I don't mean to necro-post here...just found this thread.
I will always remember the ports as they appeared in beta testing. You could actually park your ship next to a dock and manuever in the ports' bays.
But due to the glitching from the NPC ships and such, they revised the entire island system.
I wonder if they will ever revisit the possibility of the old docks system now that technology has advanced. Perhaps those issues can be solved today! -)
But the towns do look more like towns now. Haphazard town layout designs as would occur when individual people put whatever where ever they want. Each building was just built next to the last with no plan other than sharing a wall.
The textures and graphics are more town-like too.
But I will always pine for the old docking systems.
TQQdles™,
Dolnor Numbwit
Eternal Newbie