Hey so maybe I'm stupid or missing some obvious point but FF#437 implies to me at least that the planet to platform cargo pod thing worked like trains. Couldn't one just hijack that system in order to facilitate inter-platform item transfers? (for example by letting you pick other platforms too in the 'import from' section of the platform logistic request)

Cheers

The "Import From" list is limited to Space Locations. Platforms are an entirely different type of surface and as far as I can tell the planet <> platform logistics code is entirely in the engine and not moddable.

That's a dang shame.

It does make me wonder if one could not just add a fake "planet" for each real planet that is the planet's "orbit". Each "orbit" surface is generated as a void with a cargo landing pad with a ton of cargo bays, a cheated rocket silo (maybe more than one to bypass the animation limit) with infinite speed and fed rocket parts by an infinity chest, and a bunch of bots (or maybe a more elegant solution that isn't an obvious hack). This way you could drop items from a platform "in orbit" and any other platform that is "in orbit" can just request the items.
Platforms would select the "orbits" as destinations just like any other planet (with ~0 distance from the respective planet).

Not sure if it would be possible to somehow prevent the player from dropping to these new surfaces (Solar System Edge doesn't let you drop either but I'm not sure if the cause is the lack of surface or if it's a specific setting). From limited testing I've done just dropping items is not enough to reveal the map on its own so preventing remote viewing is not a necessity as far as I'm aware (although you can still hear stuff even if the map is completely dark which is odd).

This way the only thing that would need to be done is make a surface for each planet with those generation settings and therefore could completely ignore the cargo logic.

Am I missing something again?

Cheers.

I had started to think similarly - not cheated but allowing players to build actual "transfer stations" that work basically how you described - but since the platforms would be in orbit around the transfer stations rather than the planet, you couldn't also transfer items with the planet. Ultimately I thought that would be more confusing to users.

It certainly isn't ideal. Hopefully someone in the future can figure out a more elegant solution or maybe something in 2.1 will make the cargo transfer system more open to modders. Thanks for taking the time to answer.