how you remember all those action group does?

[omelaw]

We should memorize all these action group to know what they do as there is no menu to show it in flight, isn't it?

[Scarecrow]

I try to standardise my action group keys so that it is easy to remember.

1 : Toggle multi use engines

2 : Flaps if fitted

3 : Toggle antennas/comms/solar panels

4 : Toggle ladders

5 : Toggle cargo bay doors

6 : Decouple docking port (used on Apollo style craft to decouple the lander)

7 : Avaialble

8 : Available

9 : Discard escape tower

0 : Decouple capsule and pop chutes (used after a launch abort)

Abort : Decouple capsule and fire escape tower rockets

[Frank_G]

Pretty much what Scarecrow does... I use the first 5 for the main mission craft and the second for all rovers, probes, landers etc, that detach from the main craft and operate independently. 1 and 6 are always engines, 5 and 0 are always equipment, like solar panels and antennas. The rest changes as needed.

[Sharpy]

If the action groups are not obvious - too many to remember - then I use either:

 or

mount these next to whatever is activated by action group and have the light toggle as well.

[Magzimum]

Whatever info you need in KSP that isn't displayed on screen: Pen(cil) & Paper.

 

I write checklists, action keys, names of relevant save games on a paper. Often also all kinds of other notes while I am in a design phase.

[memes in space]

 

2 hours ago, Scarecrow said:

 

0 : Decouple capsule and pop chutes (used after a launch abort)

Abort : Decouple capsule and fire escape tower rockets

That made me think, we need timed action groups, so that you can press abort, and it will pop the chutes after 10 seconds or so

[Snark]

2 hours ago, Scarecrow said:

I try to standardise my action group keys so that it is easy to remember.

^ Exactly this.  I always use the same actions for the same action groups, so I don't have to remember it on a ship-by-ship basis.

The only chore is having to remember to set them up every single time I build a new ship, which I find 1. tedious, and 2. easy to forget to do, but fortunately it annoyed me enough that I wrote a mod to take care of that. 

...that way I don't even have to tinker in the VAB every time, it just automatically sets things up how I like it.

There's also another, more subtle reason why I don't find this a problem:  Suppose I do end up somehow forgetting what the action groups are.  (It happens.  For example, there are some actions that I so rarely use, like "deploy flaps for airplane", that I don't have a standard, easy-to-remember slot for them.)  Well... if I forget, so what?  Just press buttons until I find the one that does what I want, and then I'm quickly reminded.

I don't have to worry about taking irrevocable actions (like decoupling things, etc.), because I simply make it a point that I never use action groups for anything irreversible.  That's what staging is for.

11 minutes ago, memes in space said:

That made me think, we need timed action groups, so that you can press abort, and it will pop the chutes after 10 seconds or so

Certainly I can imagine uses for timed action groups (if you really want this, you can get it from Smart Parts).... but in this particular case, I'm curious:  why do you need a 10-second delay on the parachutes?  Why not just stage them immediately, i.e. put them together in the same action group as Abort?

[Freds]

I recommend action groups extended mod.
It allows 255 up to action groups, and has a nice interface with buttons to click to execute some action.

 

[pincushionman]

This is why index cards were invented.

[Starman4308]

3 hours ago, Snark said:

  Why not just stage them immediately, i.e. put them together in the same action group as Abort?

For launch abort in particular: because you want your escape tower to fire and get the capsule clear, then pop the chutes, and quite possibly ditch the escape tower itself.

As to action groups: I try to put repeatable science (i.e. thermometer, gravitometer) on 4, non-repeatable science (goo pods, etc) on 5, and haven't really needed much else for action groups yet.

[Snark]

21 minutes ago, Starman4308 said:

For launch abort in particular: because you want your escape tower to fire and get the capsule clear, then pop the chutes, and quite possibly ditch the escape tower itself.

I'll have to take your word for it.  LES is an important thing IRL, but I've never found it even slightly necessary in KSP.  I'm not saying that every one of my ships always works perfectly as designed ... but I don't think I've ever built anything that was so addled it didn't even make it a kilometer off the launch pad.  Which means if I needed to abort, I'd be way higher than the chutes need to open anyway.  Just set the chutes' minimum deploy pressure to 0.6 or something, and they won't actually open at all until the ejected thing is well clear of the main craft.

(Of course it's all a moot point for me, because my LES is "Revert to VAB"...)

21 minutes ago, Starman4308 said:

As to action groups: I try to put repeatable science (i.e. thermometer, gravitometer) on 4, non-repeatable science (goo pods, etc) on 5, and haven't really needed much else for action groups yet.

For me, 1 = solar panels, 2 = radiators, 3 = antennas, 4 = deploy/retract drills, 5 = start/stop drills, 0 = toggle engine mode.  6 through 9 are for ad-hoc stuff on a per-ship basis.

