Allow simple ship to ship docking - Transfer fuel, cargo, repairs etc...

[NeilF]

+Rep for suggesting an interesting game-play addition. I'd certainly enjoy doing these kind of missions. Well written too

Yep... As regards missions etc, even existing features such as "Seeking Luxuries" could at least also be delivered by "docking" to an NPC ship, and transfering the cargo to them, instead of the magical teleportation method then

I'd suggest the profit should be increased accordingly though given the added time required to dock with them.

 

[CMDR BOSLEY]

It was mentioned a very longtime ago that there would be ship to ship docking, i think it would be great, not only for transfering thing but cmdrs. It would be the way to board a another ship, for various reasons like a combative takeover, multicrew, exploring/scavenging a derelict ship, and etc. These this once space legs are a thing of course. As for the people saying just use collector limpets, i would fing that a dumb real world method of cargo transfer could it be done yes, but its far more efficient to directly dock, now collector limpet would still have their place in the game scoop pirated bounty or mined material and cargo from wrecks. Same with fuel limpets still useful, lets say a fuel rat were to dock directly that leaves them vulnerable to both other ships as well as the crew of the ship its docked to, so limpets are the safer alternative.

 

[Jim Hazard]

I think adding more features to limpets such as repairing and cargo transfer even if that one seems somewhat wasteful when you can just scoop them. This now allows a wing to have a long range support ship. I hope to see some of your ideas in Guardians.

 

[kubility]

i was about to make a suggestion about docking and sharing with each other too but i saw ur post and i think i have 1 more thing to add to this. if CMDRs can carry their ammuniton in their cargo rack bigger ships can restock themselves and smaller ones in hazardous or conflick zones. might take 4 tonnes of cargo space to fully restock a gun and require specific type of ammo but it can add an important value to cargo racks to even bring them into warzones.

 

[DHMeyer]

Providing this all doesn't become a tiresome minigame you have to follow each time you want to do a basic thing in a multiplayer game. But, we sort of know the way it's going to look if implemented, from the current SRV "docking" system. That's not too bad.

 

[Toumal]

Totally in favor of this. I think this was also mentioned by DB in one of his early "vision" videos.

 

[NeilF]

OMG - From the DDA - https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/6299-Elite-Dangerous-Trading

The player trade interface is available when two players dock ships!

 

[Vision1776]

+1

I like the idea of being able to dock with ships. Could easily be implemented. Not saying all your specific ideas are perfect but the idea of docking to another ship is great. It happens all the time in any sci-fi movie, show, and other games.

If you are against this then you are literally just trolling at this point.

 

[NeilF]

If only I could have called upon a friend or Fuel Rat to escort me to a station last week.

My cockpit blew so I went to the nearest platform which couldn't repair me.

Flying to the next nearest station, I was interdicted a few times, and finally jumped out of SC at the station with tens of seconds of air left... Kblaammmm... Rebuy...


If only someone could have helped/chaperoned me along the route. ie: Docked with me at some point and given me 4-5mins more minutes of oxygen...

 

[Iskariot]

I feel the game would benefit from allowing a ship to dock to another ship.

Consider a "Distress Call" you take the risk on investigating, and they're requiring fuel. Are you going to fly all the way to a station to outfit for fuel transfer? Are you going to fly around constantly outfitted for fuel transfer?

If you could enable a docking mode/feature, such that you could connect your ship to another to allow a series of things to be possible:-
- Slow fuel transfer.
- Slow cargo transfer. (Slow transfer of materials?) Give me a Polonium for 2T of Gold!
- Repair of another ship's systems using YOUR AMFUs.
- Missions to collect/deliver items to ship rather than a station etc.

Surely this would allow more variety in game play. The ability for you to be able to help other ships more often. And possibly even open up a bit more emergent game play.

I'd image docking would involve a nose to nose or cargo hatch to cargo hatch connection using a graphic/mechanic somewhat like cargo scooping? Once "docked" new options would allow cargo (rather than being jettisoned) to be transferred etc.

