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[DEVTHREAD]Pathfinder - Space Camping & Geoscience

Angelo Kerman

By Angelo Kerman
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StahnAileron

StahnAileron

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Angel,

Any thoughts on integrating SCANSat and RemoteTech MM CFGs?

The TERRAIN looks like an ideal system for SCANSat features... Though I have no idea what it would scan for? Maybe FuzzyResources like how SCANSat sets up the stock M700?

The TERRAIN and Gaslight both have an antenna. I figure the TERRAIN could get a short-ish range RT Dish relay (a thousand km?) while the Gaslight could get a short Omni antenna (a few km? Maybe tens of km?) You could probably add a Remote Command Station template to the Ponderosa as well (so now a base with RT doesn't need a direct link home to the KSC.) The thought of have a Remote Command center is the reason I think the ranges on the TERRAIN and Gaslight would be short. Everything would stay within the local SOI. Long range comms would be handled by dedicated RT-centric satellites and groundside links.

I might do a quick mm.cfg for myself for the TERRAIN and Gaslight (just because), but I also might want to take a shot at a Ponderosa template...

Actually, maybe if you have RT installed, the TERRAIN (and maybe Gaslight) just lose the stock antenna modules. The TERRAIN can have parts added to it, after all. Unless you can get the Geoscience Template to check if it can connect a TERRAIN with RT installed. I'm kinda disappointed that RT is mainly about getting comms link back to KSC as the primary motivation. Non-KSC Site-to-site links, like getting a link between Mun and Minmus bases, is kinda pointless other than for redundancies.

...The more I think about this, the less sense it makes to have RT configs for this (other than for the TERRAIN)... Oh well... I still think the TERRAIN could get SCANSat integration ^_^

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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Angel,

Any thoughts on integrating SCANSat and RemoteTech MM CFGs?

The TERRAIN looks like an ideal system for SCANSat features... Though I have no idea what it would scan for? Maybe FuzzyResources like how SCANSat sets up the stock M700?

The TERRAIN and Gaslight both have an antenna. I figure the TERRAIN could get a short-ish range RT Dish relay (a thousand km?) while the Gaslight could get a short Omni antenna (a few km? Maybe tens of km?) You could probably add a Remote Command Station template to the Ponderosa as well (so now a base with RT doesn't need a direct link home to the KSC.) The thought of have a Remote Command center is the reason I think the ranges on the TERRAIN and Gaslight would be short. Everything would stay within the local SOI. Long range comms would be handled by dedicated RT-centric satellites and groundside links.

I might do a quick mm.cfg for myself for the TERRAIN and Gaslight (just because), but I also might want to take a shot at a Ponderosa template...

Actually, maybe if you have RT installed, the TERRAIN (and maybe Gaslight) just lose the stock antenna modules. The TERRAIN can have parts added to it, after all. Unless you can get the Geoscience Template to check if it can connect a TERRAIN with RT installed. I'm kinda disappointed that RT is mainly about getting comms link back to KSC as the primary motivation. Non-KSC Site-to-site links, like getting a link between Mun and Minmus bases, is kinda pointless other than for redundancies.

...The more I think about this, the less sense it makes to have RT configs for this (other than for the TERRAIN)... Oh well... I still think the TERRAIN could get SCANSat integration ^_^

Great questions. :) I'm not familiar with RemtoteTech but if you come up with a configuration that works, I'll be happy to add it to the mod and credit your work. :) Also, I will look at SCANSat integration. I'd have to figure out how to set it up so that you can do continual resource monitoring. Right now, you just run the stock scan and that opens up continual resource monitoring. I'm not sure how I'd integrate that with SCANSat, but I'll give it some thought. Thanks for the idea. :)

Meanwhile, I've been busy laying out the flight controls for the Buffalo's IVA. I need to rework the center of the dashboard, and I'm leaving space on the center console for communications gear. Also, I'll likely move the life support monitor to the panels behind the kerbals (where the air system is).

C3Pu4CD.png

62LSzwp.png

Not bad for my very first IVA! :) In the home stretch now, I have to figure out the stock control layout for when you don't have RPM, ASET Props Pack, and ASET Avionics Pack (all highly recommended) installed.

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Enceos

Enceos

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Not bad for my very first IVA! :) In the home stretch now, I have to figure out the stock control layout for when you don't have RPM, ASET Props Pack, and ASET Avionics Pack (all highly recommended) installed.

Nice work! But probably an overkill. Too many alcor props make cockpits laggy.

Why would you need chute buttons in a rover cabin? :) same for 'cabin overheat', 'engine overheat' and 'ground proximity'.

Stability controls are nice buttons to have if one would want to make a space truck.

Edited by Enceos
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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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holy moly, that's a nice cockpit :)

thanks! :) The pictures are a bit out of date now, as I have moved the life support monitors to the doors (heh) and MFDs took their place. I will also be moving the nav buttons and making the center of the dash into an alarms panel.

Nice work! But probably an overkill. Too many alcor props make cockpits laggy.

