Ground Anchor for Surface Base

[spyro6705]

Hey everyone,

Recently got back into KSP and am planning out a Mun surface base. I've never used the ground anchor before and am wondering if I should for this project. Idk how buggy it is or how hard it would be to actually dock something to it. I'm trying to decide if that or landing gear is a safer bet. What would you recommend?

[Vanamonde]

Its purpose is to prevent things from sliding around. Are you sure you need one? 

[SchwinnTropius]

4 hours ago, spyro6705 said:

Hey everyone,

Recently got back into KSP and am planning out a Mun surface base. I've never used the ground anchor before and am wondering if I should for this project. Idk how buggy it is or how hard it would be to actually dock something to it. I'm trying to decide if that or landing gear is a safer bet. What would you recommend?

It does depend on how strong your desire will be to be stuck to the ground. If you're heading to Mün just for the Science and Flags then you'll likely not need the Anchor. If you'll be building anything more permanent, it might be wise to consider the Anchor.

As for bugginess, I don't know anything since I have yet to use it, but I know I'll want to try it at some point.

Spoiler

Also, love the name.

 

[Fraktal]

7 hours ago, spyro6705 said:

Idk how buggy it is or how hard it would be to actually dock something to it.

It is buggy, unfortunately. By itself it works as advertised: have a kerbal equip it as an inventory item, go EVA, go where you want it, click the deploy button, move the kerbal to aim it, then drop it. It will stick itself to the ground and you can now have an engineer kerbal use EVA Construction to add a docking port to it. Actually lining up a landed vessel's docking port with the anchor's is the hard part.

The problem is that the ground anchor is NOT exempt from the physics easing introduced a couple major versions ago: when a landed vessel enters physics range, the game raises it above the terrain a bit and then loads it so that none of it explodes due to suddenly being affected by gravity incorrectly causing the engine to think it crashed into the surface at high speed. The ground anchor, however, is MEANT to intersect as part of its normal operation, but the easing code doesn't care and raises it several meters up the next time you load it - and due to being autostrutted to the ground once deployed, it will NOT fall back down, meaning that your whole base will be floating from that point on.

[spyro6705]

5 hours ago, Fraktal said:

It is buggy, unfortunately. By itself it works as advertised: have a kerbal equip it as an inventory item, go EVA, go where you want it, click the deploy button, move the kerbal to aim it, then drop it. It will stick itself to the ground and you can now have an engineer kerbal use EVA Construction to add a docking port to it. Actually lining up a landed vessel's docking port with the anchor's is the hard part.

The problem is that the ground anchor is NOT exempt from the physics easing introduced a couple major versions ago: when a landed vessel enters physics range, the game raises it above the terrain a bit and then loads it so that none of it explodes due to suddenly being affected by gravity incorrectly causing the engine to think it crashed into the surface at high speed. The ground anchor, however, is MEANT to intersect as part of its normal operation, but the easing code doesn't care and raises it several meters up the next time you load it - and due to being autostrutted to the ground once deployed, it will NOT fall back down, meaning that your whole base will be floating from that point on.

I see. That makes me think its probably not the best idea. Thanks!