Advanced staging - Simple timedelay

[PantsuMann]

Would it be possible to add a small gear-icon or something when hovering the mouse over the staging in the VAS? And that icon lets you put small "micro stages" like a little timer bar. That would mean you don't have to dash space and loose time separating objects from you craft.

Example: At launch first stage, first command when pressing space will activate engines, 0,3 seconds later rocket will be released.

Example 2: Failed launch, command when pressing space will be to activate side boosters of capsule, 0,4 seconds later capsule will detach will full force and send sideways away from the craft.

This would be a small compact addition to the staging, and not visible until you toggle the specific stage you want to edit, then between the parts inside that stage you get a small bar saying "0.0" which would be instant when pressing space. Adjusting to 0,5 would be a half second between the parts to activate in that stage.

This way, you could do semi-automatic launches, and without any delays of pressing space and save fuel and time.

Thoughts?

[PantsuMann]

Agreed.

Like:

Abort command {

Decoupler and abort tower fire at 00.00 after stage command

Chutes open at 02.00 after stage command

}

Just that for the player there's no scripting involved, just a few mouse clicks. But yes, that's how it would work.

[maccollo]

I don't see a problem with it as long as it's implmeneted in a streamlined way, perhaps just a stage time delay in the tweakables.

[Kasuha]

Stageable action groups - either as sequence of commands with delays, or going through individual stages by using the action key several times - would be nice. Especially for abort action. But I don't see much sense in timers in staging itself. I think it provides enough control as it is, your problem seems to be rather that you're putting things to separate stages when you should have them in single stage.

Staging itself could use different improvements, IMO. Such as that it could graphically distinguish the "active stage" where active engines are collected and which contains things that have been already staged, from stages yet to activate. And it could work correctly if I deactivate an engine manually and put it back into inactive stage if I want to activate it with Space key again.

Edited April 5, 2014 by Kasuha

[PantsuMann]

What it could look like:

(I like making reference images... Easier to show people what you actually mean.)

[CaptainKipard]

Kinda want.

Time delay for sure.

[PantsuMann]

Bump for interest.

[Superfluous J]

Cool idea. You could in theory set up an entire "get to orbit" in one huge stage and all you'd have to do is throttle up and steer.

And not throttle down ever or things could go south pretty quick

[allmhuran]

Would be extremely handy for parachuting spent boosters back down to kerbin (since you rarely want to deploy the parachutes immediately at decoupling time). This would require that what is currently classified as "debris" is able to execute a predefined staging command, but I'm sure that problem can be solved. +1

[PantsuMann]

Cool idea. You could in theory set up an entire "get to orbit" in one huge stage and all you'd have to do is throttle up and steer.

And not throttle down ever or things could go south pretty quick

Yes, if you could calculate how long your fuel time is. But I think this feature would be most useful for small quick stages. I have had things crashing because when spamming Space there's a little delay.

[Capt Snuggler]

Yes please! this would be great!

[Carmoldu]

Would be extremely handy for parachuting spent boosters back down to kerbin (since you rarely want to deploy the parachutes immediately at decoupling time). This would require that what is currently classified as "debris" is able to execute a predefined staging command, but I'm sure that problem can be solved. +1

I thought exactly the same!