Expanding Planet/Mun base with Stock KSP

[Twiki]

Hi there, i am a long time player, but i am now playing in Career mode, and i'm lookign for some options for connecting buildings without using mods.

so two issues i'd love advice on

1.) can you expand a base without using docking rings?  I drew a mission to expand a base i landed on the Mun earlier,  it does not have a docking ring to drive up to, is there anything i can do at this point?

 

2.) connecting base buildings - I'm using stock KSP and so far i just have docking rings  researched,  all video tutorials where  people are expanding bases they're using nifty add ons, or they're using a connector that i haven't researched it.   basically any advice or links to resources would be appreciated.

 

[Snark]

Hello, and welcome to the forums! 

2 minutes ago, Twiki said:

can you expand a base without using docking rings?

You can use the Klaw, a.k.a. Advanced Grabbing Unit.

When you grab on to something with the Klaw, it's the same as if you docked-- i.e. the game considers them to be one ship.  Think of it as a "unilateral docking port".

5 minutes ago, Twiki said:

connecting base buildings - I'm using stock KSP and so far i just have docking rings  researched,  all video tutorials where  people are expanding bases they're using nifty add ons, or they're using a connector that i haven't researched it.   basically any advice or links to resources would be appreciated.

I'll leave it to others to describe "docking two things together on the surface using docking ports"-- such techniques do exist-- but the reason why so many of the videos show people using mods is that doing it with docking ports is a royal pain in the posterior.  Some people like it, some people claim to do it easily, perhaps it is easy... for them.  Myself, I find it so tedious and unpleasant that I stopped bothering with it years ago.  Either I use a handy add-on like Kerbal Attachment System that makes it easier, or else I design my game in a way that I never need to dock things together on the surface.  I can dock 'em on the surface with docking ports, but it's such a tedious hassle that it ends up making KSP un-fun for me and I'd rather be doing something else. 

Not to let that discourage you-- maybe you'll enjoy it more than I do.  Just be aware that it's non-trivial.

[Twiki]

Thankd for answering so fast.

 

Its funny i had the same ideas.

 

1:) i was thinking of using the KLAW this way,  i'm definitely going to now i know it works.

 

2.) connecting iwth ports does seem like a pain, you have to measure everything out in advance to get things to line up.  I got excited to tee the telescopic dock port, but that doesn't bend or give you any easier time connecting as far as i can see. 

 

I may break down and get Kerbal Attachments going, but the Klaw might solve it well enough.

Ukind of related, has docking in space changed?  i can dock small ships using the small clamping ring without issue, but can't seem to get any two ships withthe larger rings to line up nice enough

[Pecan]

14 hours ago, Snark said:

...Myself, I find it so tedious and unpleasant that I stopped bothering with it years ago...

You're so right.  On the rare occassions where I feel I must have a surface base I will still make it a ship.  I'd rather re-orbit, dock in space and land the whole thing again than fart around perfectly-aligning ports on the ground only to find that because of uneven terrain they won't lock anyway.

[Tonka Crash]

I only use docking regularly on Minmus Flats. I did it once on the Mun and decided that wasn't worth the frustration on uneven terrain. I'm a big fan of KAS connections or other mods that make use of KAS like KPBS or Pathfinder for flexible corridor connections. Even with docking ports I prefer USI's Konstruction ports to weld the connection after docking.

[Snark]

15 hours ago, Twiki said:

onnecting iwth ports does seem like a pain, you have to measure everything out in advance to get things to line up.

Actually, it's worse than that, because even with measuring in advance they might not line up, for a couple of reasons:

• Uneven terrain:  Unless you're landing on Minmus Flats, truly even terrain tends to be flat.  Painstakingly measured "yes, the docking ports are the same height" craft are highly likely not to be the same height when they're parked on bumpy terrain.
• Gravity:  Chances are good that you'll be using landing legs and/or wheels for your base components to rest on.  Well, those have suspensions, and the amount of "sag" on the suspension is a function of how much weight is resting on them, and also what the local gravity is.  So two craft that measure as "same height" inside the vehicle editor might sag to different heights when they go out in the world (e.g. if one of them is heavier than the other).  And even if you test them on the KSC runway and verify that they sag to the same height there... they won't necessarily sag to the same height on some other celestial body with different gravity.  Also, unless the terrain they're parked on is perfectly level, they're likely to sag more at one end than the other, causing them to "tilt" slightly relative to the terrain, which can also cause ports not to line up.

It's worth mentioning that neither of the above issues are total showstoppers.  Both of them can be worked around.  But the fact is that they need to be worked around, adding yet more hassle to the base-building process.