Mk3 Expansion - [KSP 1.12x] Version 1.6 [10/5/21]

[SuicidalInsanity]

Mk3 Expansion 1.08 is now available. Contains some new parts, some new MM patches, as well as tweaks to existing parts. Some things like IVAs are still being worked on, but I don't see why that should prevent fooling around with the other stuff in the interim.

@123nick; Yes. They'll be included in the next Mk2 Expansion update, which will happen whenever KSP 1.05 finally rolls out.

Edited November 11, 2015 by SuicidalInsanity

[Guest Space Cowboy]

Nice mod

Edited November 10, 2015 by Space Cowboy

[AccidentalDisassembly]

Very nice parts, but FYI: engines are missing ", 3" added at the end of their stack node definitions.

Edited November 11, 2015 by AccidentalDisassembly

[Rho-Mu 34]

Got several issues here

Mk2 airlock endplate is missing textures

Saddle tanks do not mirror properly, same thing with chines (mk1 mk2 mk3). Also, RC RCS chine segment are missing attachment nodes (unless that was intentional)

[Araym]

Not a list of "deadly bugs", but noticed some "differences" to similar parts from Squad (both in MK2 Expansion and Mk3 Expansion):

- all Squad engine have now the "heatConductivity" parameter activated: it was previously on hold by the double-slash "//", but now it seems abilitated... you have also it in your cfgs, just need to delete those slashes

- decouplers missing "ModuleToggleCrossfeed" to let the fuel flow thru them... but, again, this is just a new feature not eventually needed...

- docking ports have a new, selection about using them as decoupler, but, as always, shielded one are not available as node in VAB, so again could it be just an option not totally needed... (I added it my builds, just in case for some strange craft in which I use docking ports as "launch stability nodes" (opened) between long stacks, like orbital station parts, orbital rings or other absurdity contraptions, when physics kick in at the launchpad, and post-lauch, flushed, less visible invisible parts, post-launch/in space )

Then a question (not enough data on it): does your mk2 nuclear reactor act something like the new ISRU or RTG, building (and needing) core heat (or similar effects) during their use??

[SuicidalInsanity]

@Rho-Mu 34; Thaks for bringing the endcap and RCS chines to my attention;they're fixed now. Chines should be placed in radial, not mirror symmetry if the attach nodes are being used; Saddletanks not mirroring properly is a known issue, and is caused by how the game mirrors parts (it doesn't). Since the saddle tanks are asymmetric there's not much that I can do apart from making separate port and starboard tanks, but that doesn't solve the mirror issue.

@Araym; Missed the heat conductivity change first time around; it's fixed now. I looked into the missing crossfeed module for the docking ports; strangely, none of the squad ports have it either. Testing the port in game, I still got a context menu option to disable crossfeed, so it seems to work. As for the reactor - it totally slipped my mind when doing the first compatibility update; I looked into it, and the reactor now has a core heat mechanic. This has a side effect of the reactor requiring radiators now; it can and will explosively meltdown without them.

[Rho-Mu 34]

Chines should be placed in radial, not mirror symmetry if the attach nodes are being used; Saddletanks not mirroring properly is a known issue, and is caused by how the game mirrors parts (it doesn't). Since the saddle tanks are asymmetric there's not much that I can do apart from making separate port and starboard tanks, but that doesn't solve the mirror issue.

That clears up things a bit, thanks. So what is the best way to attach non-symmetic saddletanks? You seem to use them without much problem in post #401.

[SuicidalInsanity]

What I did for that craft was to place the tanks one side at a time. Inconvenient, but for now it's the only option. I did come across a plugin for mirroring asymmetric parts while looking into the issue, but it requires parts to be made to use the plugin, not the other way around (which means remaking the parts in question). I'll do some testing and see if I can get it to work, but it'll likely take awhile.

[Rho-Mu 34]

What I did for that craft was to place the tanks one side at a time. Inconvenient, but for now it's the only option. I did come across a plugin for mirroring asymmetric parts while looking into the issue, but it requires parts to be made to use the plugin, not the other way around (which means remaking the parts in question). I'll do some testing and see if I can get it to work, but it'll likely take awhile.

Well, as long as they can be used to mount wings without major wobbling during maneuvers, adding saddletanks one-by-one is fair trade. Thanks again.

Thought i might pitch couple ideas while we're at it

- Linear movement RCS chine segment. Might be mistaking, but weren't they present at some point in this mod?

- VTOL nuclear thermal jet. While newly added LFO VTOL engine is godsend for airless bodies, mk2 hull just doesn't hold enough rocket fuel to be all that useful in non-oxygenated atmospheres, so VTOL NTJ might be a good idea.

