Move freely inside the craft, make docking a bit harder, moveable lamps.

[fastbikkel]

-- I would love to see the possibility to move freely inside any craft. I would like to move my position inside the craft so i get a better view during docking and such. I am the kind of player that loves the sim part of KSP and want to do everything from the inside of the craft.

Now when i am in the 3 man capsule i cannot see the ship i am docking with. Now that can be solved by aligment tools, but being able to move around the inside of the ship would add to immersion.

-- Make docking harder. I mean, is it realistic that the magnetism pulls the 2 docking adapters together so quickly? There is a lot of pulling power, more than i think is realistic.

-- the possibility to move lights. Now when a lamp has been fixed, it is stuck for ever. No way to move it around a bit. I use lights during docking in the dark, it is nice to be able to move a lamp around if i notice i have placed it wrongly. Docking is already tricky enough, having no lights can make it a nightmare.

I think it is pretty clear i am going for the most realistic approach. Wether that is what the KSP devs want is another thing.

[Dodgey]

1. WNTS It has been suggested multiple times and is on the Official Planned List, good idea, just suggested to death.

2. The difficulty of docking is very subjective depending on the circumstances and the player, I've seen a lot of posts asking for help with docking.

3. I'm not sure what you mean by this one, weather it is inside the SPH/VAB or actually out in space. If it is out in space that could fall under orbital construction which is on the WNTS, I do think that it is a good idea never the less.

[Deathsoul097]

Quick! In before the Lock!

1) This is a WNTS, as it has been suggested SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many times. Squad are planning to do it. (Also, try to double click around the internals. You will find that certain spots, normally windows, will allow your perspective to move to them, to get a better view. I find that the Raster Prop Monitor/JSI mod makes this really fun though, and it is very immersive.)

2) Lots of people find it hard enough to get their ships even remotely close to eachother, nevermind dock, so you really want to make this harder? (If you want to do this though, I believe there is a line in the part CFG file that allows you to control the strength of the magnetism and turn it on or off.)

3) I think this is under the WNTS list too. (There isnt really a way to do this without mods ATM. You would need KAS for this is you want to do it now.)

(Yup: This would classify as Construction-

•Orbital construction and construction on other celestials)

The docking change is not going to happen, and the devs don't want to make the game too hard. They want to keep the game as a game, not a full "NASA Simulator" or turn it into Orbiter. Realistic Atmo and Re-entry heat are planned to some extent IIRC, so you can rejoice in the realism of those features if and when they get implemented. You seem to be a bit new, so I will point this out to you: There is a thread in this subforum at the top of the list called what not to suggest. Read through this before you post a suggestion, as it may well be in there. Discussions on the other hand are allowed on any topic really, as long as it isnt or doesnt become vehement, badgering or just downright rude and stupid.

[Serratus]

-- Make docking harder. I mean, is it realistic that the magnetism pulls the 2 docking adapters together so quickly? There is a lot of pulling power, more than i think is realistic.

Heh, I agree. However I just remembered how the community was up in arms about docking back when it was just being implemented. There was no docking mode, and target mode so ppl thought it will be a nightmare to dock anything. Around 5 versions later... and ppl are complaining the opposite.

One thing that just came to my mind: Maybe we are wrong about difficulty? After all we are quite experienced at it. Think about new users. For them it might be just the right difficulty...

[Kasuha]

Make docking harder.

Docking is already tricky enough, having no lights can make it a nightmare.

Looks like you're a bit contradicting yourself.

I think docking is okay. There's already plenty of people who can't dock without some kind of mod that helps them with it and with increasing difficulty that number of players would just increase. KSP is a game and I think it's okay if you don't have to perform docking with the same precision real space ships do it.

Moving lights to help you with nighttime docking is not necessary if you install some lights in proper positions to shine light on the docking port of the opposite ship. You can even make an action group to activate/deactivate them.

[fastbikkel]

Looks like you're a bit contradicting yourself.

No i am not, i want the hardest possible. I like it being realistic (hard) but when the lights are off, it is more difficult because i cannot see anything :-)

I meant the lamps being able to "swivel" on their mount. I did not mean assembly in space. Right now i usually fix two lamps in different positions to make sure i light up that docking adapter area.

I am sorry if i mentioned a point that was mentioned many times before. I did check the list before i posted.

But i guess, better to have too many than too few.

[fastbikkel]

Heh, I agree. However I just remembered how the community was up in arms about docking back when it was just being implemented. There was no docking mode, and target mode so ppl thought it will be a nightmare to dock anything. Around 5 versions later... and ppl are complaining the opposite.

I did not complain myself, this part of the forum is for "suggestions". I will accept any outcome, but i have my preferences :-)

Maybe it can be a realism option?

