Shipyard Docking with New Pickup Rail

[Lone_Puppy]

Hi, I propose a new method for docking entities in shipyards. Just a quick brain dump sorry.

It requires replacing the anchor with a new pickup rail. This rail would be a total replacement for the anchor.

• Connects to the shipyard computer in the same way as the anchor.
• It will be used to dock a rail docker to, instead of docking the ships core.
• Interacts with existing rails and pickup rails to provide mechanical connectivity to a rail system.
• needs to be able to connect to logic remotely, both slave and master scenarios
• slave would be for direction control as we do with with existing rails
• slave to logic for ejection of the entity, speed, etc
• master for logic triggers, like when you have a activation module connected to detect anything docked
• shipyard blueprints need to be anchored by docker and not the core

Scenarios this will be useful

• Automated shipyards
• Useful for production lines for ships, cargo pods, weapons, superstructure segments, etc
• Land based vehical assembly - rail vehicles
• Replacement of docked parts, e.g turret method mentioned below

Additional advantages

• turret installation would be made easier
  • with the shipyard blueprint having the mounting docker as the focus, you target the turret axis for the turret the same way we create docking in advanced build mode. Then select the turret blueprint from the shipyard and it automatically docks in the appropriate way
• Automatic parking and docking after build via elaborate pickup rails and rail track lines leading to docking ports or bays on a station

I'm sure there are many more uses for this.

 

[MeRobo]

Maybe I've got this wrong but it seems to me like you want an additional block. If this is correct I'd suggest to rather change the properties of the anchor instead of adding a new block and having one more unused block in the game (current anchor)

 

[Lone_Puppy]

Maybe I've got this wrong but it seems to me like you want an additional block. If this is correct I'd suggest to rather change the properties of the anchor instead of adding a new block and having one more unused block in the game (current anchor)

Thanks MeRobo, replacement would be preferable. However, Schine might have a different opinion.