Note: This isn't suppose to replace cargo limpets or cargo limpets/scooping... Just offer an alternative... Especially in the case of fuel transfer which simply isn't possible without dedicated hardware/modules.



Example of the mechanic:-

• You target the ship (CMDR or NPC?) you wish to dock to and select a new "Request Docking" option.
• The other CMDR (NPC) gets a docking request which they must accept (think Wing invitation/accept).
• You (the person requested docking) then gets a docking HUD/GUI akin to cargo scooping or when landing on a platform to line up with the other ship. I'd suggest this is given a countdown timer (eg: 1 minute) after which, if docking has not been accomplished, it is automatically cancelled.
• The ship being docked too gets a display informing them they are being docked too (with a countdown too). They can cancel docking at any time by an option, or by just thrusting/moving.
• Once the two ships are docked (connected), new options/menus are offered (on both ships) to:-
  • Transfer fuel
  • Transfer cargo - Achieved by a new option against your cargo. ie: Instead of "Jettison" you will also have "Transfer"?
  • Transfer materials(?)
  • Use your AMFU on the other ship's modules(?)
  • Anything else? - eg: Give/request something as part of a mission?

Note 1: I'd suggest the moment docking is accepted, shields are dropped/disabled if this makes the game engine easier to code. You will need to cancel/end docking for the shields to then come back online again. I'd also suggest weapons and boost are disabled too.

Note 2: Once docked, any thrust away from the other ship will disable/end the docking. Also an option will allow you to end docking which will also perform a small reverse thrust (eg: 10 meters) to visually inform both parties of the end of docking.

Note3: Maybe all the new features offered via docking could be given on a single new (dedicated) HUD. eg: When you've landed on a planet you get the new options panel for the SRV. Maybe if you've docked with another ship, a new HUD could likewise be availabe to offer you all the options available in a single place for docking features.



EDIT: With news of passenger related missions... Might be nice to have missions to pick up/drop off passengers to other vessels by docking with them.

I like it. Good suggestions. Repped.
I hate it when I encounter distress signals and someone needs fuel but I have no way to give him some of mine.
I don't know if FD expects me to always carry fuel drones, but I never do as they are a waste of space 99% of the time.
I definitely need another way to help other ships out.

I also would like to be able to help others with repairing their ships for example.

I think it is of great fundamental importance for FD to add new ways of interacting with other players and npc.
If the only tool we have is a gun, then that is the tool we tend to use.
The interaction with the barnacles is a good example of this too.
Many cmdrs shot them, because that was the only action we were allowed to perform.

EDIT: I suddenly realized I never encountered missions in which I am asked to refuel a ship in some far away system.
That would be a cool mission I'd like tot do.

 

[JetsonRING]

I have always looked at the shape of the Asp-X and thought to myself "That thing is meant to dock with or attach to a larger ship." Just look how the aft end is designed: flat with a personnel hatch right in the center way up high where it is useless for anything else but docking. It would be awesome if the Asp-X could be a lander/bridge unit for a much larger support/exploration craft/ship just like the Nostromo.

 

[Gavin Burke]

I think this will be on the same page of the to-do list as walking around in ships and stations.

Why is a chunk of the game development following EVE Online - if I wanted to walk around I'd play Destiny and not Elite...

 

[Iskariot]

Why is a chunk of the game development following EVE Online - if I wanted to walk around I'd play Destiny and not Elite...

Why? This has been the plan right from the start.
It has always been FD's ambition to make the new Elite a more complete experience than the old games.

I suggest you might underestimate what walking around will add to the experience.
I and many other are very interested in seeing the bowls of our ships and feel like pilots piloting a ship instead of being the ship.
Of course the SRV already adds a bit of separation from our ships, but walking around will make it complete.
It will add a new perspective and turn the ships into true ships, separate from the pilot.

 

[Gavin Burke]

It will add a new perspective and turn the ships into true ships, separate from the pilot.

