Subassembley rules -- Not attachable

[BenRichards843]

I got a rover I'm trying to turn into a subassebly. It has a docking port. The game says its "not attachable" when I drop it into the GUI secion. What is the rule then? I don't see how something with an actual docking port couldn't be attachable.

[Streetlamp Le Moose]

A docking port is only an attachment point for another docking port outside of the assembly buildings. It means you can't attach anything to your rover within an assembly building. You just need one free attachment node somewhere on your craft.

[Fenomenom]

Put some type of attachment, like a radial decoupler onto the rover, that should do it.

[BenRichards843]

I'm not understanding why "you can't attach anything to your rover" I'm trying to save it as a part. Why can't that happen? I thought entire craft can be subassemblies. My rover is intended to be a probe for a larger interplanetary mother ship.

[Streetlamp Le Moose]

Because if there's not an attachment point, then it technically can't be a subassembly, it is just a regular craft. You can already save entire crafts. Subassemblies are for oft-used groups of parts (rovers, asparagus staging, etc) that you attach to a bigger craft in order to avoid having to rebuild that part. You can't attach it if it doesn't have a free attachment node.

[Fenomenom]

To be clear, the subassembly has to have an unused green sphere used for "snap to" attachment.

[BenRichards843]

There is deffinately one bug here. Don't have anything in your hand (clicked on) and click on the subassembly tab. It kills the tab and deletes your object.

As far as the attachment problem: I have no problems attaching things to it. I have no problem even adding an attachment point. I'm fairly sure they mentioned you would be able to make entire craft subassemblies. I'm not sure why I wouldn't be able to do that. Satellites for example, are ships which are attached to a seperate lift ship.

[Deddarus]

yes they are... but you attach them with a decoupler .... i think thats what it wants

[BenRichards843]

Decouplers are too easy to accidentially stage......

I think I figured it out: The part you pick it up by is what is going to be checked for an attachment point. If your "node 0" has no free nodes then no dice.

This will prove to be awkard. You should be able to designate a node as the attacment point.

I was able to save an entire craft, but only when the "node 0" had a free attachment node.

I really hope they improve that!!! And fix the bug I found!

[Deddarus]

if you arent using a decoupler how are you releasing your rover?

[BenRichards843]

Docking ports. Much safer way to release something from your ship which is not part of the launching system. Probes can be undocked and later redocked. I like to use them for anything I don't want to "punch off" by accident.

One good use would be for a satellite. Have the launch vehicle take it up. Decouple the satellite. RCS the satellite into place. Then fly your launcher back to KSP. Land it like an airplane. Call it a Space Shuttle ;)

[Rawrlo]

With 0.9, click the Root button, then click the command pod (current root part) and then your attachment part (docking port, decoupler, etc). You should now be able to pick it up by that part and save it as a subassembly.

[IronSides]

Originally posted by megabirdo:

With 0.9, click the Root button, then click the command pod (current root part) and then your attachment part (docking port, decoupler, etc). You should now be able to pick it up by that part and save it as a subassembly.

Correct, this is not a bug nor has anything to do with it being a docking port, the ROOT part of the intended sub must have a free node and that is the spot it will attach from as a subassembly.


You can do some truly cool things here is a tank that I made as a sub that has the docking port on the side, things like this were previously impossible before the root mod then made full feature.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=350949748
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=350949762

[Artago]

Originally posted by Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk:

Decouplers are too easy to accidentially stage......

I think I figured it out: The part you pick it up by is what is going to be checked for an attachment point. If your "node 0" has no free nodes then no dice.

This will prove to be awkard. You should be able to designate a node as the attacment point.

I was able to save an entire craft, but only when the "node 0" had a free attachment node.

I really hope they improve that!!! And fix the bug I found!

This was the solution. Nice find on the bug!

TLDR; The first node (item) you place, MUST have a free attachment node to save it as a sub-assembly.

[Rays of Apollo]

Hold up hold up. How do we use subassemblies? That is one part you mae of others. I never found a way to save them. I tried making a wing design a subassembly, but settled for saving it as a craft attached to a small tank.

[Toastie Buns]

Certain parts cannot be the first part on a craft. As such, they cannot be root objects and cannot be attached.

Solution: Find a part that CAN be the first part on the craft. As long as that exists and has an attachment node free, you can shift click the entire craft and subassemblies won't care what the root part is.