has set my speed to 0 but I'm not at the nav point destination yet. Or is the autopilot setting my speed to 0 telling me that it's going no further and I might as well turn it off?

Thanks

[Capt_Caveman]

#1 sometimes if your destination is at an odd angle relative to your ship heading,
the nav computer and thrusters have a hard time turning to the waypoint.

you seem to roll and tumble all around but dont lock on waypoint.
it's like the nav comp is over compensating with thrusters.

I always turn my ship towards the waypoint before i engage auto pilot
give it a try

#2 when you get to your destination, you stop




[Edited on 1-9-2014 by capt_cronic]

[Traijan]

#1 sometimes if your destination is at an odd angle relative to your ship heading,
the nav computer and thrusters have a hard time turning to the waypoint.

you seem to roll and tumble all around but dont lock on waypoint.
it's like the nav comp is over compensating with thrusters.

I always turn my ship towards the waypoint before i engage auto pilot
give it a try

#2 when you get to your destination, you stop




[Edited on 1-9-2014 by capt_cronic]

1. Okay, I'll turn the ship towards the nav point before engaging the autopilot and see how that fares.

2. LOL
Yeah, I guess the ship stopping might be a good cue that the autopilot has taken me as far as it's going to take me. LOL


Maybe double post, it seems I tried to edit my post and the forum ate it for breakfast.

[DaveK]

#2 when you get to your destination, you stop

You need to be alert though - the autopilot will keep kicking in and out, using fuel - if you're away from the cockpit having a snooze or a coffee you may find yourself out of fuel when you get back - not even enough to float into a station/refuelling unit - more so if you've set inertial to economise on fuel and you find yourself flying gnetly on with not even enough fuel to stop!

[Rubber Chicken]

I've seen the autopilot spin on occasion too. I just gave the control input a bit of resistance and released it, then the autopilot sorted itself out.

[NLS]

Hm, the autopilot should definitely disengage when reaching the waypoint.
(even though if inertial is on, we should indeed keep on going)

[Marvin]

A Class 1 jump drive will often cause the autopilot to spin. Upgrading to at least a Class 2 will cure the problem ... except as discussed above.

[Traijan]

Hm, the autopilot should definitely disengage when reaching the waypoint.
(even though if inertial is on, we should indeed keep on going)

Do you mean that autopilot should turn off, or simply reduce our speed to 0?

My first thoughts when I first tried autopilot was that I was sitting there for quite a few minutes waiting for the autopilot to fully turn off and sat there for quite a few minutes staring at the hud and wondering if the AutoPilot light (the flashing autopilot word) would actually turn off when the autopilot was done, but I guess it doesn't seem to do that.

Personally I think it should turn off/disengage when it's reached it's destination too and not rely on the player having to turn it off manually.

[NLS]

Exactly.

[Marvin]

It doesn't. But the Travel Buddy warns you with a 'beep' when approaching your destination.