[1.0.x - OBSOLETE] ClampsBeGone - Stop clamps following your vessels into flight! [Aug 17]

[iPeer]

 

 

AS OF VERSION 1.0.5, THIS MOD IS NO LONGER REQUIRED (HOORAY!), IT DOESN'T EVEN WORK ON 1.0.5, BUT WILL NOT BE UPDATED TO FUTURE VERSIONS!

 

It's a fairly well know issue that launch clamps like to follow vessels you're launching into flight, often ending explosively. This mod aims to fix this by deleting the clamps as soon as you launch the vessel. Nothing much to say, really.

 

 

Download from GitHub

Alternatively, from KerbalStuff

Also available on CKAN as ClampsBeGone

 

Source code!

Check the entire release list to help test new versions!

Licensed under GNU GPL 3.0!

 

 

 

Dates are dd/mm/yy

 

 

17/08/15, v1.2:
    * Added an option to delay removal of launch clamps (default: OFF). Delay can range from 1 second to 2 minutes (default: 10s).
    * Added an options GUI to help configuration.
    * Added an option to have clamps explode instead of being deleted (default: OFF).
    * [#3] Vessels will no longer vaporise when EVAing Kerbals while in a PRELAUNCH state.
    * ClampsBeGone will no longer run while the player is using non-physical timewarp.


29/07/15, v1.1.2:
    * [#2] Fixed an issue that caused FASA's umbilical towers to nullref when being refunded in career saves.


28/07/15, v1.1.1:
    * [#1] Fixed an issue where certain mod clamps were being removed before a vessel was launched, causing the game to nullref, catastrophically in some cases.


28/07/15, v1.1:
    * Added KSP-AVC support
    * No longer requires launch clamps to be single-part vessels.
    * Will refund the cost of clamps (and any part attached to them) in Career saves.
    * Support for non-stock LaunchClamp modules (see https://github.com/iPeer/ClampsBeGone/wiki/Adding-Mod-Modules)


27/07/15, v1.0:
    * Initial release

 

Edited February 21, 2016 by iPeer
1.2

[Alshain]

It's funny, I've never actually seen this problem myself. I've seen others with it, so Kudos on finding a way around it.

[kofeyh]

Aww jeah. Top effort brosif.

Having just experienced colliding with clamps for the eleventieth time again yesterday, this humble idiot thanks you.

Edited July 27, 2015 by kofeyh

[hab136]

Good idea, good execution, awesome name.

v.Die/*InAFire*/();

Suggestions for the next version:

• Recover the ship, or just give the user the 200 funds per clamp in career mode
  
• Optionally use Part.Explode() on the launch clamp part instead. More explosions = better
  
• Sometimes people attach lights or fuel tanks to their clamps (so "a => a.parts.Count == 1" is no longer valid)
  
• Support for non-stock clamps (like FASA)
  

Hmm, that might be another way to accomplish the same thing - use ModuleManager to replace the launch clamp's decouple PartModule with one that just did .explode()

[SquaredSpekz]

I just saw this and that happened immediately. I was shocked to the awesomeness among the forums. Then I saw it was you iPeer. I was like this is it. The start of everything new. #KillTheClamps

[Harusee]

Bravo sir! Should be in the Bugfix group!

[Gaalidas]

This is indeed a nice fix for such things, even considering I've never had this problem with rockets before. Now, I have had this issue with runway craft that needed launch stability before, which is rather annoying. With that in mind, I'd probably have made this into an optional toggle on the part itself, or made a separate clamp that featured this. But... this is a good quick fix as it is.

[iPeer]

Good idea, good execution, awesome name.

v.Die/*InAFire*/();

Suggestions for the next version:

• Recover the ship, or just give the user the 200 funds per clamp in career mode
  
• Optionally use Part.Explode() on the launch clamp part instead. More explosions = better
  
• Sometimes people attach lights or fuel tanks to their clamps (so "a => a.parts.Count == 1" is no longer valid)
  
• Support for non-stock clamps (like FASA)
  

Hmm, that might be another way to accomplish the same thing - use ModuleManager to replace the launch clamp's decouple PartModule with one that just did .explode()

This should work with almost any launch clamp unless they don't use the stock LaunchClamp module (which the FASA clamps do). I know EPL uses a custom module, for example. I've actually never seen anyone using clamps without the stock module have the issue, though support should be able to be added for them. Your points about the recovery and lights etc. on the clamps are good points. I'll have a look into this stuff and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the feedback!

