Cargo-hold part placement problem

[JohnM_83]

Hi everyone,

I have been playing KSP for quite a long time now, let's say that for my first Mun landing there was only one capsule available, no landing legs and trajectory was planned "start your de-orbiting burn when you see sun just touching the horizon" times. I was quite passionate about the game back then. Recently I had a relapse, and begun playing with SSTOs. And to be frank I'm clueless on the cargo placement in the cargo-bay / cargo-hold (using the larges fuselage). Some times it works, some times it does not: I want to place a satellite with a rocket propelled stage, consisting of probe body, some equipment, clamp-o-tron jr, TR-18D stack separator, one FL-T800 fuel tank and LV-909. I have made it all into one nit assembly part, and the problem begun. It just will not connect to the interior: to the clamp-o-trons, to the separators, when the part snaps in place, its rooted deep inside a fuel filled fuselage part - not even its bulkhead. I have tried re-rooting, moving (it unfortunately stayed rooted and it just was "floating" in the mid air, still being connected.

As a last resort, I have tried to rebuild the entire stack in the cargo bay, but it ended up in with similar problems, the funniest one being the engine separating within the separator and leaving a gap in the satellite's placement vehicle.

I have searched for some time on info pertaining to this exact problem, but unfortunately couldn't find it on forum / on Scott Manley's channel etc.

I would be most grateful for any help on that matter.

Edited October 14, 2017 by JohnM_83

[Geschosskopf]

Well, there are a few things in general you should be sure of:

1.  When you make the probe subassembly, be sure its root part is the docking port you plan to use to attach it to the SSTO.  So either start building the probe subassembly with that part or use the re-root too.  This is because when you go to put a subassembly into another ship, the subassembly's only attachment node will be on the exposed end of its root part.

2.  When building the SSTO, attach the cargo back to the fuselage, then the docking port in it.  Hold down ALT when positioning the docking port in the cargo bay, to be sure it will attach to the interior node in the cargo bay instead of the node of the stack part ahead of or behind the cargo bay.

3.  When placing the subassembly in the cargo bay, be sure to hold ALT so it will connect to the node of the docking port inside the bay.

[Oiff]

Do you hold Alt to ensure that it snaps to the attachment node at the end of the cargo bay?  You often have to rotate the thing around a bit to get it to snap but in the right orientation it should snap easily.

[Geonovast]

4 hours ago, Geschosskopf said:

3.  When placing the subassembly in the cargo bay, be sure to hold ALT so it will connect to the node of the docking port inside the bay.

This doesn't work for me, I don't know if it's a Linux thing, Nvidia thing, or both, but I have to use right shift.  Same with the debug menu.  It's right shift + F12.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Geonovast
SHIFT - not the other thing!

[JohnM_83]

Thank you VERY much!

I'm extremely grateful: just like all suggested - ALT while placing did the trick with Clamp-o-trons and separators, also re-rooting to the correct node in sub-assembly helped a great deal :).

[Kerbal007]

On 10/15/2017 at 4:22 AM, Geschosskopf said:

Well, there are a few things in general you should be sure of:

1.  When you make the probe subassembly, be sure its root part is the docking port you plan to use to attach it to the SSTO.  So either start building the probe subassembly with that part or use the re-root too.  This is because when you go to put a subassembly into another ship, the subassembly's only attachment node will be on the exposed end of its root part.

2.  When building the SSTO, attach the cargo back to the fuselage, then the docking port in it.  Hold down ALT when positioning the docking port in the cargo bay, to be sure it will attach to the interior node in the cargo bay instead of the node of the stack part ahead of or behind the cargo bay.

3.  When placing the subassembly in the cargo bay, be sure to hold ALT so it will connect to the node of the docking port inside the bay.

Thank you!!!! I have been tearing my hair out for the past hr with this xx