[riomaki]

I was wondering if I could get a little more information about the problem described here:
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=57543.msg1165084

The problem is that I have a transport (Isis) docked to a cruiser (Aeolus).  When the cruiser is attacked with Rebel Bombs, the whole thing jitters and rotates.  I gather from the thread that the reason is that when the low mass transport ship gets hit by the bomb, it drags the bigger ship along with it.  I have the Isis flagged as invulnerable, since it's not something I want the player to worry about defending, only the Aeolus.  I've tried flagging the Isis as a protected ship, but it causes no bombers to attack the cruiser.  Both are also scripted to play-dead.

Is it possible to prevent this in normal FreeSpace 2 in the mission itself, without resorting to changing tables?  Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the Elysium or Argo are visually compatible with the Aeolus (especially not the Argo, hehe).  It seems like this issue had to come up in FreeSpace 2's campaign at some point...

[NGTM-1R]

It actually didn't. I don't recall any mission with an Isis docking under fire in FS2.

It's not the bomb, not directly, it's the shockwave from the bomb knocking the Isis around. There is a way to shockwave-protect ships but I don't know if it would help.

[Mongoose]

What you could do is use a .tbm file to increase the Isis's mass enough that the shockwaves don't affect it all that much, though that could be a bit inconvenient if you just want to release a stand-alone single mission.

[riomaki]

Yeah, it doesn't surprise me that they don't use an Isis specifically, but the scenario of one ship docked with another while under fire doesn't seem that exotic to me.     Is it something that is unique to the Isis, or is this something I'm going to run into with various other transport/cruiser combinations?

The waypoint trick mentioned in the other thread won't work here because the position of the cruiser is not a fixed point.  I suppose one workaround could be to have the Isis dock when the coast is clear, fictionally "drop off" its crew and undock.  Maybe keep it parked or playing dead at that location until they need to get off the ship.

[NGTM-1R]

Yeah, it doesn't surprise me that they don't use an Isis specifically, but the scenario of one ship docked with another while under fire doesn't seem that exotic to me.     Is it something that is unique to the Isis, or is this something I'm going to run into with various other transport/cruiser combinations?

The problem is effectively unique to the Isis, which has a fighter-like mass. I've never heard it come up in relation to other ships, though I won't swear you don't see it with Elysiums.

[Axem]

If you're using SCP builds you could use ship-immobile/mobile to ensure the ship won't move at all, not even to physics. Otherwise... a different ship or a modified pof file? (Elysiums aren't that bad looking!)

[riomaki]

It seems to be less noticeable with the Elysium, although it does jitter around a bit.  As to why I ignored the Elysium in the first place, I made the mistake of trying to preview the docking connections in FRED instead of in-game.  In FRED, the rightside-up Elysium is flipped backward and inside the Aeolus' geometry when you set their Initial State to docked.  In-game, of course, it orients itself upside-down so it lines up correctly.  Elysium it is, then.