Recall beam

[Thalanor]

Basically a relatively simple thing. This would add one block:
- Recall beam computer (can be linked to docking modules)
- Recall beam module (disregard)

When you fire the recall beam at an entity of the same faction, said entity would dock to the smallest docking module the recall beam computer has been linked to.

Limitations:
- You need X recall beam modules to successfully recall an entity (say 1 module per 10 blocks on target ship) (disregard)
- You need to have at least one empty docking area that fits the entity connected to the computer
- The entity to be recalled must currently not be under fire (be at 100% shield regen capability)

Applications:
- Carriers
- Search and rescue ships (can pick up damaged craft, possibly use future repair beams on it in a safe hangar environment, etc)
- surely more

 

[ltmauve]

How about you link the recall computer to a bunch of docking modules, and it chooses the smallest one of those docking modules instead.

 

[Thalanor]

Excellent addition! I have included that in the post.

 

[FunnyBunny14]

I feel we also need reversed docking for ships. Small range, easily dock another ship to a specific docking module. Nice for modular ships with "tools" and automated ship docking.

 

[Dragleones]

What about spawning/buying turrets and/or docked ships from the advanced buildmode?
A much more comfortable way to refill your drones/drone racks or repair your turrets.

 

[ltmauve]

But what if you have an autosalvager or something you want to recall?
Also, it's much cheaper to be able to recover and repair drones than buy new ones outright.

 

[Thalanor]

Drone racks are basically the current state of the art way to circumvent the problem. However, they always assume all drones are lost (even if all survive). Recalling would make drone or fighter ejection feasible even if most will survive - not even drone racks can solve that.

Not having to use racks would give the builder more freedom to for example design individual hangars.

 

[Snk]

We don't we make it so that when you activate an area trigger on a docking module, it automatically docks the entity that fired the area trigger?

 

[Thalanor]

So basically you mean something like "scooping up" the entities to dock? That would work well with large carriers, but it could also be done with logic activated recall beams. Anything that works would make me happy :D

 

[ltmauve]

We don't we make it so that when you activate an area trigger on a docking module, it automatically docks the entity that fired the area trigger?

Have a recall beam pointed at the trigger. Link it to a few docks.

 

[lazarus78]

Soo, another set of blocks to clump into ships... Honestly, am I the only one who is finding this feature to be getting a bit cumbersome? It was cool at first, but now its become like THE feature of the game, making ships need to be bigger just to accommodate each new system that gets added. My old ship designs are no longer valid because they can barely hold any of the required new blocks.

Yes, this idea sounds cool, in principal. But does it need to have a cluster of add-on blocks with it? Not really. It sounds like it is a simple form of communication, so all it needs is a singular block. Put one on one ship and another on another ship, and you "target" the ship to be recalled. If compared to real world equivalents, its just a radio signal saying "Come home". The rest of the computers do the actual controlling. You don't see them needing bigger radio transmitters just to communicate with bigger things. Maybe require an AI in order to actually take control of the ship to justify it moving on its own.

 

[FunnyBunny14]

The effect block usage should be a bug - the power was going to be the limiting factor.

And I agree, a simple recall would suffice.

 

[Thalanor]

Ye, Ill update that, after all jammers and cloakers only need a computer too.

 

[Ithirahad]

Drone racks are basically the current state of the art way to circumvent the problem. However, they always assume all drones are lost (even if all survive). Recalling would make drone or fighter ejection feasible even if most will survive - not even drone racks can solve that.

Not having to use racks would give the builder more freedom to for example design individual hangars.

...Drone racks are a "state of the art" workaround to a gaping hole in Starmade's feature-set and are really irrelevant to this discussion. When the economy becomes balanced, they will also become a massive drain on resources, causing people to not bother with carriers anyway unless some form of recall feature is implemented. THAT is the problem here.

 

[Keptick]

...Drone racks are a "state of the art" workaround to a gaping hole in Starmade's feature-set and are really irrelevant to this discussion. When the economy becomes balanced, they will also become a massive drain on resources, causing people to not bother with carriers anyway unless some form of recall feature is implemented. THAT is the problem here.

Yes, drone racks are meant to circumvent a problem. What @Thalanor is suggesting could potentially fix this "gaping hole" and make the usage of drone racks less useful (it would still be to quickly refit a carrier with different drones). They barely cost anything btw, and cost effectiveness isn't the goal here.

Once the economy gets fixed people will still use drones for the simple reason that they absolutely wreck everything. Even more so with a recall feature.