- MK2 lateral tricoupler. Sort of like 3 half-length mk2 fuel tanks in single housing. Yes, it is possible to radially attach 2 more tanks to central hull, but dedicated hull section would mean less joints to break, less problems with symmetry and fuel crossfeed, smaller part count AND, optionally, more natural-looking model, rather than 3 tanks glued together.

[SuicidalInsanity]

One of the RCS chine pieces got accidentally removed in the 1.6.10 update; the 1.6.11 hotfix update fixes that. For the other parts, new attachment options are coming; the primary focus of the new update was KSP 1.05 compatibility rather than new content. For non-O2 atmo VTOL flight, an engine optimized for that would be useful; not sure if I wan't it to be nuclear, though.

[Araym]

I found some issues with mk3 expansion parts: on my end, the Node endcap (to mount 1.25m parts) and the air intake have some nodes messed up (fairly forward than they should be: i took for reference previous mk.3 parts release, and older one shows - at least for the Node - the right position), and some parts have texture references to 1.0.4 Squad folders that are now differently organized in 1.0.5.

Also the mk.3 Cupola reference to stock Cupola texture gives to me a weird, unalligned, texture both in the upper section and to the EVA airlock

[Star-Eagle]

Just had a part idea, what about a mk2-1.25/mk1 utility/service bay? Maybe a mk3-mk2 version as well?

I don't know how useful these might be but I thought I should share them.

[SuicidalInsanity]

@Araym: Known, 1.08 was for KSP 1.04, just bad luck it was released days before KSP updated to 1.05.

@Star-Eagle: 1.25m parts already have a service bay. As for the adapter service bays, maybe?

[URL="https://github.com/SuicidalInsanity/Mk3Expansion/releases"]Mk3 expansion 1.09[/URL] is now up, making is compatible with KSp 1.05, and should clear up the texture/node issues.

[Siphonophore]

@SuicidalInsanity More suggestions;

Mk3 magnetoplasmadynamic engine (uses only LF and is ridiculously efficient)

Mk3 deployable solar array (when unfurled it's gigantic)

Mk3 fighter cockpit (just for the looks and also for aerodynamics)

Mk3 heavy habitat module (carries a crew of ten)

Mk3 flat cockpit (houses 2 kerbals has an attachment node at the front and has four windows)

Mk3 shielded docking port (when closed functions efficiently as a hypersonic nosecone)

[SuicidalInsanity]

@AJTheMighty;

-Some sort of suitable electric engine for Mk3 will happen at some point; though it would likely end up using Xenon or LH2; an ultra-high efficiency engine that runs on a dense fuel seems slightly too 'One Engine To Rule Them All' for my taste.

-Mk3 solar options will also happen at some point.

-Mk3 fighter cockpit is at best a 'maybe' at this point; I'd like to get other stuff out of the way before I start adding more cockpits. Every cockpit added means an additional custom IVA, and I've made little enough progress on the cockpit IVAs I have to do already.

-Heavy habitat crew tank. See above.

-I'm guessing this is some sort of Inline mk2 cockpit?

-Mk3 Docking ports are modeled, but in need of texturing/rigging

As a general rule of thumb, if something is in the Mk2 expansion mod, chances are I'll make a mk3 equivalent. That said, progress has been slow on Mk3 stuff mainly because I've been working on M2X and KBPP stuff of late

Spoiler

Lift Fan concept testing on Duna for a non-O2 atmo VTOL Engine; Seems to work, model very WIP

Spoiler

Since there were a few requests for a KBPP shuttle cockpit...Looks like a brick, flies like a brick (why oh why did I test this using FAR...). New fuselage type, could also be used for widebody spaceplanes. Expect a Lambda variant as well as the Gamma variant shown

 

Edited December 3, 2015 by SuicidalInsanity

[SuicidalInsanity]

A while ago someone requested a mk2 scramjet; I revisited the prototype i made and managed to get it working today:

Flame-out at 38000m, final velocity 3121m/s, Apoapsis 4.2 million meters - that's 2/3s the distance to the Mun. I think I'm going to have to nerf it considerably. Should work great for RSS, though.

[SuicidalInsanity]

Took a look at the service bay. Previously there were some issues with symmetry mode when trying to place things in it in the SPH/VAB. That issue is now fixed, and the service bay now also has some improved utility:

Configurable internals, for tweaking the service bay to fit mission specs.

I also rounded out the resource parts. Along with the previously shown drill and ISRU refinery, I've added an ore tank and generator:

Should make ISRU mining spaceplanes a bit easier..

 

[ABZB]

9 minutes ago, SuicidalInsanity said:

Took a look at the service bay. Previously there were some issues with symmetry mode when trying to place things in it in the SPH/VAB. That issue is now fixed, and the service bay now also has some improved utility:

Configurable internals, for tweaking the service bay to fit mission specs.

