Dock Port Warns Me About Debris Ejection

[Wader8]

Hello

There is a situation where the enginner helper (forgot the name) displays a warning about the lower stage not having a command pod, however this is the intended function.

I have an engine and 2 fuel tanks connected to a decoupler that points up, and the decoupler is connected to the upper dock port, the dock port is then connected to a satellite with proper command pods.

I guess the game logic does not understand this way of doing it, but it does work in practise, I just wanted have a dock there and that's how I did it, frist time im doing a satellite at all, and inside a cargo bay.

I had some problems connecting two dock ports together, especially because of that you can't costruct individual parts while not connected to the main, takes a lot of fiddling but I eventually figtured most of it out.

Creating complext satellites and the launch craft behind it is a bit more complicated simply because of the natrue of the editor, it kinda wants to be connected to one command pod, the way multi-select across parts work, I think this is a key area that needs improvement, and the hangar camera is not free enough, one of the biggest annoyances in this game is that the camera can't scroll up to the ceiling, connecting structural struts is sometimes a huge fiddle because the camera has to be positioned in such a way but because of the limitations it is a lot of the times far away from the area of interest.

 

Edited February 26, 2017 by Wader8

[bewing]

Sometimes, using the middle mouse button can move the camera in useful ways.

Also holding down Shift, or Alt, or Ctrl while you are trying to move the camera can make it move in more useful ways.

These are things that new players often don't try.

 

[Wader8]

Same thing when using 2 docking ports to get rid of fairing and fuel tanks, now this could be justified here, but not the one case I was using above.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

In regards to your first problem, it's an inherent part of the way the game's rocket design works and most likely won't be changed. Rocket's are built on a "tree" system with every part having a parent part, you'll have to learn to work around this limitation.

As far as your second issue with the camera, I use and highly recommend:

 

Edited February 28, 2017 by Rocket In My Pocket

[Wader8]

Thanks, I also recall the name now, it's called the "Engineer's Report" that's the messages I was talking about, that when I attach a decoupler to a dock it thinks that I'm trying to use docks as decouplers. Yes I am trying to eject leftover fuel tanks but also leave the module with a dock port, so that's why this message could be removed imo.

Attacking a decoupler to a dock port could also put shroud around it just like with engines, this would be more logical to me. But there's nothing wrong practically, it all still works. I hope I worded this correctly now.

Edited February 28, 2017 by Wader8

[bewing]

That's probably the point, though. You don't need both. The docking port can do everything the decoupler can do -- it has a built-in decoupler, in a sense.

[Zeiss Ikon]

On 2/28/2017 at 1:50 PM, bewing said:

That's probably the point, though. You don't need both. The docking port can do everything the decoupler can do -- it has a built-in decoupler, in a sense.

One important difference, though -- a docking port will disengage on excessive bending force or tension, while a decoupler won't disengage until it explodes (unless triggered).  Decouplers are also a great deal stiffer than docking ports (especially the Jr. size, the ones that fit the small end of a Mk. 1 Command Pod), which can make a BIG difference during launch (say, of a command/lander setup like Apollo, but with Mercury capsules).  Struts and/or autostrut are your friends...