Flags are not "Flights in Progress"

[jfjohnny5]

It's a very minor thing; semantics really. But I would like to ask that planted flags not show up as "Flights in Progress" in the load game screen. Doesn't impact gameplay at all. It's just one of those things... Especially late game I may load a game with "23 flights in progress" and forget that one of them is an actual spacecraft, not another flag.

[Mitchz95]

I completely agree. They should work the same way as debris in that you only see them if you toggle them in the map view.

[Kasuha]

I agree too. They should be visible in Tracking station but should not count as flights in progress in the save.

[jfull]

I agree with this.

I stopped planting flags on the Mun on my 3rd landing, to avoid having too many. The poor Kerbals who went on later missions didn't get to have any of that fun

[Themohawkninja]

I completely agree. They should work the same way as debris in that you only see them if you toggle them in the map view.

That is how they work. You can toggle them in map view right now.

[jfjohnny5]

That is how they work. You can toggle them in map view right now.

It would be nice if those changes were maintained when loading saves. It always defaults to everything except debris shown. I'd like to choose to hide flags from the start as well...

[Miro Beero]

+1

I like to plant flags to know where I have been. I don't treat them as flights. Just reminders.

[MarcRan17]

seriously I don't know why this is the case to begin with... But I totally agree. Flags Should not count as ongoing flights. I wonder how hard it would be to make a plugin for this? I have no experience with coding for KSP beyond savefile editing, but I can't imagine it'd be that hard.

[Supernovy]

To be fair, you are flying your flag on all those planets, aren't you?

[Spica]

The reason for flags being treated as ongoing flights is because they, like kerbals on eva, are considered to be complicated, one part ships.

[regex]

Agreed. Flags should be treated as debris except when automatically culling.

[Captain Sierra]

+1'd They are great as markers and I like seeing them on my orbital map, but there is no need for them to be able to be switched to (you can't control them ) or displayed in your in flight list in the tracking station.

[Camaron]

I agree that flags should not be counted as active ships. At the very least, shuffle them into the background in their own section like the debris parts are. That way, as I pile up tons and tons of flags, they aren't getting in the way of my active, real missions.

Also, I had a flag explode after taking off once because my engine thrust grazed it. I really don't feel like flags should explode. Seems like something, that for the gameplay's sake, should be intangible and indestructible. I use them to mark where I've been and now that one is gone.

[JiWint]

+1.Shouldn't be shown in resume game,but shouldn't be treated as debris too

[minerman30]

To be fair, you are flying your flag on all those planets, aren't you?

I laughed.

[MR4Y]

There's a little huge problem with treating it as debris. If I set 'Max Persistent Debris' to '0', I'll have no flags.

[RocketPilot573]

I think they just shouldn't be shown in map view like debris, it would really reduce tracking station clutter.

[Sirine]

+1 agree. Is annoying to look at it at 'flight in progress', while they are just flag.

[Mitchz95]

That is how they work. You can toggle them in map view right now.

I mean they should start off invisible like debris, and only become visible if you specifically toggle them on.

[Dunbaratu]

The real problem here isn't with flags.

It's with KSP calling *everything* a flight that isn't debris.

Note that flags aren't the only non-flying "flights" in KSP. A moon base landed on the Mun is not a "flight", but the game calls it one.

The real problem shouldn't be "continue using the word 'flights' for everything it's used for now except for flags".

It should be "stop using the term 'flight' as a generic term for everything.". Flags are just one particular symptom of the problem.

Edited January 8, 2014 by Steven Mading

[MR4Y]

The problem goes to another level when you realize that adding a different type for every object could end up using more RAM, since the entire game is loaded into it.

[thiosk]

I understand why they show up, but I must admit they pollute my flightlist.

[Robje]

To be fair, you are flying your flag on all those planets, aren't you?

haha thats funny. But i agree with the statement.

[minerman30]

Also, I had a flag explode after taking off once because my engine thrust grazed it. I really don't feel like flags should explode. Seems like something, that for the gameplay's sake, should be intangible and indestructible. I use them to mark where I've been and now that one is gone.

This might be an urban myth, but apparently Buzz Aldrin reported seeing the American flag get blown over by the engine exhaust upon liftoff.

[stevism]

+1'd They are great as markers and I like seeing them on my orbital map, but there is no need for them to be able to be switched to (you can't control them ) or displayed in your in flight list in the tracking station.

maybe you don't, but I'm sure plenty of players switch to them on a regular basis. I do it for time warps (full range of course)...specifically if the flag is near where I plan on landing, and i want to time warp to daylight in that region.

I love having them displayed in the flight list / maps, because i always make note of what flight landed there, what biome it was (if any) and what number landing it was for that flight. So for science missions to Minmus or the Mun, I have a good history of what the mission event timeline was like.

I 100% agree they should not be listed as an "active flight" for the save file though, because as someone who plants a lot of flags that number quickly loses all meaning.

But as for the rest of their implementation...I like it a lot and hope it doesn't change.