Secondary parts categories

[thereaverofdarkness]

With the ever-increasing numbers of parts, it is getting more and more difficult to find that one piece you want.

I think it would be great if upon selecting a parts category, you would not only see the full list of parts for that category, you would also get a row of sub-categories to choose from in order to narrow down your selection further.

Here's some example possibilities:

Command

• Crew Capsules
  
• Probe Cores
  
• Misc.
  

Propulsion

• Rocket Engines
  
• Fuel/Oxidizer Tanks
  
• Jet Engines
  
• Liquid Fuel Tanks
  
• RCS Tanks
  
• Misc.
  

Control

• S.A.S. Units
  
• Reaction Wheels
  
• RCS Thrusters
  
• Misc.
  

Structural

• Decouplers
  
• Fuselage Parts
  
• Adaptors
  
• Girders and Panels
  
• Attachment Nodes
  
• Misc.
  

Aerodynamic

• Wing Parts
  
• Simple Fins
  
• Control Surfaces
  
• Air Intakes
  
• Misc.
  

Utility

• Batteries
  
• Photovoltaic Panels
  
• Wheels
  
• Parachutes
  
• Ladders and Rails
  
• Docking Ports
  
• Misc.
  

Science

• Data Collectors
  
• Communications Devices
  
• Misc.
  

Some parts might fit in more than one category, just to make it even more intuitive. For instance all reaction wheels that are S.A.S. Equipped would go in both the S.A.S. Units category and the Reaction Wheels category, or the structural pylon would go into both Attachment Nodes and Decouplers. The AV-R8 Winglet is a singular wing part that isn't meant as a wing component (and in fact cannot be used as such) and so it goes in the Simple Fins category. It also goes in the Control Surfaces category as it is pivotable. The Tail Fin is a full wing on its own and is meant to be used as a lone wing part, so it would fit in the Simple Fins category. But as it can be built upon on all sides, it would additionally go into Wing Parts.

[Guest]

Agree with OP.

[astropapi1]

I think they're re-doing the whole editor scene for 0.90 (sounds weird, still typed 0.26), so I very gladly support this suggestion.

Oh, and if anyone from SQUAD checks this thread... PLEASE ADD SCIENCE TO SANDBOX TOO!

[mdosogne]

I'd appreciate the ability to reorder parts on a page. This can be done in several ways:

- mark certain parts as "favorite"; favorites appear at top of their category. Favorites could also appear on another page (independent of category).

- give parts a one-to-five star ranking, with higher ranked parts at top of the category.

- drag-and-drop reordering (perhaps holding alt)

Also, it would be great if the interface scaled a bit better, such as allowing 4, 5 or 6 parts columns (avoiding page-flipping), or showing larger part previews.