Your heatshields don't have to be ugly.

[Randazzo]

Everybody knows the heatshield fairings are less than aesthetically pleasing.

But did you know you can connect decouplers directly to the shield? I didn't.

Thanks to this little snippet...

node_stack_direct = 0.0, -0.00, 0.0, 0.0, -1.0, 0.0, 0

I wonder if that's always been there?

[Captain Sierra]

This was in the 1.0.3 patch, but being a fairly small change out of a massive patch, most people didnt notice.

[AlexinTokyo]

Flagging this to view when I get somewhere the pictures aren't blocked.

[regex]

Wait, what? Is this a Module Manager patch or is it now stock? Because I just built a craft tonight and it still had those hideous connectors. Please tell me this is stock 1.0.4...

[Rhomphaia]

Wait, what? Is this a Module Manager patch or is it now stock? Because I just built a craft tonight and it still had those hideous connectors. Please tell me this is stock 1.0.4...

It is stock, there are now 2 nodes under the heatshield, one gives the fairing, the other attaches directly.

[Alshain]

They need to just remove the fairing one, unless they can fix them so they aren't so wide, they are hideous and unless they fixed it they disappear making them look even worse.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Alshain

[regex]

They need to just remove the fairing one, unless they can fix them so they aren't so wide, they are hideous and unless they fixed it they disappear making them look even worse.

^This man speaks the truth.

[Chaos_Klaus]

Hm. Two stack nodes. This opens new possibilities. Can both be used simultaniously.?

[Sharpy]

Hm. Two stack nodes. This opens new possibilities. Can both be used simultaniously.?

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Oh the clipping possibilities. For example, a tiny service bay.

[Kuu Lightwing]

Waat? That's awesome, man!

[G'th]

I really have to wonder why they stuck that god awful fairing on there and didn't make it so it flushed with the part above it (presuming the part above it was the same size anyway, ie, a pod)

It looks stupid.

[WWEdeadman]

Hmmm, I actually don't mind that fairing at all .-.

[Superfluous J]

Hmmm, I actually don't mind that fairing at all .-.

Yeah compared to tons of other stuff, that fairing is way low on my personal peeve list. If you want to talk about ugly, too big, and sticking out all over let's talk 2.5m decoupler.

[Geschosskopf]

Yeah compared to tons of other stuff, that fairing is way low on my personal peeve list. If you want to talk about ugly, too big, and sticking out all over let's talk 2.5m decoupler.

Because needing heatshields is new to the stock game, I've not yet developed the mental "muscle memory" of always putting them on my ships, which has killed numerous Kerbals. So I find the fairing useful for telling at a glance whether I've got a heatshield or not. However, I do appreciate knowing that the fairing is optional, so that when adding them becomes pure habit, I can make prettier ships.

I agree, the 2.5m decoupler is a bit on the hideous side. However, a lot of small parts fit neatly into its groove, which is sometimes useful.

[moogoob]

Nice to know! Will this work with (say) a size-1 decoupler and a size-2 heat shield? It would help cut down on weight on my (soon-to-be) Eve lander probe's transfer stage if I can use a smaller decoupler.

(I could technically "use" the decoupler before, but it would have a ring of fairing hovering over and around it which looks astoundingly ugly.)

[NecroBones]

This was in the 1.0.3 patch, but being a fairly small change out of a massive patch, most people didnt notice.

Wait, what? Is this a Module Manager patch or is it now stock? Because I just built a craft tonight and it still had those hideous connectors. Please tell me this is stock 1.0.4...

It is stock, there are now 2 nodes under the heatshield, one gives the fairing, the other attaches directly.

Yes, it was added in 1.0.3, and is the sole reason for the 1.0.4 patch. Adding that attachment node broke people's savegames, so 1.0.4 was released to fix that.

[jlcarneiro]

I'm using 1.0.4 right now and had a problem with this second attach node a couple days ago: my craft seemed nice but during reentry I just could NOT decouple it (I was using K2 command pod but I'd tested it on Kerbin first).

Anyway, my craft could not maintain its position during reentry (kept pointing prograde) and although it did not explode, it was too fast to deploy chutes (they were obliterated). The only option I had was to eject both kerbalnauts, and make them fall on their heads. I used one glitch to solve another...