Docking ports, umbilical housing...

[Darnok]

Docking ports and claws are only way to connect two crafts. Well claw is not designed to catch crafts, so its problematic and docking ports are bad, because they can be squeezed even under 1.5 TWR. That make problems when you want to create modular design.

My idea fix docking ports to be more like structural parts, we shouldn't be able to squeeze them so easily and parts connected with ports shouldn't wobble

or add new part... umbilical housing like.

If this would be radially attached part that would snap in and hold other parts, it could be hard to implement and hard to use to keep CoM where it should be.

IMO it should be ring-like part for each size (0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 3.75) and we would be able to hold only part in spot where green node is.

So it wouldn't be working exactly like claw, being able to grab everything in every point, for example orange tank in middle.

This new part should grab and hold orange tank only on top or bottom where are green nodes.

IMO it would improve lots of designs and decreased part counts for many orbital constructions. What do you guys think?

[prophet_01]

Although I absolutly agree that we need something to improve orbital construction, I don't think that such a part is enough to get rid of the wobble. I would rather prefer the implementation of kerbals being able to place struts on eva. That would be most likely more effective and since it is already part of a mod, I don't think it would require a huge amount of work. Struts on docked modules would finally bring the advantages of orbital construction to ksp. At the moment it can be rly hard to construct a stable ship out of multiple modules...

Edited October 15, 2014 by prophet_01