Balance: Docking/interaction proximity based on mass of ship

[GrimJahk]

Docking can be a challenge... Based on this thread, it can be more of a challenge than it really should be... There are already mods out there to address this.

 

So my thought is...

 

Docking should be based on a proximity to the docking location that is flexible based on the mass of your ship... Docking a shuttle at .005 KM is far easier than docking a BattleStar at same proximity...

 

What if Docking range was X+(Sq-root of ship mass*.001) Or some such similar calculation?

[DivineEvil]

I don't find docking as any sort of a challenge. You need to be able to control your ship properly. Changes has to be made to solve problems, not to compensate for every human error possible. Besides, the thread you have linked has nothing to say about the docking.

[VoltairesPuppet]

I think docking should be limited to smaller ships.  Beyond a certain size you should have to use shuttles or smaller cargo ships to ferry items. 

 

There is a mod that provides this ability via fighters, though I haven't played with it yet.  Will have to play with this to see if it is actually fun or not.  That would be my only gripe about adding something like this. 

 

Hell if its automated, that would be a bonus.

 

 

[amimai]

I have gotten around this problem by building my ships into giant crescents, now to dock all I need to do is give the station a hug :D

[AngryAdam]

I second this. Large ships can be very tedious and sometimes you cant see the dock. I notice the npc pilots have the same issue they take out docks frequently. NPCs crunch the docks on my factories 2 out 5 times or more often.

 

Automated docking would be awesome as would auto load unload via drones(fighters).

[GrimJahk]

I love the "docking procedure" thought... it would be fantastic, and could make interaction with mobile merchants easier as well...

 

AND you can build in a "safeguard" that if hostiles are in the area, it is disabled...

[DivineEvil]

What I would consider, is a auto-dock interaction menu command, that would automatically bring your ship to the closest dock on a station or to docking distance of a selected ship, with speed capped to your current Break Thrust. It should not be hard to script such a behavior. If you produce any manual input, the function is immediately disabled.