**Tutorial** capships dockable with ANY base.

Fri Jun 29, 2007 5:40 pm by 5i1 2

Well first you need an flyable capship.
Then open up SolarArch.ini
Find nickname = largestation1 in there.
Replace that entry with:
[Solar<-- Close bracket
nickname = largestation1
ids_name = 60219
ids_info = 60220
type = STATION
DA_archetype = solar\dockable\station_large_b_lod.cmp
material_library = solar\Solar_mat_dockable02.mat
material_library = fx\envmapbasic.mat
envmap_material = envmapbasic
LODranges = 0, 2000, 3000, 4000, 7000, 40000
mass = 10000.000000
loadout = space_station
;docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountA, 5.000000, Sc_open dock1 Commented out so you will NOT launch from there.
;docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountB, 5.000000, Sc_open dock2 see above
;docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountC, 5.000000, Sc_open dock3 see above
;docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountD, 5.000000, Sc_open dock4 see above
docking_sphere = moor_large, HpDockMountE, 10.000000
docking_sphere = moor_large, HpDockMountF, 10.000000
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountG, 300.000000; This is where you dock and launch from now.
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountH, 300.000000; see above
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountI, 300.000000; see above
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountJ, 300.000000; see above
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountK, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountL, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountM, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountN, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountO, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountP, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountQ, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountR, 5.000000
docking_camera = 0
solar_radius = 800
shape_name = NAV_largestation
hit_pts = 999999961690316250000000000000000000.000000

Lets take an closer look

docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountH, 300.000000

docking_sphere; Means you can dock there
berth; is the kind of docking point it is.
HpDockMountH; is the hardpoint you dock with.
300.000000; is the distance at witch the docking cutsciene ends.

Now some might cause an few problems.

Lets look at one:
[Solar
nickname = miningbase_ice_block
ids_name = 1
ids_info = 1
type = STATION
DA_archetype = solar\dockable\miningbase_ice_block.cmp
material_library = solar\asteroid_dock.mat
material_library = solar\ast_ice.mat
LODranges = 0, 7000
mass = 10000.000000
open_sound = depot_open_sound
close_sound = depot_close_sound
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountA, 50
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountB, 50
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountC, 300.000000
docking_camera = 0
solar_radius = 500
shape_name = NNM_SM_DEPOT
hit_pts = 999999961690316250000000000000000000.000000

Now you might think where is the problem. Well at first i too did not see an problem, UNTIL i tested it in game.

Well for some reason I discovered that the game will still let you undock through the first two EVEN if they are not berths. so to fix that you simply comment them out like this.

;docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountA, 50
;docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountB, 50
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountC, 300.000000

Now you are FORCED to undock through the right one. as the game doesn't see the first two.

Now do that for every other base in there, and save. Now any ship can dock and launch from anywhere.

NOTE: this hasn't been FULLY tested I just got this working a couple of minutes ago

NOTE2: I've only tested this with cruisers and gunbaot but it should work with battleships, and trains too

Possible bugs:
Fighters are effected to but that was the only way I could keep capships from launching from the launch bay for fighters.
The camera isn't right when you launch you will have to edit the .thn files for that.

Updated Tutorial.

Comments would be nice.

Creator of Dark Worlds Mod

Edited by - 5i1 2 on 6/29/2007 9:15:26 PM

Edited by - 5i1 2 on 6/29/2007 9:58:42 PM

Edited by - 5i1 2 on 6/30/2007 11:54:33 AM

Edited by - 5i1 2 on 6/30/2007 11:55:29 AM

Fri Jun 29, 2007 6:20 pm by w0dk4

mission_property = can_use_jumps

is not a valid mission property and can lead to server side crashes

Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:12 pm by 5i1 2

Ok I seem to have got it working. Updated Tutorial.

Had to use Berths. I wanted to avoid that but i couldn't get it to work any other way.

Thanks again for that heads up, that would have caused headaches when I moved to test my mod in MP.

Edited by - 5i1 2 on 6/29/2007 9:26:45 PM

Edited by - 5i1 2 on 6/29/2007 9:40:35 PM

Edited by - 5i1 2 on 6/30/2007 11:39:58 AM

Wed Aug 08, 2007 4:33 pm by StarTrader

Hi.

Well I have some doubts here. B-)

Perhaps you can clarify? Here are my findings, from a long long time ago...

"berth" is the normal docking airlock at stations, it's used by fighters and anything else small enough to fit through the airlock.

"moor_medium" are the mounts used by NPC ships for "dummy" docking without disappearing from view - they just tether there for a while, seeming to be docked, then release and go on their way.

