Using Fairings to decrease part count

[martscht]

I know fairings are in the "what-not-to-suggest"-Thread and this is why I post this as a discussion subject - I'm merely interested in whether this is possible in the way KSP is currently set up.

So, my basic idea was that when you put a payload fairing around a combination of parts (e.g. a lander) everything that is within that fairing is handled as a single part (i.e. the "payload"). So on initial vessel load all parts would be loaded and then everything in the fairing (e.g. marked by being in the stages above the fairing decouple) would be frozen in that load constellation and handled as one part, making the physics simulation a lot lighter. When the fairing is decoupled the freeze on the parts is lifted and they are then handled as they normally are.

Since I don't know much about programming and the code underlying KSP: does anyone out there know whether this possible and feasible? Perhaps this could even be handled in a mod?

Anyway, let me know what you guys think about this.

[benjiful9000]

[closed]

Edited July 4, 2021 by benjiful9000

[allmappedout]

The issue with doing this is that it leads to potential for misuse - I can imagine strapping up a fuel tank in between fairings which would draw fuel but not change CoM (due to no physics calculations), for example.

I'm sure there's a lot more potential for abuse of it that I've not managed to think of - I think the idea is noble, but suspending physics just leads to a potential for abuse, or at least a lack of realism.

Plus, you could end up with a horrific lag spike when the fairings decouple and your 1,000 part monstrosity is unleashed on the dark cold ink blot of space

[Themohawkninja]

What happens if the stress on the fairing is too high? Would it just break causing everything to load right then and there (holy lag spike)?

[allmappedout]

What happens if the stress on the fairing is too high? Would it just break causing everything to load right then and there (holy lag spike)?

I think it instantly causes the heat death of the universe.

[Psycix]

I suggested a similar concept just recently. After a hefty debate we concluded that it is physically possible to have the fairing represent the mass, CoM and moment of inertia of all parts combined.

Link to thread.

[martscht]

What happens if the stress on the fairing is too high? Would it just break causing everything to load right then and there (holy lag spike)?

Well, the way I thought about it this wouldn't happen, because the payload wouldn't be IN the fairing, but instead all the parts and the fairing would be ONE single part. Thus, if the stress on the fairing becomes so high that it breaks the part breaks. Therefore all the things within it would break, because they are still one part. The parts contained in the payload would only be loaded when the fairing is decoupled.

The issue with doing this is that it leads to potential for misuse - I can imagine strapping up a fuel tank in between fairings which would draw fuel but not change CoM (due to no physics calculations), for example.

I'm sure there's a lot more potential for abuse of it that I've not managed to think of - I think the idea is noble, but suspending physics just leads to a potential for abuse, or at least a lack of realism.

Yeah, but the game itself is full of potential abuse. For example CoM-shift due to relocating fuel makes it possible to travel without using any fuel (there's a Scott Manley video about this...). Also: the CoM calculation would still be made, but the part (the payload) would only be one single part. So it would basically be the same thing as using a double fuel-tank instead of two singles (here the CoM shift is also only computed for one part, instead of two), which I wouldn't consider "abusing" the systems.

Plus, you could end up with a horrific lag spike when the fairings decouple and your 1,000 part monstrosity is unleashed on the dark cold ink blot of space

Yeah, but 1) you'd be hard pressed to fit 1000 parts under a single fairing (though I'm sure many would try...), 2) the lag spike would be the same "hiccup" you experience on the launchpad, when the entire vessel is loaded - the difference is only, that you don't experience the lag for the entire flight between initial load and fairing decouple, and 3) this lag-spike could be the ingame explanation for creating an event horizon which allows us to travel to other solar systems ;-D!

[martscht]

I suggested a similar concept just recently. After a hefty debate we concluded that it is physically possible to have the fairing represent the mass, CoM and moment of inertia of all parts combined.

Link to thread.

Oh, didn't see this. Thanks! Guess mods can shut this thread down...

[Themohawkninja]

Well, the way I thought about it this wouldn't happen, because the payload wouldn't be IN the fairing, but instead all the parts and the fairing would be ONE single part. Thus, if the stress on the fairing becomes so high that it breaks the part breaks. Therefore all the things within it would break, because they are still one part. The parts contained in the payload would only be loaded when the fairing is decoupled.

So you would just have a giant object just rolling around if it broke off? That would seem a bit odd.

[Marc010]

Why does everybody want do drain fuel out of the tanks inside the fairings?

It should just not be allowed to drain fuel out tanks inside the fairings or use parts like sensor/engines/... inside fairings.

That way the game doesn't even have to know what's inside the fairings until you open them.