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Why can't I undock?


Peenvogel

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Well, this is strange: undock.jpg

I'm building a station with the FusTek station parts and after a normal delivery of payload, I can´t undock the command pod on the bottom right. The entire station shows up in the tracking building as one vessel and I can control it as normal. Problem is that both marked docking ports don´t show the option to undock. I´ve tried the control from here option as well as restarting the game but nothing happens; it's stuck. :huh:

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I have the same issue.

Don't have a picture right now, but it's a shielded port docked with a normal port. The normal port has the undock button in its menu but it doesn't work. The shielded port doesn't have the button.

I may have closed the shields while I was dock, to see if i could, and they did close. So that's something else to look into if it's not the cause

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As near as I can figure out, the problem is that every individual part of a structure (meaning any section that can be separated from any other section) must have its OWN command or probe pod otherwise the game considers it debris. Add a probe pod to the section that won't undock and see if that takes care of it.

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As near as I can figure out, the problem is that every individual part of a structure (meaning any section that can be separated from any other section) must have its OWN command or probe pod otherwise the game considers it debris. Add a probe pod to the section that won't undock and see if that takes care of it.

Then I've been doing that wrong since day one! I built this station by using the lower command pod. The first structure I made is the center piece on the very top; this is also a command structure. After that I attached the other parts to it, but none of these have a command module. I just attach them to the transport pod with a docking port and after I've docked with the station, I detach the command pod and leave. You can see on all the structures that there's no commanding node on it. Is that what I've been doing wrong? Is that why my game sometime gets confused after I've docked?

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I stopped using the shielded docking port because of this very reason. People were telling me I was doing something wrong and clicking on the wrong port but the problem was with the game (I knew what I was doing and had done numerous successful docking and undocking operations)... Since using just normal docking ports I have had no problems.

One other thing that happened occasionally was that the shield would refuse to open or close on those shielded docking ports. I think there is something a bit wonky with the shielded docking port or it could be something to do with a mod (Romfarer's docking camera could be a possibility).

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I've had a similar problem.

In my case, when I docked a Munar lander and the tug I used to take to Mun and back with my Kerbin station, I could no longer separate the lander from the tug. It seems that, since the two were docked together when they reached the station, it treated them as one ship.

To solve the problem I had to undock from the station, then undock the lander from the tug, and then redock the lander with the station (on its own) before I could use the tug separately again.

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I've had a similar problem.

In my case, when I docked a Munar lander and the tug I used to take to Mun and back with my Kerbin station, I could no longer separate the lander from the tug. It seems that, since the two were docked together when they reached the station, it treated them as one ship.

To solve the problem I had to undock from the station, then undock the lander from the tug, and then redock the lander with the station (on its own) before I could use the tug separately again.

Thank you, this worked.

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Yeah. My rule of thumb now is everything that CAN undock needs to have a command (or probe) module of its own.

Ok, now I'm confused. If you take a look at the picture I posted, you'll see that I don't put a command module on everything I attach to the command module of the station. I was (am) under the assumption that the docked part (with no control module) would be assimilated with the station (the one that has a control module) as soon as I undock with the ship that delivered the piece in the first place. This seems to work OK most of the time. Is this not true? Does every piece you attach to a station (or whatever control module) NEEDS to have its own command module? I hope someone can get me out of the woods...

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Does every piece you attach to a station (or whatever control module) NEEDS to have its own command module?

If you ever want to be able to control it again as an independent entity, then yes. ANY object without a controller of some kind is classified as debris, with no commands allowed. This shouldn't stop you from undocking the part (other than the things we talked about before, where only one of the two docked ports will have the "undock" option), but you wouldn't be able to do anything with it once it's separated; no moving it away. Put a small unmanned command node on everything you ever want to be able to give commands to; it takes very little weight or energy.

Now, I suggest looking at the Bolt-On probe mod, which I can't seem to find a thread for since the wipe. It adds some very thin, flat controllers that fit nicely into rocket stacks, which makes it much easier to add a controller to any existing design.

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If you ever want to be able to control it again as an independent entity, then yes
But if I don't want to control it anymore (independently) after it has been attached to the station, does it still NEED this part in order no to confuse the game? Is my space station in fact a control module with attached debris? I find that hard to believe because the custom keys still work. Let's say I put a girder with no control module to the station but with a solar panel that extends by pressing 3. After I've attached that girder to the station and undock with the deliverer, the panels still extend when I control from the station.
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I ran into a similar issue. I sent a fuel tank up to my space station. I have a tug ship that docked to the tank, then docked with the station. But once I dock to the station I cannot undock the tug from the tank. the button does nothing. I can undock the tug AND the tank though. Shouldn't be an issue of control because the space station itself has a unmanned probe control module on it and over 1000 electricity. The tug does have a shielded docking port on it, though. I can shut it and open it but just not undock.

Not too sure what to do with it.

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Howdi,

Anything oyu need to control must have a probe or pod; dock port doesnt matter; if you cant control the ship the dock port is on you cant undock it...I dont think you have to be on any object that doesnt have a probe/pod and undock; you just wont be able to control anything.

My issues was weird; I undocked and I think I ended up in an uncontrollable station; I just switched out; not sure if that was your problem, but the answers were here in the thread.

Now as to the type of dock ports and mods thats a different matter, and their useages must be tested.

I will plan on using multiple different types of mods but have reliable bakups just in case; instead of SIMMING all this stuff I plan on running live missions to test the mods just to have fun and hope for some minor disasters!!! Oh the funn of modding!

Some parts I seem to have problems with too...I am just starting to play with that shielded port so I cant comment on it; it probly will have a use somewhere !!

Cdr Zeta

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I have run into the same problem mentioned earlier: I have a tug that brought fuel tanks to a space station. I want to undock the tug and leave the tank on the station...but it won't let me undock my tug. This is a very annoying bug. I can't undock the tug AND the tank and then redock the tank because it's just a tank, so it has no probe body on it. I just want the tank to be part of the station. Grrr. Both the station and the tug have probe bodies.

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I can confirm there is an issue with sheilded docking ports. I've also encountered the problem when docking a part using a tug to a station and not being able to use the "undock" command (the game ignores the button being clicked). This even happened to me last night when docking a part that had it's own command pod (so that isn't the issue).

The only way to fix it is undock the part again, then undock the tug from the part, then re-dock with the part and finally re-dock with the station and you should be able to get yourself free.

This has only ever happened to me when a shielded docking port is involved.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 years later...

Ancient thread from 2013, has recently caused some confusion with folks posting to it now about similar problems.

The game has changed a lot since 2013; anyone with current docking problems should spin up a new thread.  Locking this thread to prevent further confusion.

For reference, here's a recent thread on the topic:

 

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