Maneuver node tracking is coming. What are your thoughts?

[Vaporo]

If you have read the most recent Devnote, you will know that 0.90 will have a system in place to track maneuver nodes, along with other useful vectors. (Essentially MechJeb's Smart A.S.S.)

Personally, I love this development. I don't know about other people, but keeping a low-TWR rocket on a maneuver node for a half hour is not my idea of fun.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Vaporo

[CaptainKipard]

Personally, I love this development. I don't know about other people, but keeping a low-TWR rocket on a maneuver node for a half hour is not my idea of fun.

Me too. It's like really really light version of autopilot. I'd love to take some of the load off trying to hold a vector manually.

[zeel]

This will definitely help with slightly off balance vessels that require constant correction (like larger asteroids). Not to mention taking some of the stress out of extremely long burns.

The only other thing we need is the ability to set an arbitrary navball target (say, by clicking on it - referably you could even drag the pointer around, while the pilot follows it) - which the kerbals could then be instructed to point at. Sure maneuver nodes work, but there are times when you don't need to go into map view and set up a node to know the right direction to go, but that would be required if you want a Kerbal to hold that course. This way you could just toss a pointer at 45°, and the pilot will take care of it. This would allow for not-quite-autopilot launches, where you can give more focus to throttle and staging, and less to turning, or can get a smoother turn by sliding the pointer with your mouse instead of using the keyboard.

I imagine that clicking the ball would place the target at the location of the click, right clicking the pointer would remove it. Right clicking and dragging the ball would rotate it (some visual effect would come up to show that the ball is no longer showing you your heading, but is in edit mode), right clicking the edit-mode ball would cause it to snap back to normal mode. Clicking and dragging the pointer would allow it to be moved, and the pilot would follow the position. Clicking while a pointer is in place would either allow another pointer, or pop up a button to "move pointer here". In the case of multiple pointers, clicking the pointer (and really any of the basic ones) should produce a context menu with the option (if your pilot is capable) to have them target it.

[JimmyAgent007]

I wonder if you can use this to make space stations always keep an orientation you want. Like down always being the planet. Will it apply when you arnt following a flight?

[zeel]

I doubt it would work when you don't have the vessel loaded, since they will go on rails. Unless they added some calculation for that, time warp or not piloting usually cancels any rotation - I would assume this would effect the pilot as well.

[JimmyAgent007]

Well if say you are focused on a point with your pilot, it saves that point. when you reload the craft it loads with it facing that point. That being said, i doubt it too.

[Red Iron Crown]

Pleased this functionality is coming, disappointed it's tied to kerbal experience. Guess I'll keep using SmartASS.

[Ikaneko]

Pleased this functionality is coming, disappointed it's tied to kerbal experience. Guess I'll keep using SmartASS.

I'm guessing it's only for career: in Sandbox it would just be annoying.

I personally am pleased by this: I have a hard time trying to keep my transfer burns locked on, and it will help for plane shifts.

Altogether a well made system from what I've seen Squad: can help, but isn't major and game-changing!

I am excited as to what the engineer an scientist will bring, I am hoping (completely wildly hoping) that engineer would do something for antenna efficiency: easily scriptable (I think) and a great addition.

A scientist would give extra science.

[JimmyAgent007]

Mike (Mu): It’s been another QA week, so rushing around fixing bugs, finishing off the new pilot skills and its UI. Basically, pilot skills are a set of additional SAS type modes which allow the pilot to lock onto various vectors. All of these modes are available in sandbox but they will only activate in career as you level up Kerbals with the pilot trait.

[Red Iron Crown]

But will they work for unmanned ships? There is a degree of irony in having the autopilot only available for manned ships.

[JimmyAgent007]

Ah, I thought you were thinking Kerbals in sandbox wouldnt get xp and thus not the skills. No idea on the probes, but they are controlled by kerbals on the ground so maybe. In sandbox i dont see why not.

[Ikaneko]

But will they work for unmanned ships? There is a degree of irony in having the autopilot only available for manned ships.

Can you level up probe cores? I think not. I guess this is an incentive to use manned ships in career, and multiple traits for an incentive to use mk 1-2 and beyond!!

[LethalDose]

But will they work for unmanned ships? There is a degree of irony in having the autopilot only available for manned ships.

I agree with this. There should be some method to activate these modes for probes in addition to manned vessels, even if it lags behind in tech somehow.

