Rescue questions: visibility, reloading.

[Mister Spock]

Thanks for the replies! I think I need to spend some time practicing with the ship RCS controls. I'm okay with the EVA RCS controls. I guess the ship controls are the same thing, on the right side of the keyboard?

Wanderfound, I appreciate the detailed explanation of how to use the target retrograde and prograde markers. Sounds like they're "relative velocity vectors," which is why I want to point at the target retrograde marker. I wonder if it might be easier for me to visualize what's happening if the target were a ship pointed in the direction it's moving, rather than a Kerbonaut that I can't see at all.

I'm watching Scott Manley's two-part docking tutorial now, and that's helpful.

I got another Kerbil-rescue contract, but first, I think I'm gonna go land on the Mun.

[r_rolo1]

The ship RCS controls in non-docking mode ( in docking mode they are the same as the EVA Kerbal RCS ) are H and N to forth and back respectively, I and K for up and down ( according to your control part initial orientation, mind that ... if you have doubts check the navball ... BTW, here is a good tutorial on reading the navball intel ) and J and K to left and right ( same as the previous one ) ... that can be added to the standart WASD + QE if you want to change the ship orientation.

RCS is not strictly needed for a ship only aproach to the stranded kerbals ( you can do all the work with engine power), but it is hard to get the fine control RCS offers ... and you should definitely not burn retrograde against the kerbal ( besides not wanting roasted kerbal as snack , the exaust can push the kerbal away, nixing your whole job ). But anyway, if you can get the ship in a 1.0 m/s from target in prograde direction with engines, you can use easily RCS to correct the direction of movement if needed ...

Edited July 26, 2014 by r_rolo1

[Wanderfound]

Thanks for the replies! I think I need to spend some time practicing with the ship RCS controls. I'm okay with the EVA RCS controls. I guess the ship controls are the same thing, on the right side of the keyboard?

RCS has two sets of controls: turning and translating. Turning uses the usual ASDQEWX controls; translation uses IJKMHN. Turning RCS alters pitch/yaw/roll; translation RCS pushes you back/forwards/sideways.

[Mister Spock]

Thanks. I will practice that.

[Wanderfound]

Thanks. I will practice that.

You'll find the translation controls very helpful on final approach to docking; they allow you to move the velocity markers while keeping your nose on target for the port.

[Jean Deaux]

I have found remapping the RCS to my number keypad a lot less confusing. If you're having trouble, you may wish to consider that.

[xcorps]

That's what I do. The keypad is much more intuitive thank iujkl. Or umjkl. Or iujklm. Or whatever.

[Mister Spock]

Good idea. I'll try that.

[Mister Spock]

Er, so how does one change key bindings? Edit the config file?

Incidentally, all this practice rescuing Kerbils had a side benefit: my first docking attempt went very smoothly. Yay! I docked successfully on the first try. (Screenshots in the "What did you do in KSP today" thread.) But I had to change to docking mode to use the RCS system competently. I'd really like to remap the default RCS controls for the right hand.

[Cerberus738]

in the settings menu at the very first startup screen (before you load a game). you can change all your key bindings in there and see some very obscure ones that i'm sure you didn't know existed!

If you setup translation controls under staging you can fly with 2 hands. left hand controls rotation and right hand controls translation. then you don't need to fuss around in docking mode switching back and forth. with practice docking is so smooth its like spreading butter on delicious warm toast.

[Mister Spock]

Thanks, Cerberus. Yep, that's what I'd like to do -- play the keyboard like a piano, as Scott Manley put it. I just want the right-hand RCS controls to mirror the WASD CTL/SHIFT controls for the left hand, and they don't seem to. I'm thinking I for forward, J for left, K for backwards, L for right, N for down, H for up.