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[WIP][1.8.x] SSTULabs - Low Part Count Solutions (Orbiters, Landers, Lifters) - Dev Thread [11-18-18]


Shadowmage

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15 minutes ago, regex said:

I need to be able to do a 12 and 6x symmetry mount with these, can it be done?

SSTU only supports up to 9x engine-cluster layouts in its default configuration.  You might find 10+ engine layouts in @JoseEduardo's expansion packs (I believe he has a 12 engine layout).

That engine is also only available in the dev repo so far, won't be publicly available until KSP 1.3+.


So, to answer your question, yes, but not quite yet, and you might need some added engine-cluster-layout-configs for the higher cluster #'s.

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27 minutes ago, Shadowmage said:

So, to answer your question, yes, but not quite yet, and you might need some added engine-cluster-layout-configs for the higher cluster #'s.

That's cool, my computer can handle higher part counts. Come to think of it, it'd have to be a 12x, 6x, 1x concentric ring cluster so...

Anyway, it looks great was really what I was trying to say. :D Cheers!

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1 hour ago, tater said:

N1 is 30 engines... what the heck are you making?

In versions of RO past I found you could put 19 RD-171Ms under a 30m stack with twelve UA1205s for boosters and 4 RD-171Ms under a 15m upper stage to bring some 575 tons to LEO. Quick to orbit and surprisingly easy to fly as well.

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13 hours ago, regex said:

In versions of RO past I found you could put 19 RD-171Ms under a 30m stack with twelve UA1205s for boosters and 4 RD-171Ms under a 15m upper stage to bring some 575 tons to LEO. Quick to orbit and surprisingly easy to fly as well.

easy because you bend time and physics at liftoff on the launchpad and create a wormhole to orbit with this amount of thrust? :P

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20 hours ago, regex said:

That's cool, my computer can handle higher part counts. Come to think of it, it'd have to be a 12x, 6x, 1x concentric ring cluster so...

Anyway, it looks great was really what I was trying to say. :D Cheers!

you mean 19 engines in total? I'm pretty sure I did make that specific cluster in my SSTU Nova pack

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19 hours ago, regex said:

In versions of RO past I found you could put 19 RD-171Ms under a 30m stack with twelve UA1205s for boosters and 4 RD-171Ms under a 15m upper stage to bring some 575 tons to LEO. Quick to orbit and surprisingly easy to fly as well.

Pics or it didnt happen... :P

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13 minutes ago, CatastrophicFailure said:

Since it came up again, will the two at least coexist peacefully as long as KR&D isn't used on SSTU parts?

No, because KR&D applies a blanket patch to all parts.  It can be fixed by editing some files in KR&D.

https://github.com/mmoench/KRnD/blob/master/GameData/KRnD/parts.cfg#L2 )  <-- patch that applies to all parts, needs to be edited to exclude specific parts
https://github.com/mmoench/KRnD/blob/master/GameData/KRnD/blacklist.cfg ) <-- alternately, that file can be patched to add an exception for the SSTU modules (SSTUModularFuelTank, etc).


Now, what KR&D really should do (if they want widespread compatibility), is find a way to integrate with the stock PartUpgrade system, as SSTU -is- compatible with that system (at some level at least, and can always be improved for greater compatibility).  I'm not sure if it would even be possible to do what KRD does through the stock PartUpgrade system, but that really is the only way that it will ever be compatible with SSTU (without a ton of special-case code on both sides).

For the record, I love the concept of KR&D.  The execution and implementation though... leave so very much to be desired.  It is done in such a way as so it will never work with parts that have any sort of built-in configurability (so no fuel switching, mesh switching, scaling; it can only be a very basic static part).  It is also yet another mod that does a bunch of 'hard coding' of support for specific modules, which is simply wrong for any mod that intends to have widespread compatibility (they need to switch from hard-coding support, to using interfaces and the generic re-usability that they bring; sadly that would require that stock code and modules actually provided and used interfaces properly).

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I did a test landing with it, and it was very controllable. The cargo pods with tank switching... would be very cool. Obviously they work best as KIS/KAS parts, but with "rocket parts" and those to connect it with KIS, this shows how future SSTU bases could have their fitting out stuff brought if they are inflatable.

Hmmm, now that I think of "fitting out" inflatables, I think for future "roleplaying" I will only fit out via the larger of the 2 SSTU docking ports (hard to drag equipment through the apollo sized hatch).

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2 hours ago, Shadowmage said:

For the record, I love the concept of KR&D.  

Shadow, I'd like to state here publicly that I find your mod one of the best overall mods for KSP.

Not only it solves the high-part-count problem and the low fps it causes (which was always one of the major problems, specially for RO+RSS), but also your parts are beautifully made and everything is very well implemented, everything well done, from the forum post all the way to the most complex part and feature.

Now, since you do love the concept of KR&D, would you consider integrating something similar within SSTU? Incorporating a mod can be complicated, but maybe if instead you did something similar from scratch to be part of SSTU core... I can only imagine what a beautiful outcome of a mod it would be.

