(03-30-2016, 04:27 PM)Protégé Wrote: To be honest the Docking Rings could very well be the representation of the top of a space elevator.
And really, that's a very simple and a cost-efficient explanation.
I don't see why we can't just swap the current models of docking rings into the red crosses Tomioka has and call those space elevators though. It's a nice, easy, simple fix that pleases everyone and keeps the lore consistent.
A space elevator requires a counterweight of some description on the space end of it. Docking Rings could very well be "the most ergonomic and efficient deisgn possible manufactured by Ageira". Factions that don't have access to them could use a different source of counterweight such as a large enough blob of iridium or an asteroid.