Add option to reinforce part connections to reduce strut-spamming

[giltirn]

For more complex designs, parts counts often explode due to the necessity to reinforce the connections between attached parts with multiple struts. It would be nice if we could have the option to reinforce the joins between parts without adding additional parts, perhaps at the cost of mass. I envision a system whereby you simply activate some sort of connection mode and click two or more connected parts, then have a slider to reinforce the connection.

[LeadMagnet]

There are several mods that do this. At the end of the day, the whole purpose of struts is to reinforce parts for flight. Kinda the whole point I think. There are several other threads that talk about game optimization. KSP is still in Beta and I'm sure the devs will address the "high part count = lagg" problem. On the other side, I think there is a challenge for whom can get the most parts into an orbit without crashing the game! Sounds like fun!

[ZenithRising]

My guess is that the problem has to do with taking off vs. crashing.

When you're crashing, you want the game to have realistic impact physics, with things flying apart as you'd expect.

But when you are taking off your design is subjected to some fairly high forces as well. Frequently enough to shake it apart with the current physics. While it would be one thing if realistic stress testing were a part of rocket design, it isn't, at least not yet. Designs falling apart on take off is just an annoyance that you can only control for only through trail and error. There is no way to crunch the numbers or predict the phenomenon with any degree of accuracy. And so, we spam dem struts.

In short, I totally agree. A mass cost is a fine idea if you feel a need to balance it, but if we're all spamming struts anyway, I don't see why we can't just make the darn things hold together better by default.

[Dunbaratu]

Part of the problem is that the real world "cost" of a strut is much less than the cost of a substantial part, but the in-game "cost" is the same AT THE MOMENT in sandbox mode where dollar price is irrelevant. What do I mean? Well, at the moment the cost is purely in framereate. And if your "currency" is FPS, then a strut is just as costly as an engine or a fuel tank, and that feels somehow unfair because it makes an enormous wobbly thing cheaper than a tiny stiff thing.