Communications Hubs

[Duck McFuddle]

So what if there was a part that could create a consistent commlink as if there was a portable KSC on the ship itself. For example, if you sent a big space station to Jool with one of these parts strapped to it, then if you sent another probe to Jool it wouldn't have to have a connection to the KSC to function. This would be useful when you don't want to have a huge relay system just to send a probe out. This part would, of course, be very late in the tech tree, and also pretty expensive. It would not work for the ship it is on, so you can't just always have a connection wherever you go. There are several loopholes in this, but perhaps you would need full crew control for it to work so Kerbals would have to be on it. There might be a few (Or many ) flaws, but it's an idea.

[Gargamel]

The point of connecting to the KSC or a manned vessel is so that a kerbal, somewhere, will be in control of the probe. 

If you have a manned station/vessel, and the probe can connect to the station, then the station can control the probe in exactly the way you are describing.   But it must be manned. 

Given how 'trivial' setting up comm networks becomes with a little practice, this part you describe is pretty much useless.   Not only is it pretty much made redundant by the ease of getting a commcloud in orbit around distant planets, but IMO, it's pretty immersion breaking.   This is the equivalent of sending some super intelligent AI out into space by itself. 

[Duck McFuddle]

I suppose... But it still could be fun for setting up bases on far-out planets. As for it being immersion breaking, I agree... but kind of don't. It could perhaps be a mode that you could play in, for players that want to colonize and establish huge bases that, in real life, could have a communications hub. This would, of course, be optional, but I personally would enjoy playing in this mode - maybe a few more parts or systems could be added as well so the mode doesn't seem like a minor change. 

[Gargamel]

3 hours ago, Duck McFuddle said:

but perhaps you would need full crew control for it to work so Kerbals would have to be on it.

Rereading your post, I missed this little nugget.   This is already in game.   A manned vessel within range of a probe can control it. 

But unmanned control, I'm kinda against it. 

[lunardog15]

they could call it a AI ( Artificial Intervention) module 

[OHara]

10 hours ago, Duck McFuddle said:

So what if there was a part that could create a consistent commlink as if there was a portable KSC on the ship itself. For example, if you sent a big space station to Jool with one of these parts strapped to it, then if you sent another probe to Jool it wouldn't have to have a connection to the KSC to function.

KSP calls that "remote pilot assist" and the required parts are 2-man pods, 2 pilots, and a relay antenna.

Beware, the in-game text in the VAB for all the command pods says "remote pilot assist available" and I trusted that last week when I first tried to use the feature, but I could not control the probe.   @4x4cheesecake made a helpful entry in the wiki (link) which is more trustworthy than the in-game information. 

There is also a helpful post 

There are two areas of KSP where I cannot form a mental model of the rules that the game applies, so have not learned the rules nor used the features in-game : Commnet (especially Kerbnet) and mining (especially thermal management).

Edited December 18, 2018 by OHara
Ah-hah. The in-game VAB text "Probe Control Point" indicates the parts that can act as the communications hub; I had not unlocked any such parts when I wanted to try the feature.

[Duck McFuddle]

19 hours ago, Gargamel said:

This is already in game.   A manned vessel within range of a probe can control it. 

 

1

Oh wow... Huh. I never knew that. Well, you learn something every day!