Radial decoupler (or Hydraulic Manifold) will not attach to both adjacent fuel tanks

[CmdThor]

I have a lower main booster stage that was built with a OCTO as the core part (so I can try to control it to splashdown for re-use, if it works once I get to try it). That OCTO rests on top of a stack of fuel tanks with a Mainsail at the bottom. There are two adjacent stacks of fuel tanks and Mainsails on either side attached solidly with Hydraulic Attachment Manifolds.
There are two Rockomax stack de-couplers on top of this lower stage.
The problem is that I build the upper stage on top of two Rockomax stack decouplers, but when I try to connect the left and right upper stacks to the center upper stack, only one side will connect to the center stack. The other side wont connect to the manifold. How do I post a picture in here :P Will try to post a picture after this post.

[CmdThor]

I have seen people post pictures right in their posts yea? How is that done? (paste does not work)

[CmdThor]

I've tried saving the main lower stage as a sub assy and bringing it into the upper stage assy. But it only gets attached at one side, not the symmetrical other side as well. I've tried to re-root the sub-assy symmetrical side to the upper stage, which works, but then that side is attached and the other side is not. It says you can re-root one OR MORE parts. I tried holding the mod key [Alt] but it doesnt seem to let me click more than one part. As soon as I click the first part it asks for the new root. Also, even if I could select both sides, will it let me select both sides of the upper stage as the new roots?

[andylaugel]

First, take a steam screenshot (hit F12). When the game closes, you should get a window showing you your screenshots. It'll allow you to upload the image. When you view your screenshot library, you can select an image and click on Share. That will give you a url. Then include that url in your forum post.

To see an example, find a forum post with an image, and click on that arrow icon in the upper right of a post with the text, "Quote this post in your reply." Then look at how it is formatted without actually clicking the Post Comment button.

[andylaugel]

Here in an example of posting a screenshot.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=727346682

[andylaugel]

Recovering lower booster stages is going to be problematic, even if you do fix your attachment issues. You can only focus on one vessel at a time, and I believe you can't switch between vessels while flying through atmosphere unless the vessels are within 2.2 km of each other. Parts on suborbital trajectories can disappear if you aren't watching them (assumed to have crashed). And if you do put the lower stage in orbit, you'll need to give it enough delta-vee to deorbit it.

[CmdThor]

Hi Andy. Thanks so much for your reply. My F12 screenshot tool used to work. But I noticed it hasn't been working last few days. I tried to hit shift-tab? to bring up steam console, but that doesnt work either. I looked under KSP properties, and also in game settings, but I don't see where it could have been disabled. Still trying to troubleshoot that.

[CmdThor]

Ok I got that fixed with a re-start of Steam. Lemme get that picture next.

[CmdThor]

Ok here we go:
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197978111041/screenshot/446238244524475817[/quote]

Slightly closer view:
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197978111041/screenshot/446238244524491777
The Poodle Engines inside the fairings are part of the lower sub-assy. When I bring it in, it lets me attach ONE side to the upper assembly, but how do you get the right side to also attach?

[CmdThor]

High Roof. Thanks for your reply. I believe chutes alone will not work from orbit. (this is a big triple column, 3 Mainsail's w 9,600kg of fuel each, so it gets all the way up into sustained orbit. Which gives me time to safely switch control to it at my leisure. I believe it would burn up before drogue chutes can safely deploy. It's got 3 heatshields on the top of the lower stage. So when it does a nosedive into the atmo, they should safely slow me so I can deploy drogues. That's over $55,000, empty, if I can bring it down close to the space center.
At $55k/launch it would add up to some nice savings :)
I'd try it out if it would snap together :P hehe. There must be some way to do it. I've been bumping into this issue since I started playing a few hundred hours ago.

[CmdThor]

Yes, you could call it a circle. There are manifolds on either side of the top central stack and either side of the bottom central stack. Struts are ok while everything is connected. But as soon as you stage, the struts are worthless (they won't hold the lower stage together after the two stack decouplers decouple.
The lower stage would fall apart into three seperate assemblies. That's why I need the pair of manifolds on the lower stage, to hold the three stacks together so one OCTO can control the whole lower stage. It should be able to be done. If we can't it's an issue with the game (if they work on upper stage then they should work on the lower stage).

[CmdThor]

I haven't tried docking ports yet as I don't have that tech yet. Soon though.

[mreed2]

This is "working as designed" -- with the exception of fuel lines and struts, each part must be able to trace exactly /one/ path back to the root part.

Docking ports don't allow you to bypass this rule -- the docking ports won't be attached in the editor, so there is no conflict. However, if the docking ports are positioned in close proximity, they will dock immediately when the physics is enabled, and the "only one path from part to root" only applies when in the editor.

Most of this time it doesn't matter, but sometimes... :(

[andylaugel]

Here are the screenshots CmdThor tried to post earlier:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=728006460
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=728008107

[andylaugel]

If you wanted to stick a probe core into the middle of a stack of 2.5m parts, you can stick it inside a 2.5m service bay. That can be a little tricky though if your probe core is your first part. In that case, stick the service bay on top or on the bottom first, open the door, and then move the service bay so the probe core sticks to one of the interior attachment points. (No offset tool use.)

You could then have your upper craft connect to the bottom at a central point, and have the lower stages side parts connected to the central stack.

[Bubba Fett]

A couple of points. There's a mod called Stage Recovery that you might be interested in. As long as you have enough parachutes on your debris to land it, you just decouple as normal and the mod will handle the recovery. It just pays you a percentage of the value depending on how close to the KSC your stuff would land.

Also, if you want thumbnail screenshots rather than just a link, once you go to your online library, click on the image to get the large version with the comment window. Rather than right clicking on the image for the link, click on the little gear icon in the comments section and choose share.
A requester will open. Copy THAT address into your message and you'll get a thumbnail image once you post the message.
You won't see the picture while you're editing the message.