Suggestion of mechanic at launch pad

[John2]

Hi, May i suggest that we get rid of the 1 second sudden drop at the launch pad? I've tried lots of method and pretty much cover my spaceship with struts + stabilizer enhancer, still, with that sudden drop, the whole thing fall apart. Is there a reason that we "NEED" that? or is it actually a bug?

Thanks

[Nobody]

I am pretty sure the drop your seeing is physics(gravity more specifically) kicking in and it is pretty important to the functioning of the game. When you build a ship in the VAB or SPH physics are not applied to the ship so when you move to the pad it has to get added before launch.

If you add screen shots of the ships that fall apart someone might be able to help you find the design flaw causing it.

[allmappedout]

You can also check the flight log which may help you identify which part is failing. It's likely to be a decoupler, as they always seem to be bothersome for me

Alternatively, you may want to check our Kerbal Joint Reinforcement, which is a mod which strengthens up the joints between parts so you can build more realistic-looking rockets (ie: tall and thin, rather than short and wide) more easily.

[Kermunist]

It is a bit odd to watch. How about:

0) draw splash screen that obscures everything

1) set all joints unbreakable

2) Apply gravity/physics

3) wait ~1 sec for everything to settle

4) remove splash screen

5) set breakable joints

That way, the dynamic shock of physics being applied won't break anything. If the rocket can't hold itself together under static gravity, it basically falls apart as soon as the player sees it.

[technicalfool]

I've suggested this before, and basically got told the same "you aren't using enough struts" thing.

On the one hand, more struts helps. On the other hand, I bet if you took a real aircraft or rocket and suddenly dropped it onto the concrete in the same way that KSP seems to do, it wouldn't fair so well.

I'd certainly like to see some kind of gradual fade-in for gravity at launch, at least for the vehicle in focus. Start at zero G, take one or two seconds to reach standard G, then give the player control. If the rocket still falls apart, then you can tell me "not enough struts" and I'll believe you.

[spinomonkey]

I kinda agree, if I build a spaceplane and the rear end is lower to the ground then the front end, it drops upon being loaded onto the runway. Most of the time the plane can handle it- but I've had a few times when the plane actually broke a wing or what not. Now, I agree you can just add a few struts... but it just seems like the simple solution should be- there is no drop upon loading because the gravity itself is already calculated.

[mikeydz]

Hi, May i suggest that we get rid of the 1 second sudden drop at the launch pad? I've tried lots of method and pretty much cover my spaceship with struts + stabilizer enhancer, still, with that sudden drop, the whole thing fall apart. Is there a reason that we "NEED" that? or is it actually a bug?

Thanks

If your rocket is covered in struts (SAS won't help with your problem, since it's for helping stabilize your ship when it's in motion, ie after launch) and still breaks once physics kicks in, may I suggest your problem isn't lack of struts, but a poorly designed ship.

1st, are you playing career or sandbox? If sandbox, use the launch support towers to keep your ship from falling onto the launchpad. If you don't, and your ship is heavy, your engine(s) will blow up when it lands hard, collapsing your entire rocket usually. If playing career, you shouldn't need to build heavy rockets that will be prone to disassemble for your initial science gathering needs.

2nd, when asking for help, it's generally helpful to post a pic of a design you are having a problem with. without a pic, it's hard to visualize the problem, and have someone offer a potential solution.

3rd, if you haven't already, check out youtube tutorial videos. Scott Manley is a good starting point for how-to vids on you tube. Start there.

[peadar1987]

Deadly Reentry has a feature that stabilises physics on jumping to your ship out of timewarp, or on the launch pad.

On the other hand, if you don't like your ships breaking, Deadly Reentry may not be the ideal mod for you!

[S4qFBxkFFg]

I kinda agree, if I build a spaceplane and the rear end is lower to the ground then the front end, it drops upon being loaded onto the runway. Most of the time the plane can handle it- but I've had a few times when the plane actually broke a wing or what not. Now, I agree you can just add a few struts... but it just seems like the simple solution should be- there is no drop upon loading because the gravity itself is already calculated.

Thing is, if the front/rear gear are at different heights, something is going to drop or jump no matter where it starts. Have you tried tilting it in the SPH just before launch? Pick it up by the cockpit and Shift+W or Shift+S, then raise/lower it so that the gear are all touching the hangar floor (the suspension should help here).

[joke]Alternatively, we can just have a crane in the game which literally drops the craft onto the runway from however high it was in the SPH when the player pressed the launch button.[/joke]

[coolitic]

Erm, build a better ship because if that breaks it, it wouldn't survive in flight either.

[astropapi1]

Erm, build a better ship because if that breaks it, it wouldn't survive in flight either.

How about we grab a Saturn V and drop it from a couple of meters on it's rocket nozzles? I'm pretty sure it would break way beyond normal repairs, and I don't think it was a bad design.

[peadar1987]

Erm, build a better ship because if that breaks it, it wouldn't survive in flight either.

The problem isn't with the design, it's with the way KSP starts up. You get a step change in force on all components when gravity loads, which stresses them way outside their standard operating parameters.

[mikeydz]

The problem isn't with the design, it's with the way KSP starts up.

Well, we don't KNOW that in the case of the OP because we haven't seen a pic of what he's trying to launch. Personally, I think he's trying to launch a relatively large ship without launch clamps. But until he posts a pic of the design, and probably one of the flight summary screen, we can't know what he OP's true issue is.