Neutrinovore

Ah, good, I'm glad Sumghai said what I was just thinking.

Awesome, thank you! Yeah, no, I realize that once you start bolting stuff on to a given part the center of mass goes kerflooey, I was talking about the part's NATIVE CoM to CoT discrepancy. If that's off to start with, then there is literally no way to zero-out all of the torque in all three axes. But, thanks for taking a look and fixing it, and also thanks for adding the grappling functionality, as well as the multi-dock function. That's not dependent on a third party plugin, is it? Oh well, I'll download the latest version and update anyway, so I'll go dig into the configs to see. Again, thanks greatly for responding so fast to feedback. Later!

And still necroposting...

If anyone's interested in my 2 cents, I think that it would work beautifully if it had BOTH functions. I don't think that it would be necessary to change the model, just add a grappling MODULE to the existing part. That way, it would function as a size 1 (1.25 meter) docking port all the time, but then if one arms the grappler function (which would be what are now just what you have labeled as "docking clamps"), well, now you can grab on to ANYTHING. I think that would be pretty useful, myself. Anyway, fwiw. Also, just a quick report for nli2work: Using RCSBuildAid, the RCS thrusters on the.... well, actually, I think that it's most parts in this pack that have RCS thrusters... anyway, most of the centers-of-thrust are just a bit off kilter in left/right and up/down axes. For some reason, and as far as I can tell, you've got the forward/backward thrust axis perfectly aligned with the center of mass. BTW, this is most evident on the 'core' part, the one with the grabber arms, mainly because the RCS thrusters on that are the most powerful. Anyhow, this isn't a huge issue, it's not like they're so far out of whack that there's hundreds of KnM of torque, but you might want to go back and look at the part models, specifically in regard to the location and orientation of the rcs thrust transforms. Otherwise, I think everything's cool with this mod pack now. Later!

OFF TOPIC!

Yeah, I've experienced this type of thing too. It happens when you have a small lightweight craft with too much torque for its weight, and/or RCS thrusters that are too strong in the same way. One thing you can do is tweak down the torque and RCS in flight until you're ready to push something heavy around, then crank them back up when you need them. Uh, well, I guess you can do that if you have TweakableEverything installed, that is. Also, if you're using MechJeb I'd guess that you'd have to use the Attitude panel to fine tune the sensitivity of the PID controller as well.

Hey, sorry, but I was slow to move to SpaceDock too. It kind of bothers me that Squad never lifted a finger to support KerbalStuff, but now that that's gone defunct, well now, hey, they'll just step in and take over and have their own version of it, isn't that convenient? As far as I'm concerned, SpaceDock is way better than the old 'Spaceport', and in fact is FAR better than Curse. Anyway, I have a few suggestions for you about the First Light as well, if you don't mind. I have it working really well for me now that I've made a few changes. The main thing is that I simply scaled all the parts up by a factor of 1.25. That makes all of the docking ports a standard 2.5 meter diameter, AND the cargo bay can now accommodate 2.5 meter parts, with enough extra room to allow for surface attached items, such as space station components, asteroid tugs, etc. This makes the whole ship much more useful for transporting stuff like you describe, and I'm betting it'll be quite a bit easier to design your Fire Hawk / Raider system to a useful size, rather than trying to cram everything into the currently sized cargo bay. Oh, here's a thought: The only other thing that I changed on the current parts is adding a gimbal module to the engine as well as significantly increasing the thrust, but only because I fly the ship from the ground all the way to orbit, playing in sandbox mode with infinite fuel, and the gimbals make the ship maneuverable enough to transition from a horizontal VTOL attitude to a vertical launch-to-orbit trajectory. On a related note, I'd like to request one additional part, a radially attached VTOL rocket engine that fits the look and shape of the First Light. I'm using some LLL Radial Rockets right now, mounted to the corners of the middle section, the cargo bay / habitat thingy. They match pretty well the look of your stuff, but parts designed by YOU would match the look even better, wouldn't they? Plus, if you play your cards right you could use the same engines for the Fire Hawk lander system. So, there you go, a few thoughts. FWIW. Later, all!

