Why isn't the pink target reticle located correctly on the navball when using the MKII clamp-o-tron?

[Aethon]

Having a very frustrating day, not just with KSP, and on the weekend no less. Port is targeted. Controlling from the MK II clamp-o-tron. Navball shows it's being controlled from the part pointing to the zenith, yet no pink target reticle. I can still dock it but why no reticle, why?? I'm modestly modded but nothing I can think of that would cause this.

Chatterer, ENB, KER, Trigger tech, NASA, Precise node, Proc. farings, Scansat, Squad, World cup.

edited for vulgarity and to fit on your screen.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Aethon

[bakanando]

I haven't used the inline clamp-o-tron yet, but it might be a problem with center of mass on the target port. I remember reading targeting had to do with CoM for either the target or ship. I don't remember completely though.

You might want to add the docking helper mod, which fixes this kind of problems and adds better functionality for docking.

Btw, is the target dock part of the ship? that might be causing weird stuff too. Have you had trouble with other ports? Try putting a normal docking port on the side of the ship instead for testing.

[Aethon]

Thanks for the reply bakanando but I don't think that's it. What you see there is just a ground reenactment of what happens in space. The docking port is the target, not the center of mass.

I find the stock docking UI completely sufficient for my docking needs and the target port is on a simple, quickly cobbled rover, FOR TEST PURPOSES ONLY... Point away from face!

The shadow on the ground is from the counter balance port on the other side of the rover.

[Laie]

The navball is a liar.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/86086-docking-woes-navball-parallax-error?p=1269021&viewfull=1#post1269021

the navball is correctly pointing TO the target, but it's not pointing FROM the port you're controlling with.

The only solution is mods; alignment indicator, docking camera, something of that sort.

[Aethon]

Well that stinks. Can't wait for those super huge bug fixes before 1.0 release. I guess I'll go get Nav hud.

So maybe next launch I change the root part to be the clamp-o and I 'control from here' with the Mk II comand pod?

Edited January 25, 2015 by Aethon

[Laie]

So maybe next launch I change the root part to be the clamp-o and I 'control from here' with the Mk II comand pod?

Hell yes, that should work too. It may work only once, though: My own vessel worked fine until it undocked the first time. After that, the root part was some command pod or probe core and things were out of whack.

The stock solution would be chase view and a finely calibrated eyeball.

[moogoob]

I did some experimenting with that inline clampotron and didn't notice anything unusual (AKA those marks on the ball doohickeythingy were just as alien to me as usual), but that's probably because I just eyeball all my docking anyways. That's a solution until they fix it - just ignore the markings and trust your eyes.

EDIT: "Luke, you switched off your targeting computer! What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm all right."

Hehe couldn't resist.

[Aethon]

Follow up.

I re rooted. First to the fuel tank behind the command pod and probe core, and after realizing my mistake, to the MK II clamp-o-tron. In both cases the navball behaved like I expected, showing the marker in the right places. Maybe it's something to do with the MKII cockpit?

[KerbMav]

I never experienced something like this.

As long as you "control from here" and "set as target" for each docking port respectively, the navball should do what it is supposed to do.

Strange.

If Laie and Master Tao in the linked post are correct, then I must have had ships with docking ports in line with the craft's root part every time I had to dock anything.

[Laie]

If Laie and Master Tao in the linked post are correct, then I must have had ships with docking ports in line with the craft's root part every time I had to dock anything.

That was discovered last Summer. KSP 0.242, IIRC. It could have been fixed in the mean time, but the bug tracker still lists it as open.

@Aethon: what's the opinion of the other vessel? The junior port is presumably far away from the root part -- does it also report to be (almost) in line with the MkII?

[Aethon]

I'm not quite sure what you're asking, Laie. The first posts' vessel ( root MKII cockpit ) behaves abnormally with respect to the target reticle. The next two tests with different roots ( fuel tank, MkII clomp-o ) work like they should.

I'm upset that I used the clamp-o jr ( realized it after I took the screen shot ), but will retest with the regular after work.

[Laie]

For purposes of the target marker, it doesn't matter if the ports you toy around with are of the same size.

For your tests, you need another vessel with a port to set as target. I'm asking you to not only try the spaceplane that really interests you, but to also check that other vessel's idea of direction. That's under the assumption that you're still doing tests anyway: I don't ask you to create a setup just to satisfy my curiosity.

[Srpadget]

I have the exact same issue with my MkII-based spaceplane. I've always assumed it was a bug (and that it was a KNOWN bug...so I never reported it. Silly me.) I don't know what the bug is associated with (the MkII docking port? the MkII cockpit?), but when I select the inline port as the controlling part, the navball uses the clamp-o-tron's direction but the cockpit's location (based on the discussion here, I assume the cockpit is the root part, but I designed the thing so long ago I'm not sure).

My solution is to use the navball for approach, but then just eyeball it for the last 10 meters or so.

(I thought I had a screenshot of this in action, but apparently not.)

[ajburges]

So thats why my approach docking to my plane is always off. (Actually noticed this myself, never took the time to recreate in controlled conditions)

It's a real pain too. My cargo planes are long and place holds, not ports, inline with CoM. I grind that thing in docking more than anything else.