I also rounded out the resource parts. Along with the previously shown drill and ISRU refinery, I've added an ore tank and generator:

Should make ISRU mining spaceplanes a bit easier..

 

awesome!

I'll start working on KSPI configs for those parts.

[Kirondoll]

Hello.

I have a request.

Would be possible add to the mk3 expansion a version of the Coxswain OSM without the rcs? ( for buran like craft and small orbiters that needs only 1 osm engine)

Thank you for your time.

[SuicidalInsanity]

@Kirondoll: Sure, why not?

 

On a general note I'm pretty close to finalizing my mk2 stuff in preparation for KSP 1.1, once that's done I can switch my focus to getting more progress on mk3 stuff again. I'm still not totally sure about the balance of the scramjet and air augmented rockets though; I may end up dropping a M2X 1.7 early access dev version for KSP 1.05 in the next couple of days if people want to help test them.

 

[SuicidalInsanity]

For all who are interested, the M2X 1.7 dev prerelease is now up, grab it here.

Changelog:

Spoiler

Version 1.7
==============================
-New part: Mk2 Inline ISRU drill
-New Part: Mk2 ISRU refinery
-New part: Mk2 ore tank
-New Part: Mk2 FuelCell
-New part: 'Hyperblast" Mk2 Scramjet
-New part: 'Boost-O-Tron' Air-Augmented radial SRB
-New Part: 'Mallet' Air-Augmented radial SRB
-New part: 'Sledgehammer' Air-Augmented Rocket Engine
-New part: 'Banshee' Mk2 Lift fan
-New Part: Linear tricoupler
-New Part: Mk2 Radial Attack mount A
-New Part: Mk2 Radial Attach Mount B
-Air Intake intake volumes and masses rebalanced to be more inline with squad values
-Model rework; 'Rontgen' no longer has integrated air intakes, now uses standard intakes
-Fixed 'Wirligig' reverse thrust
-Model rework: Service Bay collider issue fixed, added IFS configurable tanks
-Model rework: Spadetail now has IFS alternate models
-Model Rework: CBC Cockpit Viper Variant mesh slightly tweaked, retextured
-Model Rework: Chine symmetry fixed, will now properly place when attaching chines to other chines in Mirror symmetry mode
-Fixed CB-C intake NoAttach colliders
-Engine colliders reworked; parts can now be placed on engine housings
-reworked applicable parts' ModuleTestSubject 
-Model rework: Cockpits now have togglable window emissives
-Model Rework; Mk2 hubs now have configurable fuel tanks
-Model retextures: changed model textures on some models to remove depeciated SQUAD texture references 
-J. Edgar fuselage VTOL engine now uses the BDAnimation module rather than AnimateGeneric

 

Feel free to test stuff out and provide feedback on part balance and the like, but remember, this is a dev release - some things still aren't finalized or are placeholders.

 

[Stone Blue]

On 12/3/2015 at 4:35 PM, SuicidalInsanity said:

-Mk3 Docking ports are modeled, but in need of texturing/rigging

@SuicidalInsanity I dontt know if you've seen this, or know about it  yet... Just thought I would mention it, as I would think getting correct, precisely "clocked" hard docking would be more imperative with Mk2/Mk3 parts, than other, "circular" parts if you know what I mean...

[ABZB]

The Air-Augmented Solid Boosters burn through their fuel really fast - they might need either a lower starting thrust or a larger part model with more fuel (or just those larger alternatives).

[SuicidalInsanity]

@ Stone Blue: Perhaps, depends on the activity; docking with a station it wouldn't matter so much, but I can see where it might be a concern docking crafts together. I have some ideas about how to go about making docking ports that only accept precise alignments that I think would cover mk2/mk3 hard docking.

@ABZB: The consequence of making SRBs that small; they have the same fuel volume/total size ratio that the stock ones have. The smallest one was intended to be more of a Rocket Assisted Take Off booster than a main engine, but thrust can be tweaked down a bit, especially since they have dynamic thrust/ISP scaling. They probably won't get any bigger, or they won't fit on the sides of a mk2 fuselage, but I can make longer versions, which would have more fuel.

[ABZB]

With regard to that the Air-Augmented SRB's seem to have issues with getting enough IntakeAtm - I noticed that some of the intake configs don't have that (relatively) new machCurve{} thing - specifically those SRBs, the Mk2 Shock Cone Intake, Mk2 Adapter Air Intake, and the Two-State Aerospace Intake.

 

EDIT:

Nevermind, found this comment in the Squad Shock-Cone Intake, which lacks a machCurve:

        // Isentropic, so left at default efficiency (1.0) at all Mach 

 

on the other hand, if nothing else helps, maybe the AASRB's could be written with an intake efficiency bonus at some spread of mach values.

Edited December 30, 2015 by ABZB