Docking but not docking

[RHodeidra]

lets say I have a station, and plan to dock 2-3-4 crafts.

Is there any way I can "dock" onto a station, by which I mean "getting attached to" but that will not unify both crafts into a single one?

In this example there would not be a need for fuel transfer or crew transfer, just "attaching craft A to B"

In this event each ship would be subject to the whims of the other, and while the problems this may cause by gameplay errors are obvious, I feel this is an option required for me to effectively make use of a station.

Edited November 20, 2013 by RHodeidra

[Lheim]

It's just the way the docking code works - to attach two ships, your ships end up as part of a single craft file. So far as I understand it even mods like KAS (Kerbal attachment system) use the same method. But you can certainly check that mod out. If the issue is just not wanting fuel to flow automatically between the two, you can right click on the docking port and disable crossfeed.

[RHodeidra]

Nono, I meant the concept of fuel makes no difference, if I could still do it that would be fine, I just do not care.

The ideal solution would be a docking port that just attaches, in a way a docking strut would,

which could also get broken when ship A decides to fire boosters without warning

Think of it like this: when the Space shuttle docked with Mir, they wouldn't become a slave to Mir.

Sure, fuel MIGHT have been passed, maybe current, but in the end the controls that used these resources would remain where they were.

Edited November 20, 2013 by RHodeidra

[Lheim]

Docking ports can break, but they're pretty darn sturdy. You need a lot of force. For simulating independent control.. well, it's always possible to deactivate certain engines.

[Kasuha]

Do NOT consider placing two ships close by without docking them. Either dock them together, or put them in safe distance on different orbits.

When two ships are close by and on very similar orbits you can never match their speeds exactly so they will drift over time. If they drift in on-rails mode (normal time warp) they may overlap and if you switch to them in such situation and switch to x1 time, they will explode.

This aplies particularly to all methods of "clamping" ships together using landing legs or other key/lock mechanisms when ships get very close to each other. Due to their different positions they are on ever so slightly different orbits and even short time warp may cause a catastrophe.

[DrMonte]

KAS mod has some attachments which does not make craft as one.