Why would you need chute buttons in a rover cabin? :) same for 'cabin overheat', 'engine overheat' and 'ground proximity'.

Stability controls are nice buttons to have if one would want to make a space truck.

Just like NASA's MMSEV, the Buffalo is more than a rover. That is just the initial configuration. Once I get the parts done, you can configure it as a cargo hauling spaceship and as a munar lander, just to name a couple. Also, you will have a stock only cockpit configuration for those times when ASET and RPM are not installed.

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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There should be a context-menu button that brings up the drill configuration menu. I know it works for the Gold Digger, and there should be a module manager patch for the stock drill. It is called MM_DrillSwitcher.cfg. I'll give it a try later this weekend to verify that it is indeed adding the patch to the stock drill-o-matic.

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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Getting real close to a pre-release. Got the stock IVA done:

i5UUp0o.png

I think the Buffalo has just about all it needs for the basic rover configuration. Other parts are planned, this is just the bare minimum. I also think it needs a service tunnel in between the modules, but that's not critical for the initial release.

soughg1.png

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123nick

123nick

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There should be a context-menu button that brings up the drill configuration menu. I know it works for the Gold Digger, and there should be a module manager patch for the stock drill. It is called MM_DrillSwitcher.cfg. I'll give it a try later this weekend to verify that it is indeed adding the patch to the stock drill-o-matic.

maybe tweakable everything, tweakscale, and maybe another thing or 2 are messing with it? although, i dont think it would... or should.

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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maybe tweakable everything, tweakscale, and maybe another thing or 2 are messing with it? although, i dont think it would... or should.

I'll be looking into this issue today. Not sure why it isn't working..

Meanwhile, I did a couple of tests this morning:

GgYneUM.png

xsFdXle.png

All I need is a basic IVA for the crew cab, and it's good to go. :)

- - - Updated - - -

Ok, I've just verified that the drill switcher is working properly.

2ioKxja.png

Please make sure to download the latest version of Pathfinder from GitHub. If you got Pathfinder from CKAN, well, apparently there are a lot of install issues with CKAN and I don't recommend it use. You should also see MM_DrillSwitcher.cfg in your installation directory. If you are in career mode, you also need to unlock specializedConstruction before you can change what the drill extracts.

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Der Kosmos

Der Kosmos

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It seems it's possible to release an inflated Ponderosa from it's muncrete slab. There seems to be no way to re-attatch it, and this angers the kracken.

The version I'm using seems very buggy anyways, will updating make it worse? If I deflate everything will I get my rocket parts back?

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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It seems it's possible to release an inflated Ponderosa from it's muncrete slab. There seems to be no way to re-attatch it, and this angers the kracken.

The version I'm using seems very buggy anyways, will updating make it worse? If I deflate everything will I get my rocket parts back?

Releasing a Ponderosa from the muncrete slab is not something I considered and not recommended if you have other parts attached to the habitat. What I may do instead is remove the KISModulePartMount and simply require Engineers to attach everything. Or I can find a way to hide the Release button so you don't accidentally hit it.

If you deflate the modules then you will get a good percentage of your RocketParts back.

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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On the recommended mods list, you put down TACLS and Snacks for life support. How much of a difference in gameplay do the two mods have? Are there plans for USI LS support?

Great question. :) In terms of increasingly difficult gameplay, no life support (the default, life support is entirely optional) is the easiest, followed by Snacks, followed by TAC-LS. The difficulty here revolves around the resources that you keep track of, which is reflected by the mod you have installed.

Pathfinder will adjust to all three situations; the greenhouse will consume different resources to produce Food than it does for Snacks, but it's purely decorative when you have no life support installed. With both Snacks and TAC-LS, the greenhouse will produce Food/Snacks after 90 days, with time reduced if you have a skilled scientist in the module. With Snacks, you can produce Snacks from Ore in the Doc Commercial Science Lab, which is exactly how Snacks itself works, but it's (hopefully) cheaper to use the greenhouse. With TAC-LS, the Watney Chemistry Lab can split water to produce Oxygen. The Pigpen can clean your WasteWater and turn Waste into Organics for the greenhouse, while the greenhouse consumes CarbonDioxide as it grows Food. The system is not 100% closed loop with either Snacks or TAC-LS; you'll need to drill for resources to get the inputs you need, but you'll have no dependencies on Kerbin other than the kerbals that provide efficiency bonuses and who set everything up.

Given the three difficulty levels mentioned above for life support, I have no plans to add in USI-LS at this time.

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Der Kosmos

Der Kosmos

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Releasing a Ponderosa from the muncrete slab is not something I considered and not recommended if you have other parts attached to the habitat. What I may do instead is remove the KISModulePartMount and simply require Engineers to attach everything. Or I can find a way to hide the Release button so you don't accidentally hit it.

If you deflate the modules then you will get a good percentage of your RocketParts back.

I'd suggest hiding that button, I didn't mean to press it, but very bad things happened when I did, and I ended up nuking that save.

