How do the bloody fairings work?

[The Aziz]

I can't believe I'm posting here after over 1500h hours in KSP1. Oh well.

I feel like that's what changes the behavior of the rocket. If they extend from the stack even a tiny bit, they'll cause flipping on gravity turn, no matter how careful I am.

Prime example really, trying to send a second module to my station - 2.5m short lightweight truss, antenna, large solar panels. Relatively small structure, relatively light. Under that a fairing that has to go outwards slighty to cover the panels, then 2.5m second stage and chunky and heavy 3.75 first stage.

And it flips no matter what I do, and this is mostly normal shaped rocket. I had the same problems with early 1.25m launchers, with fairings just a bit wider.

I'll probably come back with more info about the current vehicle later.

[Streetwind]

Have you tried a 3.75m second stage?

You may not need the performance, but it would let you build a fairing that doesn't need to flare out from the stack.

[Scarecrow71]

You know, I'd like someone to chime in on how the fairings are supposed to work when building them for interstage in KSP2.  Every time I try to do this, I end up with the message that they are clipping a part and can't be closed/finished.  Are we simply not allowed to use interstage fairings at this point?

[Fluke]

12 hours ago, The Aziz said:

I can't believe I'm posting here after over 1500h hours in KSP1. Oh well.

I feel like that's what changes the behavior of the rocket. If they extend from the stack even a tiny bit, they'll cause flipping on gravity turn, no matter how careful I am.

Prime example really, trying to send a second module to my station - 2.5m short lightweight truss, antenna, large solar panels. Relatively small structure, relatively light. Under that a fairing that has to go outwards slighty to cover the panels, then 2.5m second stage and chunky and heavy 3.75 first stage.

And it flips no matter what I do, and this is mostly normal shaped rocket. I had the same problems with early 1.25m launchers, with fairings just a bit wider.

I'll probably come back with more info about the current vehicle later.

The few times I tried a fairing the craft was actually "wobbling" inside the fairing, like adding a fairing breaks the physics. Could launch the same thing without a fairing and its fine. Add one? It becomes a pendulum. 

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

14 minutes ago, Scarecrow71 said:

You know, I'd like someone to chime in on how the fairings are supposed to work when building them for interstage in KSP2.  Every time I try to do this, I end up with the message that they are clipping a part and can't be closed/finished.  Are we simply not allowed to use interstage fairings at this point?

I messed around with this and found it really annoying.  It took several tries - and apparently you don't get to build more than 2 'stacks' of the faring.  Or at least it's not easy to, and I don't know how else to get the '+' to show up without click-spamming.

I started the faring using the arrows - got it as tall as possible and then fiddly clicked around until I finally got the '+' to show up.  That let me string it out a ways - but then when I wanted to close it (make it pointy) I got the message you describe.  Finally made the first section absurdly wide and as long as it would go, then got the upper portion to close out and complete the faring.  Stupid thing ended up looking like a giant Q-Tip.

Frustratingly, you can't see through it in the VAB.  Maybe I need to use Parts Manager to undeploy it to work on the faringed stage?

[Scarecrow71]

13 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

I messed around with this and found it really annoying.  It took several tries - and apparently you don't get to build more than 2 'stacks' of the faring.  Or at least it's not easy to, and I don't know how else to get the '+' to show up without click-spamming.

I started the faring using the arrows - got it as tall as possible and then fiddly clicked around until I finally got the '+' to show up.  That let me string it out a ways - but then when I wanted to close it (make it pointy) I got the message you describe.  Finally made the first section absurdly wide and as long as it would go, then got the upper portion to close out and complete the faring.  Stupid thing ended up looking like a giant Q-Tip.

Frustratingly, you can't see through it in the VAB.  Maybe I need to use Parts Manager to undeploy it to work on the faringed stage?

There is a setting in the Parts Manager that should let you see through it, but there's a bug in it where only part of the fairing moves out of the way...and it jumps all over the place.

[jackjack521]

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. tried to get around it for hours. Was so excited to play the game and now ive lost motivation after hours of failure

[schlosrat]

@Scarecrow71 when you say "how the fairings are supposed to work when building them for interstage" do you mean interstage as in the KSP1 fairing ability to have interstage nodes so that you could stack multiple payloads in the same faring, or something else? I'm a bit confused by the question as AFAIK this isn't possible in KSP2 without a workaround. The best solution I've found is to use engine mounts flipped over inside the faring, along with decouplers and docking ports to facilitate jettisoning the engine mounts and releasing the payloads. Or do you mean "interstage" as in a fairing that's not at the top of the rocket and so bridges a gap between two other stages?

[Scarecrow71]

19 minutes ago, schlosrat said:

Or do you mean "interstage" as in a fairing that's not at the top of the rocket and so bridges a gap between two other stages?

This.

[schlosrat]

OK, cool. What the first part above the fairing?