This thing would just move the ship a few meters away from the dock, so you dont get stopped by the stuff on the side of the docks. Could just be a simple pole or something built into the ships hull
#Cast off thing
twilit latch
lone atlas
The whole docking/undocking is very frustrating imo. Could use some TLC.
patent bronze
Repulser pad (like the one in the robots hands) that can push off when activated?
pulls a few watts, but 2 each side, activated by local triggers or in the pilot area?
eternal void
Magnetic repulsion built into the boat and dock, combined with mooring lines that pull but don't lock a shorter length, gets my vote.
patent bronze
It would cost power. So have to be options.
eternal void
They can be permanent magnets, as long as the polarization is standardized.
patent bronze
Cant detach perminate magnets
eternal void
Repulsion. Like poles facing each other, so you're not rubbing the dock.
But if the hull is ferrous, it probably won't work out the way I imagined.
But if we use technological repulsion (after all, we have teleporters and completed product printers), I didn't mind it being a part of the site power.
The trick is balancing the pull of the cables - and giving them some play - against a push for some space, so the balance is usually close enough for easy transit, but not so close your ladders tangle.
patent bronze
I have it. Magnet in dock and a electro magnet on boat. You turn on the electro magnet and now rather than being metal its now a magnet with like pole. And pushes off.
Only need a short time and not even that much power that way
twilit latch
We could also make use of tug boat style engines so we can strafe to the side
Or even a giant explosion
patent bronze
There is an idea for bow thrusters. Point the bow outward and then forward motion be easy
I do like magnetic repulsion. That be killing
eternal void
Boats also have issues while moored, getting caught on or under dock geometry and fenders.
patent bronze
Yea. Heard that.
But one problem at a time.
Maybe have more floating moring clamps. So they move with the water. Since most are floating pois anyway.
But if you have an anchor point on the dock that rode the wave too. Keeping you a foot or so away from the non moving dock?
eternal void
Well, one solution at the time - anything that helps them keep distance while moored solves those. Bow thrusters sound nice, but they're a different problem.
As for the detaching thing . . . just give them the latitude to reel out if stretched. As long as you keep the impulse toward the mooring point, they don't need to ratchet and lock.
patent bronze
Its one of the reasons why i like the magnetic ones. Magnet on the dock. and we run a current into the hull to make it a magnet. They repel each other.
could then also be used later as a magnet counter. Cause some areas could have magnetic mines and this would be anti mine counter systems (just like on navy ships)
eternal void
Well, you need a coil around metal to make it an electromagnet, so you can't make the WHOLE hull a magnet, realistically, AND control polarity that well. What you CAN do is make a vertical bank of cylinders mounted in the hull into electromagnets, in a couple of spots fore and aft so that some of them are always close to electromagnets also mounted in the rim of the dock, that are a part of each site's power grid.
But like I mentioned, the hull is ferrous, so I don't think that'll work out the way I expected, because when you put a magnet on iron, iron becomes a magnet, and it doesn't always respect what you want as regards polarity.
patent bronze
You can make the hull magnetic. If you have a large cable set running along the hull. Cables have magnetic properties that induce an electromagnetic field in the hull.
Navy does it. Cool system. But for this idea it woukd be more of a single plate with magnetic coil attached. Polarity is which direction the current is flowing.
Only true issue woukd be... in waves the magnet you use would be opposite of the magnet on the dock but unless ythe wave pushed the boat any direction from directly across the magnet. Then it clamps on to the dock and the magnet clamps to a spot above the hull.
It is possible. Not simple. Multi magnetic plates that direct it in place and lock in. But its way to complex to have in a game. Lol
eternal void
You coil a cable AROUND something ferrous to make an electromagnet. The polarity is aligned with the coil. You can coil it around a long cable and make the whole thing magnetic, but the poles will be at the ends. For this, you need matching poles facing each other, so north world face the interior and South the exterior, eg.
If all you need is attraction, it's easy, magnets are magnets, but repulsion also demands precise control over polarity.