But what is there to gain other than "seeing" the outside of your ship (which you can with the external camera mode) - would I have to then get out my ship to go buy something at the market etc., as that would totally slow down the economics of the game...?

 

[Iskariot]

But what is there to gain other than "seeing" the outside of your ship (which you can with the external camera mode) - would I have to then get out my ship to go buy something at the market etc., as that would totally slow down the economics of the game...?

No doubt some options for gameplay will be added.

I do not expect that we will have to leave the ship to access a basic feature like the general commodity market.
Not even those looking forward to walking around would like that to happen.

We will have to wait and see.
I can think of all kinds of stuff that would make sense.
For example we might have to visit a weapons dealer in the station to buy our own personal weapons, or gadgets.
Or perhaps we will be able to get some shady missions only though direct contact with certain clandestine mission givers.
Or perhaps a new engineer might want to meet us in person before he wants to work for us.

Or imagine needing to spacewalk to do some hull repairs in space.
Or perhaps we might enter a shipwreck in person and find stuff there.

 

[Lestat]

LOL Risk and reward. Your canopy blown. You could look at the station while your flying to it and see if it had a repair facilities or not. You could also had a better life support.

We also don't need a way for Explorer who had a breached Canopy to have a easy way home.

 

[NeilF]

LOL Risk and reward. Your canopy blown. You could look at the station while your flying to it and see if it had a repair facilities or not. You could also had a better life support.

We also don't need a way for Explorer who had a breached Canopy to have a easy way home.

Huh? But to address you're "points"...

"You could look at the station while your flying to it and see if it had a repair facilities or not." - It would be a bad time to do it of course... while flying along. So I'd done that before setting off from the platform I was at, to the nearest station I could get to? So point?

"We also don't need a way for Explorer who had a breached Canopy to have a easy way home." - Are you even contemplating and thinking about what you're saying? So someone's out exploring, let's say 5000LY out of the bubble loses their canopy... At the moment that = death. If someone comes out to give them oxygen? It still wouldn't get them back to the bubble. It would take multiple resupplies? So point?

You don't think just a touch more co-op emergent gameplay (along the lines of the Fuel Rats) might be a nice thing to bring into the game? ie: Being able to help/save someone with failing oxygen/systems?



Anyway, maybe at least read the comment before diving in next time?

ps: I'm off course assuming you were commenting on my post. Seems you were in too much of a hurry to even press the quote button.

 

[Lestat]

Here the thing. Your always asking for a way to get out of a Risk and reward. To nullified that gut trenching Fear I might die. Oh my Canopy blown maybe they should have a feature to have someone dock to me to get air. This game is about Danger not ways to get out of danger.

I can also see how it could be exploited. A wing of players They could enter and leave the wing to get more air for the user who has a breach canopy to get them to a station.

 

[NeilF]

Here the thing. Your always asking for a way to get out of a Risk and reward. To nullified that gut trenching Fear I might die. Oh my Canopy blown maybe they should have a feature to have someone dock to me to get air. This game is about Danger not ways to get out of danger.

Why aren't you out campaigning against refueling mechanics? Why aren't you right now posting articles how the Fuel Rats are destroying the game? Especially when people run out of fuel far more often than they die via cockpit breaching?

And indeed you point is as wrong as it is misspelt (re: "Your always asking for a way to get out of a Risk and reward"). In the case in discussion, do you really think I care about an X million rebuy? No. Instead I see it as a scenario where more interesting gameplay could manifest itself and an some nice interaction and co-op - I'd loved to have been able to call up some friends while at the platform, for them to escort me back to a station.


But it seems you're "defending exploration?" (again)? - It may well be you see the "risk and reward" of exploration as something important, but alas the "J", "honk", "J", "honk" in truth is far from the epitome of reward and risk. In truth we all know it's inanely simple and pretty unchallenging, with the greatest risk in truth being the onset of RSI... So I fail to see what you're being so protective about? And don't forget people are far more likely to lose their cockpits in the bubble than when even flying across more than the entire width of the galaxy.

