Fuel tank improvements

[regex]

It seems we still have the same, huge mess of oddly specific tanks from the last game, I understand the desire to maybe maintain the LEGO paradigm but I think this game can do much better on this front.

Any given tank should be able to handle any given fuel as specified by the user in the VAB, or none at all. Tanks can be structural elements that look nice, methalox tanks should be able to handle just methane or hydrogen, and so on.

Edited February 24, 2023 by regex

[Tweeker]

I wholeheartedly second this.  

 

[Skorj]

I still don't understand the point of fuel-specific tanks.  It's just more dev work for fewer usable parts.

[sunsetteOS]

Yeah, not only does it just make sense to do it this way, but it would probably cut back on some repetition or at the very least make  it a bit easier to put together crafts.  Honestly given they went the procedural route with wings I'm shocked they didn't do so with tanks (or at least provide an option to do so).

[AristotleBetta]

I would also really appreciate an official procedural tank designed to get a stage to a specified deltaV. I know some people enjoy using the lego block paradigm to construct things, but there isn't enough variety in the different sizes to focus in on a desired dV for a given stage. When placing such a tank, you'd have a minimum size under which the part cannot shrink. But then, any time a part is attached to the stage the tank is in, or a later stage, the part would recalculate its size to reach a dV for that stage that can be set in the UI. When other parts are attached, it'll update each procedural tank from the stage the part is attached to through to the first stage. If multiple procedural tanks exist in a stage, either it should evenly distribute procedural tank size to each, or maybe an advanced UI element to distribute say 25% to one, and 75% to another. I don't even think this functionality is available in KSP 1, but I'd love this.

Barring this suggestion being done, can we at least get a procedural tank part that allows us to set a specific fuel tonnage so we can make more precise tank sizes? This is probably the biggest reason why I won't be putting hours into KSP 2 just yet, despite having bought it.

[dr.phees]

I would also prefer procedural tanks over the KSP 1 inspired mess that we all did not really like.

[EngineeringWaffle]

To add another reason for procedural tanks: aesthetics! a lot of the different tank sizes look slightly different, and stacking 1 tall, 1 medium, and 2 shorts doesn't look like a homogenous part. It looks like a mess. If we could just get 1 tank for every size/profile and be able to make it as tall as we like we could have way cleaner looking ships!

[Domonian]

I really hope that procedural wings get the ability to hold fuel. I made a pretty nifty plane with huge wings, but they hold no fuel, which is kind of annoying. 

[Domonian]

I also feel that having a fuel flow priority setup (I think KSP1 had it) would be nice. I would like to use the fuel from my drop tanks on my planes before I start using the main fuel tanks.

[FishInferno]

Tanks should also have two versions: "covered" like the normal tanks used on launch vehicles, and "in-space" tanks like the new hydrogen tanks in KSP 2. This could also be swappable with a toggle instead of completely different parts.

[EngineeringWaffle]

2 hours ago, Domonian said:

I also feel that having a fuel flow priority setup (I think KSP1 had it) would be nice. I would like to use the fuel from my drop tanks on my planes before I start using the main fuel tanks.

KSP 1 absolutely had it. You could control everything about how fuel flowed. And actually monitor which tanks had how much fuel remaining. KSP 2 has taken a huge step backwards. Can't even do asparagus staging.

[FishInferno]

I posted this in its own thread, but it's relevant to the reply I made earlier. Here's how I imagine procedural tanks would work:

[dr.phees]

Send this to the devs. This is how it must be. Maybe add a spherical tank option (already there, sorry) and if possible allow changing the diameter from bottom to top, so you can have tanks that get thinner to the top / bottom.

The same should be done for space-plane tanks: Having one size like with the two space plane sizes is OK, but allow us to set the length of that tank. Then add the versions we all know (nose-type tanks etc.) and that's it. Thinning out the parts catalog should have been a top priority.

Edited February 26, 2023 by dr.phees

[Tweeker]

That  tusswork tank reminds me of the N-1,

3 hours ago, FishInferno said:

I posted this in its own thread, but it's relevant to the reply I made earlier. Here's how I imagine procedural tanks would work:

 

[sumeee]

Procedural fuel tanks will be an improvement over current system even if the tank sizes just snap to a few predefined sizes. Also allot of other parts should be procedural, like payload bays and most of the structural parts.

[dr.phees]

I was sure they were going as procedural as possible. It would also have been a great tool for modders to have scalability built-in. I can't believe they gave us this badly cluttered parts catalog again. The new Simple Rockets ("Juno"-Something) does it better. I have actually high hopes for that to become the new inofficial successor to KSP. Maybe without the goofy Kerbals, but rocket-wise they really have a solid game base.

If you think about it: There were also no Kerbals at release of KSP 1, just those low FPS images of their faces. KSP 2 going full tilt on the Kerbals, their expressions etc. really suggested they were far deeper into the development process than we see now. I am again and again stunned by their priority choices.

Edit:

To drop out of rant-mode:

I wish we had the vehicle construction of that SimpleRockets/Juno game for most of the parts. Then add the unique parts (antennae, lights, etc.) but include something like TweakScale from the start. Why can I still not adjust landing gear height?

There was a very early KSP mod that deliverd better wheels and adjustable gear. That mod was beautiful, but somehow it was broken by some Unity-engine upgrade or I just forgot about it. It was really good, wheels behaved like wheels and you could actually build cars that behaved like cars.

Edited February 27, 2023 by dr.phees