docking and undocking animations

[Koltrast]

Hello, I am here to write about something that always, imho, disturbed the immersion of the game.
I like to watch the ships docking and undocking while relaxing and I noticed the animation of them.

how is it - departing:
1. ships detach from the ground
2. elevator doors closing
3. ship closes the door while mid-air stopped on the pad
4. ship leave the atmospheric bubble
5. ship retract the "legs"- I don't know how to call them - and close their little doors

how it should be
1. ship recall stairs, close elevators
2. ship close all the doors
3. ship detach from the ground
4. while going up, retract the legs and close the little doors. animation ends right before the mid-air stopping on the pad
5. go through the exit/depart, leave the atmospheric bubble

landing is the same but in reverse.

to me, this is an immersion breaker.
any thoughts?

[flywlyx]

I would find the 'true' version of the door closure and ladder retracting animations quite annoying unless they are under 1 second. As I rarely watch these animations, their duration would primarily cost me time. Given that such short animations likely wouldn't look good anyway, the current implementation is the best option to me.

[vvvvvvvv]

to me, this is an immersion breaker.
any thoughts?

Not an immersion breaker for me. Because those animations are happening all the time, they have to be short while looking plausible enough. Current version does the job.

However, some of the animations apply to player ships which includes forced liftoff animation. I wish I could just blast away from landing pad.

[Alan Phipps]

I suspect that the minor cosmetic animations such as doors opening/closing etc might be sent to supporting threads whilst the important stuff that has to happen in strict order such as lift off/lowering and manoeuvre will be on the main gameplay activity thread. If that's the case (and I don't know if it is) then the minor things happening might not be scheduled quite as strictly as the major things. Just a hypothesis though.

[CBJ]

An incorrect one.

[alt3rn1ty]

I also like the way it is :

1. ships detach from the ground - Like an action movie, no waiting for 2 & 3.
2. elevator doors closing
3. ship closes the door while mid-air stopped on the pad
4. ship leave the atmospheric bubble - 2 & 3 above need to happen before going out of the atmosphere bubble
5. ship retract the "legs"- I don't know how to call them - and close their little doors <- Retracts Landing gear, same as an aeroplane, they retract after take off (to make sure they are in the air), and extend in preparation before landing.

I dont see anything thats immersion breaking there. So long as the ships atmosphere is not sucked out as it departs the atmosphere bubble.

Pretty sure I have seen a similar sequence of events in movies like Star Wars. The Millenium Falcon or X-Wings taking off under fire or in a rush, and the boarding ramp/cockpit still closing just after they have lifted off, but before they get into space.