What you normally do to solve that is embed a shallow array of electromagnets mounted with an outward south pole, since trying to magnetize the whole hull itself, its geometry will distort your control over polarity.
craggy token
It does push off, only a small amount when you undo the mooring lines but how far do you want it to go? I like it stays close enough you can jump back on board!
eternal void
I think because the mooring lines ratchet in, the boat leans in a little while moored, and what looks like pushing off is just the boat sitting upright again.
patent bronze
Polarity of the magnet is changed by reversing the flow. Ever hear of Fleming's Left-Hand Rule? The strength of the field is amperage. But the poles are reversed when you reverse the flow through the coil.
eternal void
If you're just using a long, magnetized bar or cable along the length of your hull, say your hull is polarized S at the aft, and N at the front. And you approach the dock with the correct orientation, so the same technology at the dock is polarized S at your aft, N at your front.
The actual result is that your bow will snap to the dock BEFORE you fully pull in, because for a moment, you'll have N/S close to each other.
Even if you can shimmy in sideways, even with this repulsion, the impulse will be to pull fowards or backwards, to match one of the poles. If you've ever tried to force repelling poles of magnets together, magnets will fight the orientation, and desperately want to flip or re-align so they can attract - both attraction and repulsion feeds that impulse.
Though . . . we have some limited examples of science fantasy here. Limited teleports, remote printed construction, etc. Maybe they figured out monopole electromagnets.
lone atlas
I think a lot of this issue could be solved if the boat was more responsive to controls when docking (how about an 'Auto-Dock' function??). Not to mention the tedious wind down of speed when you're changing from forward to reverse such that it actually goes in the opposite direction you chose for like 15 seconds. I appreciate realistic physics, but damn it's like maneuvering the Titanic when docking and undocking - such that I often just get close, drop anchor and swim over.
patent bronze
Mowt ships have pier crew that helps a ship dock.
But i like realistic physics for the boat. Its not about automating the game. Otherwise it will ruin it.
eternal void
Yeah. I think fighting the boat's mass is realistic to ships of that class, and I think having to deal with that challenge is part of the fun. This won't be true for everybody, fun is different for everyone.
Normally I just let it coast in, and try to ninja-snap a mooring line in. The lines take care of alignment and orientation.
patent bronze
Yep. Maybe a game setting to adjust.
Realistic or "fun" and coukd even make it go silly. Like all objects have 1/10 mass... lol.
Long throw challenges.
Bowling becomes possible.
Maybe even an air pocket of a bowling ally the machine when fixed (or poi in a hab module) and plugged in will reset the pins and ball return and gave a minni game of bowling.
Also be cool if we coukd "generate" memories.
Bowling. Skydiving or any "human activity " your robot does is downoadable as a "memory"
Think i had to much caffeine this morning.
But a setting that allows for less boat "realism". And a slider for boat rocking for the poor souls that connect to much with the boats rocking.
Or add "ballast tanks" to the bottom of the boat that when you pump sea water into them it stabilizes the boat more. For those that need it.
eternal void
The problem with letting players pick and choose everything they want is that usually they'll optimize a game so much it's no longer challenging or fun. If you give them the option to eliminate challenge, you also eliminate part of the reward loop from overcoming it.
That isn't an absolute, as fun means different things to different people, but people who would be rewarded by fighting for a successful berth on heavy seas might have an unrewarding experience only because the choice was provided to them.
fickle zenith
What I do is anchor the ship several meters away from the dock. I pull it in with mooring and once I'm done at the location, simply releasing the mooring makes the ship drift back to where I anchored it.
It's not a workaround, I just have always done this and I don't see docking as an issue whatsoever.
eternal void
I try to moor before anchoring so the anchor doesn't interfere with alignment. But I don't know if that's a real concern, it might align itself regardless.
fickle zenith
I try to moor before anchoring so the anchor doesn't interfere with alignment. B...
You can just up anchors after mooring, if you really want to.
Then anchor again, or mix match mooring cables with other mooring slots to get your ship where you want it to be.
I wouldn't recommend doing that though, it's gonna be harder to sail away afterwards
By "that", I mean mooring before anchor
eternal void
Yeah, but that requires another trip back. The anchor will drop when I begin clearing enemies anyway and trip the dead man's switch.
Leaving the anchor up until after I'm moored gets me exploring faster.