Hate it when your stages intertwine? (subassembly attaching - and docking too)

[EdFred]

Me too, and how did I not discover this before?!?!?

So, I make a lander assembly for an all in one Jool mission. It ends up being 5 stages so I can land/ascend from Tylo and still remain relatively small. I save it as a sub assembly and then start working on a new ship to take me all through the Jool system without needing to refuel at any point in the mission. This is another 5 or 6 stages. Grab the lander and stick it on the "touring" stage and I should end up with 10 or 11 stages right? Of course not. It matches up stage 1 to 1, 2 to 2, 3 to 3, etc...and now I have an unholy mishmash of stages. So, I figure what the heck, I will add a bunch of empty stages (0-6) on the touring vehicle, and see what happens, when I glom on the sub assembly. Voila! It kept all the stages separate, so I have no intertwined stages. All my touring stages are 11-->6, and my lander stages are 5-->0.

Edited September 22, 2014 by EdFred

[Xavven]

Ooo! Nice find! I will try this the next time I attach a lander sub-assembly.

[KevinW42]

That's a neat trick. I wonder if it works with docking too.

[Renegrade]

I use standardized launchers during BTSM campaigns, and that's what I do. I blank stage the sub-assembly ship until they're at 10, and then save it as a template. Always saves me from having to untangle 'em later.

Given the use that subassemblies get there, I thought this was generally common knowledge though. Since it apparently isn't, let me add this other bit:

It's necessary to CUT the parts from the originating ship to preserve the fuel/strut links reliably. Copying them (alt-click) will often result in failure of some or all of the strut/lines to reconnect.

[cantab]

I've had a similar issue with launcher subassemblies, throwing their stages in with what I put for the payload. That's the reverse situation, and I don't know if a bunch of blank stages at the top would be preserved in the subassembly. Anyone tried?

EDIT: Ah sounds like you have Renegrade, and good to hear it works. And yes, fuel lines and struts can make a nuisance of themselves.

[Renegrade]

EDIT: Ah sounds like you have Renegrade, and good to hear it works. And yes, fuel lines and struts can make a nuisance of themselves.

Yep it works both ways. Note that the extra blank stages normally don't get saved when you make a craft, but they ARE remembered somehow in the subassembly template. (I like to keep my templates as craft files as well, just in case..but I have to re-blank-stage them every time if I want to make/remake a template)

Just to be clear on my second point: If you cut the parts from the model (ie left click, not alt-left-click) before saving them as a subassembly, it makes the lines/struts behave when you utilize that template.

[EdFred]

I never have fuel lines or struts going between sub assemblies and the transfer/lifter stages until right before I click launch. I dealt with enough weirdness in struts and fuel lines going Clyde and Clint.

[Renegrade]

I never have fuel lines or struts going between sub assemblies and the transfer/lifter stages until right before I click launch. I dealt with enough weirdness in struts and fuel lines going Clyde and Clint.

Wait..that works at all? I meant struts/lines within the subassembly only

(Mine are usually launchers, the opposite of your lander)

I generally don't have any fuel lines at all between the subassemblies and the host ship, and my struts between the launcher/ship are added right before launch, like you do..

[Red Iron Crown]

This is one of those tricks that makes you say, "Why didn't I think of that before?" Just brilliant, works for both subassembly integration and docking.

Thanks, OP, for saving me lots of future frustration. Rep for you!

[EdFred]

Wait..that works at all? I meant struts/lines within the subassembly only

(Mine are usually launchers, the opposite of your lander)

I generally don't have any fuel lines at all between the subassemblies and the host ship, and my struts between the launcher/ship are added right before launch, like you do..

Oh, I've never had fuel lines or struts within the assembly get crazy when I put it onto another craft. I have had it where I've pulled a subassembly (unsaved) away, done a whole bunch of work on another part of the ship, put it back and the struts attempt to connect to whatever then can. (I think - based on what I've seen - struts are saved simply as a position and vector and will attach to the first thing that is within their range.) But I don't know if that goes for putting it into a whole 'nother craft file.