My Yearly 'Round Mail Slot' Post for 2019

philngraves

philngraves
So, here it is again. Short version:
Round space holes are more structurally sound. (Rotational gravity would generate torsion on a rectangular entry)
More roomy! (For those ships with more junk in the trunk)
Less idiotic behavior (I hope) from people using docking computers and the AI.
Less multi ship pile ups due to ships being almost the size of the slot in height, or over half the width.

Now everyone always goes 'blah blah, traditionally, blah blah'... Seriously, tradition at the expense of efficiency and effectiveness is just absurd for something this practical. Just imagine if the entry port was a circle the current diameter of the mail slot. Ever notice how every damn thing on the station is ROUND? I loved Elite too, but how no one in the galaxy stopped and said, "Huh... circles are a thing." in the last couple thousand years astounds. Hell, we might even be able to stuff a panther clipper in a round hole. Giggity.

Okay, all done for this year, you may berate me for my stupidity and anti tradionalist view now. Again.
 

philngraves

philngraves
Just keep the computer and AI traffic as is, allowing 2 (or more, for smaller vessels) extra 'lanes' for smaller traffic to traverse. Players in general ignore 'lanes' and just barrel wherever anywho, and half the damn time so do some of the AI ships. I actually have video on xbox of a beluga who was in a hurry and ran over another AI in a cobra III like a deer. Funny as hell, but worrisome lol.

Honestly, the impracticality of a rectangular opening to a spaceport that is always round and rotating irks the hell out of me lol.
 

Caramel Clown

Caramel Clown
philngraves said:
Just keep the computer and AI traffic as is, allowing 2 (or more, for smaller vessels) extra 'lanes' for smaller traffic to traverse. Players in general ignore 'lanes' and just barrel wherever anywho, and half the damn time so do some of the AI ships. I actually have video on xbox of a beluga who was in a hurry and ran over another AI in a cobra III like a deer. Funny as hell, but worrisome lol.

Honestly, the impracticality of a rectangular opening to a spaceport that is always round and rotating irks the hell out of me lol.
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I know that many commanders run into the slot regardless of who is in it right now. However, you have to agree - it's at least not that appealing trying to squeeze above or below another ship. Not that many people do it. They'll usually run into opposite lane. Which makes this design slightly more idiot proof by design :) Now imagine circular entry. People would ignore whichever way traffic goes pretty much 100% of the time. It would be madness. Now...I'm not saying I wouldn't want some stations to have circular entrance. Variety is great, but I'm still a believer in rectangular shape. It's hip to be square :D
 

VR CMDR Novindus

VR CMDR Novindus
I like it, and I think that lanes are still possible with a round slot.

Something however is tickling my memory about the dimensions of the slot having some impact on the integrity of the airlock. All that really means is that your suggestion needs a bit of tech-based lore to accompany the change.
 

Caramel Clown

Caramel Clown
CMDR Novindus said:
I like it, and I think that lanes are still possible with a round slot.

Something however is tickling my memory about the dimensions of the slot having some impact on the integrity of the airlock. All that really means is that your suggestion needs a bit of tech-based lore to accompany the change.
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Oh, I know. Make two separate tubes for entry. One for each lane. Let the hilarity and mayhem begin :)
 

VR CMDR Novindus

VR CMDR Novindus
Caramel Clown said:
Oh, I know. Make two separate tubes for entry. One for each lane. Let the hilarity and mayhem begin :)
Click to expand...

I don't think it would need to change from the green and red on opposing sides, but with the circle they'd be diametrically opposed, so you'd just scoot as close to the appropriate side as you can. In all likelihood, it would be as good or bad as the existing model, but with the potential to be slightly better, as there's greater room to fly over or under a ship to avoid collision.
 

Arioch

Arioch
Blah blah, traditionally, blah blah I personally blame Stanley Kubrick...
142146

...and being a bluff old traditionalist, I think your idea would be like making the Cobra III pineapple shaped :)
 

Lestat

Banned
Lestat
Maybe an idea is to slow down and take your time when you enter a station or exit. Use your radar to help determine if a target heading in or out. It, not Rocket science. But common sense. If you fly stupid you are going to get stuck.
 