In Multiplayer, players cannot dock at medium_moors, the game will always hang in the dock sequence. In Single Player if the player hits the escape key early enough he/she can dock via a medium_moor.

"moor_large" is unreliable for docking. As an example, the depot type station (like Detroit Munitions) has two Large Moors, one at each side of the lower tower below the dock level - they don't work reliably, docking was often unsuccessful in Multiplayer, and resulted in hung docking sequence, as with medium_moors.

"ring" was used in Docking Rings, and includes ships that can use berths but not those that need Large Moors. Big ships trying to use berths or "ring" docks where no larger docks are available would get the message "we can't handle ships your size".

"jump" was originally used only for jumpgates and jumpholes to allow all types of ships to "dock", i.e. enter the hole/gate.

Fortunately it works for Docking Rings and station docks too, and this is our more common solution for this problem...

The preferred way to enable reliable docking for large ships (at least in my and many other mods) is to rename one or more of the dock mounts as "jump", like this below, and giving it a large radius to engage the docking sequence (250 metres in my case - this is the distance within which the ship's HpMount hardpoint must come for docking to engage):-

Docking Rings...
change:-
<pre>
...
docking_sphere = ring, HpDockMountA, 40, Sc_open dock a
docking_sphere = ring, HpDockMountB, 40, Sc_open dock b
...
</pre>
... to:-
<pre>
...
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountA, 100, Sc_open dock a
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountB, 100, Sc_open dock b
...
</pre>
together with this for mooring fixtures...
<pre>
...
docking_sphere = jump, HpDockMountA, 800
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountB, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountC, 5.000000
docking_sphere = jump, HpDockMountD, 800
...
</pre>
Note - this will prevent large ships from trying to bash through the rings!

For stations:-
<pre>
...
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountA, 5.000000, Sc_port dock open
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountB, 5.000000, Sc_starboard dock open
docking_sphere = jump, HpDockMountC, 250.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountD, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountE, 5.000000
...
</pre>

There is no need to remove all other dockmounts... To permit launching from the jump dock (or the same dock as you dock at), it could be moved above the other dock mounts, so that it appears first at the top of the list in the solararch.ini file...

<pre>
...
docking_sphere = jump, HpDockMountC, 250.000000
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountA, 5.000000, Sc_port dock open
docking_sphere = berth, HpDockMountB, 5.000000, Sc_starboard dock open
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountD, 5.000000
docking_sphere = moor_medium, HpDockMountE, 5.000000
...
</pre>

However as you mention, all ships will then launch from the first dockmount, unless it is currently busy with a docking/launching ship, in which case the next dockmount will be used for launching and so on. This removes some realism when a tiny fighter launches from a station jumpmount (ours are well above each station) instead of from a berth as normal.

Now.. it is not necessary to move the dockmount to the top, but some more work is necessary - our proportionally-sized ships are over 2kms in scale, and all launch from above the stations or from Mooring Fixtures where we have replaced at least one "moor" with a "jump".

To enable this to work, it is necessary to move the ship's docking mounts (the HpMount hardpoint in the ship model's .cmp file) down well below the ship, typically 200 to 500 metres, dependent on which ship, so that the ship's hull doesn't enter the station and therefore does not get stuck. This adds a touch of Sci-Fi "realism".

Note that commenting out the other dockmounts removes them completely, and will remove the berths at stations for all small ships as well as the medium moors for NPC freighters - there will be longer queues for the remaining jump dockmounts, and NPCs will dock and disappear, instead of being visible for "realism".

In DATA\MISSIONS\mshipprops.ini each ship in the game must be listed with what type of dockmount it can use, the choices are:-

can_use_large_moors (large moors and jump dockmounts)
can_use_med_moors (medium moors for dummy docking)
can_use_berths (berths - airlocks)

example:-

<pre>
...
[mShipProps
archetype_id = ge_fighter6
prop = can_use_berths
[mShipProps
archetype_id = ge_large_train
prop = can_use_med_moors
[mShipProps
archetype_id = ge_large_transport
prop = can_use_med_moors
[mShipProps
archetype_id = ge_lifter
prop = can_use_med_moors
[mShipProps
archetype_id = ge_liner
prop = can_use_large_moors
...
</pre>

How does this compare with your findings?

All the best.

Roleplay: - the art of self-deceipt!

Edited by - StarTrader on 8/8/2007 5:56:03 PM

Mon Aug 27, 2007 11:23 pm by dudeofthed

Can't you just edit the ships script and use: can_use_berths instead of can_use_med_moors or can_use_lar_moors.

It would be easier.

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