TheXRuler Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Hello everyone.First of all, don't be fooled by my date of registration. I made an account last october to use the support functions in this forum. Fool that I was, I never tried exploring the amazing community here. I started being more active sometime last in january I think, and I managed to remain completely unaware of the fact (at least it seems that way to me) that it is something of a tradition to post on the welcome board when getting started. So here is my "slightly" late introduction.I've been a kerbonaut for ages now (600+ hours on record), and I think it's about time for me to take part in the amazing phenomenon that is the ksp community. Just wanted to say, you guys have restored my faith in gaming communities I started out in ksp using only rockets, since SSTOs just seemed way to complicated. Having huge trouble getting anywhere near orbit, I soon searched for an autopilot, and thus I found MechJeb, my first ever mod. From there on it didn't take long until I had so many mods my computer hated me and kept crashing >.<Now I can't imagine playing KSP without mods, and I thought it's high time I started giving something back to the community from which I have been taking So now I've started trying to help new players getting started. I'm also planning on uploading some of my better craft, but feeling that that isn't enough I would really like to become an active part of the modding community.To clarify, I only have very little programming experience, a little LUA in minecraft, a bit of faffing around with KSP part configs and a tiny bit of KoS Scripting. However, I consider myself a fast learner, and as I said before, I am eager to start giving back to the modding community which has enriched the game for me so much.I was wondering whether any of you could point me to some beginner tutorials, or anything else that might help me getting started as a modder.Thanks in advance and fly safe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pecan Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 (edited) I'm surprised you found SSTOs complicated, in many ways they are much easier than staged rockets. Low part-count, robust, simple construction and straightforward, fast flights are countered by their high fuel needs - for about 400m/s deltaV more than a disposable launch vehicle.Spaceplanes are the exact opposite, of course. Hard to build, hard to fly, can't lift much without hundreds of parts but hardly use any fuel.It'll be interesting to see how much all of that changes in 1.0, which may also make some of the stuff in Add-on Development and its sub-forum Help and Support obsolete, but most of it is more stable - being about the programme structure not specific functions. Edited March 8, 2015 by Pecan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheXRuler Posted March 8, 2015 Author Share Posted March 8, 2015 ok, seems I got my terminology mixed up. By SSTO i meant spaceplane, I don't think I have ever built a non Spaceplane SSTO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pecan Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 :-) Try it some time. See Chapter 7, Section 4 of 'Exploring The System' for a 42-part, 40t payload example which I usually launch with MJ. It uses ten orange tubes of fuel to put one in orbit, which is pretty awful, but the point is you get it all back, of course.Not as good as spaceplanes for cost per tonne, but even there vertical-launch jets without the extra mass of wings, wheels, etc. are easier and more efficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starhawk Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Hello TheXRuler, and welcome to the forums!I don't know anything about modding, but here's a link I found in the tutorials section.Don't worry about the terminology overmuch. It's kind of Pecan's thing to point out that 'SSTO' is not necessarily equal to 'Spaceplane'. Happy landings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwhip Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 A slightly belated welcome to you! Modding is double-sided. It can be extremely easy (ModuleMangager configs, for example) or very, very hard (C# scripts, things like Ferram Aerospace Research).My own mod (the Modular Booster System, click on picture in my signature) is stuck because I cannot for the life of me figure out C# for KSP. It's a very different programming language, and I've been programming Python for over four years, fiddling with Assembly language, using Arduino and Parallax Basic microcontrollers for about the same time, and C++ for two years.The above may or may not be because I have yet to see a C# script written for KSP. I learn by reverse-engineering, even in programming. If you simply want to make parts for KSP, and not introduce any new mechanics, modding is very simple. You only need to have a bit of programming know-how, (Reading the .cfg's of existing parts will really help you!) and some 3D-modelling experience, which is fairly simple to pick up.Texturing is another level entirely, but isn't all that hard to learn either. My advice? Just keep at it. If it doesn't work, keep going until it does. Start over. Try it again. Tweak this thing, delete that one, add in something new, until you're satisfied with your work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northstar1989 Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 (edited) Welcome aboard TheXRuler!If you feel you're up to the challenge, KSP-Interstellar Extension Config is looking implementing some new ISRU reactions, and one idea is to use the Regolith converter-code to do this. If you're interested, swing by the development thread for KSP-I Extended (link's in my signature) and familiarize yourself a little with what the mod is about and the ISRU reactions I'm interested in adding (I mention some of them in the thread- and would be more than happy to give you a re-cap there).Then get a hold of RoverDude and see if you can't get his help in learning how to use Regolith to create converter-reactions for the new ISRU reactions (which are conversion rather than extraction reactions- we're currently using ORS for all our extraction reactions for, reasons...) If he's able to help you figure out a way to use the Regolith converter-code with the existing KSP-I ISRU refinery parts, we'd be more than happy to take a look at adding in what you come up with (note that the current densities for some of the resources that will be used in the ISRU reactions are slightly inaccurate- Liquid CO2 is getting a new name and a higher density in the next CRP revision, for instance... So you have a bit of time to figure out the Regolith converter code before we settle on more accurate resource-densities...)Regards,Northstar Edited March 9, 2015 by Northstar1989 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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