Here's my general proposal to expand on orbital stations and using empty orbital maps as ships themselves:
1. Using a launch rocket, players have the option to select Orbit 'x' from the navigation menu, where x is the planet they are launching from. This opens up an orbit/space station map. Multiple maps should be possible as orbiters, and players should be able to name or rename the map.
2. Using the current space station map, which is a starter platform in an otherwise empty map, space ships can be made by attaching engines/propulsion systems to the structure. This does NOT move the structure inside of the map, but instead is used to factor ability of the ship, as a map, to travel through space and be associated with another celestial body in order to orbit that other world.
3. A space ship is composed of...
A. A Navigation Console
B. At least 1 Rocket Cone/Propulsion Block
C. At least 1 Engine
D. Optional Fuel Tank
4. Using the navigation console, the mod would do a check for the number of cones/propulsion blocks, engines, and availability of fuel for engines (compatibility dependent on engine type), and the total number of non-air blocks on the maps as represented as the mass of the ship in order to figure out what other celestial bodies are within reach.
Since travel is virtually instantaneous (unless the developer wants ship travel to take time) the only thing that matters here is distance: Fuel and the engine power factored with the efficiency of the Rocket Cone/Propulsion Block determines the distance possible.
Each Rocket Cone/Propulsion block has a sweet spot and an individual upper limit on thrust output, therefore if an engine doesn't have sufficient power to all the cones, it may fall below the threshold and perform at a substandard rate, wasting fuel. If there is too much engine power and not enough cones to provide thrust a bottleneck would occur. The final thrust value is multiplied against each unit of fuel to determine total possible distance one can reach.
Similarly, each Engine block has an individual distance limit which is mitigated by installing multiple engines, or a superior navigation panel.
It's not exactly rocket science, but a compromise to make this feature work.
Technology Ideas
Fuels/Power Sources and Key:
Rocket Fuel (Chemical)
Plasma Fuel (Plasma)
Blutricity (Blutricity) (Redpower Mod Required)
Nuclear Fuel (Nuclear)
Antimatter (Antimatter)
Propulsion Blocks:
Name (Engine Type Required)
1. Retro Rocket (C)
2. Rocket Cone (C)(N)
3. Plasma Thruster (P)
4. Ion Thruster (B)(P)
5. Microwave Thruster (P+B)(N)
6. Negative Mass Propulsion (B)(N)
7. Pulse Thruster (P)(N)(A)
8. Antimatter Thruster (A)
9. Warp Field Generator (N)(A)(J)
Engine Blocks:
Name (Engine Type)|(Fuel Required)
1. Chemical Rocket Engine (C)|(C)
2. Plasma Engine (P)|(C)(P)
3. Ion Drive (B)|(B)
4. Nuclear Engine (N)
5. Antimatter Drive (A)
6. Warp Drive (W)|(N)(A) (Requires sufficient quantity of Warp Field Generators for ship size)
7. Jump Drive (J)|(A) (Overrides distance limit for travel to worlds previously visited by the ship)
Other Blocks:
Solar Sail (Self Contained Energy Generation & Propulsion)
Solar Panel (Blutricity, B power source)
Fuel Scoop (Refuels Fuel Cannisters. By yield: B, P, N, C, A)
Gravity Generator (0.1G per block) (When map is reloaded new gravity takes effect. Works for space stations or ships alike.)
Optics Block (Scans for celestial bodies.)
Navigation:
System type (Compatible Engines)|(Peak Distance Modifier)
RetroNav Mark I (C)|(X0.4 AU)
RetroNav Mark II (C)|(X0.6 AU)
RetroNav Mark III (C)|(X0.8 AU)
RetroNav Mark IV (C)(B)|(X1 AU)
RetroNav Mark V (C)(B)|(X1.2 AU)
SolarNav Mark I (C)(B)(X3 AU)
SolarNav Mark II (C)(B)(X5 AU)
SolarNav Mark III (C)(B)(P)(X8 AU)
SolarNav Mark IV (C)(B)(P)(X14 AU)
SolarNav Mark V (B)(P)(N)(X24 AU)
AstroNav Mark I (B)(P)(N)|(X32 AU)
AstroNav Mark II (B)(P)(N)|(X48 AU)
AstroNav Mark III (B)(P)(N)(A)|(X56 AU)
AstroNav Mark IV (B)(P)(N)(A)|(X72 AU)
AstroNav Mark V (P)(N)(A)|(X94 AU)
GalaxyNav (N)(A)(W)(J)(???? Not sure about any of these numbers...for the developer to consider)
Other Tech:
Jetpack (New player accessory fueled by oxygen tanks for propulsion?)
