Timers with staging

[edwardc]

Hi Guys,

What and Why

So, this suggestion comes after many ejected parts collided with my main ship and caused damage.

I've tried using Sepratron 1s but sometimes they just fire too early or spin wrong and once you use a radial decoupler, you can't have the sepratrons on the next stage as the part is no longer attached.

So, as a tweak-able setting for some parts, I suggest a timer that can be set and starts it's countdown on stage activation.

Simple Example:

I have a rocket core with 4 radial boosters.

Each booster has a Sepratron I with a 5 second timer set.

Each booster also has a parachute with a 45 second timer set.

During launch my radial boosters run out and I stage and eject them. (Timers start counting)

After floating away for 5s (to give a little clearance) the sepratrons fire to clear it completely.

After 45s the chutes deploy so the falling empty tanks and engines can be recovered (assuming career mode money additions)

Alternate use

This could also then be used for remote deploying of small probes and rovers. If I have a main ship with multiple rovers I could stay in orbit and use the timers to launch them at the planet and have the timers retroburn the probe engines (assuming correct orientation) and deployment of chutes.

Risk

Parts with timers may no longer be within range of player's focus and then get unloaded from memory. I know models are only loaded when within range but I honestly don't know how physics, collusion etc work on out of range items if at all. It's possible that remote probes with timers just "freeze" as they leave your range and crash.

How/Where

As to how/where this can be implemented, I'd suggest on the staging list along the right in the VAB. Right clicking an item there shows a menu item "Timer" or "Delay". Selecting it just gives a text box where you can enter a number in seconds. This could then be overlaid on the icon like the symmetry count.

A zero second delay is instant and need not be displayed obviously.

[technicalfool]

but I honestly don't know how physics, collusion etc work on out of range items if at all.

It doesn't. No collision in Time Warp either, as a certain Danny2462 video demonstrates.

I like the idea. Almost like a clockwork spacecraft. I just don't think the game engine in its current state will allow it.

[UH60guy]

This would be a godsend for my abort systems as well... I usually launch with an escape tower at the top of my rockets. The abort button shuts off all engines, activates the tower's sepratrons, and separates the manned module. However, I have yet to find a good way to get the parachutes to fire once the sepratrons cut out short of spamming spacebar (since the chutes are usually last in the staging queue), and for low altitude aborts it's proven fatal a a few times where I couldn't hit it fast enough. Don't like having chutes tied to a hotkey either.

A timer on parts would be really cool- then like you said, clockwork stages! Or a few lives saved when seconds count during rapid unplanned disassemblies.

Edited January 3, 2014 by UH60guy