Edited July 27, 2015 by iPeer

[JeffreyCor]

You are a hero!!

[magico13]

Nice! StageRecovery has had a similar mechanic in it (link) for a while but waits until the clamps get unloaded to delete them. For whatever reason it doesn't always fire, so every now and then I have this issue still. (The reason there are 3 methods to remove it in SR is because I didn't know which one was actually working... looks like Vessel.Die() might be good enough)

[TheRag]

You have done a mighty deed today. No longer flying launch clamps will plague me and others.

[monstah]

i've never collided with one, but I surely dodged them a couple times, to my surprise.

Will install this, and not tempt fate again.

[benjee10]

I cannot describe how happy I am that you have made this. Gone are the days of me quick saving and quick loading five seconds into every launch. Take all of my reputations

[rabidninjawombat]

Nice! StageRecovery has had a similar mechanic in it (link) for a while but waits until the clamps get unloaded to delete them. For whatever reason it doesn't always fire, so every now and then I have this issue still. (The reason there are 3 methods to remove it in SR is because I didn't know which one was actually working... looks like Vessel.Die() might be good enough)

That explains why ive never had the clamp issue I always run with StageRecover/KCT. Didnt know it did that.

Great mod Ipeer!

[BigFatStupidHead]

I stopped using launch clamps because of this bug. Good to know I have the option to go back to them. Thanks!

[blnk2007]

That explains why ive never had the clamp issue I always run with StageRecover/KCT. Didnt know it did that.

Great mod Ipeer!

I still have "The Clamp" with Stage Recovery.

[JeffreyCor]

Same here, always use Stage Recovery but keep having the clamps causing problems. This mod is a dream come true

[FungusForge]

I have this 300+ part shuttle that consistently gets attacked by the clamps, now I can finally pull it out of storage and launch it. Awesome.

[Bizz Keryear]

It's funny, I've never actually seen this problem myself. I've seen others with it, so Kudos on finding a way around it.

In stock it is already fixed for a while now (at least I haven't seen it since several versions for the stock ones)... but FASA still does it excessively (and because of that I have uninstalled it)

[Temeter]

In stock it is already fixed for a while now (at least I haven't seen it since several versions for the stock ones)... but FASA still does it excessively (and because of that I have uninstalled it)

It's not fixed, also happens in stock. Seems to be an irregular bug.

[Dnaha]

YES!!! Finally! The launch clamps following me into orbit was by far the most annoying thing I've encountered in KSP. Kudos to you.

[SavingPilotRyan]

Thank you so much for this. I've been having to make mine with decouplers and steel plates. Now I get actual clamps again.

Is there any way to delay the deletion of the clamps until the craft clears the tower, or similar? Maybe after the craft hits 1000m? At least for me, the clamp attacks always start at 8000m.

[iPeer]

I've updated ClampsBeGone to vesion 1.1 based on some user feedback (thanks!):

    * Added KSP-AVC support
    * No longer requires launch clamps to be single-part vessels.
    * Will refund the cost of clamps (and any part(s) attached to them) in Career saves.
    * Support for non-stock LaunchClamp modules

ClampsBeGone can now work with modded modules. By default it only supports Extraplanetary Launchpads (EPL), however, other modules may be added. See here for instructions on how to do that. If you find another module out that that isn't stock, I'd really appreciate it if you also let me know about it so I can add it to the default list within the mod.

For clarification, this only applies to mods that implement their own modules on launch clamps (such as EPL) and do not make use of the stock "LaunchClamp" module the game provides. There are likely only a few mods out there that do this and ClampsBeGone should support most non-stock launch clamps right out of the box.

Edited July 28, 2015 by iPeer

[JeffreyCor]

I'd love to see a delay or delay option as well to give time to clear before they are removed. If not distance then time would also work, say 5 seconds after launch. This would allow a fixed delay time without having to read anything but still give time to get in the air without so much time as the bug would hit.

[iPeer]

Seeing as so many people are requesting a delay feature of sorts, I will look in to it and see what I can do.