Kind of off topic here:
A copy of a fully tensile Daisy, or the Pyramid with multiple layers of kites, but now with only a triangular bridle between the topmost rung of kites and at the top of the shaft, so no lines connecting individual kites / blades in other rungs. With that I imagine the overall shape of it will become like a twisted, kite populated, ovoid or hot air balloon shaped profile above a twisted stem. The more tension it is under the narrower the ovoid would become.
You’re still restricting the radius of the flight path, but less so, so I imagine it still helps with decreasing the amplitude of the sine wave the speed of the kites make as they are making the circle. And now you’ve got somewhat simpler and lighter kites that don’t need an extra motor to extend and retract the triangular bridle and you have less lines that can become slack and add drag.
If you don’t use lifter kites, maybe also only the topmost (several) rung(s) of kites needs to be “smart” to be able to steer the system, with the rest perhaps not or only occasionally needing to adjust their control surfaces.
Maybe now the kites above and below the current kite help with gravity, if the tether is twisted, similar to the triangular bridle would? I can’t really visualize this yet. Would individual tethers look like bulgy helixes, or would they be bulgy, twisted, straight lines?
What do you think @Rodread, @tallakt?
Somewhat related: The Pyramid, marginally related: Swarm Robotics.