Mods please lock

[FishInferno]

Yeah it was a bad idea

Edited January 29, 2015 by FishInferno

[eorin]

I was thinking about how there is sometimes a debate over whether part clipping is "ethical" or not, and I had an idea to try and resolve this:

What if we, the KSP community, came together and made a set of universal rules about part clipping, defining what is considered "cheaty" and what is not cheaty. Here are some examples:

Any girder may be clipped into a fuel tank to serve as an attachment point.

Any engine may be clipped into a fuel tank/other part as long as the complete engine bell is showing.

No parts containing any resource (fuel, MP, electricity) may be clipped into another resource-containing part while they are full of said resource, but you can empty the part to clip it inside another resource part

Of course, players would not be required to follow these rules, but it would set a standard as to what is acceptable. Depending on how in-depth this gets, there may need to be a separate entry for each part, which is why the community as a whole should collaborate on this guide of sorts.

(This thread is mainly just for feedback on the idea. If there is a lot of interest, I will start another thread where we can share rule ideas)

Honestly? i will keep using part clipping for build my crafts, and the results are under the eyes of everyone. I really don't care what others thinks about it, as long this help building better looking planes i will use it.

[FishInferno]

Honestly? i will keep using part clipping for build my crafts, and the results are under the eyes of everyone. I really don't care what others thinks about it, as long this help building better looking planes i will use it.

This is not to discourage part clipping, but rather to be used as a guide to those who wish to use it. And you don't have to follow the guide of you don't want to

[WhiteKnuckle]

I don't part clip, but I think trying to tell other people what is acceptable part clipping would be like telling everyone what type of music they should like.

Not only would it not work, but they'd think you were an ***********

[Majorjim!]

Ugh...

Guys build how you want to build. Not to some arbitrary set of 'rules'.

Having said that, all the most impressive, imaginative craft I've seen use some form of part clipping.

[problemecium]

I mostly concur on these - it's sort of like a Creative Commons for challenges, spacecraft on the Exchange, etc., wherein it clears up how much clipping is allowed without having to say "no clipping of any kind ever of anything".

Here's my suggestions:

It's okay to clip small surface-mount batteries as long as something is still visible, e.g. the indicator light - especially into things like computer cores (which are far larger than necessary in most cases) or SAS modules (which are hollow).

RCS ports have to not blow Monopropellant onto other parts, because this kills immersion. In real life they wouldn't work at all like that, so the "engine bell" rule should apply here too.

To count as "no cheaty clipping", a spaceplane must not have any of those double- and triple-decker wings. Biplanes are fine, but a block of wings laminated together is just silly.

Don't stuff command pods into other command pods. It looks great on Apollo lander replicas, granted, but it's hard to take seriously from a practical standpoint because Kerbals shouldn't be able to violate the Pauli Exclusion Principle.

Again, don't follow these if you don't want, but these are the rules I use for my stuff and any challenges I may post in the future wherein clipping has an effect.

[sal_vager]

This is like trying to define something like this is bad, it's like you're trying to define a "wrong" and a "right" way to think about the game, maybe to try to discourage its use? You might not think so but that is what something like this would end up doing.

Part clipping is already defined, if you put parts inside other parts, you are part clipping.

Should players be faced with "community rules" on this? No, they really should not, no one should be pressured, no matter how passively, to build their craft in a certain way because one group doesn't agree with it.

If it's for a challenge then sure the challenger can define their challenge as they see fit, the participants can agree to the rules or refuse to play, but they should not feel they are doing something "wrong" when they use part clipping in their own designs.

If you personally don't want to clip parts that's fine, but that's your choice.

[inigma]

I think its a legitimate question to define what exactly the general consensus is on what is cheating vs what is clipping. At the very least I think that a vast majority of engineers would think clipping fuel tanks within fuel tanks is more or less cheating when they a doubled into each other with the sole purpose attempting to extend range and capability. All other forms of clipping are debateable and thus not consensus.

The SSI standard for clipping is simple:

No more than 1/2 fuel tank clipping within similar fuel type tanks without reducing fuel to avoid claims of cheating.

All other part clipping is permissible and encouraged since its the only way to legitimately imitate technology miniaturization and achieve desired craft aesthetics.

Any person or organization is welcome to adopt the SSI standard.

Edited January 29, 2015 by inigma

[astropapi1]

There was no need to change the title and content of the OP, just reporting your own post would be enough.

[Red Iron Crown]

Locked at OP's request.