Recovery and Re-usability ~ Implementation Idea[NOT a simple suggestion]

[ANWRocketMan]

I've been seeing more and more of the re-usable kind of launch systems in KSP lately. I have a simple idea for how they can be re-used once recovered:

• When a vehicle is recovered the user is given an ption to select whether the vehicle is going to be re-used.
  
• If they select 'yes' this vehicle is saved as a temporary "sub-assembly".
  
• When in the VAB, the user can now select recovered vessels from a new list, and in the case of career mode, at a much reduced cost.*
  
• The "sub-assembly" has all the old features/damage etc. of the vessel that was recovered. Say if a wheel was destroyed, it is still gone and can now be replaced or changes can be made to the vessel.**
  

*The user should be charged say, 15%-20% of the original vehicle cost for simple repairs etc. And for fuel replacements.

**I'm not exactly sure how a system to handle attachment points etc. could be handled. Or if the vessel is changed or removed again from the build. It could be usefull to re-select a root part in this case. The recovered vessel can simply be re-saved if it was changed or removed.

This would obviously require a new "Recovered Vessel" tab and a system to dynamically save, alter and delete recovered vessels.

Discuss.

[boomerdog2000]

I thought sub-asemblies couldn't have the root part in them, since then they would have to be saved as their own vessel? Without this the game would have to save each ship that you want to reuse as its own vessel in the VAB, which could potential crowd that menu quite a bit.

[Tank Buddy]

I agree, but I don't think it will be practical until a monetary system is implemented.

[rhoark]

I'd rather reassemble the launch stack with KAS, personally.

[ANWRocketMan]

This is of course for career mode only as soon as a monetary system is implemented.

My problem with using KAS is when you have, for example, a rocket with three core stages and two side boosters. It's unstable enough when not using Joint Reinforcement. Having to somehow crane it up and re-attach in some ugly way...

[Avanti]

i have an easier way of doing this, for each recovered vehicle, the parts that comprised that vehicle are dis-assembled and credited individually, now that the vehicle is recovered, next time you enter the VAB,you get a credit that discounts cost the next time you use that same part type.

if you recovered 2 large solid rockets, then in the VAB, next time you build a ship, you have 2 discount credits for the large solid rocket part.

if you recover an orbital crew transfer vehicle, the engine, fuel tanks, crew pod, antennae, and anything else that was attached to it are now dis-assembled and discount credits are now applied for each exact part type in the VAB. so if you build the same crew transfer vehicle, if you use the same parts and duplicate the ship, you can use all the discount credits that the last ship got you. and you now have re-used a whole ship.

hopefully i made that clear enough lol

[Tw1]

i have an easier way of doing this, for each recovered vehicle, the parts that comprised that vehicle are dis-assembled and credited individually, now that the vehicle is recovered, next time you enter the VAB,you get a credit that discounts cost the next time you use that same part type.

The fact that there is an "in stock" value for parts suggests something like this may be on the cards. But you still have construction cost.

They didn't completely rebuild the shuttle each time it landed, I'd like to see a subassembly based system as well.

I would like to see some sort of "recover to hanger" system for shuttles and SSTOs.

In another thread, I raised this as part of ideas to how budgets could work.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55634-Budget-in-career-mode?p=740574&viewfull=1#post740574

If you could just recover and re-fuel the SSTO, you don't need to pay construction cost, apart from any changes you make when it's back in the SPH.

I'm pretty sure you can include a root part in a subassembly, but you can't start a new ship from one, which is a little inconvenient. Recovered vessels could be stored in a separate tab, and they'd need to be able to be the start of a new vessel.