1. Using a launch rocket, players have the option to select Orbit 'x' from the navigation menu, where x is the planet they are launching from. This opens up an orbit/space station map. Multiple maps should be possible as orbiters, and players should be able to name or rename the map.
2. Using the current space station map, which is a starter platform in an otherwise empty map, space ships can be made by attaching engines/propulsion systems to the structure. This does NOT move the structure inside of the map, but instead is used to factor ability of the ship, as a map, to travel through space and be associated with another celestial body in order to orbit that other world.
3. A space ship is composed of...
A. A Navigation Console
B. At least 1 Rocket Cone/Propulsion Block
C. At least 1 Engine
D. Optional Fuel Tank
4. Using the navigation console, the mod would do a check for the number of cones/propulsion blocks, engines, and availability of fuel for engines (compatibility dependent on engine type), and the total number of non-air blocks on the maps as represented as the mass of the ship in order to figure out what other celestial bodies are within reach.
Since travel is virtually instantaneous (unless the developer wants ship travel to take time) the only thing that matters here is distance: Fuel and the engine power factored with the efficiency of the Rocket Cone/Propulsion Block determines the distance possible.
Each Rocket Cone/Propulsion block has a sweet spot and an individual upper limit on thrust output, therefore if an engine doesn't have sufficient power to all the cones, it may fall below the threshold and perform at a substandard rate, wasting fuel. If there is too much engine power and not enough cones to provide thrust a bottleneck would occur. The final thrust value is multiplied against each unit of fuel to determine total possible distance one can reach.
Similarly, each Engine block has an individual distance limit which is mitigated by installing multiple engines, or a superior navigation panel.
It's not exactly rocket science, but a compromise to make this feature work.
Technology Ideas
Fuels/Power Sources and Key:
Rocket Fuel (Chemical)
Plasma Fuel (Plasma)
Blutricity (Blutricity) (Redpower Mod Required)
Nuclear Fuel (Nuclear)
Antimatter (Antimatter)
Propulsion Blocks:
Name (Engine Type Required)
1. Retro Rocket (C)
2. Rocket Cone (C)(N)
3. Plasma Thruster (P)
4. Ion Thruster (B)(P)
5. Microwave Thruster (P+B)(N)
6. Negative Mass Propulsion (B)(N)
7. Pulse Thruster (P)(N)(A)
8. Antimatter Thruster (A)
9. Warp Field Generator (N)(A)(J)
Engine Blocks:
Name (Engine Type)|(Fuel Required)
1. Chemical Rocket Engine (C)|(C)
2. Plasma Engine (P)|(C)(P)
3. Ion Drive (B)|(B)
4. Nuclear Engine (N)
5. Antimatter Drive (A)
6. Warp Drive (W)|(N)(A) (Requires sufficient quantity of Warp Field Generators for ship size)
7. Jump Drive (J)|(A) (Overrides distance limit for travel to worlds previously visited by the ship)
Other Blocks:
Solar Sail (Self Contained Energy Generation & Propulsion)
Solar Panel (Blutricity, B power source)
Fuel Scoop (Refuels Fuel Cannisters. By yield: B, P, N, C, A)
Gravity Generator (0.1G per block) (When map is reloaded new gravity takes effect. Works for space stations or ships alike.)
Optics Block (Scans for celestial bodies.)
Navigation:
System type (Compatible Engines)|(Peak Distance Modifier)
RetroNav Mark I (C)|(X0.4 AU)
RetroNav Mark II (C)|(X0.6 AU)
RetroNav Mark III (C)|(X0.8 AU)
RetroNav Mark IV (C)(B)|(X1 AU)
RetroNav Mark V (C)(B)|(X1.2 AU)
SolarNav Mark I (C)(B)(X3 AU)
SolarNav Mark II (C)(B)(X5 AU)
SolarNav Mark III (C)(B)(P)(X8 AU)
SolarNav Mark IV (C)(B)(P)(X14 AU)
SolarNav Mark V (B)(P)(N)(X24 AU)
AstroNav Mark I (B)(P)(N)|(X32 AU)
AstroNav Mark II (B)(P)(N)|(X48 AU)
AstroNav Mark III (B)(P)(N)(A)|(X56 AU)
AstroNav Mark IV (B)(P)(N)(A)|(X72 AU)
AstroNav Mark V (P)(N)(A)|(X94 AU)
GalaxyNav (N)(A)(W)(J)(???? Not sure about any of these numbers...for the developer to consider)
Other Tech:
Jetpack (New player accessory fueled by oxygen tanks for propulsion?)
