[PLUGIN, PARTS, 0.19.1] RemoteTech: Relay Network – V 0.5.0.0

[JDP]

[PLUGIN, PARTS, 0.19.1] RemoteTech: Relay Network – V 0.5.0.0

Based on The_Duck's Satellite Relay Network and developed with his permission, this plugin implements different types and ranges of antennae and self-built command stations.

Download:
Get the core plugin here. (source here.)
Get the probe compatability pack here. (a pack of modified config files to add RemoteTech functionality to the stock probe cores and antennae)
(This plugin is free to use and modify as long as the original authors are credited.
This plugin, and derivatives thereof, may only be hosted on kerbalspaceport.com.)

Description
This plugin allows you to construct vast relay networks of communication satellites and remotely control unmanned vessels.
Your remote controlled vessels need a command station to control them, Mission Control at Kerbal Space Center (KSC) is your first command station, with a omnidirectional antenna with a signal range of 5.000 km. But your remote controlled vessels might not always be in the sky above KSC or might be more than 5.000 km away. For your first missions it might be a good idea to have them be manned, that way, your crew has control and you can switch it over to remote control at will.

Which parts are needed for what

Always add a signal processor:
The first thing your vessel will need is a signal processor to process the incoming control signal from a command station. It will also allow other vessels to use yours as a relay satellite.
Signal processors are divided into two types:

RemoteControl: Adds remote control to an unmanned vessel or Debris and makes it part of the relay network.
RemoteControl modules process the incoming signal from a command station and controls the vessel accordingly.
If a RemoteControl module is put on a manned vessel, the crew automatically have direct control of the vessel, though controls can be switched over to let a command station take over.

RemoteCommand: Adds remote control to vessel or Debris, makes it part of the relay network and can give it command over other vessels if it has enough crew.
RemoteCommand modules do all the same things as RemoteControl modules, but in addition they can send out a signal of their own, making the RemoteCommand vessel another command station. RemoteCommand will only be able to send a control signal if it's placed on a vessel with at least 3 crewmembers to actually man the controls (can be changed in the config file).

Always add an antenna:
Once your vessel has a signal processor it will need an antenna to actually receive/send a signal.
There are two types of antennae:

Omnidirectional antennae: for short range communication.
These have a shorter signal range but can send and receive in all directions. The standard antenna has a range of 5.000 km and will do nicely if you're staying close to kerbin. If you are planning to leave Kerbin orbit, you will need to use a satellite dish.

Be sure: that you have a line of sight to a command station (For example Mission Control at KSC), or a satellite relay network in place to route the signal to you.

Satellite dishes: for long range communication.
These have a longer range (their signal reaches from Kerbin to at least well beyond the orbit of Minmus) but need to be pointed at another satellite dish in order to have signal connection (this can be done through the settings menu). Ideally, you should have a relay network in orbit of vessels with a RemoteControl module, an omnidirectional antenna and a satellite dish.
If you have two vessels that are far apart (for example one in orbit around Kerbin, and one around the Mun) you don't need to precisely point them at each other, it's enough to point them at each others planets.

Be sure: that your dish is pointed at a vessel that has a dish pointed back at you.

Be aware: that you can point a dish at an omnidirectional antenna. It will boost the range of the antenna by x2 (a standard antenna would have a range of 10.000 km with any vessel that points a dish at it).

Changing RemoteTech settings
The first time RemoteTech runs, it creates a config file (Settings.cfg) in you KSP folder in:
\PluginData\remotetech
You can open this in a text editor such as notepad. The available options should be self-explanatory.
You can also press <modifier key> + f11 to access the settings in-flight.

Adding RemoteTech functionality to parts
Here is a detailed overview of the RemoteTech PartModules, their function and their variables together with default values.

Credits and thanks:
The_Duck: For creating the original plugin upon which this is based.
gresrun: For the pathfinding algorithm.
Tosh: For plenty of inspiration and part creation (rhyme intended).
rkman: For parts and “keepin' it real”.
NovaSilisko: For the Probodobodyne antennae.
r4m0n: For donating the MechJeb PID controller.
Alchemist: For eureka-inspiring insight.
Kreuzung: For making sense of PartModules.
The community: For being all round awesome, and notably for doing a lot of work making RT 0.17 compatible. To mention just some of the awesome people:

• Spaceghȫst.
• Tomato.
• BoJaN.
• Mortaq.

