What are the thrust redirection rules?

[Jason_25]

We all know about the thrust redirection that enabled the kraken drive because the redirection itself was being multiplied due to a bug.  I noticed that wings interfere with the thrust from jet engines so I set wings intentionally behind an engine and "deployed" them so they would in theory direct engine thrust down.  This does allow for slightly better takeoff and slower flight speeds but it is hardly noticeable.  Putting a wing entirely vertical deployed or not behind the engine does not have the desired effect of directing thrust completely down.  This may be because thrust is "escaping" to the sides and top but there is a cargo bay there which may or may not be able to contain the thrust in the game code.

To test if exhaust gasses are escaping the sides and top I built a box of wings around the jet and the thrust continues to be mainly towards the rear.  The exhaust plume is always perfectly straight toward the rear also.  I would expect to see it deflect somewhat.  It also looks like it basically burns a hole through the wing because you can see the light from the exhaust straight through it.  The box would not need to be airtight to be effective because the pressure from that engine is going to find the easiest way out which is the large hole in the bottom.

It is generally seen as bad engineering to have another engine for VTOL purposes than the main engine.  To me it is almost as bad as adding front canards rather than rebuilding a wing.  I have been building my lift systems lighter and lighter and transitioning more to STOVL than VTOL because I cannot afford the DV loss from large dedicated lift engines.  On the other hand almost everything I build comes with some sort of vertical lift capability.

I understand that redirecting lift comes with a power penalty which is what doomed the Rockwell XFV-12.  But I have a feeling that we have not been given the correct tools to make something like this a possibility.  That or the kraken drive fix was too aggressive in toning down redirection.  In my mind there should be something like a 25 percent power loss from making a right angle turn not 90 percent.  Either way is disappointing.

Am I missing anything and if there really is a reliable way to point thrust please let me know.

[s_gamer101]

On 4/10/2023 at 4:35 AM, Jason_25 said:

We all know about the thrust redirection that enabled the kraken drive because the redirection itself was being multiplied due to a bug.

Are you referring to a KSP 1 Kraken drive here? If so, I want to point out that I'm pretty sure engine exhaust didn't interact with wings in such a way in KSP 1 and I've never heard of KSP 2 having  such a feature and I would be surprised if it has such a complex physics simulation.

[Dunas Only Moon]

it is a bug.