While I was experimenting today I realized that a tractor beam is possible with a few tweaks to the existing docking system. My proposal is a device that projects a long field similar to the forcefields that docks any vessel it intersects. Or have just the end of the field (block) initiate the dock, and you back into your target. Fly to a wreck, turn on the docking beam, tow it away. Turn off the docking beam when you want to release it. To keep it from being used as a weapon, make this type of docking only available if the other vessel is powered down. For balance, make it so that HV's can only tow HV's. SV's can tow HV's & SV's. Finally, CV's can tow CV's, SV's, & HV's. (It would be funny if you could drag a BA away, especially during a multiplayer game, but I can see that playing havoc with the structural integrity calculations.) Simulation using the existing docking system for reference.
Might be easier to allow a docking vessel to remain the parent instead of always becoming a child - then existing landing gear could work. This would also hugely improve SVs picking up an HV for eg as well.
I was thinking about that, but that raises the issue of how you are going to undock. That was why I purposed a device you could turn off to undock the vessels. I guess I was too into the beam because I was working on the tugboats when I thought of the suggestion. Just a block that allows you to remain the parent when docking would do it.
This is what I mean about parent vs child or however they organize this - ie so that you can force undock a ship.
Yes please. I absolutely love this idea I proposed a similar idea a while back but yours is better. I also want to see drop ships made to to collect hvs or tugs to drag away salvage and ships you wrecked in a fight.
I have thought up another limitation that I feel would help preserve game balance. Limit builders to only 1 of these devices. I was thinking back to my failed HV-dropper CV experiment that would (theoretically) drop 10 active HV's onto a target. (I had them docked to self-destroying blocks but the game failed to undock them when the block they were attached to was destroyed.) I can see this idea being used for a similar purpose and get the feeling that is something the Devs would not want.