I can also see how it could be exploited. A wing of players They could enter and leave the wing to get more air for the user who has a breach canopy to get them to a station.

Huh?

So you're very low on air, and indeed have no cockpit. I'm escorting you back to a station and enroute we enter normal flight and dock. I assign 6 minutes of my 7 minutes of air over to you, and off you fly, with an extra 6 mins of life. I'm now down to 1, obviously putting myself at some risk (<--- you like that word?). If you need another top up, I won't be able to do it... Someone else will now... (Unless you faff about logging out, and waiting for me to go to a station and back again... But that's our choice.)

So yes, a group of people working tightly together to get an individual with just minutes of life at a time back to a station.. I can see how you'd hate that...

ps: While out exploring (I assume that's the area of your concern) how many times has your cockpit blown? So is your point even appropriate to exploration, even ignoring the logistics/distance involved with trying to get someone back minutes of oxygen at a time?

pps: Please use the quote feature. It helps people understand what you're referencing.

 

[Lestat]

Why aren't you out campaigning against refueling mechanics? Why aren't you right now posting articles how the Fuel Rats are destroying the game? Especially when people run out of fuel far more often than they die via cockpit breaching?

Let take the Diamondback Explorer it can't do it all it has limitations. Larger ship can but It affect their jump range also. Also it require limpets which also add to Weight. That also adds to the limitation. When they add the new update. With Passenger and Fighters. Players are going to have to start thinking what needed or not.

Let take my Anaconda. It has 144 cargo of Limpets. Jump range 16.56 For Horizon Minerals. If I did not have the limpets I would have 20.66ly jump range.

Your idea. You can be in any ship to refill. Pretty much eliminates the need for fuel transfer unit Cargo rack and give you the best jump range There is no limitation. Those items become useless and not needed anymore. Even if the fuel transfer is Slow. It would give the player the ability to have more modules. Other then the slowdown in refueling where is the downside.?

It seems you're "defending exploration?" (again)? - IMHO we need ways to deepen gameplay, and working together is a way to do that. It may well be you see the "risk and reward" of exploration as something important, but alas the "J", "honk", "J", "honk" in truth is far from the epitome of reward and risk. In truth we all know it's inanely simple and pretty unchallenging, with the greatest risk in truth being the onset of RSI... So I fail to see what you're being so protective about? And don't forget people are far more likely to lose their cockpits in the bubble than when even flying across more than the entire width of the galaxy.

Huh?

If it was me I would rather have combat in Exploration. The only Risk I see right now is the player no paying attention to what they are doing while exploring. This could be FUI, (Flying Under the influence) texting, not paying attention to the game. That is the user fault.

So you're very low on air, and indeed have no cockpit. I'm escorting you back to a station and enroute we enter normal flight and dock. I assign 5 minutes of my 7 minutes of air over to you, and off you fly, with an extra 5 mins of life. I'm now down to 2, obviously putting myself at some risk (<--- you like that word?). If you need another top up, I won't be able to do it... Someone else will now... (Unless you faff about logging out, and waiting for me to go to a station and back again... But that's our choice.)

Or players could start using common sense while in combat. If the nearest facilities is 5 Minutes away. Make sure you have Life support that last 10 Minutes. Also make sure the station has a Repair facilities. Also when your getting Damage it time to leave combat and get repaired. Have your friends back you up.

I also don't think it would be cool if Your waiting a 1 to 5 hours for someone to come. Because you only have 3 minutes of air left. It would not be Realistic and unfair. It would also removes that gut feeling of Risk that we have right now. Am I going to make it or not.

ps: While out exploring (I assume that's the area of your concern) how many times has your cockpit blown? So is your point even appropriate to exploration, even ignoring the logistics/distance involved with trying to get someone back minutes of oxygen at a time?

I had it happen. I was not paying attention to what I was doing and when I hit the Planet ground in my ship. My canopy was blown. So it dose happen. I had 100% hull and such. When it happen I had 30% hall and no canopy.

Let wait and see what the Beta bring tomarrow to discuss this again.