Switching between moving craft in the atmosphere...

[Dr Wily]

Quick question. Why can't I switch between two craft while moving in the atmosphere? I got what I thought at the time was a really good idea to make a flying aircraft carrier... Until I realized it was impossible to land anything on it while it was in the air. I'm guessing this is why KSP has no plans for multiplayer, lol.


 

[IncongruousGoat]

You can switch between vessels while in the atmosphere, following the exact same rules as vessel switching in space. The actual limit is distance - KSP stops computing physics for vessels that are more than 2.3 km away. This means that, among other things, you can only switch between two vessels (without going through a loading screen) if they're less than 2.3 km apart.

[Dr Wily]

5 minutes ago, IncongruousGoat said:

You can switch between vessels while in the atmosphere, following the exact same rules as vessel switching in space. The actual limit is distance - KSP stops computing physics for vessels that are more than 2.3 km away. This means that, among other things, you can only switch between two vessels (without going through a loading screen) if they're less than 2.3 km apart.

Yes... As long as those vehicles aren't moving. Try flying a plane, then switching to another plane while moving. I think you'll find it doesn't work because the game won't let you switch vehicles while moving. Believe me I've tried. I know in the example I'm 3.5k off the ground, but I tried repeatedly to switch while it was within 2.3km range of a small parked aircraft.

[EpicSpaceTroll139]

I believe in-atmosphere you have to be within 200m of the other vessel... Unless that changed since I last did stock in-flight-refueling.

It's a bit sketchy though.

Edited January 8, 2018 by EpicSpaceTroll139

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Yeah, you can definitely switch while flying in atmo, I do it all the time when dropping payloads from planes. Switch to the payload, pop chutes, extend gear, then switch back to the plane.

Not sure what the exact rules governing this is though.

I've heard the figure of 300m thrown around before somewhere, but I can't find anything conclusive.

Edited January 8, 2018 by Rocket In My Pocket

[Dfthu]

It's definitely not 2.3km. I tried switching to missile form my plane that was about a km away and it wouldn't switch. I'd guess the 200-300m is right.  

[MiffedStarfish]

It is annoying, but can be fixed quite easily by Physics Range Extender if you’re willing to install mods.

I do agree with extending the switch range in stock though.

Edited January 8, 2018 by MiffedStarfish

[Dr Wily]

I just ran some tests and I can confirm the engine allows you to switch in moving atmospheric vehicles as long as you are within 350m. It would be nice to extend that, you could do some really fun stuff like in-flight refueling and dock-able airships if you extended that to 10,000m or higher! Now, to do something like dock with an airship... You would have to swoop down with the airship over the aircraft, get within 350m, switch, take off with the aircraft and hit a speed that keeps you within 350m, switch, quickly stabilize the the airship so it doesn't crash, switch, then finally land. LOL That seems impossible short of being Data from Star Trek TNG.

[0something0]

I also find it annoying when you switch from a moving vessel to a stationary one and you can't swith back.

[NSEP]

Maybe you can change the range in the configs of the game, but even if you can do that i still recommend using the mod.

If you are not using consolo that is.

Edited January 10, 2018 by NSEP

[EpicSpaceTroll139]

On 1/8/2018 at 5:36 PM, Dr Wily said:

... You would have to swoop down with the airship over the aircraft, get within 350m, switch, take off with the aircraft and hit a speed that keeps you within 350m, switch, quickly stabilize the the airship so it doesn't crash, switch, then finally land. LOL That seems impossible short of being Data from Star Trek TNG.

I did dock two planes for in-flight-refueling a few times in this manner. Not sure if I have the screenshots anymore though

Anyways, back on topic: A larger stock switch range would be nice. It's not hard to fix either. Literally a few numbers in the physics cfg file I think.

Edited January 11, 2018 by EpicSpaceTroll139