KR&D came to my attention after a mod idea I had which I posted here:

KR&D is "somewhat" pointed in that direction, but not quite. What I had envisioned was more in-depth. Had elements of KR&D, RO, KRASH and SSTU.

I know a fair bit of 3D modelling but coding has never been my forte, not since I finished computer engineering university 12 years ago.

Maybe we can work together on something, if you're willing to take the plunge. I'm willing to offer all possible assistance, if you think this is doable and worth the effort.

I'll be sending you a PM to continue this without hijacking your thread.

Edited by JeeF
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Last nights dev work saw the MFT-D tanks re-UV-mapped to use the same texture sheets as the MFT-A/B/C/etc.  They will get their own NRM and AO textures, but should be able to re-use the masks, diffuse, and specular textures from the rest of the MFT texture sets.  Basically just more texture reduction; but also will allow for the 'stock' MFT-D tanks to have multiple texture sets with recoloring.

Also in regards to the MFT-D tanks -- I've reworked their geometry slightly so that the mount-plane is no longer angled when they are mounted against a standard tank.  Will also be adding some basic mounting brackets/braces to the models, as they currently stand out for being 'too simple' when compared with the rest of the tanks.  Some of these changes however -will- result in broken craft due to the changes in geometry and attach-node positions; the craft/vessels should load fine, but the parts will be misplaced a bit.  I'll put together a list of 'breaking changes' as the release gets closer and more information is known, but as with other major KSP releases, the general thought is 'start a new game with the new version'.

I'll also be updating the 'Soyuz' nosecone/adapters as part of this, as they previously used the same texture sheet as the tanks (and probably will again when finished).  Seems likely that they will be getting the same texture-set and recoloring support as the rest of the tanks/adapters.

Lastly, I've been continuing work on the code-side updates and cleanup for the modular parts.  Currently working on figuring out how to allow optional RCS modules (and models) to be added to the MFT-tanks, to allow for built-in ullage/vernier/retro thrusters (and/or use as standard RCS).  These should hopefully be available as an option for all MFT tanks, and if done properly should have no additional overhead in the flight scene when disabled/not present.  Currently I'm planning on allowing for the thrusters to have their model, # of blocks, vertical position, and rotation all configurable when in the editor.

 

Sorry, still no ETA on when the 'next update' will be available.  I haven't even started playing with the pre-release yet.  Probably at least a few weeks worth of work left on the module, model, and texture updates.  The good news is that if all of what is currently planned works out, the upcoming part-series (Lander rework, ProbeCore, BaseCore) should have potential for some interesting features.  Even if only some of it works out, the mod should still be in a better state than it is with the current releases and setup.

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51 minutes ago, Norcalplanner said:

Apologies if this has been answered already, but does SSTU work well with SMURFF? I'm setting up a 10.6x GPP career save and am trying to make informed decisions regarding the selection of mods.

Short answer: no. But there is a config out there that rebalances it for 6.4x play. Might be useful for 10x too. I'll see if I can find the page, my (limited) testing shows a huge improvement using it. 

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More random dev work (yes, I'm in the middle of at least 4 different projects for SSTU):

Initial WIP geometry for the RD-181 engine variant.  Was scheduled to be a -191, but I could not find any consistent diagrams on it.  So went with the -181 from the Energomash website models.  Geometry on the turbopump has been bashed around about as much as a mesh can be without requiring new textures.  Nearly done; have a few pipes to adjust, and need to finish up the frame/mount.  Still going to be a few spots that are problematic regarding AO, but I've got a few ideas....

ZLYerSZ.png

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20 minutes ago, Shadowmage said:

More random dev work (yes, I'm in the middle of at least 4 different projects for SSTU):

Initial WIP geometry for the RD-181 engine variant.  Was scheduled to be a -191, but I could not find any consistent diagrams on it.  So went with the -181 from the Energomash website models.  Geometry on the turbopump has been bashed around about as much as a mesh can be without requiring new textures.  Nearly done; have a few pipes to adjust, and need to finish up the frame/mount.  Still going to be a few spots that are problematic regarding AO, but I've got a few ideas....

ZLYerSZ.png

What're the two little doohickeys off on the right that look like upside down bottle rockets?

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6 hours ago, CatastrophicFailure said:

@Norcalplanner You're in luck, I had it in my other pants browser. Credit goes to the author, he's around here somewhere. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/umfte09dwfjepzj/SSTUtweaks.cfg?dl=0

 

5 hours ago, Norcalplanner said:

Thank you kindly.

Wow crazy to see people using this, I wrote it over a year ago and haven't really touched it since then so no guarantee it will work as intended!!

I may take a look at it again in the coming months, while I am enjoying my 3.2x game currently (it's perfect because it doesn't need any part re-balancing!) it still doesn't feel quite as grandiose or majestic as a 6.4x or 10x game....

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