When overhauling aero, don't forget parachutes

[chaos_forge]

Now that we know a bit more about the aero overhaul coming in the next update, I just wanted to remind the devs that parachutes are another atmosphere-related feature that needs work. I would like to see more options for different sizes and types of parachutes, including drag chutes that don't automatically get cut as soon as you touch the ground. Basically, I would love to see RealChute made stock.

[Scoundrel]

I second this idea, especially since Stupid Chris is pretty generous with his license.

[Motokid600]

Just make all the mods stock, lol.

[CaptainKipard]

I'd love to see physically simulated parachutes. Right now parachutes are simply a model that's scaled down when hidden, and it scales up to a semi-deployed status and scales laterally during full deployment. Rope and cloth simulations would be nice.

[DYJ]

Rope and cloth are pretty expensive if you can't do it on the GPU, you can however do pretty good approximations using multiple rigidbodies driving a skinned mesh renderer.

[Motokid600]

Would it be too much to require mains be extracted by drogues?

[klgraham1013]

Stock drag chutes as well for those big Mk3 aircraft.

[rynak]

I don't really see what's wrong with the aerodynamic simulation of parachutes. Yes, it's simplified, but it is cpu-efficient, intuitive and "realistic enough" even for an aerodynamic model that strikes a balance between action-gamey and FAR (which is to say, i'd expect something less realistic than NEAR, but not much less).

Most things that are wrong with chutes gameplay-wise, aren't aerodynamics.... they are simple parameters of the parts and modules. The high mass for example, as well as deployment method. Those are things which i'd like to see fixed, and they are important, but they're not really about the aerodynamic model. Instead, the only aerodynamic aspect relevant to chutes, is that right now deacceleration in atmosphere seems way too easy.... so easy, that often a drogue or airbrake is just dead weight, since you might as well simply throttle down.

[Kegereneku]

What's wrong with Lithobraking ?

[Renegrade]

Basically, I would love to see RealChute made stock.

Eeh, RealChutes is nice, but it has some serious feature creep happening at this point.

The core features of RealChutes are:

- gentler deployment

- a better variety of chutes (inline chutes plox! moar drogues!)

- the brake-chute

(you could do the brake-chute thing without the massive panel of RealChutes by just having a simple tweakable toggle button that goes from "standard autocut" to "manual autocut")

If they could pick up these core features in stock, it would be great.

[klgraham1013]

- gentler deployment

- the brake-chute

These are basically the features I want.