Oolite Bulletins

Just had an interesting idea, but I'm not sure if this is possible...

In Frontier and FFE if you wanted to dock at a space station you had to request docking clearence because they had doors on the docking bay. I know you can have stations in Oolite that can be set to require docking clearence, but would it be possible to make it so that the station had these docking bay doors, and when you gain clearence they open?

Pleb wrote:

Just had an interesting idea, but I'm not sure if this is possible...

In Frontier and FFE if you wanted to dock at a space station you had to request docking clearence because they had doors on the docking bay. I know you can have stations in Oolite that can be set to require docking clearence, but would it be possible to make it so that the station had these docking bay doors, and when you gain clearence they open?

Yes and no. Look at the Dredgers.oxp. Those ships have doors in front of the dock and those open when requesting docking clearance.

The only problem is that Oolite let you fly through any obstacle in front of the dock. At least when that obstacle is part of the ship, like the used door subentities. So effectively you can ignore the doors and fly through it

The only way to circumvent this, is by making the doors as a separate entity and let is hover in front of the dock. Thargoid wrote a mission with such a door in it. (Any further info about this door would be a spoiler )

Hmm, so in effect you'd have to hail the doors and request docking clearence then, not the station? I haven't got the Dredger installed (not sure why though, I used to I'm sure) but I will check that out. And Thargoid's door? I will have to find out which OXP that is...

Was just a thought, as I know the Rock Hermit that Griff made looks like it should have a door on it and there are a few other stations that would look good with docking doors...

Pleb wrote:

And Thargoid's door? I will have to find out which OXP that is...

 TCAT

I imagine that the biggest problem would be that if stations had functional (non-flyable-through) doors, they could refuse entry to Fugitives.. and then where would we be? (and EV especially )

Thargoid wrote:

[voice=Michael Caine]You could always blow the bloody doors off...[/voice]

Exactly what I was thinking, TMA. Just wait 'til the Federation of Elite Pilots gets to hear about it!

Save Anywhere would then be an essential.

How about a force field like in start trek. A very thin entity covering the door that would disappear when permission granted. saves an annimation?

Bazabaza wrote:

How about a force field like in start trek. A very thin entity covering the door that would disappear when permission granted. saves an annimation?

Do it with a big flasher inside the station.

It would certainly be good if something could somehow obscure or darken the docking bay just before an npc ship docks, which would avoid the effect of the ship just vanishing in front of your eyes.