Point to Point Docking

[LordVe]

This is a rather 'simple' thing I would like to be added into the game.

I would like to get rid of the current Docking System, Keep the turret docking as it is though.

What I want is a Block to Block docking system. Basically Rather than bothering with a Box system, you just have one block that directly, and without space if possible, connects to another of the same.

I would like to be able to dock a ship to the air lock of another ship, or station. The Idea that a ship Hovers off a pad in space, is rather...odd. Being able to solidly Dock with something makes more sense to me.

With this, you could build a single dock that can allow any ship to dock with it without worrying about Expanders...

 

[Mariux]

+1.5

 

[Zeno9141]

This would be so insanely useful...
We could have fitting docks for ships with other shapes than a cube/rectangle...

 

[Ithirahad]

Yep; this and chairs are so extremely popularly suggested that I really hope they'll appear in the update after this one.

 

[Strange]

http://starmadedock.net/threads/docking-clamps.1262/

Not that I'm upset that this topic is getting more attention. Just that there are a couple of points I'd like to carry over from that thread.

1) As it stands, faction base invulnerability means that this could be super-abused in PvP.
2) Possibly multiple docking points could be used to strengthen the connection for larger ships? Thus adding a little balance.
3) Collision detection needs to be improved for this to be feasible.

All that aside, I support this idea 100%. Down with boxdims!

 

[mrsinister]

This is a rather 'simple' thing I would like to be added into the game.

I would like to get rid of the current Docking System, Keep the turret docking as it is though.

What I want is a Block to Block docking system. Basically Rather than bothering with a Box system, you just have one block that directly, and without space if possible, connects to another of the same.

I would like to be able to dock a ship to the air lock of another ship, or station. The Idea that a ship Hovers off a pad in space, is rather...odd. Being able to solidly Dock with something makes more sense to me.

With this, you could build a single dock that can allow any ship to dock with it without worrying about Expanders...

I have a 1 block on 1 block docking on my server...... just have the server admin to get rid of the docking requirements.

server.cfg line 82
IGNORE_DOCKING_AREA = true //ignores docking area size

it makes it one block only. Hopefully this will partly get what you are looking for, or wanting....I know...lol it's what we have for now though.

EDIT: read my last post.. ever since I updated my server fully...I wasn't using a full fledged deleted rebuilt server for certain projects I had on going....but...stuff happens and I really needed to with the newest update....now I can not dock at all....

 

[Ithirahad]

That doesn't help these issues all that much, Sinister...

1. It allows for clipping. Blame it on the pilot all you want, but truth is, the game should recognize boundary clipping and prevent the ship from docking.
2. There's still that annoying and reasonless gap.
3. If I remember correctly, the docking block still disables if something clips into its 10x10x10 box, even with that setting. (Though anything outside of that is fine)
4. You can only dock the bottom of your ship to things; you can't attach a docking tube to the side of your ship and use that, as you should be able to.

 

[ToyotaSupra]

Yep; this and chairs are so extremely popularly suggested that I really hope they'll appear in the update after this one.

Chaiiiiiirrrsssss........

Sorry OP, yes this is a brilliant idea! There was something similar in the game called 'plexlander' but it was never really completed. I do hope some new, useful features like this are added soon.

Spoiler

along with chaiiirssss....

 

[mrsinister]

That doesn't help these issues all that much, Sinister...

1. It allows for clipping. Blame it on the pilot all you want, but truth is, the game should recognize boundary clipping and prevent the ship from docking.
2. There's still that annoying and reasonless gap.
3. If I remember correctly, the docking block still disables if something clips into its 10x10x10 box, even with that setting. (Though anything outside of that is fine)
4. You can only dock the bottom of your ship to things; you can't attach a docking tube to the side of your ship and use that, as you should be able to.

haha, i know...but I was just saying for time being they could have it one block...

I had to do this on my server since after ...hmm...cant remember back when the box went from 5x5x5 to 10x10x10 ...lol, and my snub nose fighters couldn't dock anymore in my heavy cruiser...and there was no way I was going to rebuild the whole thing or the area on a completed ship. so from then on I made it one block. soo much better

 

[Malacodor]

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist voting for option 3, it was too tempting. But I gave you a like.

 

[the guyver]

i would like to see the plexlander re-purposed for this , behaving like a magnet when activated so that one plexlander would be attracted to another plexlander on the entity you are docking to, the ship should re orientate to match the orientation of the plexlander its docking to and be pulled towards it, it would only be considered docked when the 2 plexlanders were touching so if there was any collision preventing them touching you cant dock.

this could also be used for reverse docking ie. allow cargo container carriers to pick up containers without having to get out of your ship to dock the container

 

[whiterhino16]

I agree with this completely and have no complaints for this idea. I swear one of my most annoying memory of starmade is trying to dock an isanth.

I'll make a docking area, that looks big enough

*gets out of station, goes into isanth and tries to dock*

*NOPE.*

I guess I need to make it a little bigger...