[Umlüx]

if docking would be realistic hard, they should give us realistic tools too. like the splendid docking monitor/cam mod

[fastbikkel]

if docking would be realistic hard, they should give us realistic tools too. like the splendid docking monitor/cam mod

Valid point. Maybe i will just have to rely on the mods.

I have been looking for a realistic space sim all my life, KSP is the only contender, but maybe i am taking it too far myself.

[Kasuha]

I'm not sure if docking is there but if you're looking for realism, you should probably try Orbiter.

Edit: apparently yes, realistic docking is also included.

[fastbikkel]

Orbiter uh? Never heard of it, but i will look at it.

Thanks!

Admitted, i love KSP and i doubt i will leave it ;-) at least for now.

[PDCWolf]

I'm all in for making the magnetism toggeable. I personally don't need it and it ruins my beautiful approaches by pulling the crafts together at 1m/s. Pods' inside-cameras COULD use a bit of re-positioning so that looking outside is easier. Lights should be made smaller, they are stupidly huge. Maybe making a fixed but rotable version could help a lot too.

[minerman30]

I say they should reduce the force of docking magnetism, as it is unrealistic for it to pull itself together at 3m/s from 2m away. Maybe 4/10 of the current force.

[S4qFBxkFFg]

-- Make docking harder. I mean, is it realistic that the magnetism pulls the 2 docking adapters together so quickly? There is a lot of pulling power, more than i think is realistic.

I agree with everything else you say (the first idea will appear in the stock game, I think and the last one can be done with the KAS mod for now).

Specifically on magnet power, a concession to realism might be to have docking ports consume a lot of electricity when their magnets are activated, and yes, perhaps make them a little weaker.

[fastbikkel]

@S4qFBxkFFg

That idea of using electricity is great, i didn't think of that myself but makes much more sense.

[allmappedout]

Really, docking in the dark is trivial, as long as you have a parallel position guide. Whether this is the alignment mod, or a Mechjeb or something, it's literally a case of just lining up and thrusting. You could do it without ever looking at your craft. Of course, it's not in the stock game, so it isn't trivial, YET, but it's definitely something I'd like to see incorporated into the game.

[Rainbowtrout]

Inb4lock.

Anyways, the suggested features would be quite cool, especially moveable lights, for things outside docking.

[Jouni]

The only reason you need magnetism for docking is that the controls are so imprecise. With adjustable reaction wheels and RCS, docking at 0.01 m/s would as easy or as hard as docking currently is. It would just take a bit longer.

[technicalfool]

I'd like to see more IVA stuff, however I'd like to see some realism. Life Support-capable parts need to be able to transfer a resource of type "astronaut" I guess, which would block you if you tried to walk from one hab module, through a docking port and into a fuel tank.

Could the empty structural fuselage parts perhaps be given a dual use? Make an IVA for the HubMax as well?

Probably the wrong part of game development when everything's focussed on career right now, but I'm wondering whether an IVA could be stitched together, using inner walls from whatever the welded-together parts are, and some kind of bulkhead or back-of-docking-port mesh at the ends?

[Guest]

Make docking harder

Docking is already tricky enough

Uhm...

Anyway, I don't think docking would be made any harder by reducing the magnetic pull. Considering we don't have "male" and "female" docking ports you kind of need something to align the ports anyway. Steerable lights I can get behind, that's a good idea.

[fastbikkel]

Uhm...

I am sorry for the confusion, i get it :-)

I like working hard in a game/sim, that is where i get my satisfaction from.

It is indeed tricky enough, so therefor i liked some light lol.

[Dunbaratu]

The only reason you need magnetism for docking is that the controls are so imprecise.

This!

When NASA astronauts in the 60's and 70's had to do manual dockings, they did them with *analog* control sticks. We're trying to do them with a digital boolean controller called a "keyboard". I often find even with the capslock on which is meant to cut back on the strength of the keyboard controls it's still hard when docking to get precise control because there's no such thing as "press the key 1/4 as hard". to get a smaller effect. Just the fastest 'tap' on the key that I'm physically capable of is often more than I wanted, leading to the annoying act of dancing back and forth across the point I'm trying to stop on in the navball because the lightest possible tap on the key causes too much rotation.

It's things like that that cause a need for docking to be a bit unrealistically forgiving. Making it more realistic would first require giving the player more fine-tuned control over the controls.

[coolitic]

Som1 lock this thread. Honestly, WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP MAKING THESE THREADS?! THEY MUST DIE!

[Comrade Jenkens]

The vets always forget how difficult it was for them when they were newbs. I can pretty much dock in my sleep now and find it so easy that its routine. However I still remember it took me months to get my first successful docking and I gave in quite a few times.

[fastbikkel]

Som1 lock this thread. Honestly, WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP MAKING THESE THREADS?! THEY MUST DIE!

Are you for real? I am not taking this serious. You have issues with yourself.