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Since the update includes the gem of "docked entities do not undock when their rail/docker is destroyed", that opens up a LOT of very nice possibilities for modular ship design that I'd like to explore suggestions for.
1) Command Node
New docking rail type. Anything docked to this node can access the systems of the structure it is docked to as if it were in the mother entity's core, likely by simply adding everything on the base ship's hotbar to a secondary bar on the docked ship. Let us dock bridge units to ships so that we can make a range of prefab bridges or even small control ships that dock onto more special purpose secondary hulls/project modules.
This could also mean having a good general use primary ship that can dock to a command node for say a mining array or a large weapons array, letting you modify a core ship for whatever purpose you need it for.
Movie example: Gypsy Danger launch sequence from Pacific Rim:
Movie example: Jedi starfighter hypdrive docking ring
Hyperdrive docking ring
2) Only the largest reactor is active, not just the base
The biggest reason for the "only the base reactor works" was to kill unstable docked reactors, but docked reactors coming loose is no longer an issue. Instead, how about we say that only the largest reactor in a chain is active, meaning we can put our reactors onto rails to load/unload them. That way we can have multiple modular reactor designs that we can install into ships as needed. Or if a reactor is damaged, it can be extracted and repaired/replaced without worrying about messing with the rest of the ship.
This would mean having to calculate stabilizer distances across docked entities, however, but I think the trade-off would be worth it.
Would also mean we could build a warp core ejector for when a non-stabilized core starts self destructing, like in Star Trek:
3) Better inter-object rail transfers
To better support modular building, I would love to be able to make a station that houses my spare modules that I could press a button and have it swap out modules with a specific docked ship. So say I have a docked hull in my loading bay, I could have a control panel with options like "Warship", "Miner", "Scout", and pressing the button would activate logic to move rails to select the modules I need, "take them off the shelf", move them over to the ship, and "attach" them.
Would also make carriers easier if the storage bay for the fighter/drone could be moved around to better storage positions inside the ship, and then the desired ship's bay could be moved up to the outer hull to launch it. Or even just have a platform that the ship gets transferred to from storage, lifted up, and then moved onto a launch rail.
Not to mention replacing turrets!
Example from an anime, Zoids:
---
Basically, now that things don't undock in combat when you don't want them to, and we've got the basis for controlling other entities in a dock chain (manual fire turrets), I want to be able to make modular ship designs where all kinds of things are pre-built and then docked, instead of having to make the entire ship in one go.
1) Command Node
New docking rail type. Anything docked to this node can access the systems of the structure it is docked to as if it were in the mother entity's core, likely by simply adding everything on the base ship's hotbar to a secondary bar on the docked ship. Let us dock bridge units to ships so that we can make a range of prefab bridges or even small control ships that dock onto more special purpose secondary hulls/project modules.
This could also mean having a good general use primary ship that can dock to a command node for say a mining array or a large weapons array, letting you modify a core ship for whatever purpose you need it for.
Movie example: Gypsy Danger launch sequence from Pacific Rim:
Movie example: Jedi starfighter hypdrive docking ring
Hyperdrive docking ring
2) Only the largest reactor is active, not just the base
The biggest reason for the "only the base reactor works" was to kill unstable docked reactors, but docked reactors coming loose is no longer an issue. Instead, how about we say that only the largest reactor in a chain is active, meaning we can put our reactors onto rails to load/unload them. That way we can have multiple modular reactor designs that we can install into ships as needed. Or if a reactor is damaged, it can be extracted and repaired/replaced without worrying about messing with the rest of the ship.
This would mean having to calculate stabilizer distances across docked entities, however, but I think the trade-off would be worth it.
Would also mean we could build a warp core ejector for when a non-stabilized core starts self destructing, like in Star Trek:
3) Better inter-object rail transfers
To better support modular building, I would love to be able to make a station that houses my spare modules that I could press a button and have it swap out modules with a specific docked ship. So say I have a docked hull in my loading bay, I could have a control panel with options like "Warship", "Miner", "Scout", and pressing the button would activate logic to move rails to select the modules I need, "take them off the shelf", move them over to the ship, and "attach" them.
Would also make carriers easier if the storage bay for the fighter/drone could be moved around to better storage positions inside the ship, and then the desired ship's bay could be moved up to the outer hull to launch it. Or even just have a platform that the ship gets transferred to from storage, lifted up, and then moved onto a launch rail.
Not to mention replacing turrets!
Example from an anime, Zoids:
---
Basically, now that things don't undock in combat when you don't want them to, and we've got the basis for controlling other entities in a dock chain (manual fire turrets), I want to be able to make modular ship designs where all kinds of things are pre-built and then docked, instead of having to make the entire ship in one go.
