Alien Space Programs - Dev Thread

[Darkness]

On 20/01/2016 at 3:58 AM, GregroxMun said:

Alien Space Programs
v0.8

[modsnipperated]

 

SO COOOL!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW MY STARTER PLANET IS MY LOVELY PLANET!!!! YAY  YOUR SO COOL  

Edited January 23, 2017 by Deddly

[Whirligig Girl]

9 hours ago, Darkness said:

SO COOOL!!!!!!!!!!!! NOW MY STARTER PLANET IS MY LOVELY PLANET!!!! YAY  YOUR SO COOL  

Please don't quote the entire OP.

[Jacksonion]

I Need help! i dont know where kerbin is in the files!! HELP!

 

 I need help i dont know were the kerbin file is! Can you make a video on how to install it?

Edited February 25, 2017 by Jacksonion

[Gordon Fecyk]

I got to set up Eve Purple Space Program today.

Managed to get the Scatterer configuration from 0.6 working after some grief. At first, Scatterer would complain that it couldn't find planetsList.cfg, but on a lark I tried installing the default Scatterer configs and not just the DLL, then put GregorxMun's configs on top of that. That worked better; it's freaky seeing the green haze on sunrise but it works. Next will come Stock Visual Enhancements, assuming I can swap the configs around to match the changes done here...

If I read this right, Kerbin has to exist because of KSP's design, but Kerbin gets reworked to have Eve's characteristics and then a clone of Kerbin called "Bin" gets put in Kerbin's old place. So to change SVE I'd replace "Kerbin's" config with Eve's, then apply Kerbin's config to Bin. Or maybe someone's done this already?

Biomes don't appear to work though; all I get is "Eve's Poles" anywhere along the equator, including next to KPSC. Or was that an attempt to rebalance science points?

--

[Gordon Fecyk]

[This is fixable] see notes below.]

Is this sun display a Scatterer problem or an Eve Space Program problem? The one on the left is Eve Space Program beside Eve , and the one on the right is stock KSP beside Kerbin:

 

I can take this to the Scatterer thread if it's more appropriate there.

I can't use the Scatterer config provided with 0.6 with Scatterer 0.3.0 because the planestList.cfg is incomplete. I can use Scatterer's stock config, which gives me the expected result for the atmosphere and oceans on Eve, but I get an enlarged version of the stock sun flare and not the one I'm familiar with when using Scatterer. The sun itself is the normal size in both; if I eclipse the very centre of it, I lose the lens flare and the outline shows the real size, which isn't that visually different even considering Eve and (Ker)Bin's respective distances.

Here are the Scatterer folders from each installation. The one for ESP, and the one for stock KSP. I removed the DLL and shaders from these as they're common. I think the planetsList.cfg is incorrect for Bin in this one; I tried copying the config for Kerbin from stock Scatterer but I'm pretty sure I goofed.

[Update June 2017] The overly-large sun is a stock sun as it would normally appear at Eve, so there's nothing to fix there. I was able to make Stock Visual Enhancements behave on Eve Space Program, including a properly sized sun flare, by just cloning the SVE config for the stock system and renaming one or two things. Clouds look wrong on the tracking station and KSC views, but look correct in flight and in maps.

Since I'm looking at editing Eve Space Program for 1.3, I'll include SVE and Scatterer configs for it as well. Ocean shaders will probably be broken, but that should get fixed when Scatterer is updated for 1.3.

Edited June 19, 2017 by Gordon Fecyk
I was able to solve this on my own

[Gordon Fecyk]

[I know, old thread, but still active mod, moderators please bear with me on this one.]

@GregroxMun, Good morning. Yesterday I tried Eve Space Program on 1.3 with a 1.3 compatible Kopernicus, and it worked. Issues uncovered so far are cosmetic or somewhat minor: No biomes on Eve (same as 1.2), KSC comm stations exist on Bin (same as 1.2), and Eve is named "The Kerbin" (new to 1.3).

I can play with this if you'd like; as long as Kopernicus supports KSP 1.3, I think I can fix biomes (colour map in a PNG file), the comm stations (just turn PQSmods for them off at Bin) and maybe even localization. I'll just fork the project and submit pull requests as fixes come in. I'll likely get stuck on moving the KSC though, or moving where the game thinks the KSC is, because it puts the initial survey contracts a quarter of a world away from where it is.

[Gordon Fecyk]

I managed to fix biomes and move the KSC in Eve Space Program, thanks to finding the kittopia-dumps project that had all of the biome details for KSP 1.2.2. Here's a fork of Alien Space Programs with this and more fixes coming.