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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Get the latest here!

0.8.0: Pathfinder Beta: Home On The Range

NOTE: This is a beta release, there are bound to be bugs.

This release Introduces the Buffalo Modular Space Exploration Vehicle (MSEV). It is based upon NASA's real-world Multi-mission Modular Space Exploration vehicle (MMSEV). Just like the NASA vehicle, the Buffalo can be configured as a rover, but it doesn't stop there. (Coming Soon!) The Buffalo can become an asteroid exploration craft, a munar lander, a cargo hauler, and more. This initial offering provides the components needed to build the "space truck" version of the Buffalo; future versions will offer in-space functionality. The best thing is that the Buffalo can be assembled by an engineer via KIS, and the vehicle is sized to fit into a standard 3.75m cargo bay!

The Buffalo components include:

Buffalo Command Cab: A command pod that seats two kerbals, with Stock IVA and ASET Props/Avionics-based IVA (highly recommended). It also has integrated ladders.

Buffalo Crew Cab: A crew cabin that seats two kerbals, also with IVA. It also has a rooftop solar panel.

Buffalo Wagon: A.K.A. the Wagon, this Buffalo Storage Container holds lots of resources when deployed. It is a semi-rigid container that is shaped like the Crew Cab, and it too has solar panels on its roof.

Chassis (1u): The chassis serves as the foundation for the Buffalo. It is sized to the same length and width of a KIS standard SM-62 storage container/Buckboard/Ponderosa. While it is initialy configured as a battery, the Chassis can store a variety of different resources once converted to storage.

Chassis (2u): Same as above, but it's twice as long.

Standard Flatbed (1u): Sized to be as wide as the Buffalo cabin, the flatbed is sized to hold 2 SM-62 containers/Buckboards/Ponderosas. While it takes an engineer to mount the flatbed onto a chassis, anybody can put cargo on the flatbed.

Standard Flatbed (2u): Same as above, but twice as long.

Wide Flatbed (1u): A wider version than the standard flatbed, the wide flatbed can hold 3 SM-62 containers/Buckboards/Ponderosas. It is sized to fit in a standard 3.75m cargo bay.

Wide Flatbed (2u): Same as above, but twice as long.

Trailer Hitch: This specialized "docking port" is used to connect trucks and trailers together. It also has an integrated ladder.

Chassis Decoupler: For those times when you need to mount a Buffalo to a rocket, the chassis decoupler fits the bill.

Interim Wheel: Based on the RoveMate M1, the Interim Wheel provides ground transportation while we wait for KSP 1.1 and its better wheel system.

Bug Fixes

- Fixed an issue with the stack node on the Mineshaft. Now you can use it to close the gap between Buffalo modules separated by trailer hitches!

Personal Note:

This release marks a major milestone for Pathfinder; it's reached beta! :) There's more work to do but I've finally completed my initial vision for the mod. At this point, this thread will become the dev thread, and you can find the release thread here.

Thank you much for your continued support of Pathfinder, I look forward to hearing your continuing feedback. :)

- - - Updated - - -

I'd suggest hiding that button, I didn't mean to press it, but very bad things happened when I did, and I ended up nuking that save.

Ok! Now that I've hit my deadline, I can start looking at how to disable the KIS release button. That's a tricky one..

Edited by Angel-125
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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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Well, now that the Beta release is out, I can focus on learning more about IVAs and adding a bit of functionality to create the in-space variant of the Buffalo MSEV. Some inspiration comes from:

571931main_MMSEV_SEV_compare.jpg

And of course:

RABBIT.jpg

Edited by Angel-125
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linuxgurugamer

linuxgurugamer

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I like the mod,and it's going to be fun to play, however (isnt' there always a however):

Snacks is too easy, TAC-LS is too hard. The USI-LS mod is a great compromise, playable without taking the fun out of the game.

Could you reconsider your decision to not support the USI-LS mod, please? Otherwise, for me, I'll have to pass on what appears to be a great mod.

LGG

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Angelo Kerman

Angelo Kerman

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I like the mod,and it's going to be fun to play, however (isnt' there always a however):

Snacks is too easy, TAC-LS is too hard. The USI-LS mod is a great compromise, playable without taking the fun out of the game.

Could you reconsider your decision to not support the USI-LS mod, please? Otherwise, for me, I'll have to pass on what appears to be a great mod.

LGG

No worries, I understand, thank you for considering the mod, sorry it doesn't meet your needs. USI-LS doesn't fit my vision for the mod, though somebody did create a patch for it.

SUPER GOODNESS as always!!!! LOVE IT LOVE ITTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glad you like the latest updates. :) I have more work to do on the Buffalo, such as the in-space components. All in good time though.

My brain decided that it needed to let the Buffalo designs percolate for a bit, so here's what I'm working on next:

ib7BBAc.jpg

Forgot to mention four words: Duna, Eve, Kerbin, Laythe. ;)

Edited by Angel-125
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