ALLY vs SHIP

[sgqwonkian]

As near as I can tell, the two codes both work the same way. If I swap them they seem to produce the same results.

Does anyone understand the distinction?
Is there something I'm missing?

[mantari]

Question: Could ALLY possibly have an effect on your relationship with the race of that ship, while SHIP does not?

[sgqwonkian]

I don't think so. Relationship changes are generally triggered by FRND or ENMY commands.

From the modmaker's guide...

ALLY <race> <ship number>
Add an ally ship to player flotilla. Works like the SHIP command, except used to keep "independent" allies separate from clearly player-owned ships."

What the heck does that mean, though? Anyone know what the difference is between an independent ship and one you "clearly" own?

[Alphasite]

This reminds me of something related to ships in the flotilla. I'd really like to be able to reject ships that want automatically join until I'm ready. For instance, I'm in an area where I'm surrounded by a nebula and I don't have a drive to give the Muktian corvette, so going to another star takes a lot of time. If I could reject the ship I could come back later for them when I'm ready.

[Fingers]

I don't remember if there's still a difference between these two commands. Quite possibly not. It used to be that "allies" would be more choosy and possessive about their equipment while "ships" actually belong to you along with all their systems. This is largely a relic from SAIS.