Sky Port [aka Bucky's "Cloud Nine"]

[baobobafet]

Tangent to the G-meter topic, thought this probably deserved it's own thread...



Qick'n'dirty mock-up for a basic Sky Port.
Bucky Fullers Cloud Nine concept - Pioneer style.

These could be fully active starports - creating scenic elevated platforms for ships to land upon high above worlds.
Positions could be locked over specific geographic locations.
Landing at such starports would invoke similar G's to landing upon the surface terrain below.
In the case of gaseous or geologically active worlds, it would create credible landing facilities in places otherwise
not practical.

The entire floor of the dome might be a single mesh to help minimize the poly count (similar to the existing landing
pads but with a large hole at the center for ships to enter/exit).
Surrounding this central hole would be buildings, storage tanks, optional internal lighting and other base detail.

Could support several internal landing pads and a comms tower.
Landing at such locations would require communications with the tower,- once clearance was granted,
an access port underneath would open, either via sliding doors or a design similar to the opening of a camera aperture.

A pilot would then be free to manually enter the dome from underneath and position his ship over any internal landing
threshold.
Once landing was completed, the player would have access to the base's facilities and would conduct trades accordingly.


Autopilots could access the dome in a similar manner - after docking clearance was granted, an animation would take over to allow any appropriately sized ship safe entry and landing on an available pad within the dome confines.


The Dome construct would simply be a shield effect with the appearance of continuously charging, allowing it to always
remain visible as the domes surface membrane. Some of the current shield graphics could suit such an effect quit nicely.

Although this particular dome structure was designed to float high above planetary surfaces,
the same construct might serve double duty as a grounded terrain city feature, and as a cosmetic enhancement to existing ground starports on worlds where there appears little or no atmosphere.

Accommodation could be made to elevate such domes slightly above the surface via some ground support structures, should access to the dome and it's internal base facility be desired - or of some importance.

[baobobafet]

For worlds that don't support LTA (lighter than Air) Starports - due to lack of sufficient atmosphere.
Here is a mock-up of a terrain anchored version. The support structure would have an elevator to allow exploration vehicles access to the terrain below. This could just as easily be applied to an ocean world where there might be access to water transport.

[baobobafet]

Here is the same terrain platform with cut-a-way showing a possible tunnel airlock system that could be used for worlds that are without atmosphere, allowing for a truly self contained oxygen environment inside.

Alternatively some handwavium could just invent force fields to retain atmosphere in such situ's (saving polys and moving parts)

However, if a more traditional approach is preferred (or required by tech level) A pilot would contact the station asking for clearance, once granted he would move his ship into the airlock, waiting till the bay doors closed behind him, while hovering, the secondary doors (above him) would open so that he could then proceed into the dome landing his ship at an appropriate internal landing pad.

Of course the entire airlock procedure could always be done automatically (especially via animation)
If 'true' manual docking could supported in such situations, it would be nice to retain manual control of ones ship inside the dome, all the way to the point of touchdown onto the landing platform.

[baobobafet]

Underground Parking?
In so far as the extended airlock system retrofit to the generally more open access port at the center of the dome.

The addition of this airlock feature could easily add enough space between the top and bottom floor to support a sub level storage/service bay. The storage/service bays could be accessible via additional bay doors(a level down) via the central airlock.

Using the domes as simple static models
By enabling a persistent collision mesh that allows a ship to park on the bottom platform of the dome. A recreational landing area is created that can be visited at any time.
For worlds that support atmospheres, the simplest version of the model without airlock or any opening or closing doors inhibiting dome access would be the most suitable for this.

Scale could be an important factor as well. Since the aperture at the center of the dome determines the size of ship that can access the dome's interior, some of the static domes could be made smaller, allowing for only small ships to enter and land there. (to hide from big bad ships? ;)

These smaller structures might be clustered around a full sized functioning base at the center to give a more colony like appearance. Alternately they could represent small satellite sub bases randomly placed at set distances from the main starport.

Many other factors could give each domed base unique characteristics not the least of which is color.
Dome shades could vary widely as could the base platform and internals.
Internal buildings, fauna and landscaping could be made modular so that these could randomly change each time the model was invoked.

[FluffyFreak]

You could model/mock these up right now and add them as ground and space stations.
The docking system and animations could handle the popping up through the bottom I think. Or through any direction.