HAMM3R

HAMM3R
The thing I've always found a bit peculiar is the traffic control, or the lack there of.

One might think such big stations with lots of traffic would have pilots request takeoffs, instead of just launching at their leisure. The ATC would decide when the slot is clear of traffic and you'd be cleared for takeoff after which the ship would be released. Much like today, when airplanes must first request taxi to runway, then for takeoff. And same thing for docking.
 

Arioch

Arioch
metatheurgist said:
But it's true! the sphere is the most optimal shape in space....
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True, though the only sci-fi I’ve ever read that had spherical space ships was in Peter F. Hamilton’s “Night’s Dawn” trilogy where the crew were cocooned in the very centre for maximum protection.

And I suppose planets and stars and that, spherical, yeah :)

I’m still going to sit on the “blah blah, traditionally” side of the docking slot though, the two iconic images for Elite (I’d say) are the spinning wireframe Cobra and the knicker-gripper docking slot.
 

Azmuth Divarchchron

Azmuth Divarchchron
atleast with cylndrical airlocks people cant have an excuse to call you an idiot for trying to beat your type 9 out the airlock when it is about to clear it and subsequently get sandwiched between the airlock wall and your type 9 because the other pilot had the mentality of a sedan trying to overtake a semitruck and ended up with 25% hull left.

in all honestly though circular airlocks will cause more chaos for traffic control than the current slotted mailbox
 

Berpol

B
My main problem is that incoming and outgoing trafic use the same hole.
How about transporting leaving ships to the outside of the hull by some kind of elevator system and giving them a rotational start.
And some paper bags for those with a weak stomach.
 

JesusRocks1988

JesusRocks1988
philngraves said:
So, here it is again. Short version:
Round space holes are more structurally sound. (Rotational gravity would generate torsion on a rectangular entry)
More roomy! (For those ships with more junk in the trunk)
Less idiotic behavior (I hope) from people using docking computers and the AI.
Less multi ship pile ups due to ships being almost the size of the slot in height, or over half the width.

Now everyone always goes 'blah blah, traditionally, blah blah'... Seriously, tradition at the expense of efficiency and effectiveness is just absurd for something this practical. Just imagine if the entry port was a circle the current diameter of the mail slot. Ever notice how every damn thing on the station is ROUND? I loved Elite too, but how no one in the galaxy stopped and said, "Huh... circles are a thing." in the last couple thousand years astounds. Hell, we might even be able to stuff a panther clipper in a round hole. Giggity.

Okay, all done for this year, you may berate me for my stupidity and anti tradionalist view now. Again.
Click to expand...
I like the idea.
It could also have an iris shutter in case of lockdown.

Just what the game needs:
A space rectum.
 

Factabulous

Factabulous
The slot is clearly a nod to early space films - 2001 certainly, but even the Death Star went for a slot, as well as the earlier games in the series. With a circular entry everyone would fly down the centre... It's not difficult to fly into the slot after a few tries - I found station rescue missions were excellent for honing piloting skills.

Anyway, I look forward to the Sept 2020 iteration, though by then we may be wondering about how flying through the slot in our EVA suits is going to work - will there be space suit landing pads added 🤔
 

Arioch

Arioch
JesusRocks1988 said:
...It could also have an iris shutter in case of lockdown.
Just what the game needs:
A space rectum.
Click to expand...
Now that’s an idea, should a Station ever come under a real-time Thargoid attack...an audio/visual representation of the collective terror of the NPCs contained therein...the Station Nipsy squeezing shut:

“prrrrpppPPrrrrrpppp ffffprrrrrfffffffth”...“prrp”

Bonus points for a final outgassing of a vapour sprite at the moment of ultimate nip.

(As an aside, I’d love to see in-danger Stations ferme la porte like they did in Frontier. I think the slot doors are still in the current game but the last time they were operational was during pre-release days, if I remember correctly.)
 
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