Docking Bay Module - small ships docking into large ones

[aRJay]

Just shows how out of date some of the descriptions are.

 

[Brrokk]

The in-game description of the Anaconda still has that artifact from its earlier intended design:

That gives me an idea. FD could provide what we're asking here by making an SLF which is the same as a Sidewinder.

 

[GoldenSilver484]

Stored as cargo, no, but that's not the heaviest thing you can put in a size 6 - a Prismatic shield, or a 5B limpet controller engineered for Reinforced 5 is 80t which would cover a lightweight Eagle or most Sidewinder or Hauler builds.

With the size 5 bay able to support 80t and the size 7 bay able to carry 320t (reinforced limpet controllers) it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest that a size 6 bay could hold up to 160t, which would allow even non-lightweight Viper 3 or Courier loadouts too.

The width and height of the docking hatch might be a more significant restriction.

Right? The docking bay isn't something you fit and the SLFs just spawn when you launch them, they're an actual part of the ship models that opens and launches the SLFs.

Why is everyone seemingly fixated solely on the mass of the ships, when the bay the SLFs launch from can just barely fit the smallest "small" ship, the Sidewinder, if you don't care much for the paint?
An Eagle or Viper is twice the Sidewinder's size, and a Courier is even larger than them. FD would need to remodel every SLF capable ship to allow them to launch anything larger than they currently do.

 

[Elyssaen]

Cutter also has C8 slots and should therefore be able to fit this module in. Following that logic, every Cutter should also be able to launch a Vulture, much like a Type-9 could.

Ah, the difference with what we're talking about is you're imagining something that is compatible with every ship that can load an SLF, and I'm not. In the same way a Python can't support an SLF, a Cutter couldn't support a small ship hangar bay. I'm not convinced the ship models would really support this, as the fighter hangar compatibility is actually associated with real physical space on the ship, and a ship having physical space for an SLF to launch from it doesn't mean it has the space for an Eagle. The Type-9/10 and what we've seen of the "Panther-Clipper LX" model all look to me like they could support a bigger hangar than an SLF, which is part of why I mention them.

And this is of course just a matter of preference, but I just don't like the idea of the 'Extra Small' category this would create. Also I really like the idea of a Q-ship Type-9 that can carry something like a Vulture to fend off pirates, or a future Panther-Clipper that also carries the player's Cobra Mk 5, or a Type-10 that actually has something interesting about it to warrant mentioning alongside the Big 3.

 

[Hank]

The size comparison charts I've seen show that a Sidewinder would barely fit in a T9/10, Cutter or Beluga. They need a new class of ship that's larger than the current Large ship class; somewhere between a Cutter/T10 and a FC. The smallest would be similar to an X4 Frigate.

The idea of a land-able SLF would be a good alternative imho. I would rather see a whole new class of ship.

 

[Don Samen]

I would be happy if they allowed SLFs to dock to stations and land on surfaces. That alone would lift the game to another level. Could even be a dedicated kind of ship, a ship launched hauler or docker with no weapons and maybe a class 1 cargo rack.

 

[Uthael]

Just found out that some people would like a mining-related "fighter" (topic 1, topic 2).
Adding a proper Docking Bay would make co-op mining more appealing. I'll edit this into the OP.

It wouldn't even need any additional models or textures.

 

[Nadreck]

It's an idea that keeps coming up. I've suggested a "pocket Carrier" myself (before the release of the current Fleet Carrier).

It would probably have to be a dedicated ship though, with a Small pad on top.

All sorts of problems are likely to arise if the small ship is owned by a different person, which could be avoided if you're limited to carrying only your own ships. And when you launch the small ship and fly away beyond instancing range, the pocket Carrier could be dismissed, that mechanism already exists for SRV's.