This config does work for KSP 1.3 and a supported version of Kopernicus, but biome names and Eve's name are either missing or are messed up. The Kopernicus devs are working on localization changes, and when they are done I should be able to fix that.

[Gordon Fecyk]

New pre-release of Alien Space Programs now available for KSP 1.2 and 1.3 players. I submitted a pull request to GregroxMun, but there are still fixes to do.

Eve is the most stable and should play as expected. Laythe has a funny Space Center view where the sky is moving too fast, but can still be played in career mode. Duna has a broken Space Center view (I think it's underground or flipped upside-down) so career mode isn't playable. Otherwise, all of these are playable in sandbox.

I could definitely use suggestions on fixing these, especially Duna. For instance, is it broken due to the lack of ocean? As long as all of Duna's land is above 0 m maybe I can put a hidden ocean in and this could fix the Space Center view. Also, Laythe's Space Center is on the other side of the world from the starter survey contracts, but Sigma88 is working on what's wrong there back in the Kopernicus thread.

[Gordon Fecyk]

Pre-release 0.8.2 now available from GitHub Repository. This release actually fixes the Space Center scenes in all versions, especially at Duna! This also fixes some missing displayNames for KSP 1.3, and initial survey contracts in Career mode now cluster around the KSC, regardless of location.

I still need to tune Science multipliers for the various worlds, and the Space Center scene at Laythe still exhibits some strangeness, such as Jool receding into the distance. I'm also waiting on localization support for biomes in Kopernicus for KSP 1.3; biome names won't be visible in KerbNet or in the Science Archives, and science reports will come from "Midlands of a Duna," or "Explodium Sea of an Eve."

[TheRagingIrishman]

2 hours ago, Gordon Fecyk said:

I'm also waiting on localization support for biomes in Kopernicus for KSP 1.3

looking at the commit history on Github, it seems that problem will be fixed in the next release (it affects GPP too :\)

[Gordon Fecyk]

A trailer for the updated Alien Space Programs add-on:

I guess I'm rather proud of seeing the KSC scene on Duna actually working... Thanks @Sigma88 for the badly needed hints.

[Gordon Fecyk]

General release 0.8.3 now available from GitHub repository. This one includes a proper un-civilized Kerbin thanks to StarCrusher96. The installation mechanism is quite manual at the moment, though the content should be good. If you try these out, please provide feedback and post any issues to the repository.

I want to add some Kerbin artifacts back, like the pyramid, crashed UFO and such, and I want to strip the Kerbin artifacts from the home worlds except for the Space Center itself, but these are comparably minor things.

[Gordon Fecyk]

While waiting for updates to Kopernicus to be released, I'd like to ask followers of this thread to consider making suggestions for these things:

• Alternate or better locations for the Space Center on each of these worlds. Should Eve's KSC move to higher ground? Duna's to lower ground? KSC-centric things are working again so we can move the Space Center anywhere.
• Any artifacts that can be placed with a MapDecal {} configuration, aside from the stock ones or perhaps instead of the stock ones.
• ScienceDefs for the modified worlds from an alien perspective.
• Additional biomes maybe? Perhaps special ones for those artifacts and special ScienceDefs for them: "Crew Report flying above Bin's [spoiler-alert]: Wait! What's that on the ground?"
• Other suggestions for changes. Maybe use GregroxMun's revamped Duna for Duna Space Program?

Kopernicus updates will enable me to use the stock height maps for all four of these worlds for any PQS object that uses them, so you can assume stock altitudes and textures for the terrain. At minimum I'll use the stock maps for VertexHeightMap now that I know I can use any stock height map at least once.

I'll make sure any kept suggestions are credited, and their authors have a place somewhere in the modified system.

Also pinging @GregroxMun: Please consider updating the original post with links to the updated versions, if they meet with your approval. Let me know if I must make changes to the license, for instance.

[Whirligig Girl]

5 hours ago, Gordon Fecyk said:

Also pinging @GregroxMun: Please consider updating the original post with links to the updated versions, if they meet with your approval. Let me know if I must make changes to the license, for instance.

With your permission and of course with credit to you, I'd like to take your modifications and make some updates of my own before I update the OP. Tell me when you've finished making whatever changes you are going to. I've been silently following your Github Kopernicus Issue thread eagerly. Previously I had just been planning to export more accurate maps for Height and Color Blend, but being able to use BUILTIN will be quite better.

>Alternate KSC Locations:

I'll take care of these

>Revamped Duna:

I intend to include a Duna Restoration Project version of Duna Space Program in addition to the Stock Duna Space Program. I can take care of that.

