Cannot add maneuver node (control locked)

[cityofgolem]

I'm playing a career game, and am attempting my first orbital rendevous. I went through the tutorials for this, which used maneuver nodes extensively. When I try to create a maneuver node to match my inclination to that of my target, it gives me the error message "Cannot add maneuver node (control locked)", and no node is created. The only requirement I've been able to find for unlocking maneuver nodes in Career mode is to upgrade the tracking station and mission control, but I've had every building in my base fully upgraded for quite a while now. What else do I have to do to unlock them so I can continue with this project?

[GunsForBucks]

If you think your game is bugged then verify game files.
Library - game - properties - local files - verify

If you don't have an antenna then is is probably a comms issue.

If you use Alt F12 and release the control locks and it works that would verify that it is something the game sees wrong with your build.

Open the vessel in the VAB and check the engineer report button on the lower right. It should detail things the game thinks your vessel needs / has issues with.

[cityofgolem]

Originally posted by GunsForBucks:

Just remember the basics of any vehicle.

Control point / pod <manned or unmanned>
Battery storage
Battery charging
Antenna
Reaction wheel

These are basic things you will need in any vehicle.

It's been established by now that I have all of those (antenna's just the one built into a currently-empty crew pod, which I initially didn't realize had an antenna, but apparently it's enough, since I have signal for everything else, just sometimes not for maneuver nodes). Anyone care to chime in who's actually read what they're responding to?

[cityofgolem]

Originally posted by GunsForBucks:

If you think your game is bugged then verify game files.
Library - game - properties - local files - verify

If you don't have an antenna then is is probably a comms issue.

If you use Alt F12 and release the control locks and it works that would verify that it is something the game sees wrong with your build.

Open the vessel in the VAB and check the engineer report button on the lower right. It should detail things the game thinks your vessel needs / has issues with.

The antenna theory has at this point been very thoroughly ruled out, experimentally. I will try the files-verification thing.

As for the engineer report, all I've ever gotten it to do is tell me how big my ship is, and complain about things that won't let me launch it at all (like being too big, before I upgraded the buildings, or not having any control point at all). Is there a way to get it to tell me more? Maybe a key-press I haven't discovered yet?

Edit: the varification found 23 files that failed to verify, and were re-acquired. First time I've had that tool actually find anything. Will see if that fixes it.

[GunsForBucks]

Originally posted by cityofgolem:

Originally posted by GunsForBucks:

Just remember the basics of any vehicle.

Control point / pod <manned or unmanned>
Battery storage
Battery charging
Antenna
Reaction wheel

These are basic things you will need in any vehicle.

It's been established by now that I have all of those (antenna's just the one built into a currently-empty crew pod, which I initially didn't realize had an antenna, but apparently it's enough, since I have signal for everything else, just sometimes not for maneuver nodes). Anyone care to chime in who's actually read what they're responding to?

I'll stop responding or suggesting things now ... good luck

[cityofgolem]

Varification didn't fix it... it just happened again: created the node, but then it won't let me delete it now that I'm done with it.

[Chibbity]

Screenshots are always helpful.

[cityofgolem]

It hasn't happened for a while now. If it happens again, I'll try to get a relevant screenshot.

[NiceGuy]

Good that it works now. As far as I know and encountered this "problem" it has always been one of these.

Situation : probe without Kerbal on board being unable to steer and/or do maneuver nodes.

1. Lost signal to control center. In the upper left corner you see the Com net status. It should show at best all green lines. If it shows a red kerbal = signal completely lost and no kerbal on board. By kicking on the com net symbol you can activate the com net overlay which shows you the active com links on the map (green lines linking back to Kerbine). If the link status is orange you have only limited control as the signal is getting weak because of to much distance to the next com signal hub.

2. No electric power. On the right side of the screen (the symbol of a canister) you can see your available resources (electricity, monopropeleen...)

3. Probe is in hypernation mode (sleep mode to save energy). Either because you activated it on purpose or by accident. Right klick the probe core and deactivate hypernation (I'm actualy not sure if you can toggle it without com net access).

[cityofgolem]

Originally posted by NiceGuy:

Good that it works now. As far as I know and encountered this "problem" it has always been one of these.

Situation : probe without Kerbal on board being unable to steer and/or do maneuver nodes.

1. Lost signal to control center. In the upper left corner you see the Com net status. It should show at best all green lines. If it shows a red kerbal = signal completely lost and no kerbal on board. By kicking on the com net symbol you can activate the com net overlay which shows you the active com links on the map (green lines linking back to Kerbine). If the link status is orange you have only limited control as the signal is getting weak because of to much distance to the next com signal hub.

2. No electric power. On the right side of the screen (the symbol of a canister) you can see your available resources (electricity, monopropeleen...)

3. Probe is in hypernation mode (sleep mode to save energy). Either because you activated it on purpose or by accident. Right klick the probe core and deactivate hypernation (I'm actualy not sure if you can toggle it without com net access).

Yea. 1 and 2 were already considered and ruled out (upper left corner showed me connected, and the green line to where I was connected to was showing, and I still had full control of everything else, including stuff that takes electricity; problem was specifically and only with maneuver nodes), and 3 I don't think came up in conversation before, but was also on my checklist of the first things I look at if something doesn't work (also, would have prevented controlling other things, again, not just maneuver nodes). Is there a fourth thing to check?

[NiceGuy]

Any mods installed? Other than MechJeb or engeneer?

1. You need the (I think) first com station upgrade to do maneuver nodes (but you seem to have it)
2. you can not edit maneuver nodes which lie in the past = your ship has already passed it.
3. to delete a maneuver node you can right click it and select delete (sometimes tricky) OR you can klick a small red X located at the delta V bar at the right side of the nav ball. It is just right of the slider indicating how much delta V is still needed to finish the maneuver node.
4. at some point in the past there has been an bug proventing you from creating nodes. But I did not encounter this bug for month. Only restarting the game helped to solve the problem (which could happen again at any time)

[cityofgolem]

Originally posted by NiceGuy:

Any mods installed? Other than MechJeb or engeneer?

1. You need the (I think) first com station upgrade to do maneuver nodes (but you seem to have it)
2. you can not edit maneuver nodes which lie in the past = your ship has already passed it.
3. to delete a maneuver node you can right click it and select delete (sometimes tricky) OR you can klick a small red X located at the delta V bar at the right side of the nav ball. It is just right of the slider indicating how much delta V is still needed to finish the maneuver node.
4. at some point in the past there has been an bug proventing you from creating nodes. But I did not encounter this bug for month. Only restarting the game helped to solve the problem (which could happen again at any time)

I've got two mods installed, the flexible ports one and Kerbal Attachment System, neither of which should have anything to do with the flight controls.

1. yes, I have all the building upgrades
2. the only change I've tried to do to past nodes is to delete them. when I've tried and failed to delete a node, it's usually, but not always, been a past one
3. when I can't delete it, both Xs fail to delete it.
4. that sounds related. do you have any more detail on that?

[NiceGuy]

Originally posted by cityofgolem:

4. that sounds related. do you have any more detail on that?

Nope sorry this issue just disapeard some day. Restart the game solved it for some time.