Orbital Collisions in KSP: Physics Updates Cause Objects to Phase Through Each Other
In short: Attempting to collide two objects in orbit at speeds exceeding ten thousand kilometers per hour presents significant challenges within Kerbal Space Program. The core issue lies not just with the instrumentation, but with the simulation's underlying physics engine.
The difficulty in simulating high-speed orbital collisions in Kerbal Space Program stems from the nature of its physics system. Specifically, the system relies on discrete updates. When objects are moving at extreme velocities, such as over ten thousand kilometers per hour, the discrete nature of these updates causes a common problem: objects frequently skip through each other rather than interacting physically. This inherent limitation of the simulation's physics model makes accurate, high-speed collision detection problematic for the game's mechanics.
While the instrumentation within the game is cited as a contributing factor to the difficulty, the primary technical hurdle is the physics update mechanism itself. The passage suggests that external modifications, or 'mods,' are necessary to overcome these inherent simulation flaws. These mods are presented as a direct response to issues encountered, such as those highlighted by 'NerCubed's Insurance Scam,' indicating that the community has developed workarounds for the engine's shortcomings.
The context provided suggests that the simulation struggles to accurately model the continuous nature of physical interactions at very high speeds. The fact that a specific, complex model, like the 'fantastic ISS model,' was built by another user ('NerCubed') implies a level of detail and complexity that strains the base physics engine's ability to resolve interactions perfectly across discrete time steps. Therefore, the necessity of mods points to a gap between the desired physical fidelity and the current computational model used by the game.
In essence, the problem is a computational one: the physics engine's reliance on discrete updates fails to maintain object separation and interaction integrity when velocities are exceptionally high. This forces the community to rely on supplementary tools to achieve the level of physical realism desired for such demanding scenarios.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Colliding Things At Orbital Speeds in Kerbal Space Program
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