Delayed actions in action groups

[jmiki8]

Hi!

I've searched for threads like which I'm going to start now, but I haven't found any.

My suggestion is simple:

You could add a "delay setting" next to every action in the action groups menu, so pressing a key wouldn't instantly start an action, if it isn't necessary. Of course, the default setting would be 0 seconds.

This is what I'm writing about. (Bad photoshopping is bad.)

An example for its usage:

Parachutes: Players wouldn't have to equip their cargo/spent fuel tanks/etc with a probe core to deploy their chutes after decoupling. (as deploying chutes the same time as decoupling may have bad consequences).

I guess it could be used with other parts too. I'm not really into coding, so I don't know how difficult it would be to implement this feature.

Thanks for reading and considering in advance!

Edited January 27, 2014 by jmiki8

[Atoning Unifex]

Well it's not a bad idea but it's for a very specific purpose. Other than parachutes are there any reasons you could see for having a delayed action? I'm not sure I can.

Perhaps instead it would be better to add the delay into parachutes specifically, and have a tweakable that allows changing the deployment delay. This way the changes should hopefully be simpler but still provide the same benefit.

[UH60guy]

Then again, just because we can't see a reason *yet* doesn't mean new gameplay couldn't emerge from wild and crazy ideas people come up with.

Yes, automatic delays would be friggin awesome for emergency aborts when things happen very quickly.

But there could be uses for other parts too- off the top of my head, delayed landing gear extension could be used from a probe mothership dropping a few lander/rovers. One button to stage, and staggered delays kick the parachutes in enough to gain some separation, while an additional tweakable delay on the landing gear lowers the landing gear of the smaller ships from their in-flight stowed configuration.

Delayed engine ignition following a staging event could be really cool for things like an X-1 / X-15 / SpaceShipOne style mission, where a mothership drops the main rocket, it falls for just enough time to get separation, and then the engines kick in.

I love the idea of optional time delays on parts.

[Stargate525]

Well it's not a bad idea but it's for a very specific purpose. Other than parachutes are there any reasons you could see for having a delayed action? I'm not sure I can.

Well, for heavy loads, staggering your parachute deployment at a touch of a button would be great.

Being able to decouple a spent stage, coast for a moment, then engage your next stage would be great.

Decoupling radially, then firing sepratrons after a small coast.

Aesthetically, being able to retract solar panels in sequence would be awesome.

Binding a brake key (don't know if you can do this, even) to brake with the rear wheels first, to prevent tumbles?

Staggering gear deployment for rovers when you're trying to flip them?

[Atoning Unifex]

Hmm staggering parachutes can be done by just having groups of chutes in different stages and also using tweakables to determine when they deploy fully. You can also perform coasting by leaving the decoupler in a stage on it's own - it won't activate any engines so you will coast until your activate the following stage.

The other suggestions seem reasonable, although personally I'd probably only go for the brake key (well maybe aesthetics too ;D)

Ok, well if there are other uses for delays in action groups then I'm all for adding functionality. In fact I'd love to see actions added into stages too!

[UH60guy]

Oh, much of this could be done with regular staging, but timers would eliminate the frantic spacebar mashing I'm prone to do during aborts. For example, my standard abort setup is a tower that fires sepratrons and pulls the capsule free of the main stack. This gets it away from the explosion in a jiffy. However, usually my parachutes are high on the staging list, and I don't like to waste an action group on them. So, for low altitude aborts, I have to resort to spacebar mashing and hoping that I can get through like 5 or 6 blank stages (as the rocket's exploded and separated) after the capsule separates just to get the parachutes. I'm normally very safe and never launch without an abort system. My only fatality was from a near-pad abort, where the capsule escaped properly, but I couldn't mash space fast enough to deploy parachutes. A timer could have been set up to deploy after the sepratrons cut out.

Adding a timer would have saved lives! Lives, I tell you! There's Kerbal blood on my hands! Has my space program learned nothing?

[Philoman]

I'm in for the decoupling thing. I like to clean up for myself, but I do not like, however, to either add a probe core to my orbit insertion stage or to delete debris in the Tracking Center afterwards. To have sepatrons or something similar to kick in once you have moved to a safe distance, because of the force from the decoupler, would be nice i think

[coolitic]

This is a good idea. Could be helpful.

[aeTIos]

There is a mod that does exactly this.

Edited January 28, 2014 by aeTIos
punctuation

[jmiki8]

I know, but it would be great if it was included in the stock game.