Cool, gonna try this one out today! BTW, I had thought that the other 'The Martian' rover mod was yours, and I wasn't impressed with that one, so I apologize for thinking less than complimentary thoughts about what I thought was THIS mod... I hope that makes sense, lol.

Oh god, what, all 133 of them?? Yeah, I run a lot of mods. No, I fixed it by doing what you said, I just deleted the section of the pod's config file that had the things referring to the winch, and now it's fine, problem solved. But, are you sure that you're using the correct ModuleManager syntax? My config file reads thus: @PART[OrbitalTugPod]:NEEDS[KAS] { etc... I'm really not up on the specific MM modifier symbols, but just off the top of my head, shouldn't there be something else other than just ":NEEDS[KAS]"? Again, I don't know, I'm just asking, someone who's much more expert at computer coding would have to check this. So, anyway, my particular problem is fixed, so I consider it resolved on my end. But, of course, if you have any questions it's not like I'm going to just disappear, lol. Oh, and if you really do need a list of ALL the mods I'm running, someone will have to tell me how to take a screenshot of my GameData folder and post it here, because I'm not going to take the time to manually type out a list of all 130+ of them! Later, all!

Well, here's an update: I updated this mod to the latest version, and left everything untouched... well, I edited some of the configs to change a few parameters like the amount of torque or monoprop or something like that, but I didn't delete or add anything, but I still have the winch part showing up on the front of the pod, and I'm absolutely 100% certain that I don't have any KIS or KAS .dll's anywhere in my game. However, I will follow your instructions above and TRIPLE check everything as well, and once again report back to let you know what's going on. Thanks for the ongoing help, my friend.

Lol, I'm glad you're so enthusiastic, and welcome to the Forum by the way, but unfortunately, I'm going to be a bit of a killjoy. Take a look at WHEN that post to which you're responding was originally made by Devo... More than TWO YEARS ago now! I hate to bust your bubble, but this mod ain't gonna happen, not ever. Sorry.

Okay, I'm not normally this OCD, but could the moderators just fix the spelling in the title of the thread, please? It's not that big a deal, I guess, but I see that damn word every time I come to this forum, and poor spelling just makes my teeth itch!!

Right, I get that, which is why I don't understand why it matters what it depicts in the editors, or why anything needed to be changed. If they're not changing anything about how the control surfaces work during flight, then I have no concerns. It's just, I guess, that I didn't really consider this particular thing something that needed to be 'fixed', that's all.

Uh, okay, but the thing is, I don't even HAVE KAS or KIS installed, not anywhere on my computer, let alone in GameData. Hmm, I'll investigate this, I did edit some of the configs, perhaps I removed something I shouldn't have.

What? That's how the parts SHOULD deploy. So you're saying that, if I build a rocket in the VAB that has 4 fins, radially attached, and then I add a control surface to each fin, then when I launch the rocket and then 'pull up' on the stick, the rocket won't pitch positive but will instead just roll around on its axis? That makes no damn sense...

First, I'm ecstatic that this mod has been updated! Thank you so much, nli2work. I have a quick request: Would it be possible, perhaps using the texture-switching feature, to have a version of the pod that does not have the winch on the front when one isn't using KAS/KIS? I'd just rather not have the thing hanging off the front of the pod if I can't actually use the winch for anything, that's all. Again, thanks much for getting this useful mod back into shape. Keep up the great work! Later, all.

Um, yes, I'm pretty sure we all know about that article from 2 years ago, it's the inspiration for this mod. Are you thinking that somehow it's the other way around?

You know, I really do apologize for any and all inaccuracies in my post. I wrote that late last night, and I guess I wasn't as awake and aware as I thought I was. I don't know where I got the idea that you were the author of the Tundra mod. Again, sincere apologies! In fact, I think I will download this right now and give it a try.

