Let kerbal board other available cabin when full

[royying]

I think this problem hunted every MK1 private jet plane.

When a group of kerbals want to board the plane, and the cockpit is the only one EVA door on the plane, you need to manually transfer the kerbal just seated in MK1 cockpit to MK1 cabin every time.

It is troublesome, if the game can auto assign the kerbal seat in other available cabin when the original cockpit/ cabin are full, it will be more convenient

[Kerbart]

One can argue against that on various grounds but i would welcome this option. It should be something that can be toggled on/off in the settings ("auto-allocate kerbals"), though, as there will be purists who'd be unhappy about KSP doing this.

Perhaps a solution can be to have the ability to assign a hatch to a part:

• Right-click on crew part
• Choose "assign hatch" (toggles with "use part hatch")
• Click on crew-part with hatch to select the hatch (similar to how you'd transfer crew)

When you want to EVA a kerbal, click on the hatch and it will not just show the kerbals in the hatch-part, but also all kerbals in the parts that have assigned that hatch. Similarly, when a Kerbal boards through that hatch, it will go to the first assigned part, second part, etc. if the root part (or the assigned parts) are full.

People who feel it's cheating simply don't use the option. And it gives some control over what parts can and cannot be accessed from a certain hatch.

[magnemoe]

Issue would resolve itself if the MK1 passenger cabin had an roof or side hatch. 
Its too narrow to easy exit easy in the ends anyway, more so if you enter from an 1.25 meter command module. 
Make it regressed like the MK2 roof hatch who looks like an emergency exit 
Would also make more sense if your design has no direct path between the passenger module and an door anyway. I like to put an 1.25 service module between the MK1 cabin and the MK1 pod for 3 man ships. I want it high as it can then be used as an airbrake and stabilize during decent. 

[Kerbart]

15 hours ago, magnemoe said:

Issue would resolve itself if the MK1 passenger cabin had an roof or side hatch. 

The downside of that is that, in order from the MK1 to become OP, it'd have to have its mass increased. And that would make it less attractive. And who needs four hatches when you use four of them?

[magnemoe]

1 hour ago, Kerbart said:

The downside of that is that, in order from the MK1 to become OP, it'd have to have its mass increased. And that would make it less attractive. And who needs four hatches when you use four of them?

Same goes for the MK2 crew cabin who has the same kerbal / weight factor. The only real downside of not having an hatch is that you either need an extra module or keeping one end free.


 

[Tex_NL]

When trying to board a full cabin it should open the crew transfer menu allowing you to choose where to send the Kerbal.

For those looking for a top hatch on the Mk1 cabin:

 

[Kerbart]

1 hour ago, magnemoe said:

Same goes for the MK2 crew cabin who has the same kerbal / weight factor. The only real downside of not having an hatch is that you either need an extra module or keeping one end free.

...but without the convenient 1.25m form factor, or the early availability in career. The Mk-I is very easy to use as an ersatz-2 Kerbal pod, the lack of a radial hatch (let's not forget that the Mk-I has already two hatches...) just lets you work a bit harder for it, balancing the game. There is no wide-spread abuse of the Mk-II as an el-cheapo 4-kerbal command pod (to the best of my knowledge) because there are alternatives. That cannot be said of the Mk-I.

[StrandedonEarth]

22 hours ago, Kerbart said:

Perhaps a solution can be to have the ability to assign a hatch to a part:

• Right-click on crew part
• Choose "assign hatch" (toggles with "use part hatch")
• Click on crew-part with hatch to select the hatch (similar to how you'd transfer crew)

When you want to EVA a kerbal, click on the hatch and it will not just show the kerbals in the hatch-part, but also all kerbals in the parts that have assigned that hatch. Similarly, when a Kerbal boards through that hatch, it will go to the first assigned part, second part, etc. if the root part (or the assigned parts) are full.

Now that's just genius