Pickup rails, additional uses

[Megacrafter127]

Pickup rails function just like basic rails, apart from the fact, that they are invisible and cannot collide with anything. However, this difference alone opens up huge possibilities.
First off, an entity can move from a basic rail to a pickup rail and vice-versa. All of these applications will be based on this more or less.

An entity that is on a basic rail cannot pass through that same rail, simply because the rail block is in the way. With pickup rails, that is no longer the case, and can save a lot of time and space, when there is the need to have an entity pass through the very rail it just moved on. A great example application would be automated ship elevators, that can move in all 6 carthesian directions on an entity[previously such a contraption would have had to rely on trans-entity rail contraptions].

Spoiler: Here is a small sample gif of a by itself useless example application

The jump in the gif is due to lag when starting to record.

Due to this, quirks in the rail system can also be tested and utilized. One such quirk being the rail's behaviour when it can move in multiple directions at the same time. In this case certain directions will be preferred over others, and thus such a system could potentially be used to detect when rails or other blocks(that would normally by blocking the preferred path) are missing.

Spoiler: An example of a point with 2 simultanious directions to continue

If you find more uses for the pickup rails, please feel free to post.

 

[6ngb]

Not very constructive, but what about SM Soccer? Two goals (pickup points & rails), two teams. Each player drives a single core and tries to push a core with some dockers (i.e. -- the ball) so that it docks onto rival's goal to score a point.

 

[nightrune]

Not very constructive, but what about SM Soccer? Two goals (pickup points & rails), two teams. Each player drives a single core and tries to push a core with some dockers (i.e. -- the ball) so that it docks onto rival's goal to score a point.

That's extremely creative. I may have to attempt to build a concept stadium for this.

 

[bluebolt1]

I believe you can make aesthetic things like cargo pods or something fly through an open space on a space station, giving more of an rp and uniqueness to the place.

 

[Crimson-Artist]

currently I'm designing a pick up net for shipyards. my R & D station features push beams that push finished ships out of the dock so you can free up the shipyard for another project. a net of pick up points should be able to catch a finished ship and move it to a secure location. i've also toyed with the meta idea of fusing carrier call back with stations however i haven't tested yet. build a ship into the station and have the docking ports all be apart of the integrated ship instead of the station then create a fleet.

Not very constructive, but what about SM Soccer? Two goals (pickup points & rails), two teams. Each player drives a single core and tries to push a core with some dockers (i.e. -- the ball) so that it docks onto rival's goal to score a point.

i actually had that same idea a while ago when contact docking first came out. now with pick up points its much easier to do.

 

[Lord_Greyscale]

An entity that is on a basic rail cannot pass through that same rail, simply because the rail block is in the way. With pickup rails, that is no longer the case, and can save a lot of time and space, when there is the need to have an entity pass through the very rail it just moved on. A great example application would be automated ship elevators, that can move in all 6 carthesian directions on an entity.

Soo, proper Star Trek/Star Wars style Tubolifts are now possible? (and, by direct extension, Wonkavators?)

Yaaaaaaaaaay.
Now off to try and re-fit my ship to use this. (and just the logic-array to drive the little beast should fill in a lot of the space I was struggling to try and fill)