[razark]

I store the action groups for each class in my database, so I only need to pull up the class information page of the webapp to check them.

[Mahnarch]

I've been playing for 3 years and I've never used those things.

 

They seem like they'd be handy, sometimes, though - like for solar panels and stuff.

I just never think to set them up until I'm in orbit.

[Superfluous J]

I just don't use them. All Y'All handles 99% of what I'd use them for ascend the rest I'd forget anyway.

The only exception is odd things with multiple engine configurations but I almost never make those.

[foamyesque]

I'm different from a lot of people: I tend to set them up in the order in which I'd use them in flight. As long as I can remember the sequence, I can remember which group does what.

[memes in space]

7 hours ago, Snark said:

Certainly I can imagine uses for timed action groups (if you really want this, you can get it from Smart Parts).... but in this particular case, I'm curious:  why do you need a 10-second delay on the parachutes?  Why not just stage them immediately, i.e. put them together in the same action group as Abort?

Rockets (escape tower) + parachute = B A D

[Snark]

1 minute ago, memes in space said:

Rockets (escape tower) + parachute = B A D

Right, that's the part I'm having understanding.  The parachutes don't open when you abort, they're just armed, so they'll automatically open when it's time for them to open.  In other words, you mentioned "timers", and what I'm asking is, what do timers let you do that the stock game's parachute options don't?

[magnemoe]

1 is drill down and start.
2 is retract drill, its also
2 is engine switch Rapier air or rocket mode or nuclear pulse / chemical was 1 but crashed with drills.
3 is solar panels / radiators. also ladders. 
4 is lights
5-6-7 tend to be experiments. special uses of all types. 

[Superfluous J]

1 hour ago, Snark said:

The parachutes don't open when you abort, they're just armed, so they'll automatically open when it's time for them to open.

If you arm a chute moving 250m/s or less, don't they open?

I'll admit I never use the abort tower and instead revert.

[MaxxQ]

3 hours ago, foamyesque said:

I'm different from a lot of people: I tend to set them up in the order in which I'd use them in flight. As long as I can remember the sequence, I can remember which group does what.

I actually do that as well:

1 - Deploy fairing (If I don't decide to let Gravity Turn do it for me)

2 - Deploy/toggle antenna(s)

3 - Deploy/toggle solar panels

4 - Deploy/toggle landing gear/legs

5 - Toggle ladder

The rest are for any special science gear or other things that aren't used/done on a regular basis.  I've yet to play around a whole lot with aircraft where I might need other options.

[Snark]

1 hour ago, 5thHorseman said:

If you arm a chute moving 250m/s or less, don't they open?

They only fully open if they're below the set altitude AGL, and they only partially deploy if they're above the pressure threshold.  So for a pretty broad swath of altitude-versus-speed space, it's possible to set parachute tweakables to provide a chance to get clear.

[Superfluous J]

5 minutes ago, Snark said:

They only fully open if they're below the set altitude AGL, and they only partially deploy if they're above the pressure threshold.  So for a pretty broad swath of altitude-versus-speed space, it's possible to set parachute tweakables to provide a chance to get clear.

True, but doesn't that also assume the emergency won't happen at certain altitudes and times? Isn't that just inviting them to happen at those exact times and places?

[razark]

5 minutes ago, Snark said:

So for a pretty broad swath of altitude-versus-speed space, it's possible to set parachute tweakables to provide a chance to get clear.

While it is possible, let's keep in mind that the LES is used only when things have already gone very, very wrong.  It's better in that situation to not make any assumptions about what the vehicle may or may not be doing/capable of doing.

 

For example, I can see activating an abort at low altitude/speed.  This is within the parachute deployment zone.  Detach capsule/LES from booster, deploy parachutes, and activate a high-thrust rocket engine.  That could be quickly followed by a message about parachutes being destroyed by airflow.

[mikegarrison]

9 hours ago, Snark said:

I'll have to take your word for it.  LES is an important thing IRL, but I've never found it even slightly necessary in KSP.  I'm not saying that every one of my ships always works perfectly as designed ... but I don't think I've ever built anything that was so addled it didn't even make it a kilometer off the launch pad.  Which means if I needed to abort, I'd be way higher than the chutes need to open anyway.  Just set the chutes' minimum deploy pressure to 0.6 or something, and they won't actually open at all until the ejected thing is well clear of the main craft.

That, plus I'm not above simply hitting the "revert to launch" button.

[Big Kerbie]

I just write them down. Mostly for retractable solar panels and radiators and antennas. Activating all science experiments (reusable and non reusable) and collecting all Science.  Lights are either tied to the lights button or to the landing gear button. Gear is pretty obvious. Abort is rarely used. I rarely get more than 5 groups together.