*NOPE.*

Maybe it's a height issue, I'll make it have more vertical space.

*DENIED*

Fine, I'll make the area twice as big as the isanth...

*NO.*

...
...
...
*flips table*

 

[mrsinister]

This is a rather 'simple' thing I would like to be added into the game.

I would like to get rid of the current Docking System, Keep the turret docking as it is though.

What I want is a Block to Block docking system. Basically Rather than bothering with a Box system, you just have one block that directly, and without space if possible, connects to another of the same.

I would like to be able to dock a ship to the air lock of another ship, or station. The Idea that a ship Hovers off a pad in space, is rather...odd. Being able to solidly Dock with something makes more sense to me.

With this, you could build a single dock that can allow any ship to dock with it without worrying about Expanders...

I agree, and to elaborate more on that.....

keep the docking block as it is. Have a "receiver" dock block that it attaches to (complete with the red shaded end to put where you want it, ie: top, side, bottom, and place it accordingly).....and scrub the enhancer blocks we don't need them.

since I updated my server completely... I can not dock at all since I get these odd physical inconsistency (dif) errors and exceptions that say my ship isnt in the current sector even though they never move.....and yea.. I reported it.

 

[Ithirahad]

I agree, and to elaborate more on that.....

keep the docking block as it is. Have a "receiver" dock block that it attaches to (complete with the red shaded end to put where you want it, ie: top, side, bottom, and place it accordingly).....and scrub the enhancer blocks we don't need them.

since I updated my server completely... I can not dock at all since I get these odd physical inconsistency (dif) errors and exceptions that say my ship isnt in the current sector even though they never move.....and yea.. I reported it.

Meh, that's probably what we would end up with, but I'd much rather scrap "Docking Beam" use to dock entirely, which looks ridiculous.

 

[whiterhino16]

What if your ships docking enchanter (or whatever it's called) had to match the pattern of the other ship/stations WIT (that's what I'm going to call them, deal with it). Also, you would have to turn them on before docking (The faction that the thing is attached to). That way someone wont dock a huge bomb cube to it and blow it up "4 T3H L0LZ!!!11!!1!!1!"

 

[Ithirahad]

What if your ships docking enchanter (or whatever it's called) had to match the pattern of the other ship/stations WIT (that's what I'm going to call them, deal with it). Also, you would have to turn them on before docking (The faction that the thing is attached to). That way someone wont dock a huge bomb cube to it and blow it up "4 T3H L0LZ!!!11!!1!!1!"

Docked objects shouldn't be able to do damage to their mother or sibling entities anyway, through disintegrators or pulsers or anything else.

 

[mrsinister]

Meh, that's probably what we would end up with, but I'd much rather scrap "Docking Beam" use to dock entirely, which looks ridiculous.

hmm not sure on the beam part, but there has been lots of kool ideas.... magnets, clamps, patterns, etc... I don't think we would need the beam... maybe you would switch the cam to the "receiver" block and use that, like a docking cam? idk, or maybe the beam would come out of the "receiver" block....either way... current docking plus enhancers has to change. lol, or just make the beam invisible.

 

[NeonSturm]

Space engineers already has it and peoples like it.
They like it so much, that they already made a mod for/with it.

 

[I_is_Tinsy]

Yes, please, yes! I hate the struggle it takes to get docking spaces the right size, and then hangars would be better since you could put one ship that takes up all the space or any combination of smaller ships.

 

[LordVe]

My issues with the current system stem from the fact that I prefer 'realistic' play. I like building things to be, at the very least, semi-realistic. Having a ship just hover there really breaks it for me. Docking should always be from one docking port to another, or in rare cases from one docking port to the Hull of a ship/station. This is how I build my ships, they have several docking ports, with airlocks, that should be connected in some way to the station to allow for boarding and disembarking. With the current system, it is nearly impossible to create universal stations, stations that can dock almost any craft without too much difficulty.

I have run into this problem again while working on the Station Creation Contest. I build a wonderful looking station, fully furnished, then go to do the docks and it turns to crap since I either have to build hundreds of docks of all shapes and sizes, or build several huge docks that take people forever to get across.

In my server's last ceasefire, I had to require people to build small shuttles to be able to dock at the station since there was no way I could accommodate the variety of shapes and sizes of the ships.

While it is always an option to turn off the Docking restrictions, it is not really the solution. The entire Docking system is what needs fixed. Basing the point to dock on the Core rather than the Center of Mass is one of the major flaws. It is fine for turrets, horrible for ships. And I am aware that basing it off Center of mass has issues too.

As for the technical side of the problem. Can P2P docking really be that hard? The simplest way to do it would be that you have to get close to the port, align the ports, then get within a meter or so and the attraction takes over. This removes the need to check to see if the ship will collide with anything since the ship has to actually get to the port, and thus must already have past the normal collision tests. That is how every other game handles the problem.