Firov

Interesting. Tobi wanted the folder structure changed to make mod maintenance easier for him (he has to maintain 4 mods, I've just got the one), but it's been so long since I used PartCatalog I personally didn't consider the impact it could have. I'll investigate options to get it to "play nice" with part catalog with the current folder structure. As I recall, it's based on more than just the folder structure, and is possible to over-write the default placement with modifiers in the config file itself. Like I said though, it's probably been 6+ months since I last used PartCatalog.

That looks fantastic Nathan! I think with this it's time I finally try out RSS. Goodbye ~2km/s orbital velocity, hello hard mode!

Ferram, he might be talking about the API, but it would be great to have the coefficient of drag and cross sectional size available in the analysis tool too. Primarily for the calculation of aerobraking/aerocapture using the following formula "Simple" Aerobraking Formula I'm still trying to understand the formula myself, but having the drag coefficient and cross sectional area in the editor would be great. I know having the ballistic coefficient probably wouldn't be feasible, since it depends on other factors such as altitude, atmospheric density, and atmospheric scale height of the target planet.

I think Tobi is planning a release some time in the near future. Before then, how has the pre-release of Smart Parts been working out for those who've downloaded it? Any issues to report? Suggestions for improvement? EDIT - Okay, no bug reports so far, and there's only a small chance that's because my update melted everyone's computer. So I've updated Smart Parts to be compatible with KSP 0.24.1 and have the release version 0.6.1 ready. Grab it from GitHub! SmartParts v0.6.1

Alright! I've got another pre-release version ready to go. Hopefully this will be a bit more stable. Also, it's got some new improvements to the auto-stager and fuel controller. Remember, since Tobi and I have switched over to a new folder structure you'll need Tobi's support plugin, found here Klockheed_Martian CHANGELOG Compatibility with KSP 0.24 Implemented new GUI to allow more control of Smart Parts Improved Stager Allows user to select resource to monitor in VAB/SPH Allows user to select target percentage [*]Improved Fuel Controller Crossfeed tweakable now accessible in VAB/SPH Removed redundant fuel controller ("ON") v0.6-Beta (GitHub)

Quick update everyone. The next (test) release is imminent. Unfortunately a bit of a bug in the current version of KSPAPIExtension is keeping me from releasing now, but taniwha is aware of it, so hopefully it will be an easy bug for him to fix. As far as improvements, I finally managed to upgrade the auto stager, so now you can select which resource it will monitor in the VAB/SPH, and set the desired percentage. It even works for electricity, so that should help those of you who were requesting an electric charger tracker. It should be fully compatible with Real Fuels, but since Real Fuels isn't yet released for .24 I haven't had a chance to test it. That is an objective though, so if something doesn't work, I'll fix it. Also, as requested, the fuel controller's tweakables are accessible from the VAB/SPH, and as such I've removed the "Default On" fuel controller, since it's not really necessary anymore.

Agathorn, I just made the resource list not persistent, and not a field, which allows me to attach it without throwing an exception. I'm now reconfiguring it so it rechecks the resources every time it loads/changes scenes, rather than relying on persistence. Not as convenient, but I don't see another option.

Heh. Hopefully. At least for the next few minutes until I get mired in another endless bug hunt. Anyway, thanks again guys. You've spared my sanity once again.

Yes. This was the issue. It works perfectly now. Thanks for the input and help everyone. I appreciate it!

Sorry for the delay everyone. I've been working on some upgrades to the auto stager, and wasn't necessarily expecting it to be released just yet. Anyway, it's important to note that KSPAPIExtension isn't like some other community APIs/Plugins (toolbar/module manager/etc) in that there's only one copy of the plugin in the gamedata directory. By design, every mod that uses it will have it's local own copy of the API and be compiled against that DLL version. It sounds like some of the problems that are cropping up so far are a result of that. I'm not sure which version is bundled in the pre-release version, but it sounds like it might be an older copy which can cause serious issues with .24. Fortunately Dtobi has made a change to the GitHub Smart Parts repository so I've now got the ability to directly author updates for Smart Parts. When I get back from the office today I'll recompile it and make that version available. Maybe that will solve some of these issues. As for the the 64-bit crash, I have to admit, I've not had time to investigate it much, but I'll hopefully be able to get to that today. From the sounds of it though, the 64-bit version is just naturally less stable. Easily accomplished. Expect this in the next official release.

