Auto staging?

[Oafman]

I always hit space bar to stage. I'm not aware of any alternative. So when I have an asparagus ship, I'm constantly hovering over fuel tanks so I know when they're empty, and when to drop them. This can make things tricky if you have a complicated asparagus set up, especially when you need to concentrate on steering and making your gravity turn etc.

Yet I see some videos where people aren't doing this. And sometimes they act slightly surprised by tanks being jettisoned; "oh, there goes the first set of fuel tanks" etc. It's as if they have it automated in some way, so it stages with no input as soon as the tanks are empty.

Am I missing some incredibly obvious feature, or are these people just hitting space to stage, and the 'surprise' is because it's post-commentary?

Edited July 15, 2014 by Oafman

[bsalis]

The MechJeb mod does auto-staging, among other things. They are probably using that -- it is a popular mod.

[SRV Ron]

With engines, you just watch the fuel level in the staging column until it hits zero and the engines go out. With drop tanks, right click to activate the fuel level so you can stage them when they go empty. If in map mode, you can see a drop in acceleration in the Navball when a pair of engines shut down but not with drop tanks.

To do so automatically, you will need a mod that handles this process.

Video producers end up surprised because they have become so focused on the narration as they are recording that they stop paying attention to manually flying their rocket.

[Red Iron Crown]

MechJeb or a kOS script are the only ways I know to autostage.

[Oafman]

Thanks. I just needed to know I wasn't missing something.

With these videos, I don't see the MJ menu bar, though of course that doesn't mean it's not being used. I guess it's just the post commentary thing

[John FX]

MechJeb or a kOS script are the only ways I know to autostage.

You can also autostage with the KSP Alternate Resource Panel if all you want is the autostaging

[Red Iron Crown]

You can also autostage with the KSP Alternate Resource Panel if all you want is the autostaging

You're right, didn't realize that was a feature. I use ARP but not its staging functions as I also use MJ.

[Oafman]

Actually, the issue with MJ's autostaging is that, as I understand it, it's only an option if MJ is flying the whole ascent. I want to do the ascent manually, but just have the fuel tanks drop off automatically the second they are empty.

John, thanks, I'll check that out. I notice it offers "Autostaging Controller to activate stages on engine flameout", which is great, but isn't quite what I need, unless it can autostage at an empty tank rather than just at a flameout

[EdFred]

Actually, the issue with MJ's autostaging is that, as I understand it, it's only an option if MJ is flying the whole ascent. I want to do the ascent manually, but just have the fuel tanks drop off automatically the second they are empty.

John, thanks, I'll check that out. I notice it offers "Autostaging Controller to activate stages on engine flameout", which is great, but isn't quite what I need, unless it can autostage at an empty tank rather than just at a flameout

You can go into utilities and set autostage in MechJeb without using the ascent guidance.

[Red Iron Crown]

You can go into utilities and set autostage in MechJeb without using the ascent guidance.

Alternately, you can turn it on in Ascent Guidance but leave the autopilot off. I like that you can adjust the wait before and after staging.

[Oafman]

Looks like I need to spend more time in the MJ options screens. Thanks

[EdFred]

Alternately, you can turn it on in Ascent Guidance but leave the autopilot off. I like that you can adjust the wait before and after staging.

True, same goes for limiting terminal velocity and a few other things.

[Mr. Chuck]

I don't personally like to use Mechjeb, I'm one of those whackos... Look up Dtobi's "Smart Parts" mod - there are parts that'll trigger stage or action groups on empty fuel tanks when attached, or when you reach a set altitude, or on a timer, or when another smart part triggers them... It feels like I've accomplished something on my own when I set these up, and they're pretty intuitive.