Part Configurations

[PaKaNaut]

Hey all.

I've been playing KSP for a while and downloaded a few part plug ins like

• B9 Aerospace Pack
  
• Nova Punch
  
• RLA Electric Engines
  
• ...
  

I needed them mainly because I wanted a bigger/smaller type of some part.

While this solution works well enough, it has some downsides:

• There are simply too many parts. Finding the right means navigating thru many pages.
  
• Many parts are similar in their function with only a few differences (based mainly on size). Capacity for tanks and thrust for engines for example. This makes a lot of the parts redundant.
  
• Implementing a new size means adding a lot of parts which are basicaly already there, just not in the right configuration.
  

My suggestion is to have configurable parts. This means that, for example, you can choose a "RT-10 Solid Fuel Booster" and configure it to your needs setting some parameters like:

• Diameter, where you can choose from the available sizes
  
• Length, where you again can choose from the available sizes and which increases the fuel capacity and length of the tank of course
  
• Lifting capability, where you can choose between "Heavy Lifter" which has a high thrust and short burning time, "Standard" and "Endurance" with lower thrust but longer burning time. (maybe more than 3 steps, or even as a slider)
  

Other parts can have other configurable properties. Here are some properties which come to my mind:

• FuelType, or empty (for tanks)
  
• Light Weight ... Heavy Duty. Increases\decreases weight, impact tollerance, shear force. (for structural, wheels, landing strut/gear)
  
• Re-entry Capability. Adds some wight (and maybe a nice texture) and makes the part survive a re-entry.
  
• Semi-DeployedDrag, Fully-Deployed Drag, Diploy Altitude (for parachutes)
  
• Optimal Speed, Maximum Speed, Optimal Height (for Jet Engines)
  

You get the idea.

Configurable parts would greatly reduce the parts in the part browser, make it easy to implement new sizes and give the user more control in their design.

I'm aware that this is similar to:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/59401-Tweakables-contextual-parts-and-fuel-selection

but think this is a different approach, because it's focused on configurations rather then centext.

[Xzabath]

There is a couple mods for you, called stretchy fuel tanks, and can have any type of fuel you decide liquid and oxidizer, monoprop, liquid only, xenon, and some others. and stretchy srb's you can make these tanks and boosters almost any size to fit your needs, there is procedural wings adjustable wings again can make one wing any size you want, and lastly procedural fairings same as procedural wings. There are plugins which you can launch fuel tanks empty. There are more that dont come to mind but troll the forums there are many mods that are helpful. for reducing part catalog, and lastly you could just delete the parts you dont use, i do this with b9, nova, and kw. those are big mods and they take up alot of space.

[vexx32]

At least some part of this is in the works for the next update. They don't call it Tweakables for nothin'.

[PaKaNaut]

Thank for the info, I'll have qa look into this mods.

But a game should have a good base already, so it does not have to have mods / plug ins installed to be comfortably playable.

So I hope there will be kind of improvement in this direction.

If Tweakables are the solution, I'm fine. I'm just not sure how far it will be possible to tweak the parts to get what I mentioned.

Hope the devs think about something like configurations when implementing tweakables.

Edited November 24, 2013 by vexx32
Double posting is unnecessary; please use the Edit function in future :)

[Anthlon]

Althrough i am like the idea for adjustables like that, i feel more challenging to use fixed parts where everybody has same options (parts) and starts from same point. This sounds to me like procedural parts i saw in mods. Fixed parts from stock sets something like standards... With variety of parts we have now, we can't complain for count of parts, and if they will be keep slowly expand like until now, this is not at the top list for me..

[Kegereneku]

It also sound like "procedural part" to me, and I don't think its the sort of gameplay the Devs want to go for.

Between the way it doesn't mesh the same with the Tech-Tree, and how it would ask the players to do some calculation themselves (when some players still have trouble launching anything).

I don't think we will see "tailor-made-engine" or adjustable fuel tank.

The other idea on the other end is what "tweakable" should address.