Change Root Part

[Bobdabiulder]

How do I do this?  It would be so helpful to know!

[Superfluous J]

1. Click the "change root" button, or hit "4" on your keyboard.
2. Click the ship, anywhere.
3. Click the part you want to be the new root.

Note: This process may change slightly when 1.1 comes out, either eliminating the need for step 2 or making it work as it was originally intended. For now, though, it feels like a useless step that you still have to do.

[Snikersnee]

I think this would be better in here.

[Snark]

Moving gameplay question to Gameplay Questions.

[Claw]

1 hour ago, 5thHorseman said:

Note: This process may change slightly when 1.1 comes out, either eliminating the need for step 2 or making it work as it was originally intended. For now, though, it feels like a useless step that you still have to do.

Probably more that the process will work as a whole now for 1.1.

In 1.0.5, the first click is basically meaningless because you can only easily re-root the main ship. So there's no reason for the first click to identify the thing you want to re-root, because there's only one choice (the main ship).

In 1.1, you'll be able to click on a stack of parts that you want to re-root (the first click), then actually select the part that will be the new root (second click). This allows for re-rooting not only the main ship, but any branch parts in standby, imported sub-assemblies, and merged ships. Also, the on-screen messages will be (hopefully) slightly more descriptive.

[fourfa]

14 minutes ago, Claw said:

Probably more that the process will work as a whole now for 1.1.

In 1.0.5, the first click is basically meaningless because you can only easily re-root the main ship. So there's no reason for the first click to identify the thing you want to re-root, because there's only one choice (the main ship).

In 1.1, you'll be able to click on a stack of parts that you want to re-root (the first click), then actually select the part that will be the new root (second click). This allows for re-rooting not only the main ship, but any branch parts in standby, imported sub-assemblies, and merged ships. Also, the on-screen messages will be (hopefully) slightly more descriptive.

ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  I love this

[Foxster]

On 17/03/2016 at 2:47 AM, Claw said:

Probably more that the process will work as a whole now for 1.1.

In 1.0.5, the first click is basically meaningless because you can only easily re-root the main ship. So there's no reason for the first click to identify the thing you want to re-root, because there's only one choice (the main ship).

In 1.1, you'll be able to click on a stack of parts that you want to re-root (the first click), then actually select the part that will be the new root (second click). This allows for re-rooting not only the main ship, but any branch parts in standby, imported sub-assemblies, and merged ships. Also, the on-screen messages will be (hopefully) slightly more descriptive.

If that works as I imagine it will be sooo handy.

I hope we can have a detached stack of parts (or sub-assembly) on-screen and make a part of it the root part and then attach that to the main craft. It is currently so difficult at times to do this. 

[Tantalus]

@ClawClaw: sorry for going off topic, but will it be possible to make a subassemly the active craft by using the re-root gizmo in 1.1? I mean, without attaching it first?

Regards

Tantalus

[Superfluous J]

32 minutes ago, Tantalus said:

@ClawClaw: sorry for going off topic, but will it be possible to make a subassemly the active craft by using the re-root gizmo in 1.1? I mean, without attaching it first?

Regards

Tantalus

That sounds like a cool idea. Build a rover, and then without saving it as a subassembly "merge" it with your lander, and then using the re-root tool make the lander the active craft so you can attach the rover to it.

Granted it's not *necessary*, you can do that all with the present tools. But using that argument they don't need to add the ability to reroot a subassembly, either.

[Tantalus]

1 hour ago, 5thHorseman said:

Build a rover, and then without saving it as a subassembly "merge" it with your lander, and then using the re-root tool make the lander the active craft so you can attach the rover to it.

Something like this. I thought of building a payload in VAB, then open the launcher-subassembly, make the launcher active and attach your payload. Especially when using cargo bays attatching a launcher subassembly to an active payload is a pain in the ass.

Regards

Tantalus

[Claw]

4 hours ago, Foxster said:

I hope we can have a detached stack of parts (or sub-assembly) on-screen and make a part of it the local root part and then attach that to the main craft.

I changed your words slightly so that I know we're talking about the same thing. Pretty much exactly what you said though. You can also do the same thing for a craft that is merged into the current craft.

 

4 hours ago, Tantalus said:

will it be possible to make a subassemly the active craft by using the re-root gizmo in 1.1? I mean, without attaching it first?

No, not with the system as described. The re-root tool only modifies the local root of the branch, and does not affect which branch is the active craft.

 

2 hours ago, Tantalus said:

I thought of building a payload in VAB, then open the launcher-subassembly, make the launcher active and attach your payload.  Especially when using cargo bays attatching a launcher subassembly to an active payload is a pain in the ass.

This is a good use case for such a system. Although I did some work on the node attachment...so hopefully it will be much easier to attach the cargo bay to the payload without it attaching to the wrong node or fluttering all over the place and turning red.

 

3 hours ago, 5thHorseman said:

Granted it's not *necessary*, you can do that all with the present tools. But using that argument they don't need to add the ability to reroot a subassembly, either.

I'd say there's a bit of a fundamental difference. Without a re-root tool, there's absolutely no way to re-root the craft (in stock). It would be forever stuck with the root part that it has.

But without a "make this branch active" tool, there are still several ways to get to the end goal...However, point taken.

[Superfluous J]

46 minutes ago, Claw said:

I'd say there's a bit of a fundamental difference. Without a re-root tool, there's absolutely no way to re-root the craft (in stock). It would be forever stuck with the root part that it has.

But without a "make this branch active" tool, there are still several ways to get to the end goal...However, point taken.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. What I meant was the changes upcoming in the 1.1 release are not strictly needed, as the tool we have now can still do them. It's super clunky, sure, but you can attain any goal (at least, any goal that I can think of) with the current tools. Similarly, the suggestion to allow swapping what "craftlet" is the "active" one is not strictly needed but could make some difficult tasks much easier.

[Tantalus]

1 hour ago, Claw said:

Although I did some work on the node attachment...so hopefully it will be much easier to attach the cargo bay to the payload without it attaching to the wrong node or fluttering all over the place and turning red.

Hi @Claw, thanks for that info, if attaching a subassemly gets easier it is worth a lot already.

[Claw]

6 hours ago, 5thHorseman said:

Similarly, the suggestion to allow swapping what "craftlet" is the "active" one is not strictly needed but could make some difficult tasks much easier.

Sure, I can agree with that.

 

5 hours ago, Tantalus said:

if attaching a subassemly gets easier it is worth a lot already.

If you happen to have a particularly troublesome subassembly, upload it and send me a link with any instructions on where the issue presents itself.