Write protection on craft files.

[Geonovast]

I, like I'm sure many other people, have accidentally overwritten craft files.  A lot.

I'm currently working on a design that's fairly modular and has several options.  Number of upper stage engines, fairing options, 1st stage boosters.  Think Atlas V.

The main craft file has every option included, then for launch you would simply remove what you don't want, and launch.  This can cause issues as it's really easy to accidentally over-write the "master" craft after removing some options.  Ideally this would be fixed by re-naming it, but that can also be troublesome if you don't want a bunch of rockets floating around with different configs, and if you change something on the master, it wouldn't affect all the other ones created.

So I propose a write-protection switch on craft files.   Nothing permanent, but once you activate the write protection, you can't edit the craft until you've deactivated the protection.  It would essentially function like the physical switch on an SD card or a save button floppy disk.

 

I know I'm sure there's ways around this, like actually making the file itself read-only or by modding it, but I would like to see this stock.

[Cavscout74]

Interesting idea.  I usually keep backup copies of craft like that as a precaution because I've learned that the hard way.   But being able to lock the design in-game would be a nice feature

[Guest]

Craft management in general could use an update. In long-running games I at least tend to get swamped with craft, most of which are versions of each other. It would be nice to have features like:

• Search. Type into a field, it filters your list. Not just by craft name but also by part name (type "vector" and it shows all your craft with Vectors, or named Vector if that's what you named them). 
• Folders. 
• Tags.
• Versions. Tag a craft with a version. By default when you load a craft it'll load the latest one, but there's a submenu that shows all the versions you've saved so you can always load up one of them.

And yeah, a readonly switch would fit well into this.

[The Aziz]

One workaround could be the subassembly tab. You'd keep all different sections there. Then overwriting wouldn't matter because you'd still have all options available, saved separately. 

 

[Hotel26]

12 minutes ago, Brikoleur said:

Craft management

A small step along this trajectory: I use Craft Manager and also git [not recommending this to all].  I use git also to manage the migration upward to new KSP versions. 

1.7.3 is a branch from master.  Eventually, I will push it all up to origin, then pull that out into 1.11.1, say, and create the 1.11.1 branch.  Eventually...

Edited February 12, 2021 by Hotel26

[VoidSquid]

9 hours ago, Geonovast said:

So I propose a write-protection switch on craft files.   Nothing permanent, but once you activate the write protection, you can't edit the craft until you've deactivated the protection.  It would essentially function like the physical switch on an SD card or a save button floppy disk.

So in the end, you want to protect the user from himself.

As much as I hate this idea, but seeing how things in general went in the last couple of years, seeing what questions/issues I see here day after day in the support forums, and seeing how our customers are doing: yes, go for it.

[Geonovast]

4 hours ago, The Aziz said:

One workaround could be the subassembly tab. You'd keep all different sections there. Then overwriting wouldn't matter because you'd still have all options available, saved separately.

This is one option I've used in the past, and the primary reason it got annoying was this:  The auto-staging algorithm and I do not get a long.  Assembling ships from sub assemblies works, but you have to re-stage it every time, which can be quite annoying depending on size and complexity.... especially because the staging UI needs some love in itself.  It also doesn't quite work with radially attached boosters and making sure they're all lined up as perfectly as I like.  Also in this instance I have parts that have been offset after attaching with nodes, and that's something that's a hassle to recreate every time.

 

3 hours ago, VoidSquid said:

As much as I hate this idea

Well, you can and that's all fine.  This would be completely passive and crafts would only be locked if the user chose to deliberately do so.  If you didn't care for the feature, you wouldn't be forced to use it.  Something like this would be terrible if it was automatic.  I don't think protecting the user from themselves is a bad thing, especially when the save and launch buttons are right next to each other and fairly close in color.

[VoidSquid]

Don't get me wrong, @Geonovast:

3 hours ago, VoidSquid said:

yes, go for it.

Unfortunately we're living in times that such things you're suggesting are necessary for many people.

I'm seeing this every day, e.g. people are still falling for Nigeria scam, or the ten million lotto jackpot win.

Edited February 12, 2021 by VoidSquid

[Bej Kerman]

KSP should adapt KSP 2's craft management system rather than having 50 craft with the same launcher. Before you say, I don't think "But it's already gonna be in KSP 2" is a valid reason to exclude KSP 1 from basic QOL features.