Planned Allow rail-docked vessels to travel along rails made of multiple sections

[Guard13007]

I was working on a concept to have a lift as part of an automated system for moving fighters within a carrier, when I came across this problem:

The different colored section is a docked entity (the lift). As you can (hopefully) tell, I want to be able to move a ship across off of the platform. The problem is that it doesn't work, because StarMade doesn't allowed a rail-docked ship to slide from one entity to another.

I hope it's possible in the future to do this, as it would make my design much more elegant than whatever I will have to do instead. (On a side note, if anyone has any ideas how to get around this problem, please tell me. I need two separate decks with an ability to have a docked fighter move up or down between them. The place where this design must fit is very small (something like 9 (wide) x 11 (deep) x 5 (tall) in total).)

Edit: I have since seen another thread with a similar wish, although I disagree with the need for a new block to do it: http://starmadedock.net/threads/magnet-rail-connector.7122/

 

[Lancake]

Yeah it would be nice to have this, I think there was another about this though.

You can do what you want with just 1 rail, but it requires a little bit more logic and it can get complicated fast.
Example:

 

[Megacrafter127]

Yeah it would be nice to have this, I think there was another about this though.

You can do what you want with just 1 rail, but it requires a little bit more logic and it can get complicated fast.
Example:

Not only that, depending on the shape of the fighter, it even gets impossible.

 

[Guard13007]

I don't understand that image, but I only had time for a quick glance. Edit: I think I get it, the docked vehicle is able to move as long as the rail docked is touched the rails, even if it isn't pointing the right way? The problem is my fighters don't have a dock in a position that would allow that. (Also it's not as cool as a lift. xD) I might be able to re-design them slightly to make it work, but it would lessen their survivability and make them uglier..something they really don't need haha.

Imagine a ship that is a 3x3 cube with one docker on the bottom (center). That is essentially what my fighters are. Is it possible? Edit: Basically, think of a star pattern looking from the back, with the docker in the middile of the bottom triplet. There are gaps on the sides, but not behind.

 

[Lancake]

I don't understand that image, but I only had time for a quick glance. Edit: I think I get it, the docked vehicle is able to move as long as the rail docked is touched the rails, even if it isn't pointing the right way? The problem is my fighters don't have a dock in a position that would allow that. (Also it's not as cool as a lift. xD) I might be able to re-design them slightly to make it work, but it would lessen their survivability and make them uglier..something they really don't need haha.

Imagine a ship that is a 3x3 cube with one docker on the bottom (center). That is essentially what my fighters are. Is it possible? Edit: Basically, think of a star pattern looking from the back, with the docker in the middile of the bottom triplet. There are gaps on the sides, but not behind.

You dock the fighter to a docking platform, and you dock the docking platform to a rail that is like in that screenshot. And yeah, the docked vehicle/platform is able to move from the top left to the bottom left with this way. I can't upload a GIF since it gets stuck then.

 

[jath]

I agree with the op. Rails between entities would be great, and open a whole other world for things like cargo transfer, trains, etc. I hope schema does it someday.

 

[Guard13007]

You dock the fighter to a docking platform, and you dock the docking platform to a rail that is like in that screenshot. And yeah, the docked vehicle/platform is able to move from the top left to the bottom left with this way. I can't upload a GIF since it gets stuck then.

So you're saying to have the lift also be the travel method for the fighter on the lower level? I don't think I can do that practically with the limited space I have to fit this system within. Additionally, it's not one platform, one fighter. I would have to have a platform for every fighter and have those move around each other when not carrying fighters and somehow still staying out of the way, which requires more space. I'll definitely give it a try, but I don't know if it's doable.

 

[Sven_The_Slayer]

This particular function of moving from one entity's rails to another's is not yet added. Is a planned addition though can't confirm how long until it is added in.

 

[Auriga_Nexus]

OMG yesss its planned!

 

[Draeke_Forther]

It would be nice if things like thrust and power could go both ways. That way ships could be made modular, like having a cockpit lowered into a fighter or something.

 

[Guard13007]

It would be nice if things like thrust and power could go both ways. That way ships could be made modular, like having a cockpit lowered into a fighter or something.

You have no idea how many times I've suddenly thought to myself: Oh! I'll make a modular ship design, so you can replace all the sections if they get broken, it'll be awesome! ..then remembered it couldn't work like that.

Especially on the structure I originally made this thread about. It has two large FTL drive cores (that stick out the top of the ship), I'd love to be able to mount those on rails, and slide the drive cores in and out as needed "for replacement"

 

[Auriga_Nexus]

You have no idea how many times I've suddenly thought to myself: Oh! I'll make a modular ship design, so you can replace all the sections if they get broken, it'll be awesome! ..then remembered it couldn't work like that.

Especially on the structure I originally made this thread about. It has two large FTL drive cores (that stick out the top of the ship), I'd love to be able to mount those on rails, and slide the drive cores in and out as needed "for replacement"

I had a similar idea only for weapon systems. Basically the core ship would have logic-enabled hardpoints for weapon pods, each pod would contain a dual-chained weapon system (Cannon-Cannon, Beam-Missile, etc) slaved to the main ship.

Unfortunately the way weapons work this isn't a viable option.