>Additional Biomes:

I'm a little concerned about this one, particularly single-pixel biomes when near easter eggs, which don't work.

 

Would you mind briefing me on all of the changes you've made so far since you started the project? I thank you very much for taking up the project, but I'd like to maintain creative control of the project. I can not do anything now as I am on vacation for the next two days. But I would like to take it back over soon.

Edited July 7, 2017 by GregroxMun

[Gordon Fecyk]

My big interest is in making Alien Space Programs work in 1.2 and 1.3, fixing biomes and such. Now I've gotten the modding bug, it seems.

There's still an open pull request; I want you to merge these changes with your original project eventually, but it seems I'm waiting on bug fixes for Kopernicus (issues #183, #189, #190). Once those are done, I can eliminate the external maps entirely.

The changes made so far? All bug fixes and adapting to current KSP editions. The change log includes:

• Making sure only the home world uses the Kerbin template, which works around issue #186, fixes Duna's KSC scene and solves the early survey contracts problem.
• Use current biome maps with biome values from kittopia-dumps, which seems to work with BUILTIN biome maps.
• Making a pristine Kerbin with no phantom KSC or tracking stations, which meant cloning the kittopia-dumps config for Kerbin and substituting in external maps until the fix for #190 is released.
• (Right, I forgot to include this) Loads of ScienceValues tuning. Duna was just too easy when you could fill out Tier 4 and bits of Tier 5 from that first launch.

This works right now in KSP 1.2.2.

Planned changes include:

• Localization support once #183 gets fixed.
• Supplying Scatterer, Stock Visual Enhancements and Stock Visual Terrain patches; I was waiting on Scatterer for 1.3 which is now out, and a fix for #189.
• Applying suggestions per my previous post. Never mind, then. 

I wasn't thinking single-pixel biomes, so much as small-ish biomes surrounding artifacts or easter eggs. They'd have to be large enough to fly over, but small enough to easily miss. I was thinking any area within a landed kerbal's sight of said artifact would be big enough.

[A moment later] If I can take a quick look around, I'll try to eliminate the use of external textures and maps and still support current Kopernicus editions. I just did some preliminary tests and found some PQS mods, like LandControl, don't need to have a map or heightMap value specified. I'll update my fork over the weekend, so you can do the merge and not need the Kerbin textures and maps when you get back. I'm done that part but I'll get some sleep before going over it once more.

[08 JUL 2017] And there we go, all reviewed and cleaned up. There's an updated release available as well. I'll let go of this and get back to real life for a few days.

Edited July 8, 2017 by Gordon Fecyk
Published updated release

[Whirligig Girl]

16 hours ago, Gordon Fecyk said:

My big interest is in making Alien Space Programs work in 1.2 and 1.3, fixing biomes and such. Now I've gotten the modding bug, it seems.

My first mod was updating someone else' mod too. It started just wanting to get Alternis Kerbol working again because I wanted to play it, it has ended up with so much more.

As for Alien Space Programs, I'm considering expanding to other worlds in the system. After the next official release I mean. Another three worlds: Tylo, Mun, and Moho. All vacuum bodies, plus I need Tylo Space Program anyway for another mod I'll be doing. I might even do a set of Alien Space Programs for other mods. Alternis Laythe Space Program isn't much of a change from Alternis Kerbol, but Alternis Tylo certainly is. I intended to do that the first time around, but then I lost interest. Your modifications have made me feel the obligation to continue.

Thanks for the changelog and your work in creating the changes. I'm likely to update the mod and implement your changes on Monday.

[Whirligig Girl]

[Whirligig Girl]

[i like pizza]

I've experimented with settings in order to try to fix this issue, but when I use the Duna restored space program, the beginning of the runway is below the ground. is there a way to fix this?

[Gordon Fecyk]

On ‎8‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 4:29 PM, i like pizza said:

when I use the Duna restored space program, the beginning of the runway is below the ground.

Look for a setting in SpaceCenter{} named "heightMapDeformity =" and adjust the value as needed. I think this in metres above zero.

On the pre-1.0 release I had to raise this from 467 to 800 to expose the beginning of the runway correctly. But I don't know what value to use with the Duna Restored version as that uses a different height map than stock Duna. 

[Gordon Fecyk]

I have localization frameworks in place! 

Pre-release 1.1.2 now available from my fork. Includes a lot of bug fixes to work on KSP 1.3.1 and Kopernicus 1.3.1-2, including localized biome name support.

Please test, and if it looks good I'll do a pull request.