treads/tracks?

[Kerbal410]

I was wondering if there is any possibility to see treads/tracks in the stock game, to add more possibilities for land-based vehicles. 

[Flush Foot]

Slower than tires/wheels, more durable (I'd imagine), and (fingers-crossed) more torque / traction?

[Kerbal410]

that is what I had in mind. the main issue would be trying to implement them. correct me if I'm wrong, but another downside would probably be a lack of ability to turn when moving. 

[Flush Foot]

I’m sure it would be less maneuverable than wheels, but I’m confident tanks can change direction while rolling (differential tread-speeds should induce rotation, right?)

[Kerbal410]

never thought of that, but it does make sense. the closest part to legitimate tracks is the XL3 in that regard. but still, would be nice to have an alternative.

[Scarecrow71]

Probably more looking at a mod for this than stock.  I agree that it would be nice to have different options for wheels/mobility for rovers other than wheels.

[steveman0]

Are there any examples of tracked vehicles used in real space missions? I feel their complexity/reliability wouldn't be justified for their potential benefits. I don't see them as a necessity if they make wheel controls work well. Something more suitable as a mod I think.

[Flush Foot]

Off Quora:

Weight, bulk, mechanical breakdown.

Tank treads are great when they have access to regular repair facilities. They are also far heavier than wheels.

Tank treads give you 2 places of mechanical breakdown. 4–6 independent wheels made of lightweight material are just fine for a rover exploring a planet or moon with less than half the gravity of earth. 6 wheels, means 2 or 3 can fail and the rover can still maneuver around.

Also from Quora (though perhaps 'a bot/AI' of some kind?):

NASA and other space agencies opted for wheels instead of tank treads on lunar and Mars rovers for several reasons. Wheels are generally lighter and more compact than tank treads, which is important for space missions where weight and volume are at a premium. Additionally, wheels are more efficient for traveling long distances on relatively smooth surfaces, which is often the case on planetary bodies.

While tank treads provide better traction over rough and uneven terrain, they also have more complex moving parts and are generally heavier, making them less practical for space missions. The Curiosity rover did experience some challenges with its wheels getting stuck in loose Martian soil, but engineers were able to adapt its driving techniques to minimize the impact of this issue. Overall, the choice of wheels over tank treads for planetary rovers is a balance between weight, complexity, and the specific terrain conditions the rovers are expected to encounter.

 

So sadly, commenters might be right (best left for a mod), assuming of course the devs 

8 minutes ago, steveman0 said:

make wheel controls work well

[Urus28]

I really want this kind of thing in my game

But first, I would prefer they improve how wheels work in the present game... Even if this tractor is super cool

[Flush Foot]

Or this (even comes with a built-in... rail-launcher)

[Presto200]

New types of wheels (in the form of these tracks or otherwise) would be awesome! Also hopefully a rework on how the current wheels work would come with it

[NexusHelium]

4 hours ago, Presto200 said:

 

New types of wheels (in the form of these tracks or otherwise) would be awesome! Also hopefully a rework on how the current wheels work would come with it

 

Ok… here me out.

[Scarecrow71]

7 hours ago, steveman0 said:

Are there any examples of tracked vehicles used in real space missions?

Mankind has been to the moon.  Once.  We don't have any real life experience in this area.

[steveman0]

2 hours ago, Scarecrow71 said:

Mankind has been to the moon.  Once.  We don't have any real life experience in this area.

Uh what? Maybe I'm missing a point here since this statement is wrong, but we've landed several mobile craft on multiple bodied. None that I know of using tracks. I asked because given the number of rover missions, I though there might have been one, perhaps not by USA/NASA that did use them.

[Flush Foot]

@steveman0 I believe what @Scarecrow71 was getting at is “crewed missions to other terrestrial bodies have not occurred enough yet to have many examples to pull from”, though I had understood your/the original question to include “crewed or robotic missions”.

