Is multi-port docking casual nowadays?

[Gordon Dry]

I'm not sure.

To be honest, since I started with KSP in May 2016 (and taking a long break after 6 weeks because of annoyance) and coming back in May 2017 (yes May again) and being tied to it since then, I had my first at all (yes, indeed) real orbital docking last week.

Tadaa.

I'm kinda guy that wants a working AND modded AND neat game before I even consider to start a real career...

I launched two station prototypes and abandoned them (for now), then yesterday I launched the station core of the station I think will become a real workplace when it's done - and doing metamorphosis and becoming a first generation interlunar ship later.

Today I launched segment 2, a cryogenic tank with 4 engines. (a ship, yeah)

Then I did my first two-ports-at-once docking maneuver with segment 3, the first of four radial tanks attached to the segment 2 tank and wonder if this is "normal" everyday routine...

btw the lifting was hard to the border and just got 48 m/s left after matching velocities was done.

I had to use MechJeb Smart A.S.S. - set to ADV / TARGET_ORIENTATION / BACK / Force Roll 180° and used nearly 30% of the 900 units of MP and needed about 15 minutes to get it done - but then it just fitted.
I used soft-docking Clamp-O-Trons with Retract Bumpers.

Segment 4, the 2nd radial tank, went smoother:

Spoiler

First passing by, target retrograde:

Starting to push prograde:

Approaching:

Adjusting:

Top view, a sec before soft attaching:

Attached:

Retracting first bumper:

2nd bumper:

Both bumpers on other side as well, LEDs off:

Job nearly done:

Solar panels as well:

A decoupler about 3.2 km away (the upper stage is already recovered safely):

 

Edited July 28, 2017 by Gordon Dry

[Gordon Dry]

Added a couple more screenshots of segment 4, the 2nd radial tank.

[cubinator]

I once made a craft that needed to have 72 docking ports aligned, 8 at a time, to work correctly. It didn't work very well, and I still want to improve on it someday.

[Gordon Dry]

Perhaps the animated soft docking ports are a good solution ...

[Vanamonde]

Thread moved to general discussions, since it is about KSP. 

[fourfa]

Yes - in my experience the recent versions of KSP handle multi-port docking very smoothly.

[Archgeek]

Multi-port docking remains a great, if somewhat tricky way of ensuring correct orientation of docked modules.  I recall a while back, one of the major streamers, possibly @DasValdez, had an utterly beautiful multi-port arrangement that neatly side-stepped the game's noodleisms before autostrut was a thing -- two transverse regular ports, two jrs on booms out to the side of the recieving module that met with jrs on the sides of the module attaching, and two sets of 2 jrs top and bottom.  It thought the way it all fit was beautiful, but unfortunately, an update brought forth a bug that liked to ignore all but one of the port connections in such set-up.  I'm honestly glad to hear it works again.

On 7/28/2017 at 8:23 AM, cubinator said:

I once made a craft that needed to have 72 docking ports aligned, 8 at a time, to work correctly. It didn't work very well, and I still want to improve on it someday.

Might that craft be a couple of centimeters below your username, by any chance? 

[cubinator]

51 minutes ago, Archgeek said:

Might that craft be a couple of centimeters below your username, by any chance? 

Indeed. Slightly out of the scope of Clamp-O-Tron's warranty, I think.

[MiniMatt]

Interested as to folks preferences of multi-port docking versus hacking a port part to restrict to certain angle snaps - think @5thHorseman wrote this hack into a module manager script, and I think I've seen it implemented in parts by RoverDude, Nertea, and others. Advantages/disadvantages? Strength/angle precision/aesthetics?

Glad to hear multi-port is working again though, in the past it seemed to go squiffy after every other patch.

[Superfluous J]

1 hour ago, MiniMatt said:

Interested as to folks preferences of multi-port docking versus hacking a port part to restrict to certain angle snaps - think @5thHorseman wrote this hack into a module manager script, and I think I've seen it implemented in parts by RoverDude, Nertea, and others. Advantages/disadvantages? Strength/angle precision/aesthetics?

Glad to hear multi-port is working again though, in the past it seemed to go squiffy after every other patch.

Not sure I can take credit for it. Squad wrote the code and someone else showed how to hack the files, I just took the last logical leap and made it into the modman config.

I've not used it for some time but here it is if someone wants to try it. If you have troubles getting docked, knock that "0.999" down to "0.99" though IIRC 0.999 is fine. Also, if you don't want to lock it to 45 degrees (90, 30, and 15 are common wants) you can change that too.

@PART[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleDockingNode]:HAS[!snapOffset[*]]]
{
	@MODULE[ModuleDockingNode]
	{
		captureMinRollDot = 0.999
		snapRotation = true
		snapOffset = 45
	}
}

 

[septemberWaves]

Multi-port docking has never been too difficult for me since I learned how to dock properly. Even so, it is tedious to get the ports aligned well, and since I usually have Mk2 Expansion installed I'll generally just go with the Mk2 docking ports (which have only one possible alignment orientation) to make things easier. Since I use KJR the only use I ever have for multi-port docking is forcing things to be aligned with extreme precision at a certain angle, and there really aren't many situations like that (usually just if I'm making a propulsion module with engines on several independent modules).

[Xyphos]

usually, my manned rovers will have two docking ports, one in the back and one underneath, when an expidition on one of the moons is complete, I redock it inside a Mk3 cargobay and ventrue off to the next.

[Xyphos]

On 7/31/2017 at 6:19 PM, 5thHorseman said:

I just took the last logical leap and made it into the modman config.

SnapDock on CKAN and SpaceDock, SpaceDock link in my signature.

[Cloakedwand72]

On 7/28/2017 at 1:18 AM, Gordon Dry said:

I'm not sure.

To be honest, since I started with KSP in May 2016 (and taking a long break after 6 weeks because of annoyance) and coming back in May 2017 (yes May again) and being tied to it since then, I had my first at all (yes, indeed) real orbital docking last week.

Tadaa.

I'm kinda guy that wants a working AND modded AND neat game before I even consider to start a real career...

I launched two station prototypes and abandoned them (for now), then yesterday I launched the station core of the station I think will become a real workplace when it's done - and doing metamorphosis and becoming a first generation interlunar ship later.

Today I launched segment 2, a cryogenic tank with 4 engines. (a ship, yeah)

Then I did my first two-ports-at-once docking maneuver with segment 3, the first of four radial tanks attached to the segment 2 tank and wonder if this is "normal" everyday routine...

btw the lifting was hard to the border and just got 48 m/s left after matching velocities was done.

I had to use MechJeb Smart A.S.S. - set to ADV / TARGET_ORIENTATION / BACK / Force Roll 180° and used nearly 30% of the 900 units of MP and needed about 15 minutes to get it done - but then it just fitted.
I used soft-docking Clamp-O-Trons with Retract Bumpers.

Segment 4, the 2nd radial tank, went smoother:

  Reveal hidden contents

First passing by, target retrograde:

Starting to push prograde:

Approaching:

Adjusting:

Top view, a sec before soft attaching:

Attached:

Retracting first bumper:

2nd bumper:

Both bumpers on other side as well, LEDs off:

Job nearly done:

Solar panels as well:

A decoupler about 3.2 km away (the upper stage is already recovered safely):

 

Something I wanna try in the future.

[purpleivan]

Only did multi port docking once, with one of my early (hilariously tall and thin) attempts at an Eve return vehicle. The docking was to attach the tug that would take the lander to Eve and return the command pod to Kerbin.

It was less tricky that I feared it might be, but wasn't something I needed to do again, due to the introduction of the Sr. version of the docking port.