[Red Iron Crown]

Can you level up probe cores? I think not. I guess this is an incentive to use manned ships in career, and multiple traits for an incentive to use mk 1-2 and beyond!!

I get that (and would argue that manned is already incentivized by more available science). SmartASS-like functionality is something I'e been wishing for in stock for a long time, it's disappointing that I'll still need MechJeb to have this long-awaited, useful feature in every ship.

[Capt Snuggler]

I'm happy this is coming, though I hope they do more to make Probe Cores and Kerbals excel in different aspects of space flight. I would like there to be a clear advantage to having a Probe Core on board as well as a crew of Kerbals.

[Laie]

Can you level up probe cores? I think not. I guess this is an incentive to use manned ships in career, and multiple traits for an incentive to use mk 1-2 and beyond!!

How about making it dependent on their position in the tech tree? Low-tech: basis sas. High-tech: smart ass.

Alternatively, a probe control room that is staffed with actual kerbals (might be a good way to learn the ropes btw).

Kerbals could even learn a trick more, or two: like shutting down the engine when a nodes' delta-v approaches zero. Or maybe (gasp) even open the throttle at the right time. Auto-warp would be nice, too.

Yes, I'm ungrateful. Merely tracking nodes/markers is a big deal already. But fully automatic node execution would be better still; and if the maneuver node interface became less twitchy as well, I might even give up on mechjeb.

I don't think the advanced node planning tools should be part of the stock game; but managing nodes could be a lot better than it currrently is. I'm not too fond of Mechjebs Node Editor (or PreciseNode) where you can type in the numbers, but I very much prefer this to the stock thingy at almost all times.

[yardpup01]

Registered so I could post this:

HarvesteR commented in the Reddit DevNotes that probe cores will indeed have the piloting features.

HarvesteR

That means to have SAS in a vessel, you must have either a part which can provide SAS (a probe core), or a command module with at least one pilot aboard. The lowest-level pilots (and probes) will enable standard SAS, while higher level ones (or more advanced probes) will make new control assistance modes available.

[Red Iron Crown]

Thanks for sharing that tidbit, yardpup01, my concerns appear to be unfounded.

[prophet_01]

Another function to make a vessel point toward the sun would be nice aswell. Stations and satelites that automatically orientate themselves so they don't run out of power could be done with that

[Superfluous J]

My thoughts are simple:

YAY

No, really. I love it. I want more stuff like this, to eliminate the mundanity. I also love that there's actually SOME difference between the probe cores now.

[mattinoz]

I agree with this. There should be some method to activate these modes for probes in addition to manned vessels, even if it lags behind in tech somehow.

I wonder if probe core level will be tied to the upgrade level of the tracking station?

better communication with ground control gives more responsiveness to the probe core.

[JimmyAgent007]

I wonder if probe core level will be tied to the upgrade level of the tracking station?

better communication with ground control gives more responsiveness to the probe core.

Now THAT seems like a good solution. Probe cores should depend on what size and shape we want, not if they are advanced enough to do the things we want. Tracking station would improve all of them.

[Superfluous J]

Now THAT seems like a good solution. Probe cores should depend on what size and shape we want, not if they are advanced enough to do the things we want. Tracking station would improve all of them.

In my mind, the stayputnik will be the low level, and then you'll get better and better with the OKTOs and the hex one, and then all the single-purpose ones will each be at the highest level.

But really, how often are you going to need to tell your probe to maintain orientation radially or normal? I only see prograde, retrograde, and "at maneuver node" to be of any real use.

Hint: If you aim it Normal manually and then just turn SAS on, it'll hold that heading.

[JimmyAgent007]

True, I dont see it as a game breaker, but if your favorite core (for whatever reason) isnt the most advanced one then its kinda annoying when it cant do the things the others can. So linking it to the tracking station fixes that. Plus it seems, to me anyways, more logical since thats really where it is being controlled from.

[Vaporo]

True, I dont see it as a game breaker, but if your favorite core (for whatever reason) isnt the most advanced one then its kinda annoying when it cant do the things the others can. So linking it to the tracking station fixes that. Plus it seems, to me anyways, more logical since thats really where it is being controlled from.

Not necessarily. At the maximum distance between, say, Jool and Kerbin, there would be several minutes of communication lag. So, controlling it manually from the Tracking Station would be impractical. When you are flying a probe, you are taking on the role of the probe's computer.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Vaporo