Yeah, I was going to download this, but... Well, -ctn-, I hope that you accept the following as constructive criticism, because criticism it is indeed: You're not making your stuff properly symmetrical. I don't know anything about modeling things for games, but you need to learn how to generate radial symmetry when you create an object in the computer. You don't just create a cylinder or a cone and then start bolting stuff onto the outside one at a time. Anything that is placed on or within the object MUST be copied or rotated or mirrored around the central axis during the creation process. On your Tundra pods, the model itself is not visually or physically symmetrical, which means that the engines' common center of thrust doesn't point through the center of mass, which means that you get torque under thrust, and if one fixes that by adding weights, then the RCS system can't be balanced properly. I'm also seeing visual symmetry problems in the pictures of this mod, and I can only assume (backed up by some comments by others posted above) that one would have the same problem with thrust offsets, etc. I know, you say that you've looked at the Tundra pods, and up above here you say you 'don't see a problem' with this mod, but... dude, there's a problem. Please learn how to create radial and-or axial symmetry, again, both visual AND physical, so that these (admittedly virtual) spacecraft are built properly and, therefore, WORK properly. In conclusion, I like the CONCEPT of most of the items you've created for KSP, but I don't find them usable due to the issues I mention above. Also, remember that I intend this as CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, I certainly am not trying to make anyone feel bad or to level insults at anyone. And, there's no need for anyone to say something like "well, if you think you can do better, YOU should step up and create a mod yourself, etc. yadda yadda". I KNOW that I can't do better, I couldn't even come close to doing anything as complicated as modeling a three-dimensional object in a computer, and then doing all the other arcane and esoteric things that I've seen folks talking about here on the forums, all the things that need to be done to actually get something working in the game. My brain isn't wired for that. I can put a bar of metal into a CNC lathe and program it to make just about anything that the lathe can make, but creating VIRTUAL objects in a 3D modeling program is a whole 'nother deal, brother! But, just because I know that I can't do something, doesn't mean that I can't point it out when I see that something is wrong with how it's made. Anyway, I've said my piece. FWIW. Later, all!

I know, the development of this mod has gone disturbingly silent. Not a good sign.

I have a sneaking suspicion that it's actually been dead for quite a while, myself.

http://www.This website cannot be used on these forums/download/479n9nm72b5reru/OPT1.8testV4.01.zip LINKS to MediaFire are banned by the forum, but you can just copy/paste this into your browser's URL bar, and obviously replace the 'This website cannot be used on these forums' part with the text 'MediaFire', to get there. This was in the original post, by the way, not hidden or anything... I suppose I should insert the disclaimer: Navigate to MediaFire at your own risk. I don't like the site for the same reasons that the Forum banned linking to it, their pop-up ads are frequently inappropriate for the content that one is trying to download (i.e. porn, etc.), or they flat-out contain malware such as viruses or Trojan worms that can infect your computer if you don't have strong anti-malware software installed, which everyone should. However, just because I don't like the site doesn't mean that others shouldn't be free to make their own choice whether to do business with them. So, I present the information freely, what you do with it is up to you. You're welcome. 'The hell?!? What, the forum moderators don't even want us using the WORD "MediaFire"?!? That's just as stupid as people saying "you know who" instead of "Voldemort"! Oh, and for some reason, they only changed the one instance... makes no sense.

And, if I may add to that, would it be possible to fix the TEXTURES of all of the Tug parts? All my parts in the Orbital Tug package have been showing up as either solid black or as some weird dark green chrome looking texture, and I've tried everything I can think of to fix them in the configs, thinking that maybe the file paths were wrong in the lines pointing to the textures, but no joy. Anyway, my $0.02.

Well, download it and try it out. FWIW, I've had this pod in my game since it was released, and it still works fine for me, but I don't use the Apollo-like docking nosecone or its included parachutes, so I can't speak to those being currently functional.. The actual capsule itself works just fine, though, as one would expect, it's just a part. By 'just', I mean that this mod doesn't use any plugins, and the plugins are usually what break when KSP gets updated. Well... plugins and textures, sometimes, but like I said, I've been using it since the beginning, and the textures have always been fine for me.

Nice, looking good. I'm looking forward to ongoing development of this, it looks like it might fit in well (conceptually, not necessarily structurally) with Absolution's 'First Light' ship.