Hmm. Now I see, and that does make sense. When I get back from the office I'll check that and report back. Thanks for the help so far, Diazo and Blizzy.

Hmm. Thanks for the suggestion. It makes sense. Unfortunately, that's not the solution. Even after changing the field to public it still throws that same exception. Also, I don't get that exception if I attach the Smart Stager to something that doesn't have resources, so it doesn't appear to be an issue with "partRes" itself being Null. It's something else. What's more unusual is that if I invoke "findResources()" after a delay of, say, .25 seconds it will allow me to place it initially without an exception being thrown. Though that's not an acceptable long term solution since it throws that exception again if I try to move a subassembly that the Stager is attached to. I'm convinced that this is a problem with timing, but I'm not sure how, and I'm especially not sure how to fix it...

I just checked the output log. If I'm reading this right, it looks like the exception isn't being caused directly by the SmartParts.dll. (Filename: C:/BuildAgent/work/d63dfc6385190b60/artifacts/StandalonePlayerGenerated/UnityEngineDebug.cpp Line: 49) InvalidCastException: Cannot cast from source type to destination type. at BaseField.GetStringValue (System.Object host, Boolean gui) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at BaseFieldList.Save (.ConfigNode node) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at PartModule.Save (.ConfigNode node) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at ShipConstruct.SaveShip () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at ShipConstruction.CreateBackup (.ShipConstruct ship) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at EditorLogic.SetBackup () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at EditorLogic.UpdatePartMode () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 at EditorLogic.Update () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0

I'm trying to update the SmartParts Auto Stager so the user can select the resource they wish to monitor, using a KSPAPIExpansion textfield. Unfortunately, as is usually the case with my attempts to code for KSP, I'm running into an issue. I have the auto stager check it's parent part "OnEditorAttach". Unfortunately, this causes all kinds of weird problems, the most common of which is a "InvalidCastException: Cannot cast from source type to destination type.", which I find amusing, since I'm not casting from anything. If I use "Invoke" to delay it .25 seconds from editor attach, it does seem to work, sort of, at least until I pick up the parent part at which point everything goes sideways again and I get yet another "InvalidCastException". It's as if KSP doesn't know the parent part of the Smart Stager until some arbitrary time AFTER it's attached to a tank. How the devil can I work with that? So, does anyone have any idea what is causing this? Or, more importantly, what options I have to detect the parent's resources when the Smart Stager is attached? I've tried simply detecting the parent part and passing that to a Part variably, but quite naturally that failed too. Any help at all would be appreciated. These modifications, if I can get them working, would make this thing much more friendly for users of RealFuels, which is what I'm after. Log messages showing debug code [LOG 18:25:04.169] KM Stager Started [LOG 18:25:05.316] km.smart.fuel(Clone) added to ship - part count: 2 [LOG 18:25:05.317] KM Stager: Monitoring parent tank [LOG 18:25:05.317] DEBUG:check this part parent resources [LOG 18:25:05.318] DEBUG:succeed PartResourceList [LOG 18:25:05.318] stage count is: 0 [EXC 18:25:05.319] InvalidCastException: Cannot cast from source type to destination type. Code relating (I think) to the problem [KSPField(isPersistant = true)] public PartResourceList partRes = null; public override void OnStart(StartState state) { if (state == StartState.Editor) { this.part.OnEditorAttach += OnEditorAttach; this.part.OnEditorDetach += OnEditorDetach; this.part.OnEditorDestroy += OnEditorDestroy; } print("KM Stager Started"); } private void findResources() { if (this.part.Resources.Count > 0) { print("KM Stager: Monitoring smart tank"); print("DEBUG:check this part resources"); partRes = this.part.Resources; print("DEBUG:succeed " + partRes.ToString()); smartTank = true; } else if (this.part.parent.Resources.Count > 0) { print("KM Stager: Monitoring parent tank"); print("DEBUG:check this part parent resources"); partRes = this.part.parent.Resources; print("DEBUG:succeed " + partRes.ToString()); smartTank = false; } else { print("DEBUG:no matches. Setting null"); partRes = null; } //updateList(); } private void OnEditorAttach() { RenderingManager.AddToPostDrawQueue(99, updateEditor); findResources(); }

Nathan, I've been using the beta DLL in the as of yet unreleased SmartParts update and everything seems to check out.

