Can kerbals get knocked out?

[DrD]

So I was driving a rover on the Mun for the first time, and on my about 20th flip-over a weird thing happened. Poor Obrey went all rag-doll and I could no longer control vehicle. He stayed in his external seat. I thought he might be dead but I never got any kind of message about it.

I thought I'd wait it out but got inpatient and quick-loaded.

Sorry no screenie.

So did I kill him or knock him out?

Edited November 19, 2014 by DrD

[Norpo]

This sounds like the "kerbal going in a coma" bug that has a high chance of happening whenever you get impacted in a command seat.

Here's the (official, I think) thread on the problem, which is actually linked to a few other ones, read the first few posts: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/75586-Master-Thread-Unresponsive-Kerbals-in-EVA

They won't wake back up, unless you go in the save file and change it yourself. I think the problem that occurs is that the kerbal is no longer recognized as a kerbal, but as debris, thus making him unresponsive, unable to move etc.

There are instructions on how to fix it on the thread I linked if you want to try to fix it.

EDIT: Just read that you quickloaded, if the kerbal is fine now, then there's probably no reason to try to fix it by editing the save file.

[Slam_Jones]

Yep, this has happened to me with External Seats pretty often.

My favorite was when I had a Kerbal go into a "coma" but I could still control him. So basically I was flying a limp, dead Kerbal around the Mun with his jetpack. Every time he would hit the ground his animation would change and get stuck again... good times...

[DrD]

Thanks that sounds like it. I'll say he was knocked out and would have recovered if I hadn't quickloaded.

[Alshain]

The term for this is "Ragdoll". It's a coded option in the game (it's how the rescue Kerbals work) but there is a bug that shifts them into that ragdoll mode when they shouldn't.