Brainlord's random list of suggestions

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

I thought I’d make up to the group for my recent 1.1 rant (I’ve never been called a troll before) with some actual constructive suggestions.

I’ve been accumulating this list:

Center of DRAG in VAB/SPH
The Center Of Drag of a vehicle needs to be behind its center of mass or it won’t fly.  I’m imagining a red sphere with an arrow pointing at it.

Action Group commands as call-outs over the part
When programming action groups, when I click on a part, the various options for that part should show up as a popup under my mouse like a tweak menu, instead of way over there on the sidebar.  It will be a lot less mouse movement and make programming action groups a lot easier.

Use the word: “Command”
There are several places in the game where you seem to be searching for a word.  That word is “Command.” You shouldn’t “jump to ship, ” or “switch to” a ship, or even “fly” a ship as it might be a rover or base, you should “Take Command” (that always applies) They shouldn’t be “Action Groups” they should be “Command Keys”

SAS Hold Relative to Prograde (or SOI)
If I’m reentering a space plane I want to put the nose  a little bit above prograde and hold of there.  Or set it for climb or descent.  (but of course relative to prograde is also relative to retrograde and normal and everything else, so I’m not sure what you call it)

Get rid of the 8 bit (now scoreboard) font.
It was 8 bit before (now it looks like scoreboard) but just to get rid of it.  It’s the 21^st century, please use of nice clean readable font.  (You do know, that a lot of your players have age-related presbyopia)

One opening screen
Please combine the 2 ½ opening screens I have to go through to launch and load a saved game into one.  its just unnecessary clicking.

Persistent “Control from here”
When I “switch” back its losing where “Control from here” was. (EDIT: only sometimes? maybe its a bug?)

Persistent ship names
When I undock from a Space Station can I please get my ship name back?? (or just keep it while docked?)

Undo Node Edit
And can I please have control-Z work (EDIT: or an undo button) when I screw-up that absolutely perfect rendezvous maneuver I just had entered a second ago?

No timewarp with spacecraft within X meters
While obviously not a game-engine restriction (like the other “Cannot Timewarp when …” things) Timewarp with a ship within 100 meters is usually not a good idea, and accidental Timewarp while docking is disastrous. I know!  (maybe its an option)

Thanks Guys!

Good work on 1.1(.1) 

Edited April 30, 2016 by Brainlord Mesomorph

[legoclone09]

I like all of these!

[Alshain]

24 minutes ago, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

Undo Node Edit

 

And can I please have control-Z work when I screw-up that absolutely perfect rendezvous maneuver I just had entered a second ago?

Control is throttle down.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

5 minutes ago, Alshain said:

Control is throttle down.

not if I don't have the navball up. 

 

(although that explains why I sometimes find a little thrust on after I've been plotting nodes. I instinctively hit ctl-z when i screw up) 

Edited April 30, 2016 by Brainlord Mesomorph

[Alshain]

1 minute ago, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

not if I don't have the navball up. 

Doesn't matter, they aren't going to overload controls like that.  All it would do is cause trouble.  They could put an undo button, but no Ctrl-Z.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

I was about say a right click option  (with Next orbit)

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

56 minutes ago, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

Persistent ship names
When I undock from a Space Station can I please get my ship name back?? (or just keep it while docked?)

Realizing how complex this really is, Esp with orbital construction. 

So how about this: You can designate a ship as "Under Construction" then anything you attach is absorbed into the hierarchy (like now) after you turn that off,(ie its complete) *then* ships that dock to it retain their identities.

Then you could pick from a list "Undock Duna Lander III" and it would separate w/o you having to figure out which docking post that is. 

[LaytheDragon]

1 hour ago, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

No timewarp with spacecraft within X meters
While obviously not a game-engine restriction (like the other “Cannot Timewarp when …” things) Timewarp with a ship within 100 meters is usually not a good idea, and accidental Timewarp while docking is disastrous. I know!  (maybe its an option)

This would have to be restricted to orbit (and escape trajectories, for near-Kerbin asteroids), as one wants to not have to go to the tracking station to timewarp a base that contains multiple separate, undocked modules.

[Alshain]

22 minutes ago, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

Realizing how complex this really is, Esp with orbital construction. 

So how about this: You can designate a ship as "Under Construction" then anything you attach is absorbed into the hierarchy (like now) after you turn that off,(ie its complete) *then* ships that dock to it retain their identities.

Then you could pick from a list "Undock Duna Lander III" and it would separate w/o you having to figure out which docking post that is. 

It's only complex because of the way they are currently doing it.  A little save file structure reorganization could do it, I'm just not sure if Squad is willing.  If a "DOCKED_VESSEL" tag could encapsulate multiple VESSEL tags it would be very easy, but only Squad can do that.

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

 

1 hour ago, LaytheDragon said:

This would have to be restricted to orbit (and escape trajectories, for near-Kerbin asteroids), as one wants to not have to go to the tracking station to timewarp a base that contains multiple separate, undocked modules.

didn't think of that!

How about just not on the surface?

1 hour ago, Alshain said:

It's only complex because of the way they are currently doing it.  A little save file structure reorganization could do it, I'm just not sure if Squad is willing.  If a "DOCKED_VESSEL" tag could encapsulate multiple VESSEL tags it would be very easy, but only Squad can do that.

Still need to turn it off for orbital construction.

Edited April 30, 2016 by Brainlord Mesomorph

[LaytheDragon]

44 minutes ago, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

but you still need 

didn't think of that!

How about just not on the surface?

That would be nice. You forgot to mention that debris (also known as vessels classified as debris that may or may not actually be debris) would not activate the timewarp prevention, so ejected stages could still be separated without issues. In addition, the timewarp buttons at the top could still work, sort of like a "manual override", and the entire feature, for disabling timewarp when in physics range of other vessels in orbit, could be toggled in the settings (if it were implemented, I'd hope the in-flight and title screen settings pages would both show this setting, and that it would be mentioned in KSPedia).

Edited April 30, 2016 by LaytheDragon

[Moesly_Armlis]

3 hours ago, Brainlord Mesomorph said:

Persistent “Control from here”
When I “switch” back its losing where “Control from here” was. (EDIT: only sometimes? maybe its a bug?)

There is a new setting feature "Retain Control Point on enter IVA"  that fixed the control point when switching around in IVA, maybe it applies to this issue as well.

 

 

 

[CaLVin-K]

Also, can we rename the astronaut complex to "kerbonaut complex" and the sun to "Kerbol" This change is small, but it goes a log way in completing the feeling of emersion in the Kerbal universe.