Better part selection UI

[Algiark]

I seem to recall that a long time ago, someone suggested a simplified part selection UI. The gist is that instead of having to pick from tens of different but similar-looking fuel tanks, you just pick any fuel tank, right click on it, pick the length and radial size, and the part changes accordingly. Kind of like tweakscale, but the part actually switches to another part instead of simply altering the size of part. It's also not procedural parts, because it uses the parts already in the game.

Now that part variants are a thing, I think this is not too far off. It could be like that, but with size instead of color. This could really save some time when designing a rocket.

[Tyko]

Interesting, but while you're simplifying your parts bin, you're adding extra steps / clicks to place each tank. Each time you place a tank you'll have to go into the right-click menu for that part and change it to the correct size. 

Also, there are graphical / texture issues. If you want nice, high quality parts textures you need them to be created with a particular size in mind. Simply grabbing a part and stretching it will result in all kinds of texture issues and the only way to solve it would be to use really (REALLY) simple textures.

Edited November 10, 2018 by Tyko

[Rocket In My Pocket]

I think what he means is that if you drag the slider up it suddenly changes from one existing model of tank to the next largest existing model of tank, if you know what I mean?

Like jumping from a FL-T100 to a FL-T200 to a FL-T400 etc...

That said, I'm not a fan of the idea for the stock game, sounds more complicated than just picking the tank I want from the list personally. Perhaps it could be a mod?

[Geonovast]

I could definitely see this happening eventually.  They've already got parts that are built like that.  AFAIK the new decouplers and the fairings are just re-scaled versions of the same part and textures.  The structural tubes and the engine plates have adjustable lengths.  I don't see why it couldn't be done with the fuel tanks.

[Tyko]

4 minutes ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

I think what he means is that if you drag the slider up it suddenly changes from one existing model of tank to the next largest existing model of tank, if you know what I mean?

Like jumping from a FL-T100 to a FL-T200 to a FL-T400 etc...

That said, I'm not a fan of the idea for the stock game, sounds more complicated than just picking the tank I want from the list personally. Perhaps it could be a mod?

I'd love to see a drop down menu that let's me select parts from a particular category by stack size. Currently I can click a tab and look at all fuel tanks or I can click a tab and look at all parts with a 1.25m stack size. I can't click a button and only look at 1.25m fuel tanks though. A simple drop down selector next to the search bar would do that.

[Delbrutis]

Tyko beat me to it that was just what I was about to post. The filters work fine but you need to be able to filter by multiple category’s. Right now if you filter by profile you end up with command pods and everything else in that profile. You can also filter by fuel type but then you end up with all size tanks of that type. you need to be able to select multiple filter fields. select tanks then 1.25 size then fuel type and get only mono or whatever you chose 1.25 m tanks. The category filters are already their but I have no Idea weather the game can look at multiple ones at the same time or how hard that would be to implement.  

 

[Algiark]

On 11/10/2018 at 11:24 PM, Tyko said:

I'd love to see a drop down menu that let's me select parts from a particular category by stack size. Currently I can click a tab and look at all fuel tanks or I can click a tab and look at all parts with a 1.25m stack size. I can't click a button and only look at 1.25m fuel tanks though. A simple drop down selector next to the search bar would do that.

The filter extensions mod does that, although I feel simply right-clicking and picking a size variant is still more intuitive than that.

[Gargamel]

There's one little, possible, hiccup to this plan.  I don't know if many people play this way, but I do.  After researching a node, I have to purchase each part to use it, otherwise they are greyed out.   It might make seeing which parts are locked v unlocked a bit difficult if they are hidden behind a menu.  Not a roadblock, but it would need to be addressed.  

But maybe I'm just nostalgic, but I happen to like having the 200 tanks I have to dig through to find the one I want.   Not an objection to the idea, just a personal prefernce.

Now, if we could get sub categories for the utility and structural tabs.....

[StrandedonEarth]

I agree that subcategories for the overpopulated categories would be helpful. Trying to find the tank I want can be difficult, especially when the appearances are changing with the revamps. Looking at for you, RockoMax tanks...

yeah, I know, search/filter functions. Something about extra steps/clicks/typing?

Edited November 12, 2018 by StrandedonEarth

[FleshJeb]

4 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

I agree that subcategories for the overpopulated categories would be helpful. Trying to find the tank I want can be difficult, especially when the appearances are changing with the revamps. Looking at for you, RockoMax tanks...

yeah, I know, search/filter functions. Something about extra steps/clicks/typing?

Now that I've upgraded to 1.5.1 AND purchased MH, it takes me forever to find the right tank. If they're all going to look so similar, they should have different-colored backgrounds by size. I thought there was a mod for that, but I haven't been able to search it out.

[DerekL1963]

3 hours ago, FleshJeb said:

Now that I've upgraded to 1.5.1 AND purchased MH, it takes me forever to find the right tank. If they're all going to look so similar, they should have different-colored backgrounds by size. I thought there was a mod for that, but I haven't been able to search it out.

Janitor's Closet helps a great deal.
 

 

[FleshJeb]

31 minutes ago, DerekL1963 said:

Janitor's Closet helps a great deal.

Already have it. I just have to commit to using the module-size filter. Too bad the stock cross-section filter doesn't seem to display the tanks.