[Bug] When a Kerbal is forcefully ejected from EAS-1 seat, they become debris

[thereaverofdarkness]

it won't let me select the correct prefix

KSP Version: v1.0.0.830 Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (6.1.7601) 64bit

What Happens: When a Kerbal is forcefully ejected from EAS-1 external command seat, they count as debris and cannot be operated. You cannot move them or return them to the seat.

Mods / Add-Ons: All Stock

Steps to Replicate:

1) Make a rover with wheels and an EAS seat that can go pretty fast

2) Put a Kerbal into the EAS seat

3) Get the rover going about 10m/s and roll it

4) If you roll it right, you can eject the Kerbal from the seat due to the impact without destroying the seat or the Kerbal

5) An alternative way to eject the Kerbal is to invoke the Kraken by putting a reaction wheel on the rover and attaching the rover between separated stacks on a craft, with barely enough room for the rover. Detatching the rover can cause it to get stuck between stacks and cause phantom force from the torque force, possibly separating parts of the rover such as the Kerbal from the EAS.

I provided a craft file plus instructions in the bottom section.

Result: Sometimes when Kerbal has been ejected, that Kerbal cannot be operated and is listed in the map screen as debris.

Fixes/Workarounds:

- avoid having EAS-1 receive impacts

- avoid using EAS-1

- save frequently and re-load if Kerbal is ejected from EAS-1

Other Notes/Pictures/Log Files:

Here I will provide a craft file that can easily demonstrate the phenomenon:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/x8om1blo46leyi2/Rescue%20Mission%20%235.craft?dl=0

- load the craft file and remove the SRBs from the bottom

- empty all but one set of fuel tanks, and set them to 10% fuel

- make sure there is a Kerbal in the command pod

- on the launchpad, with throttle at full and holding down the W key, you can tip the craft over

- take care to bring throttle to zero once you have tipped it far enough for it to continue falling on its own

- have your Kerbal get out and climb over the top of the craft (hold W to walk against the edge of the X200-8 tank to make F cause the Kerbal to step over it), then enter either of the EAS seats on the rover

- decouple the rover

- use the QWEASD keys to twist the rover out of the craft and onto the launchpad - this action alone may detach the kerbal

- if Kerbal is still attached to rover when it is freed, disable the reaction wheel's torque and get the rover moving up to 9m/s, then re-enable torque and push W to flip the rover forward, which will slam the Kerbal against the ground

The explosion sound is from the forward OX-STAT panel being destroyed

Images:

The first time I tried it, I managed to eject Jebediah from the seat and have him able to walk around. Apparently it doesn't always turn the Kerbal into debris, I'm guessing it does this at higher impact velocities.

Edited May 29, 2015 by thereaverofdarkness

[Claw]

Thanks for the excellent bug report. It happens if you manage to hit the kerbal into the ground and ragdoll them in the seat. Unfortunately this bug has been around for several versions now.

On the plus side, you can fix up your kerbal manually by editing the save file. Or, if you aren't opposed to add-ons, I have created a fix for this here: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/97285-0-25-Stock-Bug-Fix-Modules

Cheers,

-Claw

[thereaverofdarkness]

Thanks!

[TheMoonRover]

Hmm, I was just on my way to report this same bug in the modded section. I've been playing KSP for a long time, but somehow I never encountered this bug until I was flying crashed a miniscule biplane using DMP in a slightly modded server (apart from DMP I was playing stock).

[GarrettKajmowicz]

+1

I hit this as well in 1.0 ragdolling the driver. Able to control the rover. Not able to control the Kerbal.

[GarrettKajmowicz]

How do you edit the file to fix up the Kerbal? In my save file they are listed as PART name = kerbalEVAfemale with values like:

MODULE

name = KerbalEVA

isEnabled = True

with a pile of other options.

How do I get them sitting in the seat they are currently standing in?

[thereaverofdarkness2]

I have a hypothesis as to what may be causing this. It just came to me, but it seems to obvious now. Perhaps what looks like the kerbal is indeed just a piece of the rover, and it shows your kerbal being there because the kerbal is inside the piece. Maybe all you need to do is EVA from the debris. I can't be bothered to test it right now, though.

Possible steps to fix the bug:

1. Make sure the kerbal piece of the EAS seat automatically "ejects" the kerbal any time it is no longer attached to the rest of the seat.
2. Strengthen the bond between the kerbal and the Seat
3. Rewrite the game's code to allow Kerbals to actually be attached to the outside of the craft - this is probably the most difficult option but it would solve many more problems down the road (and possibly lead to many new ones!)

[Claw]

@thereaverofdarkness This bug has actually been fixed (since 1.0.5 I think), and the follow on but (kerbals getting stuck to the seat) has been fixed in 1.1.0. (The thread is almost a year old.)