On the subject of an aircraft doing something you'd expect only an RC version capable of, I was impressed by the agility of the Westland Lynx helicopter. I've never seen a helicopter do a full barrel roll before... or a backflip from stationary, for that matter... Especially impressive considering the Lynx isn't an attack helicopter. It was designed as a transport helicopter, though it must have an obscene power to weight ratio to pull off those maneuvers.

The basic staging sensor is actually already in the mod. I'm reasonably certain that the timer part can be used with a delay of 0 seconds, or if it currently can't, the next version certainly will support that. That, combined with the timer's ability to be staged makes it perfect for this. I also like the idea of a velocity sensor. I'll likely make that a goal.

Theoretically true, but sadly, as always, licensing gets in the way. I'm not a lawyer, and I'll jump in front of a train on the day I decide to become one, but as far as I can tell our license is incompatible with real chutes, hyper edit, and a number of other mods. So we would reach an impasse there if I directly ripped out code from those mods. Don't worry though, KSPAPIExtension has given me just the opportunity I needed to expand options for the timer and altimeter without sacrificing usability. The timer now supports one Kerbin day (6 hours), and I could easily increase it even further if there's demand, same for the altimeter, which now supports altitudes of up to 500km. On a related note, I finally took the time to look up our own license and what it meant. I see it prevents derivatives. I assume this would prevent other modders from pulling code Smart Parts and integrating it into their own mod? If so then I'll see what I can do about switching it to something a bit more supportive of the community. I don't have unilateral control of the licensing, but I'm sure we can work something out.

Quick update. This is going to be in the next update. I've already got it working, but I want to rewrite some of the logic of the automatic stager to streamline things and make it a bit more accurate. Maybe make it so you can select the monitored resource as well. We'll see.

I've been a bit busy for the last few months settling into a new job, fending off assassination attempts, plotting world domination... the usual stuff. However, I've got some free time now and so Smart Parts is back in active development. The biggest change is going to be how the tweakables are handled. I'm implementing Swamp_IG's excellent KSPAPIExtension which will allow more granularity and control of the tweakables. This is the same API used in mods like Procedural Fairings and Procedural Parts. Good stuff. Still no text fields, I'm afraid, Dr. Jet, but that's not going to happen without writing my own GUI from the ground up, which I'd rather avoid for such a simple little utility mod. Also, as a direct result of this change I've got the opportunity to implement a few requested items, including the ability to trigger the altimeter only on ascent. For the most part, there aren't a lot of shiny new features, since it's really just an API addition, GUI tuning, and bug fixing but down the road I'm expecting that KSPAPI is going to open up several new opportunities. Also, I like the idea of a touchdown sensor, and it wouldn't be hard to implement since KSP has a vessel state for landed craft. I'll likely investigate ways to integrate that into the existing altimeter, though that may not make it into the next release.

Very nice work on this, Swamp. Out of curiosity, how feasible would it be to also include a text field down the road? In any case, if you have no objections I'd like to use this API in the next release of Smart Parts. Thanks.

In the interest of science... INTJ Introvert(67%) iNtuitive(88%) Thinking(38%) Judging(56%) I've taken this test several times from a number of different sources over the last few years, and it always stays roughly the same. On another note, it is interesting to see how heavily NT is over represented on these forums. Though, not necessarily surprising, considering the unique nature of KSP.

I'm curious, does the Stockalike Config also support the newer KAX (Kerbal Aircraft Expansion) engines like the turboprop or radial engine? I searched through the thread, but I didn't see anything.

Ugh, no please! Universe was an abomination. What's worse is that it is the only reason a good show, Stargate:Atlantis, was cancelled. So no, I have no love at all for Universe. It tried to be Stargate: Galactica and failed utterly, and in the process killed the entire Stargate franchise, a franchise that had been successful for 15 or so years previously.

Musk has claimed that a Falcon 9-R first stage that makes a soft landing in the ocean would be able to be refurbished for use within 2 months. If that same Falcon 9-R first stage sets down at the launch site it would be available for reuse within 24 hours. Now, I imagine in reality it's going to take longer just to confirm everything is still in good shape, but either way, that's a lot of time and effort saved by having the rocket return to the launch site and make a soft ground landing which will obviously result in massively decreased launch prices. Especially for the Falcon 9 Heavy, which will theoretically have the ability to recover all three main boosters.