Decouplers not connecting to Rockets

[Remag]

Hi Chaps,

This may have been answered somewhere but I thought i'd just ask as it's probably (hopefully) a simple solution. So... I'm placing more than 1 set of decouplers down the side of my fuselage, except whatever I attach to the decouplers only seems to STICK to the one I attach it too. I then end up with the rockets waving about a bit as they don't want to connect to both sets of decouplers.

You would think seeing as they are all lined up and sticking out by the same amount that the rockets would attach to both decouplers and it would be a firm fix.

HLEP.

Regards,

Remag

[Smidge204]

I assume you mean radial decouplers? As in you have a long booster/fuel tank you're trying to connect to two radial decouplers?

That won't work, because the part you're trying to stick on can only have one "parent" in the part tree. You can only have one decoupler and you'll have to use struts for the rest.

If you mean something else, please describe a bit more... and/or post pics.

=Smidge=

[Kasuha]

Everything you add to your ship can be only attached to one part of that ship. The only exception are struts.

Use struts instead of your second decoupler and it will work because struts will disappear as soon as the primary connection between their two ends breaks.

The only downside is that the decoupler will not give a push to a strutted part because struts will disappear fraction of second too late. That will hopefully get fixed in some future release of the game.

[Kinger]

There's a few mods that add decouplers that are longer than the stock ones - I believe NovaPunch has an extra-long one.

Aside from that, there's no way to do what you're asking. An external fuel tank/booster will only attach to one decoupler at a time. You can use struts to stabilize the rest, and when you fire the decouplers the struts will detach automatically.

[Monkeh]

The only downside is that the decoupler will not give a push to a strutted part because struts will disappear fraction of second too late. That will hopefully get fixed in some future release of the game.

Sepratrons are your friend in these situations

[Remag]

Hm I see..... Why don't they make it so they can attach to multiple objects they come in contact with then? That would make more sense I'm doing career mode and don't have struts yet so it's rather annoying

Edited November 19, 2013 by Remag

[Fadamor]

Interesting. I've been unnecessarily adding mass to my launch vehicles. I guess the question is then (say, for a long SRB attached to the main body) do both ends of the SRB need to be "strutted" or will one suffice? Logic says both ends, but there is still a lot to the sim that defies logic.

[Remag]

And one more thing...when attaching a fuel tank stack to the Decoupler, it always attaches at the very tip of the stack...even if you select the stack in the middle. So how do you attach the middle of the stack to a decoupler...

[Evrion]

Interesting. I've been unnecessarily adding mass to my launch vehicles. I guess the question is then (say, for a long SRB attached to the main body) do both ends of the SRB need to be "strutted" or will one suffice? Logic says both ends, but there is still a lot to the sim that defies logic.

I've found that a single radial decoupler can hold onto an SRB on it's own. I used to strut them at the top, but stopped doing that so that they could be ejected with a little force rather than dropped.

[Remag]

I'm also having a problem with the Center of Lift being off center for no reason.

Why is this?

[Kasuha]

Shorts SRBs are okay. Long SRBs may need one or two struts at the top so they don't lean too much towards the rocket.

Large boosters made of liquid fuel tanks and engines should not need more than four correctly placed struts each.

[SRV Ron]

There's a few mods that add decouplers that are longer than the stock ones - I believe NovaPunch has an extra-long one.

Aside from that, there's no way to do what you're asking. An external fuel tank/booster will only attach to one decoupler at a time. You can use struts to stabilize the rest, and when you fire the decouplers the struts will detach automatically.

The NovaPunch long decoupler is extremely tricky to work with. It is nearly impossible to know if they are attached or clipped. Parts attached to it often bump into the core stage when they are staged. Sepratrons don't always work properly either.

Here is an example of bracing that works well on asparagus and long tanks. Note, decouplers work best centered to the drop stages.

[Vanamonde]

Why don't they make it so they can attach to multiple objects they come in contact with then?

KSP is made within a system called Unity, and there's a limitation in Unity which requires that you can only attach a child part to a single parent. Since Squad uses unity but doesn't make it, there are things Squad can't change.

[Camacha]

KSP is made within a system called Unity, and there's a limitation in Unity which requires that you can only attach a child part to a single parent. Since Squad uses unity but doesn't make it, there are things Squad can't change.

I believe this system is of Squad's making, not Unity.