sumghai

Hi @Sokol_323, as per my comments two posts above yours, I am slowly working on updating these parts for 1.4.x, and will definitely look at fixing the umbilical.

Thanks for the feedback and compliments, everyone! I've decided to drop the idea of the Clamp-O-Tron Jr. docking port variant completely, and just refine/retexture the current Clamp-O-Tron part. @Starwaster made an excellent point that there are far more use cases for the standard-sized docking port than the one use case with Making History's Munar Excursion Module. Besides, SDHI SMS is intended to be a stockalike Orion MPCV (and not an Apollo-Saturn) parts pack. I have already evaluated and rejected Comfortable Landing, as the plugin in its current state does not meet my needs. Icecovery has also explicitly stated he was not interested in my use case, so there's that. Yes, I will most likely bring the FusTek IACBM version back when FusTek Station Parts itself is ready - in fact, a MM patch could be used to only make the part available if both SDHI SMS and FusTek are installed. @Starwaster - the Avionics Ring shenanigans were a series of user reports complaining that the decoupling behavior between the AR and SM were inconsistent (i.e. one decouples the pod straight up as expected, the other pulls the decoupled pod slightly to the side). It was a transient issue reported by a handful of persistent users that I've forgotten the usernames of, and despite spending hours examining the visual and collider meshes, I couldn't figure out what the differences were. But if it sounds like there is a significant number of use cases for the AR, then I'll keep it. Apologies for the scare, folks. My modding time is now limited due to other projects and commitments, so I have been trying to simplify/consolidate the number of parts in my mods (quality over quantity, yada yada).

Unlocking this thread so that we can discuss the revamp here, without cluttering the release thread. Progress Report, 7 April 2018 After quickly familiarizing myself with the latest features of KSP 1.4.2, I think it would be best to remake all the parts from the ground up, with updated stockalike aesthetics to match the new Mk1-3 command pod. This update would also be a clean break, so I won't strive for craft or savegame compatibility. I'm currently debating these major changes: Deprecating the FusTek IACBM-compatible parachute-equipped docking port - This part was originally made for compatibility with my (constantly-backburnered) FusTek Station Parts pack, and I suspect it would be easier for players to just add a docking port adapter to their space stations anyway, just like how the real ISS uses different types of ports for docking of visiting spacecraft and berthing of station modules. Deprecating the Avionics Ring - This part was originally made for people who wanted to build their own "custom" Service Modules, while still using the SDHI Heat Shield, Aeroshell and LES. Looking back, I feel it's such a niche use case that it doesn't justify the trouble of trying to fix/maintain the part, especially with the shenanigans regarding different decoupling behaviours between the Avionics Ring and Service Module Change the standard docking port to the Clamp-O-Tron Jr - Apparently, this is now the smallest docking port that allows crew transfers, and if I switch over to this size, I can probably make the parachute ring a nice frustrum (truncated cone) with the same slope as the rest of the Mk1-3 Pod, instead of compensating for the bulkier standard Clamp-O-Tron with the current lumpy-looking abomination. Native Plugin for Inflatable Flotation Collar / Landing Airbag - After considering various third-party solutions, I think the best bet would be to work with @Starwaster to modify and natively integrate his SplashdownHandler plugin to fit SDHI SMS's specific needs. I'm also dropping the idea of spinning off SplashdownHandler as the basis of a standalone "inflatables" parts pack, to keep plugin development and maintenance focused on the bare essentials. Thoughts, guys?

Now that I'm back from vacation, I can start looking into revamping this mod for KSP 1.4.x. Due to the numerous changes in the base game and the litany of issues, I suspect the best thing to do would be to remake all the parts from scratch - see my newly-reopened dev thread for details.

Please don't use animated GIFs of low-resolution screenshots - all the folder names are pixellated beyond readability. Have you tried a stripped-down version of your game installation with just SDHI and the bare-minimum dependencies? -------------------------------------------- By the way, folks - I'm heading off on vacation from 14 March through to 4 Apr. I'll look into updating this mod for KSP 1.4 when I get back.

If you could get me a complete list of correct category assignments, I'll see what I can do this weekend.

Could you please describe which parts are affected, and which categories they should show up under?

I exported the Service Module and associated models from Unity 5.4 with KSP PartTools. The Service Module is actually two separate models - the SM itself and the umbilical. Only the umbilical model has the animation, which is simply a 90-degree rotation of the entire mesh over ten frames. The animation component is attached to the root of the Blender model itself rather than the dummy transform I usually use the PartTool script.

I haven't really seen to need to add ladders myself, since I just position the FASA launch tower crew platform so that the deck is close to the bottom of the BPC/Mk1-2 capsule hatch area.

本人是台灣人, 現在住在紐西蘭. 很高興認識大家!

I have no plans to support other docking ports beyond the stock Clamp-O-Tron or the FusTek IACBM. It is not practical to make a universal stack chute part and the Boost Protect Cover compatible with the varying dimensions of all the third-party docking adapters out there.

Thanks for the heads-up, I'll look into it over the next few days.

@Jhorriga, I suspect you do not understand the full situation. Yes, Comfortable Landing is already released, and I have been aware of it quite some time before you first asked about my flotation collar. The problem is that the way the plugin is written right now, airbags and buoys cannot coexist on the same part, as documented on the GitHub wiki - my desire is for the SDHI SMS heatshield to be able to support both the airbags for ground landings and flotation collars/buoys for splashdowns simultaneously. Based on my last correspondence with @Icecovery , he either does not understand my request, or does not wish to implement it. I may consider resuming work on my own derivative flotation collar plugin in the distant future; right now, I'm putting this feature on the backburner. *I've been dabbling in plugin coding for RimWorld recently with the help of a more experienced modder, and so far I'm enjoying the process.

[MOD - Moved to the KSP Fan Works subforums, as this is the generally-accepted location for hardware control panels and simpits] Looking quite nice!

@Jhorriga - I am waiting on @Icecovery to redevelop his Comfortable Landing plugin, before I can fully-implement flotation collars to SDHI SMS.