[Scarecrow71]

10 hours ago, steveman0 said:

Uh what? Maybe I'm missing a point here since this statement is wrong, but we've landed several mobile craft on multiple bodied. None that I know of using tracks. I asked because given the number of rover missions, I though there might have been one, perhaps not by USA/NASA that did use them.

No, you are correct.  I was inferring manned missions, which was wrong.

[NexusHelium]

17 hours ago, Scarecrow71 said:

Mankind has been to the moon.  Once.  We don't have any real life experience in this area.

Technically 6 times (9 if you count the ones that didn't land and 3 if you're only counting the ones using the rover and several if you count the unmanned missions and dozens more if you count the ones the have been to other bodies ) 

In our little rock we call home, we've done a fair bit, but you are right in a sense though. On a grand scale, we haven't done jack squat.

Edited March 28 by NexusHelium

[NexusHelium]

On 3/27/2024 at 12:34 PM, steveman0 said:

Are there any examples of tracked vehicles used in real space missions? I feel their complexity/reliability wouldn't be justified for their potential benefits. I don't see them as a necessity if they make wheel controls work well. Something more suitable as a mod I think.

And, on this question. Technically yes. The crawler! Without it, none of your favorite missions would exist! (Well I guess some

of them would… but still.)

Edited April 2 by NexusHelium

[Flush Foot]

Just now, NexusHelium said:

Curiosity

1 minute ago, NexusHelium said:

Perseverance

"Treads"... Do you mean tire treads that are perhaps 'specially-suited' to Martian terrain?

[NexusHelium]

5 minutes ago, Flush Foot said:

"Treads"... Do you mean tire treads that are perhaps 'specially-suited' to Martian terrain?

I realized that I completely misread the question literally right after I posted it (I read it as treads rather than tracks) But I changed it to the crawler. Because those are tracks that are still technically used in space missions

Edited March 28 by NexusHelium

[magnemoe]

On 3/27/2024 at 7:36 PM, Urus28 said:

I really want this kind of thing in my game

But first, I would prefer they improve how wheels work in the present game... Even if this tractor is super cool

You want to use track if you are very heavy like the NASA crawlers and also move in very broken terrains as tanks.  or don't want to add much ground pressure like the tractor above, in spring the soil is also very wet and tracks should work well here. 

[Kerbal410]

20 hours ago, magnemoe said:

You want to use track if you are very heavy like the NASA crawlers and also move in very broken terrains as tanks.  or don't want to add much ground pressure like the tractor above, in spring the soil is also very wet and tracks should work well here. 

I don't think ground pressure is really an issue, or seasons which I don't think are in the game, but who doesn't like imagining?

On 3/27/2024 at 11:36 AM, Urus28 said:

But first, I would prefer they improve how wheels work in the present game... Even if this tractor is super cool

 

it is more logical to work on wheels first.

Edited March 29 by Kerbal410

[magnemoe]

35 minutes ago, Kerbal410 said:

I don't think ground pressure is really an issue, or seasons which I don't think are in the game, but who doesn't like imagining?

I agree, now its an major issue then farming, who is shown. 
Now we could imagine the coast of Lathe being very muddy. Its not uncommon on earth. 

Doing an landing with an small boat, lifted up engine and rowed the last bit so say 15 cm water, friend stepped of boat to pull it, he sink to his knees, lift foot and leaves wellington underground never to be found  
I was barefoot. 

[kdaviper]

I don't think adding tracks would be a huge obstacle, as iirc the wheels in KSP are essentially just skids with rotating textures iirc.

From what I understand they would have to change the shape of the collision mesh and artwork that corresponds to the new shape.

However if the above is true I don't see how they would be able to articulate over terrain and if that was desired they WOULD need a major rework 

[Urus28]

On 3/28/2024 at 11:53 PM, magnemoe said:

You want to use track if you are very heavy like the NASA crawlers and also move in very broken terrains as tanks.  or don't want to add much ground pressure like the tractor above, in spring the soil is also very wet and tracks should work well here. 

I fully agree with you, at present time in KSP there is no actual need for tracks since terrain is not really simulated. Tracks would only a gadget to make a vehicle with a different look.