Interchangeable parts

[Snk]

Step 1: Add an option on the core to make the ship a "part"
Step 2: These "parts" Would connect to a ship any piece of hull you select. Once you select the hull of another ship with a docking beam, the ship's core is deleted and it is one with the mothership. There would be an option to make these ships have their own separate power supply, and an AI would operate that "part" only.
This would make it easier to trade power designs and weapon systems, and make externally docked power tanks a little easier to have. You could have an AI operate multiple weapons, and a whole economy could rise up from this. Also, ships would be easier to repair.

 

[CyberTao]

Isn't this just the copy/paste+Template system with an option to bypass the power regeneration bonus cap?
Also don't see the point in having separate AI, as they all do the same thing; Fire All Weapons and Full Speed Ahead (or Nothing). Unless you mean they could fire weapons while you fly? Then I would suggest docking ships with AI left on, they still fire (Mind the firing cones though).

I dunno, I may have missed the purpose entirely, but I don't see it.

 

[MossyStone48]

I dunno. aceface made a space engineer template pack which I think is pretty good at making ships on the fly. For those used to the SE way of doing things they can use that as a sort of training wheels until they are ready to get into the REAL strengths of StarMade. It's a way to make those folks feel like they have something they recognize. I imagine it'd be useful for someone taking a break from that game. They'll eventually go back to SE but might feel comfortable in SM too. That's a comfortable middle ground.

Spoiler: Template GET!

http://starmadedock.net/content/space-engineers-template-pack.1967/

As I see it we're really talking about AI control of a segment of a ship. Doable! Very doable. One of my ships had an AI controlled cannon in a fixed dock. Something similar could be done with logic as well. Just now the AI really only does one thing well. And it does it too well. That thing it does is control weapons. It can also control flight but isn't really there yet as a proficient pilot. The Isanth SPIN defense is a good example. It tries to keep its guns on you and at least one block between your weapons and its core. The effect is rather effective to the point of being worth of song.

Spoiler: Dead Or Alive

ANYHOW. I think some really creative use of logic would produce most of the desired effect. At least providing an illusion of some ship segment being AI controlled. It's really just what you see in a smart phone. Good programming and a bum-load of sensors.

 

[ToyotaSupra]

WarSong I've been asking for a activator laser for ages because that's the only thing stopping me from making a cruise missile bay. Holy crap, can you imagine the applications for a computer controlled section? How does it work, is it just like automated control of the ship or something? Too early to say?

 

[MossyStone48]

Imagine if you could take a logic setup and stuff it into a box that moved around and actually did stuff. You'd be near the scrum but not close enough to hear the actual play. But yeah, spoiler alert: LUA based NPC control.