Request: A mod that allows you to build a "stockpile" of parts.

[Tangle]

If you are a KSP veteran, you know what I mean. The "Parts:999" that was in the part's stats. What I'd be very interested in would be a mod that allows for this, by making a recovery allow you to reuse the same parts for a fraction of the cost. For example, a "space shuttle" recovery would allow you to either re-fly the whole craft, with a given name even, for a fraction of the launch cost for the orbiter, OR you could pry the recovered parts apart- this would mean that if you pried that orbiter apart and then used those parts to just fly the same orbiter, it would cost a bit more. This would mean that you could fly a Gemini-style capsule up, like Gemini 2, and then you could refurbish it, allowing you to send up another mission- like OPS 0855- using the same capsule. Another option of the mod would be renaming the part- that is, it would function like a separate part with only the cost, amount of resources in the capsule, and name changed- for example, "Mk1 Pod 'Atlanta'" could be one.

[Streetwind]

Kerbal Construction Time does this. Well, sort of.

The parts still cost the full price when they are reused, but you have to keep in mind that they have to be recovered before you can reuse them, and recovery returns up to the full price to your funds account. So a cost reduction for reuse does not even make sense, unless part recovery didn't return any money in the first place.

What KCT does is letting you keep recovered parts in stock, and upon constructing a new vessel that uses those parts, they will contribute almost nothing to the time requirement. So if you have a spaceplane, it might take a very long time to build initially, but after you recover it, every subsequent launch will involve just a few hours of what you can roleplay as "basic maintenance and fueling her up again".

I often use this to keep my construction lines busy even when I'm not currently needing them. I'll just go to the VAB or SPH, stick together a random assortment of parts which I know I will eventually need, let it build in the background, put it on the pad/runway, and just recover it instantly for a full refund and a nice stock of pre-built parts. Especially useful for consumable parts, like tanks, rocket engines and decouplers, which you don't get back from returning missions. Things like pods and science equiment and parachutes on the other hand tend to return anyway, so you don't need a big stockpile.

 

Edited February 26, 2016 by Streetwind
Typos, typos everywhere!

[Tangle]

Yes, I was thinking of KCT but I was entirely unsure of if it was able to do so, and figured I should ask first.