Docking Area

[ziGHOSTiz]

I really think the basic docking area needs to be way smaller since there is a way to increase the size both horizontally and verticly. I have trouble getting the basic docking area to fit in some of my builds. Specially when working with small transport shuttles or drones. A lot of the time I just want to squeeze in a small shuttle hanger for transport purposes.

I suggest the docks have no area until combined with enhancers. And make it so enhancers placed only affect the direction from the docking module. Also if the enhancers just needed to be linked and didnt need to be physically connected to the docking module to affect size they could be hidden better for a cleaner look. This would allow much more customizable docking sizes.

Or what would solve all this would be to basicly keep the area as a "maximum" to control ship size, but remove the collision the area has with other blocks. Would allow for way easier dock placement and obviously if a ship will collide with any other blocks then have it refuse docking. This would also let us build docking platforms within the dock area since a lot of ships don't have an airlock on the same plane as the lowest or widest part of the ship.

 

[Drakkart]

i'd love to be the standard port just 3x3x3 but that's just me

 

[Crusade]

You know enhancers don't have to touch the docking block already, right?
There is also a docking re-work coming relatively soon! So hold your horses till that's released

 

[ziGHOSTiz]

You know enhancers don't have to touch the docking block already, right?
There is also a docking re-work coming relatively soon! So hold your horses till that's released

I'm holding! I'm holding! Lol

But with the enhancers it seems there is a distance limit. I was building a pad for my very big ship and I used a set farther away hidden in a base wall to add height and it didn't work. I progressively moved the stack closer and found I had to have them no farther then the edge of the current docking area, which happened to be connected with the horizontal run of enhancers. So I assumed, thanks for the tip...

 

[Crusade]

I've had enhancers completely disconnected from the dock, I'm talking like 150m away from the dock they're linked to.
However, the enhancers have to be in ONE single group.

Enhancers don't have to touch the dock, but they have to be in a single group.

 

[ziGHOSTiz]

OK that's where I was off with how I was doing it, thanks for the tip

 

[whooplaah]

ziGHOSTiz , the reason that the docking enhancers need to be spread out wide rather than just linked is to prevent a ship from having a docking port larger than itself. Docking enhancers are (roughly) the same dimensions as the docking area.

The reason docking areas are cubes that refuse to let any block in them is due to code efficiency. It is easier to check a cube against another cube to see if the ship fits than to check every space within the cube for collision - especially when dealing with large docking areas.

But the good news can be read here: http://starmadedock.net/threads/cryonic-statsis-tube.6429/#post-92083

Calbiri said that removing the docking area minimum size SHOULD/MIGHT be coming. It's a strong possibility, and I'll bet it will be part of the Rail System.