Bug: Heat shields block fuel transfer.

[fragtzack]

FYI, seems a new bug. Heat shields are blocking fuel transfer. Crossfeed doesn't seem to work through heat shields anymore. This makes space station refueling only useful for vehicles that don't have a heat shield.

To reproduce problem, create a new ship. From top to bottom:

1. fuel tank
2. command module
3. heat shield
3. fuel tank

make the tanks half empty. go to launch pad, try and transfer fuel. If that fails as the test fails for me, then redo the same test but minus the heat shield and the fuel transfer works.

Scratch this, discovered issue was I had moved to hard mode. That is a silly setting in advanced. How are you supposed to refuel at stations without having to make ridiculous hoops around the parts that don't cross feed.  Create a large radius radial attachment just so a fuel duct host can cross the heat shield barrier seems really wrong.   If the fuel ducts lines would allow placement across flush surfaces, having heat shields block cross feed would be ok..but the fuel ducts don't work across flush parts.

[mystifeid]

14 hours ago, fragtzack said:

How are you supposed to refuel at stations without having to make ridiculous hoops around the parts that don't cross feed

When converting ore to fuel, ISRU's will fill all attached tanks regardless of crossfeed barriers like heat shields or klaws.

With smaller craft you can place a disposable in-line docking port below the heat shield. For bigger ships you could radially attach docking ports or even make a detachable engine with probe core/monoprop/rcs/battery/etc that when detached exposes a docking port on the rear end of the main ship.

Or, you can make the "hoop" - 2 x cubic octagonal struts stacked on either side and joined by a fuel duct works for a heat shield.

Or, you can uncheck "Resource transfer obeys crossfeed rules" in the settings.

Or, you could try to evolve a game style that seldom requires refueling craft with these parts.

Also, since this has been the case for a considerable period of time, "Breaking Ground Support" might not be the best place for this thread.

Edited June 17, 2019 by mystifeid

[AHHans]

@fragtzack That has been in the game at least since 1.6 (when I started playing...). There is an option in the advanced difficulty settings "Resource Transfer Obeys Crossfeed Rules" (Defaults to off on easy and normal difficulty, and on for moderate and hard.)

[...] What @mystifeid said! My addition to that would be that if you use the fuel ducts then you need two fuel ducts, one for each direction.

[mystifeid]

It appears that you might also be able to use the move tool in the VAB to move parts that are either side of a heat shield to one side enabling fuel ducts to be joined to the top of one part and to the bottom of another before using the move tool again to realign the parts. This gives crossfeed through the heat shield without seeing a "hoop". No guarantees the kraken won't get ya.