Improved Research Chart

[Halsfury]

Hi

I know that the research tree right now is a reflection on the legacy of all the parts from the earliest game additions onwards but a more serious research flow ought to be implemented

For instance, one can at the present time get wings but has to research the landing gear separately

Come on! surely landing is the thing which you think about before you take off!

Another instance of this is clearly to be seen in the lack of early game decouplers and launch clamps.

So my proposal to fix this is that the starting parts include a gantry which falls away before liftoff, like the launch clamps but not as good, so that your early game creations don't fall over right away (It happens) especially when you get to the point where your making the biggest rocket possible with serial staging and it falls over right away.

The gantries cannot support the rocket like the launch clamps but they can just keep it from falling over, the rocket would still rest on the ground but it would receive lateral anti-falling-over support from these, and not be able to hang off of them.

As for decouplers, I think that they should be given first of all, since often, decoupling is what you wish you could do most of all.

And as for the landing gear conundrum, can't we have those with the wings and not separate? It's not like anyone will attach them to a spaceship any time soon.

Thanks

Halsfury

[Sirrobert]

If you rocket falls over, it's inballanced and you need to redesign it.

And you get decouplers at the VERY FIRST thing you research. You don't even need them that early. First rocket is a parachute, pod, solid booster. Where the hell would you want need to put a decoupler? Or a clamp for that matter

[thereaverofdarkness]

I'd like to see the research flow more or less along paths of craft style, and for using certain parts or styles to provide research in that direction. ie. you could start by making rudimentary planes, and that would propel your aerodynamics research along, or you could make rudimentary rockets which would propel your rocketry research along. Use lots of decouplers, and you'll unlock other decouplers faster. Use more batteries to unlock solar panels faster, use more girders to unlock struts faster, use more inefficient rocket engines to unlock the Mainsail and 48-7S, or more efficient engines to unlock the LV-N and PB-ION. And of course using anything a lot will help unlock variants of that. Usage could include more than just mountng the items: applying thrust with engines and running fuel through them, getting energy from solar panels to replenish batteries (counts as photovoltaic panel AND battery usage), using up RCS fuel to translate ship, using struts/girders in formations that put high amounts of stress on them without breaking them, running up and down ladders, popping parachutes out-more points for re-using them, driving around on wheels, etc.

I'd also like to see a bunch of starter parts added, with lousy values but cheap cost (lor later), and just to give you more options to play with when you haven't unlocked much yet.

[Halsfury]

Really I guess this boils down to the fact that there is still a lot which could be added and tweaked by the devs

I would really like to see a chart more like thereaverofdarkness suggested, something where each line of research is individual and they don't cross over like they do now,

There should be a spaceplane research flow, a command pod research chart, a liquid fuelled rocket research chart etc. instead of all jumbled together in sometimes illogical sequence

[Sirrobert]

You all want this mod:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/53192-0-22-TreeLoader-Custom-Career-Tech-tree-Loader-1-0

Let's you make and load your own custom (or someone else's) techtree

[thereaverofdarkness]

thanks! That'll be great to have.