Thu Apr 08, 2004 6:39 am by Moonhead
This is not an opinion on anyone, but on the concept of going inside a base:
Theoretically, I think that it could be done. From the player's point of view, docking at a base, and going to another system through a jump gate, is more or less the same action: you select a solar and press F3. So if someone-smarter-than-me would find a way to use the jump-gate-script for a base, then you could indeed have the interior of that base being setup in an ini-file; it would actually be a system.
I've done this once with a planet, using a hypergate as a docking ring (which of course is lame, but I 'have no idea if and/or how a docking ring can be made to work as a jump gate). The system that was entered trhough this docking gate, was supposed to be the atmosphere of the planet. As i didn't have any ideas what do with it, apart from having a monster-sized planet (177777) in there as a so-called "planet core", within the boundaries of my knowledge, and also because it differed too much from everything else in the game,I've abandoned the "project".
But apart from the question whether it could be done, one should ask the question: would it be cool? Would it create a new dimension to the game? And actually I think it won't, unless someone manages to design a whole planetary landscape with its own dynamic scenery, landscapes, landing platforms etc. which would in fact be an netirely different game using the FL engine.
I can see even less use of going into a space base with the player's ship, and fly around in this base. It would be some kind of drive-in shopping mall. What would be the point?
Nevertheless I woukld/will admire the effort if someone would indeed manage to create this in a mod.