The idea of a floating, in-atmosphere, station is interesting and we could do it but it will take a little bit of code.
I personally would rather steer us away from small stations though, I'd call a small station something with less than docking 50 bays!
Go down to a small marina or harbour and counts the yachts, trawlers, tugs, ferries etc - there's usually dozens, and when there aren't there will be hundreds of ports along the coast. So the idea of just 1 to 4 ships being docked is something I find crazy. /rant

So how about collosal floating stations? Take your design, make the glass/shield into a cylinder, then suspend it under a gigantic cylindrical balloon 10 to 100 times as tall as the docking / habitation area?
We could put the name and ID of the station up the floatation structure in gigantic letters. You could apply all of the crazy colour schemes and customisations etc too.
Like an especially large skyscraper floating in the atmosphere of a gas giant.

Like I say, we can do a station like the one you propose right now for ground and space.
The best thing might be to make a crude (ugly) model of it to show the idea so people can test it in-game as a mod.

[baobobafet]

FluffyFreak - I agree these would look great 'supersized' :) The mock-ups are just examples - however I think a range of sizes would add some variety.

Anyone who can help model this stuff (since I'm no modeler)- Please feel free - I would be happy to help with any design or texture work that might otherwise be required.

Dome Themes
(example of a modular centerpiece)
[img]http://s20.postimg.org/rgxnd7hgd/Luxury_Starport.png[/img

For Non atmosphere worlds (Terrain based)
As an actual luxury accommodation spaceport with full airlock, the top airlock door functions as a moon pool which can neatly slide under the main platform to accommodate any incoming/outgoing traffic. (Thunderbirds are go! ;)

For atmosphere worlds (Could be floating or Terrain based)
As a static model with no airlock or closing/opening doors, a pilot could hover upwards inside one of these structures and be able to park their ship on on the platform at will.


Additional thoughts:

Ships might eventually need to be given an auxiliary landing option when asking for clearance to land at bases (especially for some of the larger ships including some that may eventually acquire lift characteristics).
Once landing clearance was granted, a bit of code might check if an auxiliary landing pad/runway exists nearby and poll as necessary, for any player that may be landing - or has landed there.

Such fallback landing pads/runways might be placed on the terrain near the base.
Auxiliary landing areas should probably have some supporting infrastructure like hangers, storage tanks, etc.
- but mostly they could allow more traffic landing privileges at the base.

[baobobafet]

Just thought of this last night,
One way to kludge a proof of concept for a larger station might be to recycle the large crappy.
Put it on it's side so the access port is facing downwards, open up the back so ships can travel through.
Add a floor, replacing where the spokes are, then generate a covering dome.
?

[baobobafet]

A mockup using the 'big crappy' wheel station converted to the base for a floating dome city.
(with minimized detail underneath) Storage Tanks and other features can always be added later.

If this were anchored on the surface, there would need to be several support pedestals since it is much bigger than previous smaller domes.

[baobobafet]

Adding mega thrusters - or 'other' propulsive devices under the dome stations could be justification to having such cities at much higher altitudes. (It might well be argued, a prudent safety precaution for any inhabitants)
This could also allow worlds /asteroids with little or no supporting atmosphere, credible use of hovering dome stations.

A worst case scenario?
If for some reason there are insurmountable practical problems in being able to give a ship access and actual parking capability inside a dome.
The original docking routines of the big crappy station could be retained (only difference is the station won't be rotating
during docking sequences). Ships would dock with the domed version of the big crappy as normal and be put in a standard berth with no access to the actual dome interior.

[baobobafet]

As a caveat to the last point of not having access to the dome after docking.
It would still be possible to access the city if an alternate opening in the dome existed (or if the dome had limited collision properties)

Whether on the planet's surfaces or hovering, dome stations will have the same gravity

If a planet had 0.5G's at it's surface - It would still be 0.5G's in a hovering dome station.
Since the G's onboard such a station will never exceed those of the host world.

Imagining that floating cities will have some amenities to simulate various G environments to help acclimate travelers.

Animating components inside the dome
A massive maglev centrifuge train with sleeping cars, offices, recreation facilities etc could travel around the perimeter of the dome circling the city non-stop supplying a comfortable 1G gravity for any onboard. A second train (smaller) would follow beside, occasionally shuttling passengers between the non stop gravity train and city access terminals, functioning as a rapid transit system within the dome.

Put 'em anyplace there's gravity to glom onto.
A station's gravity stand-off capability would be determined practical by it's size, buoyancy (if atmosphere is a factor) and engine thrust power output, assuming the goal is maintaining gravity similar to that of the planet's surface for occupants of the dome.

Rotating spacestations will still remain the most practical means of artificially simulating 1G when it comes to zero gravity environments especially in locations where their are no planets or gravity sources for a floating city to anchor onto.

Terrain based domed cities would be critical to mining/manufacturing operations and integral to supporting any such nearby floating structures.