When To Use Autopilot

I may have touched on this at some time in the past, but thought I would give it it's own blog post.

Autopilot is a dangerous thing.  People like to attack ships on autopilot.  Many other pilots out there will advise never to use autopilot, and for the most part, I agree with them.

However, there are a few cases where autopilot is okay.

First, and perhaps most obvious, is if you just don't care about your pod or your cargo.  Then go ahead, autopilot away and reach (or maybe reach) your destination while afk.

Second, and the more interesting use, is for docking.  Call it autodocking.  Set your destination to the station.  Engage warp to the station (preferably to an insta-dock bookmark).   Once you are in warp, engage autopilot.  As soon as your warp ends, autopilot will dock you in the station.  This is a cool use for autopilot, because it ensures you get docked as soon as possible, without having to worry about misclicks and operating the user interface through near station lag.

A word of caution about autodocking however.  It can backfire if you are not careful.  Just make darn sure your destination is set to the station you are heading to.  If destination is set to some other station, or something that is not a station, autopilot will try to warp you away as soon as you arrive, exposing you to more danger instead of less.  So always double check that destination set before engaging autopilot.

Cheers!