Parachute Staging Toggle

[The_Lieutenant]

I'm aware that this has been suggested a number of times before. However, I have never observed much follow up to the topic. I think it would be a very welcome feature to be able to toggle parachutes out of staging entirely, like you can with decouplers (as of a few patches ago, anyways). The first and perhaps most significant advantage to this is that it would allow the user a lot more freedom in designing emergency systems for their rocket.

At the moment, I find it very frustrating that although the game includes both an emergency escape tower as well as a dedicated "abort" action group assignment, it's kind of inconvenient and annoying to actually utilize them. The primary reason for this is that they just add additional components to wrangle in staging. The interface could be exactly the same as the staging toggle for decouplers. Just right click the parachute, then click the option to disable it in staging.

Another use of such a feature would be more precise control of parachutes for specific situations. Slowing a landing space-plane, for example. You could have parachutes be in their own separate stage, but then you have to worry constantly about accidentally triggering them at a bad time. With them toggled out of staging entirely, you can decide exactly if and when the parachutes are deployed. On a personal note, my neigh-pathological fear of messing up chute staging is why I've never tried making a space-plane styled after the space shuttle.

A secondary suggestion, for the same reason, is to make it possible to toggle engines out of staging as well.

Edited May 16, 2016 by The_Lieutenant
additional information

[Alshain]

Not to distract from your stock suggestion, but in case you need it, here is a ModuleManager script to make it happen.  I included my own fairing control as well.

@PART[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleProceduralFairing]]:FINAL
{
	@MODULE[ModuleProceduralFairing]
	{
		stagingEnableText = Fairing: Enable Staging
		stagingDisableText = Fairing: Disable Staging
		stagingToggleEnabledEditor = true
	}
}
@PART[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleParachute]]:FINAL
{
	@MODULE[ModuleParachute]
	{
		stagingEnableText = Parachute: Enable Staging
		stagingDisableText = Parachute: Disable Staging
		stagingToggleEnabledEditor = true
	}
}

Unfortunately Engines do not appear implement this control.  I tried, it didn't work.

[The_Lieutenant]

On 5/16/2016 at 7:33 PM, Alshain said:

Not to distract from your stock suggestion, but in case you need it, here is a ModuleManager script to make it happen.  I included my own fairing control as well.

(a bunch of stuff)

Unfortunately Engines do not appear implement this control.  I tried, it didn't work.

I hate to sound stupid, but I only vaguely have an idea what I'm supposed to do with that script. Do I append it to the end of the part's config file?

[Alshain]

2 minutes ago, The_Lieutenant said:

I hate to sound stupid, but I only vaguely have an idea what I'm supposed to do with that script. Do I append it to the end of the part's config file?

Since I posted that, I created a compilation thread with instructions.  Click the second link in my signature.

[The_Lieutenant]

6 minutes ago, Alshain said:

Since I posted that, I created a compilation thread with instructions.  Click the second link in my signature.

Oh, I see. Thank you! Now I just have to figure out if the escape tower counts too much as an engine to do the same. I still think it should be a stock feature, though.

Edited May 18, 2016 by The_Lieutenant
further clarification

[The_Lieutenant]

They appear to have removed staging toggle from the game entirely now. That's quite a step backwards. Shall we look forward to the removal of gravity and control surfaces in the future?

[Kryxal]

Heat shields can be toggled on an individual basis, I would think you could probably use that as a basis or some such.  Bit of a necro, though.

[Alshain]

7 hours ago, The_Lieutenant said:

They appear to have removed staging toggle from the game entirely now. That's quite a step backwards. Shall we look forward to the removal of gravity and control surfaces in the future?

They moved it to Advanced Tweakables, which is stupid, but at least it isn't gone.

[The_Lieutenant]

7 hours ago, Alshain said:

They moved it to Advanced Tweakables, which is stupid, but at least it isn't gone.

I'm not even sure I know what that is or how to get at it.

[NSEP]

4 hours ago, The_Lieutenant said:

I'm not even sure I know what that is or how to get at it.

Just go to settings and check the Advanced Tweakables option in the game section of the settings.

[Alshain]

What NSEP said, and you have to have the patch too.

[The_Lieutenant]

Got it working. Kind of annoying to put those features behind a tiny menu toggle.

[Choctofliatrio2.0]

So is what you're saying is that you want parachutes to be outside staging because you don't know when you'd need them?
I can relate.

Generally what I do is just put it at the very end of the list, so everything else will deploy before it.

[Ivy]

This is a bit old but still relevant; with mods (namely RealChute) it can be especially useful to instead opt in to assigning a custom action group for "arming" the parachute for automatic deployment rather than having the default staging always stick around.