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Free EVA controls


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The current EVA mechanism can be confusing due to the fact that there is a preferred orientation for Kerbal's depending on camera mode. Sometimes when going on EVA, a Kerbal is automatically oriented in such a way as to be perpendicular to ladders/hatches, and it can be very difficult to try to orient it correctly in order to grab said ladders/hatches.

Hence, as discussed here, it would be nice to have a "free" EVA mode, where a Kerbal does not have a preferred frame of reference.

There are at least 2 approaches:

1) Use the camera view as the preferred frame of reference.

That is, when pressing <space> or maneuvering, the Kerbal is oriented to face "forward" and "up" as per the current camera view.

2) No preferred frame of reference.

This is a mode similar to ship controls during staging where it's possible to rotate a ship any which way, as well as use RCS (if fitted) to translate. In this mode, pressing <space> would do nothing as there is no preferred orientation for the Kerbal.

Option (1) is probably the most natural for people used to the way EVA works currently.

Option (2) is possibly more natural for people used to docking craft.

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There are two major modes in which you need to navigate Kerbals - floating in space, and walking on planet surface. Methods of their navigation are vastly different in these two contexts.

My opinion is, current "Free" and "Orbital" views (and controls) should stay as they are. Free is optimal for any surface movement, orbital is sometimes beneficial for orientation in space. The "Chase" camera mode should put the Kerbal as the frame of reference and change the control into standard RCS (WASDQE/HNIJKL), allowing all rotations and translations the same way as with spaceship.

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There are two major modes in which you need to navigate Kerbals - floating in space, and walking on planet surface. Methods of their navigation are vastly different in these two contexts.

My opinion is, current "Free" and "Orbital" views (and controls) should stay as they are. Free is optimal for any surface movement, orbital is sometimes beneficial for orientation in space. The "Chase" camera mode should put the Kerbal as the frame of reference and change the control into standard RCS (WASDQE/HNIJKL), allowing all rotations and translations the same way as with spaceship.

Are you saying that chase mode is OP's suggestion #1?

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Ah.. good point; I neglected to clarify this suggestion as being for "in-space" EVA, not surface mode.

EDIT: However, as for using "chase" camera having the Kerbal as the frame of reference, I think that could get quite sickening if you're maneuvering quickly and/or around a lot of structure such as a space station. Personally I would still like a "free" mode which has a steady camera view.

Edited by micha
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EDIT: However, as for using "chase" camera having the Kerbal as the frame of reference, I think that could get quite sickening if you're maneuvering quickly and/or around a lot of structure such as a space station. Personally I would still like a "free" mode which has a steady camera view.

That has a lot to do with flying model airplanes and doing aerobatics with them. If you're not experienced with it, it gets confusing very fast because if you tell the plane to turn right, it turns to its right, not to your right.

Currently available navigation methods in default settings are 3rd person view with restricted movement in certain directions.

If you allow EVA rotation, it gains complexity of riding a model boat. Not much more complex but some people may be rather uncomfortable with it.

If you completely decouple them, it gains complexity of model plane aerobatics, although in slow motion (at least as slow as slow do you manage to keep your Kerbal).

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First, I wholeheartedly support this idea.

Second, I think ship camera angles don't make any sense for Kerbals. I think there should be 2 modes: Chase and "Kerbal's Head

Auto would allow you to move the camera around independently of the Kerbal's orientation. Chase would allow you to intuitively see where your Kerbal is facing and what the keys do.

Between those two you should be albe to do everything with the ijklhn and wasdqe keys, like with space ships.

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