- Joined
- Jun 7, 2014
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While I agree that the docking system needs improvement I think that it could be made a whole lot easier.I couldn't come up with a cool name, so let's just call it by what the block does, it encodes patterns (short: PEB). I believe it to be the solution to many issues the current docking system provides, like ship alignment relative to the docking module, or the direction or orientation of docked ships.
General Behavior
The PEB can be connected to Docking Modules, Cockpits and Ship Cores. All connected PEBs then would form a pattern, which would serve as a filter that only allows the docking of ships that represent the same encoded pattern as the Docking Module. The patterns then serve as the point of origin (replacing the ship core in that matter), as well as they determine direction and orientation of the docked ship.
So how does it work?
In the following, the red blocks serve as a replacment for PEBs. In each picture, each of the visible PEBs is connected to the Docking Module/the Cockpit respectively.
Suppose we have this docking port:
View attachment 1582
We could dock there with ships that have something like including, but not limited to, the following:
View attachment 1580 View attachment 1579 View attachment 1583
These could not be docked:
View attachment 1581 View attachment 1584
Applications
Apart from the obvious, factions could standardize docking ports, like the docking rings from Star Wars (only a few meters in diameter, suited for passage of one person at a time), or troup/cargo transport ports (the large hangar-like doors at the sides of a Venator). Each docking port could only be accessed by a ship supporting the associated pattern. A ship could support many patterns (on different cockpits) to connect to different kinds of docking ports. Since the patterns would serve as the docking origin, ships would be aligned to compatible docking ports.
Extending the system
(Edit: Note that these are merely examples of what could be possible. I'd like the discussion to mainly focus on the docking part.)
- With Turret Docking Units: specify the turret's default rotation.
- With doors: Only ships which match the hangar door's pattern are allowed to open it.
- With Bobby AI: Drones could automatically redock to compatible docking ports.
I also agree that being able to chose the orientation (direction) your ship docks in, is very important.
My suggestion: Eliminate the docking enhancer completely.
Make the Docking Module an Advanced Docking Module or ADM
After placing the ADM open it with 'R' and choose the direction to dock in
Then I would like to be able to pick how big the docking area will be in the X,Y,Z and -X,-Y,-Z directions
I know when I build a ship that the last thing I am concerned with is where the ships core is at.
I have a salvage ship that is 250m long and the core is 15m from the front
I have a large ship that is 400m long and growing but the core is only 20m from the rear of the ship
I really hate having to make my current docking area over 800 m long because I cant control the size at all
There have been very good suggestions here and by no means is mine the best, it's just my idea