Couplings?

This idea is for couplings between block entities (i.e. groups of blocks changed? to entities like: space ships and stations).
A coupling would work fairly simply if two couplings(on entities) that are turned on are next to each other each with the faces (like the faces on dispensers and furnaces) facing towards one another. They would connect the two entities together i.e.:

< or > = couplings that are turned on [] = entities
if []<....>[] then the two entity's would be drawn together until []<>[]

There would be two types of couplings: normal couplings and power couplings. Power couplings would act as both couplings and wires (to send power between ships and space stations).

Couplings would only work when they are turned on (also it would use power to connect or disconnect couplings).

Couplings would be useful for: docking ships, launching small space ships from your failing warship as escape pods, recharging your space station's battery powered defence force.

note: They would be fairly easy to break with weapons.

hell2o wrote:

this idea is for couplings between block entity's (ie groups of blocks changed to entity's like: space ships and stations)
a coupling would work fairly simply if two couplings(on entity's) that are turned on are next to each other each with the faces (like the faces on dispensers and furnaces) facing toward the other coupling they would connect the two entity's they are connected too together ie:

< or > = couplings that are turned on [] = entity's
if []<....>[] then the two entity's would be drawn together until []<>[]

there would be two types of couplings: normal couplings and power couplings. power couplings would act as both couplings and wires(to send power between ships and space stations)

couplings would only work when they are turned on (also it would use power to connect or disconect couplings)

couplings would be useful for: docking ships, launching small space ships from your failing warship as escape pods, recharging your space stations battery powered defence force

note: they would be fairly easy to break with weapons

Ooooh...pretty.

I would also think that the couplings could work as like a connector of sorts, like connecting a double chest of arrows to a full dispenser?

I think that would be a different thing altogether. What I mean is a way to connect two ships in space.

Kinda like this?
I cant post links =*(

But youtube "[Gmod tutorials #3] The docking clamp " It's the first vid.

Garrysmod for the win!

Yep that's the basic idea except they would be fairly easy to break with weapons (to stop people making a lot of little ships and combining them to make one big ship that would have too many weapons).

I was gonna say limiting the amount of docks active at one time could help but then you wouldn't be able to create huge spacestations/spacehubs. Instead what your saying about making the docking clamps very weak and vulnerable to enemy fire sounds pretty good. That way if someone does decide they want to build twelve world-class destroyers and dock them together into a ring of some sort to form a massive galactic destroyer they could still do that. But the separate ships would be incredibly vulnerable and a single weapons strike could dismember the contraption and send a world-class destroyer hurling blindly into space.

I think that's a fair tradeoff.

EDIT

I don't think we need two types of couplings tho unless the devs want to add the extra crafting recipe, and I say that just because the power coupling can prolly act like a regular coupling if you just don't wire it into any generators/power grids.

On a side note, you can craft the coupling and it can be a single normal shaped block, then when you apply power to the coupling it could record the position of any other couplings adjacent to it in order to create a shape and from that it could be attracted to any other similar shape-powered-coupling within a certain distance and orientation. This would allow for virtually any shape docking port you can come up with.

I think that you'd craft a normal coupling then add a wire to it in the crafting window (like with slime balls and pistons).

Ya, for easy space docks, and even land docks. I had planned to have docks fitted to each class of my ships, but this would allow trade with non-ACHSN ship models. Good idea, and could be crafted with...... say..... Electromagnets. Also, maybe item transfer through a special coupling(Would it be coupling or couplink) so repair tools could be sent from the station to the ship. Also, a repair cradle ship could safely repair most ships without risk of them drifting away.

I would point out that to get people from one ship to another you'd need at least 4 couplings per ship, i.e.: a ladder surrounded by couplings.

ACH0225 wrote:

Ya, for easy space docks, and even land docks. I had planned to have docks fitted to each class of my ships, but this would allow trade with non-ACHSN ship models. Good idea, and could be crafted with...... say..... Electromagnets. Also, maybe item transfer through a special coupling(Would it be coupling or couplink) so repair tools could be sent from the station to the ship. Also, a repair cradle ship could safely repair most ships without risk of them drifting away.

Hmm you bring up an interesting point. I wonder if we should create a generic docking module schematic so that all ships and stations are compatible...

Danice123 wrote:

ACH0225 wrote:

Ya, for easy space docks, and even land docks. I had planned to have docks fitted to each class of my ships, but this would allow trade with non-ACHSN ship models. Good idea, and could be crafted with...... say..... Electromagnets. Also, maybe item transfer through a special coupling(Would it be coupling or couplink) so repair tools could be sent from the station to the ship. Also, a repair cradle ship could safely repair most ships without risk of them drifting away.

Hmm you bring up an interesting point. I wonder if we should create a generic docking module schematic so that all ships and stations are compatible...

Are you talking about using couplings or a thing with pistons or something else altogether?