Rover Won't Stay Still

[Scarecrow71]

I'm creating a rover that I plan to deploy on Minmus and go exploring and such.  While testing this thing on the launchpad/runway, I take Jeb out of the command seat and put him on the ground; I want to test height and make sure he can get back in so I'm not stuck with a useless rover on Minmus.  Unfortunately, as soon as he gets out of the command seat, he leaps off the end of the rover...and this pushes the rover backwards.  And it won't stop.  I've tried setting Traction Control and Brakes to both maximum and minimum values on the wheels, and I've tried various combinations of Friction Control/Spring-Damper/Traction Control to get this thing to stay still, but it won't.  When Jeb is in the seat and I hit the brakes, it stops and doesn't move.  The wheels are balanced and aligned, and the surface of both the runway and launchpad are flat.  I've tried using various other parts as a braking mechanism, all with limited or minor success.

Is this some bug that I'm not aware of?  How do you get a rover or other wheeled vehicle to stay put?

You can see that this is a pretty basic rover designed for gathering science.  Any help here would be awesome!

[18Watt]

I’ll start with the basic- did you set the parking brake?  If you’re not sure, to set the parking brake, you need to click on the brake indicator at the top of the screen.  Hitting ‘B’ applies the brakes only while the button is held.  You want the brakes to stay on even when the Kerbal gets out.

Edit- the rover wheels in your screenshot are retractable….  The parking brake should work, but if not….   

Edited December 28, 2021 by 18Watt

[Vanamonde]

I haven't had this problem for many versions but what I used to do is add a couple of landing legs which would act like the kickstand on a motorcycle. 

[miklkit]

If you find an answer for rovers and landers sliding around, I would like to know also.

What usually works for me if they slide around with the brakes on is to fold up the landing legs or wheels. 

[Scarecrow71]

20 hours ago, 18Watt said:

I’ll start with the basic- did you set the parking brake?  If you’re not sure, to set the parking brake, you need to click on the brake indicator at the top of the screen.  Hitting ‘B’ applies the brakes only while the button is held.  You want the brakes to stay on even when the Kerbal gets out.

Edit- the rover wheels in your screenshot are retractable….  The parking brake should work, but if not….   

I didn't even know there was a parking brake.  I have never done the rover thing before, so I had no idea that this was a thing.  And once I did that...blamo!  It stopped moving.  Still have to maneuver a bit if you're on an incline, but this is the answer.

And now that I have a rover on Minmus, I shall be attempting the Elcano challenge!  I know - haven't finished the other 2 challenges I started.  Sue me! 

[18Watt]

34 minutes ago, Scarecrow71 said:

And now that I have a rover on Minmus, I shall be attempting the Elcano challenge!

Awesome!  Minmus is probably the best place to start, although there are a lot of pitfalls with rovers on Minmus too.  You’ll see..

Since you’re exploring rover wheels, the wheels in your screenshot are the only stock rover wheels which retract.  Even though the Parking Brake solved the problem, having retractable wheels is a feature that could come in handy.  The right-click menu (Part Action Window, a.k.a. PAW) should have a button to accomplish that.  That could also be tied to an action group, or the Landing Gear button.  Actually, it probably is already tied to the Landing Gear- try hitting ‘G’ while controlling that rover.

Tips for a Minmus Elcano:  Quicksave often- rovers have a tendency to self-destruct for no reason, even on Minmus.  Also, be cautious with how fast you go- it can take several km to stop a speeding rover.  That’s exciting when you’re coming up to a steep cliff, and realize you can’t stop..   Don’t get discouraged if your first (or third or tenth) rover ends up being less than ideal.  KSP is not kind to rovers, and building a durable one is not intuitive or obvious in many ways.

[Scarecrow71]

24 minutes ago, 18Watt said:

Awesome!  Minmus is probably the best place to start, although there are a lot of pitfalls with rovers on Minmus too.  You’ll see..

Since you’re exploring rover wheels, the wheels in your screenshot are the only stock rover wheels which retract.  Even though the Parking Brake solved the problem, having retractable wheels is a feature that could come in handy.  The right-click menu (Part Action Window, a.k.a. PAW) should have a button to accomplish that.  That could also be tied to an action group, or the Landing Gear button.  Actually, it probably is already tied to the Landing Gear- try hitting ‘G’ while controlling that rover.

Tips for a Minmus Elcano:  Quicksave often- rovers have a tendency to self-destruct for no reason, even on Minmus.  Also, be cautious with how fast you go- it can take several km to stop a speeding rover.  That’s exciting when you’re coming up to a steep cliff, and realize you can’t stop..   Don’t get discouraged if your first (or third or tenth) rover ends up being less than ideal.  KSP is not kind to rovers, and building a durable one is not intuitive or obvious in many ways.

Quicksave early; quicksave often.  Can't tell you how many times I've flipped this thing already today.  And most of the time, it seems there is no reason other than I'm exceeding 0 m/s.

[Richmountain112]

I have the exact same problem... Except that retractable wheels aren't helping and it's still moving anyways.

[18Watt]

On 12/17/2022 at 3:34 PM, Richmountain112 said:

I have the exact same problem...

If setting the parking brake didn’t help, here’s a few more suggestions.

• Adjust the friction of the wheels in the PAW (part action window, brought up by right-clicking on the wheel).  Friction control is normally in Auto mode.  Try setting friction to manual, and increasing to 1.0, 1.5, or possibly higher.
• You might need to enable advanced tweakables to edit friction settings, I don’t remember if that is the case or not.
• Make sure your rover is not pointed down a slope, try parking it while it’s aimed sideways to the slope.
• Even better, find a flat spot to park it on.

[Richmountain112]

It appears to be shaking around when both wheel pairs are retracted. I fixed it by leaving 1 pair retracted with the other extended.

Also I don't have the Parking Brake. How do I enable it?

Edited December 22, 2022 by Richmountain112

[18Watt]

5 hours ago, Richmountain112 said:

Also I don't have the Parking Brake. How do I enable it?

 

On 12/27/2021 at 6:44 PM, 18Watt said:

I’ll start with the basic- did you set the parking brake?  If you’re not sure, to set the parking brake, you need to click on the brake indicator at the top of the screen.  Hitting ‘B’ applies the brakes only while the button is held.  You want the brakes to stay on even when the Kerbal gets out.

 

[Richmountain112]

Oh