Tyre tracks and Boot prints on planet and moon surfaces

[4472TJ]

Not sure whether it's already been asked, but if it has, it's not got enough support. Kerbal Space Programme is super realistic! And since we've seen the previews to the planets (if your reading this in the future you've got them, lucky!) then you'll know it looks a bit stupid how rovers are going over ground and not leaving tyre marks! Not only that but for a while I've thought about how it's silly when Kerbals do a surface Eva and don't leave footprints, and one of the most iconic pictures of Human exploration is of Buzz Alderins boot print on the Lunar surface. I think to go with the 1.8 (I know this is stretching you to the limit if you guys did this) it would be a great asset to KSP and to stop making some of the textures looking so strange

[The Aziz]

That would have to go with little craters from where landing legs hit, burned ground from the engine exhaust etc. The question is, would they all be permanent? I can imagine they would occupy a significant amount of memory/disk space if they were to stay forever on the planet. A lot of games have marks like these, but they disappear after a while, and that works.

Edited August 15, 2019 by The Aziz

[Elidnas]

Hmmm, I've actually seen footprints in my games. It's definitely from a new mod I installed. It's probably the Event Horizon planet pack and the only mod folder I've never seen before is kopernicus expansion, so I'm assuming its that. No rover wheel marks though. 

 

It would be amazing though if something like that was in stock. 

[kerbiloid]

Making things and leaving captions by Kerbal hands (like the flag planting) may be cheaper.

Say, making this of regolith instead of flag planting, storing its coordinates and later returning back.

Say, a Breaking Ground extension.

Spoiler

 

[Stone Blue]

1 hour ago, Sandstorm said:

Hmmm, I've actually seen footprints in my games. It's definitely from a new mod I installed. It's probably the Event Horizon planet pack and the only mod folder I've never seen before is kopernicus expansion, so I'm assuming its that. No rover wheel marks though.

Yes, its from Kopernicus Expansion Continued mod. and yes, so far it only has footprints.... GrandProtectorDark includes the Kop Expansion Cont. mod in the Event Horizon release package.
Kopernicus Expansion Continued can be installed seperately, and *should* work with any planet mod that uses Kopernicus itself.

And unfortunately, it doesnt look like they are persistent... they *do* disappear, I guess vOv

Edited August 15, 2019 by Stone Blue

[Kerbinchaser]

3 hours ago, Sandstorm said:

Hmmm, I've actually seen footprints in my games.

Wait. Wait wait wait.

What? Examples? Screenshots?

I WANT MORE!!

[Elidnas]

1 hour ago, Lo Var Lachland said:

Wait. Wait wait wait.

What? Examples? Screenshots?

I WANT MORE!!

I'll post some screens in the morning. It's currently 2am and I'm away from my laptop at the moment

[Kaerbanogue]

Very good idea, hope squad will do that

[Elidnas]

@Lo Var Lachland as promised, some screens. No rover tracks unfortunately, just footprints.

 

 

 

 

[kerbiloid]

https://github.com/StollD/KopernicusExpansion-Continued/releases

Edited August 16, 2019 by kerbiloid

[Kerbinchaser]

3 hours ago, Sandstorm said:

@Lo Var Lachland as promised, some screens. No rover tracks unfortunately, just footprints.

 

 

(snip)

 

 

 

That is ... so cool. 

[4472TJ]

23 hours ago, The Aziz said:

That would have to go with little craters from where landing legs hit, burned ground from the engine exhaust etc. The question is, would they all be permanent? I can imagine they would occupy a significant amount of memory/disk space if they were to stay forever on the planet. A lot of games have marks like these, but they disappear after a while, and that works.

I certainly think that it would take a lot of disc space so adding a delay, say 1 Kerbal year, or a real world time delay would help

I also think that on atmospheric planets/moons, the wind should be a factor that we use so dependent on the atmosphere of the planet, the tyre tread and boot prints should wear away over a few Kerbal hours.

In terms of rocket engines on surfaces, that should only happen on more 'dusty' surfaces, for example the Mün or Duna. If you look at the footage of the Apollo landings, the effect that is on there would work really well.

It would be best if all items in the Landing gear section create marks on surfaces, however there should be some areas that are excluded from having marks on them, for example Rocks (eg a mün arch) or tarmac (at the KSC) 

[4472TJ]

If anyone else thinks this is a good idea please post, and tell the community what you think

 

Plus it keeps the thread nearer the top so it's more likely to be a feature 

[AloE]

On 8/16/2019 at 7:53 PM, 4472TJ said:

wind should be a factor that we use so dependent on the atmosphere of the planet, the tyre tread and boot prints should wear away over a few Kerbal hours.

I definitely endorse this topic as I am never without KEX-EVAFootprints-1.7.1-5.zip, (also in its .cfg you can specify the # of prints allowed to spawn) & recommend it for use with students (e.g. KerbalEDU) ...in my experience boot prints are especially meaningful to young exploring minds...

Boot prints recommended (especially for KerbalEDU)

Since I also often use Destruction Effects as well) I personally would like the tire tracks & ship parts/debris impacts at least leaving some kind of impact mark as already suggested in this thread...& I like the idea of having such marks persist longer & erode away over time as needed to maintain performance...preferably with a slider in 'settings'  since i would like to make them to persist a very long time on minimal atmosphere surfaces like Mun or RSS Earth's moon while exploring for sites to build colonies & initial early days of colony construction...especially if KSP2 managed to pull off Space Engine like textures similar to what is shown in the KSP2 'cinematic trailer' :-)