My opinion on this is if a GM/Players want to drill down and get very detailed, then the should. Having suggestions and guidelines for such could make for an interesting supplement. But don't muddy up the base rules forcing everyone down that road.
I’m not trying to force anyone down any road. Those of us building ships need to know if there are included airlocks (and if so, what the tonnage is) so we can account for everything.
I’m not saying a docking clamp
can’t have an airlock. Just that we need to account for it as a separate system as it isn’t included by default.
If a docking clamp includes an airlock, what is its base tonnage? 2-tons and suitable for people? 10-tons and suitable for cargo? Is the default airlock for a Type I Docking Clamp different than the one for a Type V Docking Clamp?
The lack of mentioning an airlock at all makes me sure they need to be accounted for separately. Also, docking clamps, airlocks, and high-speed fuel transfer (via drop tank mounts) are all accounted for separately, have their own tonnage requirements, and costs. I believe they can all be added, if desired, but need to be calculated as discrete elements.
And, frankly, there are valid use cases for docking clamps without airlocks. Say a small freighter with ten Type I Docking Clamps to secure external cargo pods during transit. No access required or desired. Should they pay KCr100 per ton of airlock when it isn’t wanted?
Seriously, it’s a lot simpler if this is à la cart. Want vanilla docking clamps? Just get them. Need an airlock? Add that in. Want high speed fuel transfer? Put a drop tank mounts (minus the explosives, please) on the tray. Check out and be done with it. That means only a sentence added to make this clear.
I feel the same about drop tank speed fuel transfer equipment. Slow fuel transfer and power don’t have a separate cost in ship building and can be (I believe) assumed to be present and free unless Mongoose says not.
How about it
@MongooseMatt? Do airlocks need to be accounted for separately (free 2-ton if available or being purchased if needed) or does some level of airlock (what tonnage?) come gratis (separate from the free 2-ton versions that come from something’s base tonnage) with the purchase of a docking clamp? It it exists, does the base airlock tonnage change as the docking clamp goes up in size?
If there is a default level of airlock, we need to pay for any extra airlock tonnage beyond that we desire, correct? Do power transfer couplings and slow speed fuel transfer come free? Do we need to pay for a drop tank mount (I think we do) to get jump speed fuel transfer speeds?
I know Mongoose likes to keep things vague in many cases, but this needs to be clarified because docking clamps either allow airlock access or they don’t, and we need to know how they work. Please give us some clarity.
If you’d like to also clarify if there is a free power coupling (I would think that is trivial) and the ability to transfer fuel (slow being free and drop tank speed requiring you pay for a drop tank mount?) that would be great, too.
Side issue: Do Type V Docking Clamps really go up to infinity? We know they can carry 50,000 tons of Hadrian Battle Rider but shouldn’t there be a maximum? Or additional pre-stated increments for Type V and larger to allow for more with ever increasing tonnage requirements and costs?
Do higher tonnages require multiple Type V Docking Clamps? Like 1 additional Type V per 50,000 tons (or part thereof) over 50,000 tons? Or does a Hadrian need more than a single Type V? (I actually favor one Type V for each 10,000 tons or part thereof, so a Hadrian would need five Type V Docking Clamps.)
If not, can a station dock a million-ton Warmonger Battle Tender with a single Type V Docking Clamp? Could a ten million ton station dock to another ten million ton station with but a single Type V Docking Clamp?
See the problem? The upper end needs to be clearly spelled out.
Clarifying this all before
@paltrysum does the minor High Guard Update would be helpful to everyone designing ships.
