deactivate docking ports for performance

[KerbMav]

Recently I read that lots of docking ports on a craft - or rather in the usual 2.5km radius of space - can have an impact on performance.

I gather this is due to the ports constantly checking if there is another port nearby to pull in?

Is it possible to deactivate the ports manually? (The shielded docking port should be a hint that it is possible, no?)

Problem might be dead crafts out of power and/or control, as there would be no obvious way to activate a port on such a vessel for docking - but the claw suggests that it only takes on active docking port (although the claw simply grabs everything without checking if it is a designated part, and it also does not align itself it seems).

[CaptainKipard]

I'm not sure about this but if docking port connections are more CPU intensive than regular node connections then what would be nice is converting those connections on the fly. It would help with large orbital constructions.

[KerbMav]

As I imagine it, they are only costing computing ressources while they are undocked and constantly actively checking if another port is in front of them.

[MK3424]

I had this discussion with Bob Fitch about this.

You can remove docking ports by replacing it with a part that's the same but, without docking abilities.

You can do this by welding a regular docking port and rename it to be easy recognisable.

Then, when the module is docked, you modify the persistent file by finding the ship and replacing the docking port's name with the dummy one you "welded".

[CaptainKipard]

Someone should write a plugin that does that and in reverse.

Edit:

Ignore everything I said so far. I was incorrect.

Edited March 26, 2014 by Cpt. Kipard

[KerbMav]

You can remove docking ports by replacing it with a part that's the same but, without docking abilities.

I was asking about open/undocked docking ports, that the player has no intention on using at the time - about if deactivating would safe CPU time and the means to do so.

[CaptainKipard]

Why do you think that this particular thing is significant enough to fix? If I had to guess it's orders of magnitude less resource hungry than physics calculations.

[KerbMav]

Because someone claimed that a significant number of docking ports would have a significant impact on performance.

[CaptainKipard]

Is this source credible?

[sal_vager]

I have not noticed any particular slowdown from having lots of ports, how about instead of taking what could easily be a wind-up as truth you test this yourself?

Build a pair of craft, one with tons of docking ports and one without, no need to launch them, just mess with them on the pad with gravity hacked, see what happens

[Javster]

Maybe just an EVA to "weld" the two parts as one, so they stop attracting.

[Justin Kerbice]

Because someone claimed that a significant number of docking ports would have a significant impact on performance.

Of course !!! 1000 docking ports will kill performance ! Maybe here is the truth.

I cannot believe this thread since the first post.

[NoMrBond]

I haven't noticed anything like this, the latest iteration of my default station core has ~70 docking ports on it at launch and it doesn't seem to cause any more lag than similarly proportioned/sized vessels without docking ports on them?

Time for a test of Whackjobbian proportions (look at that, they've become a noun in the Kerbal vernacular)