Cheers
-JDP

[kyle.mk.howard]

This looks splendid! Thanks for putting the hard work into this.

Between this and the refuel mod that came out today, I am going to be rather busy!

[JDP]

Yeah, I just saw it. I was already thinking about implementing something like it: RemotePower.
It wouldn't primarily be about transfering fuel, but electrical energy. That way functional base construction is finally feasable. Dedicated power generators could send power to fuel refineries, life support, very long-range satellite dishes and so on. I think these things would be good to have by 0.17 when the Kerbol system gets a whole lot larger.

[Lazurkri]

So, this is essentially The_Duck's Relay Mod, Version 2.0, no? All the old features and a bunch of spiffy new ones?

[kevinlacht]

I still don't understand wath the plugin does.

[Leon_Brooks]

This...Is...AWESOME!!!

[togfox]

Fantastic! Awesome work! Thanks duck and jp. I'll now ask that pesky question some is bound to ask sooner or later ... Can it be changed to require power from batteries. ;)

[JDP]

So, this is essentially The_Duck's Relay Mod, Version 2.0, no? All the old features and a bunch of spiffy new ones?

Yep, that's pretty much it. Though i had to rewrite a lot of The_Duck's code to make all the extra features work. So i chose not to call it the same just so people wouldn't mix the two together. The_Duck's code is much more elegant than mine and mine still has some kinks to be ironed out. In short, I didn't really wan't to usurp The_Duck's project by setting mine up as a sequel to it.

I still don't understand wath the plugin does.

It let's you make a satellite relay network through which to control unmanned vessels. It also let's you launch multiple unmanned vessels as one and decouple them later in the flight. You could for example launch a big mun lander with 4 small rovers attached to it. On landing you could decouple the rovers and still be able to control each of them, provided they are in signal range.

In the satellite relay network department, my version differs from The_Duck's in that i take the individual range of each antenna in consideration and has a new type of antenna (the satellite dish) that only works if you have two satellite dishes pointed towards eachother or eachothers planets. Given that the signal range of the normal antennas don't even reach the Mun, you will have a little bit of an extra challenge in setting up your relay network.

In my version you could also, for example, launch a manned vessel with a RemoteControl part on it in orbit around the Mun and then it would be the missin control for your Mun rovers (if it's in signal range).

I hope i explained it more clearly this time

[JDP]

Another note. And an important one this time:
Be careful with having the settings menu open when you decouple. It can crash your game, and has just crashed the game of my devoted alphatester (yours truly). Aparrently i overlooked something that throws a NullReferenceException under certain circumstances when you decouple and have your settings menu open. I'm working on fixing it right now and think I have a full understanding of what generates the problem. I'll post a v0.31 as soon as I'm done testing it.

(edit)
Aaand its done. Went all the way to the Mun, tried my worst to recreate the problem but the fix caught it.
I made another small little addition to the settings menu while i was at it; now you have the ability to cancel your changed settings.
I've changed the download link to point to the newest version of the plugin.

[JDP]

Fantastic! Awesome work! Thanks duck and jp. I'll now ask that pesky question some is bound to ask sooner or later ... Can it be changed to require power from batteries. ;)

You're welcome . Yeah I was thinking about something like that. There are however some challenges. I would like to not only calculate the energy consumption and generation of my controlled vessel, i want to calculate it for all vessels in the relay network. That seems very hard to do to me right now. Basically, as far as the game is conserned, vessels that are too far away don't really exist. I certainly don't know of any way in which they can run any code. I do kind of have an idea for a workaround based on the way i currently communicate with vessels who don't really exist, but would be very complicated to implement. Smarter men and/or women than me need to do the fieldwork in the electrical API field. I hear that it's coming. When it does, i think i will add power consumption to this plugin.

would like to do more with power, not only with the ever requested power consumption. But also power transfer. As i wrote earlier today i see wireless power transfer as a vital part in making functional and modular bases possible.
Another key feature would be fuel generation out of something like Munar soil, much like the current Munar zoxygene generator.
I envision vast Munbases complete with powerplants, fuel refineries, huge interplanetary command centrers, life-support modules and crew quarters.