#Thoughts on docking

22 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

south vessel
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There's the issue with docking wich is wich name to keep. I think we could have two docking modules, one "dominant". The two docked ships will keep the name of the dominant module. Also, the name of the other ship is stored on the other module, that way when undocking it can recover its name.

Another way to see docking is like locking works today, with no physical merging of the two ships (crews stay independent), but the ship would obey under the same commands (direct control would control both ships, for example). For the game engine, the only thing that happens is both ships are stuck together, but no merge actually happen. Wich could save a lot of programming hassle, IG.

That could probably applied to moving parts too, where they are technically another ship, but obey the same commands (and could share command points)

south vessel
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Docking could be as simple as really contact, strong, energy-less tractor beams

grizzled cradle
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My current thinking is that there will be two kinds of docking:

  1. "Soft" docking where ships can attach together but remain separately controllable entities. Telling one ship to move without telling the other will undock them.
  2. "Hard" docking where once docked, the ships become a single ship sharing all crew and resources and acting as one. Think Enterprise D from Star Trek.
    I think these kinds of docking will likely use different parts. Perhaps extendable bridges for "soft" docking, and larger docking clamps for "hard" docking.
south vessel
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Makes sense, I like that vision with two separate dockings.

Tho I think soft docking should be "sturdier" than that, but it doesn't make a lot of difference.

I fear hard docking to be a very hard thing to do, with undocking being just as hard. Maybe a way to keep the ship somewhat separate, with a way to manage the docked parts independently, them being tracked and original assignations being saved, so when undocking it doesn't pose any issue.

A way to name docked ships would be to take the name of the larger part, and put a prefix signifying it's docked to other ships, I guess.

I don't think actually and completely fusing ships is a good idea even for hard docking, and we know crew can already enter other ships via hatch, maybe an "instant" horizontal hatch could be a good idea for hard docking, so crew can travel from one ship to the other without actually jumping ship ? Then it would be a matter of rewiring crew AI to make them able to use these hatches in pathfinding and stuff ? I think that would be similar to the trading (ressource transfer) pathfinding, but automatic.

I don't know if the crew can actually look into other ships for pathfinding, but if it can, then that seems to be a good idea, for soft docking at least.

simple orbit
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would the docking points work as a hinge or just a solid piece of ship tho?

south vessel
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Solid IG

simple orbit
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if its even possible to make it a hinge you could maybe add a sort of mode to the hard docks

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you switch it and the ships become soft docked

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with a lil animation of bolts releasing and hydraulics pushing gas out

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idk tho walt knows programming and balancing better than i do tho

south vessel
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Ahah

simple orbit
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also

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diagonal ships

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gonna be a PAIN to deal with diagonals and non diagonals docking

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arguably tho thats a problem for the player

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you could at least sort of fix this issue with like

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letting ships not be at a perfect 90 degrees when they dock

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eh idk

south vessel
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Nope, that's not a problem

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Just won't be straight but not a problem

grizzled cradle
grave wave
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it seems that there should be some sturdiness to soft docking to prevent an ai ship colliding with us and leaving our people on a station