[1.2] Radar Altimeter - Toggle the altimeter to Radar mode (height above terrain/buildings)

[JoePatrick1]

This mod allows you to toggle the altimeter to show the radar altitude. This tells you the height above the terrain, sea or building if you're above one.

By default the backquote key (`) will toggle it but you can change this by opening the settings window by pressing '0' - this key can also be changed in the settings
When enabled the altimeter will change to blue

note: this altitude is from the control part (ie command pod or probe core), not the very bottom of the craft

Download
Source

Edited October 15, 2016 by JoePatrick1

[BigFatStupidHead]

Well done! Radar altimeter should have been accessible outside of IVA in the first place.

[CodatheSpaceFox]

Certainly seems like one of those "Should have been in the game by default" situations that I highly appreciate someone making. Kudos to you.

[Leo_G.]

Seriously, please send this to Squad and ask them to put it in as a stock feature.  It's the single biggest failure in the game (which is otherwise great).

[Waxing_Kibbous]

Take your like and 5-star rating sir! This mod is a thing of beauty, simple yet incredibly useful

[Nansuchao]

Beautiful and highly useful!!! Would it be possible to change the default key?

[JoePatrick1]

42 minutes ago, Nansuchao said:

Beautiful and highly useful!!! Would it be possible to change the default key?

Well it's not configurable with the mod but if you click on the link to the source then download the whole thing. Open it in a programming editor (like visual studio) and change where it says KeyCode.BackQuote to something else (here is a list) then recompile the plugin to your KSP folder.

If I get time this week I'll update it with configurable hotkey

[Fonz]

This mod doesn't seem to work with Macs, the backquote key doesn't toggle the radar altimeter it appears...

[Nansuchao]

2 hours ago, JoePatrick1 said:

Well it's not configurable with the mod but if you click on the link to the source then download the whole thing. Open it in a programming editor (like visual studio) and change where it says KeyCode.BackQuote to something else (here is a list) then recompile the plugin to your KSP folder.

If I get time this week I'll update it with configurable hotkey

Thank you very much. I don't think I'll be able to recompile it by myself, I asked cause with the european keyboard, ' and ì are the keys to switch to the near vessel.

[Psycho_zs]

Better tie it to surface/orbit navball state than key toggle.

[bazz]

This should so be stock thanks for this.

[fourfa]

Just adding a +1 to configurable key (I use the ~ key for Fine Control, as Caps seems unusable on my mac for whatever reason).  Also +1 to automatically show AGL altitude in atmo (or below some threshold like 10km) and ASL in orbit (or over the threshold)

[Waxing_Kibbous]

Minor bug- it appears timewarping resets the altimeter to the default mode, however it goes back to radar when warp gets set back to 1x.

[Psycho_zs]

On 09/10/2016 at 9:59 PM, fourfa said:

I use the ~ key for Fine Control

+1 for other reasons.

[Superfluous J]

I too will download and install this immediately without reservation.

I too would love to have it tied to surface mode, and have "sea level" be orbit mode. And while you're at it, have it be distance to target in target mode

[CalculusWarrior]

There seem to be a couple of complaints as to the choice of hotkey to toggle the altimeter reading. Perhaps you could add the option to swap to the radar altimeter when in Surface mode on the Navball? It seems to me that those two use cases are identical.

[JoePatrick1]

19 hours ago, CalculusWarrior said:

There seem to be a couple of complaints as to the choice of hotkey to toggle the altimeter reading. Perhaps you could add the option to swap to the radar altimeter when in Surface mode on the Navball? It seems to me that those two use cases are identical.

I am going to add a custom hotkey option as soon as I can. I don't want to tie it to surface mode because I want it to be under the full control of the user

[DirtyFace83]

On 08/10/2016 at 8:49 PM, Leo_G. said:

Seriously, please send this to Squad and ask them to put it in as a stock feature.  It's the single biggest failure in the game (which is otherwise great).

This, so much this.

 

I was using the 'Landing Height' mod, but it seems that hasn't been updated for some time and didn't seem to work with 1.2, so yea, although it's not the first of its kind, thank you for this mod . It's kinda silly that 'how far away am I really from that thing I don't want to crash into?' isn't stock and you have to either guess by watching your shadow, have landed in that spot before, or crash, log the altitude, and quickload to land safely.

[drtedastro]

Great mod, really enjoying it.

"if" possible, could the color also be users choice?

For me, the blue is so close to the normal black, that i find myself having to flip flop back and forth to make sure what mode i am in.

Not ultra important, but just a request for old set of eyes.

Cheers.

[micha]

On 12/10/2016 at 3:41 PM, JoePatrick1 said:

I am going to add a custom hotkey option as soon as I can. I don't want to tie it to surface mode because I want it to be under the full control of the user

While you're at adding a configurable hotkey option, make automatic mode also an option?

Regardless your mod has become must-have for me too

[JoePatrick1]

On 14/10/2016 at 7:07 AM, drtedastro said:

Great mod, really enjoying it.

"if" possible, could the color also be users choice?

For me, the blue is so close to the normal black, that i find myself having to flip flop back and forth to make sure what mode i am in.

Not ultra important, but just a request for old set of eyes.

Cheers.

I will try to add it

Edited October 15, 2016 by JoePatrick1

[drtedastro]

Thanks for even thinking about it.  

Really great, simple mod.  But soooooooo needed....

Many thanks, cheers.

[micha]

Sorry, not meaning to dampen enthusiasm here, but just found this mod (via CKAN):

Seems it is pretty much the same thing? Still like the idea of having manual switching vs automatic.

[JoePatrick1]

16 hours ago, micha said:

Sorry, not meaning to dampen enthusiasm here, but just found this mod (via CKAN):

Seems it is pretty much the same thing? Still like the idea of having manual switching vs automatic.

When I made my version that one hadn't been updated since 1.1 so I assumed it was dead.  

Oh well - I'll still update mine to have the custom hotkey

Edited October 15, 2016 by JoePatrick1

[klgraham1013]

Add this to the list of mods that should be stock.  I don't see how anyone, except that one guy, would complain about this.  Really, an obvious missing UI feature.