The Saga of Emiko Station - Complete

[Just Jim]

Hey everyone. Happy Easter! 

So a quick update... everything broke!!!  

Edited April 1, 2018 by Just Jim

[HansonKerman]

Oh. Wow. Darn! I'm literally at the verge of tears, clearly your Kerbal...

Which backup are you going to use?

Wait... how do I know this isn't an April Fools joke...

[Lithobrake]

Please, please let it be an April fool's joke.

[obney kerman]

15 hours ago, Just Jim said:

Hey everyone. Happy Easter! 

So a quick update... everything broke!!!  

You had better be fooling us, Jim...

Edited April 2, 2018 by obney kerman

[Just Jim]

1 hour ago, Lithobrake said:

Please, please let it be an April fool's joke.

Hehehe... yeah, I was just playing, sorry. 

Actually I spent what I could this weekend rebuilding the satellite network... which proved to be a bit of a fun challenge this time. See, I started Emiko Station with version 0.94, but version 1.2, Loud & Clear, wasn't released until nearly a year later... so I never really had a satellite communication "network"... just a bunch of satellites scattered about.

Add to this I kind of screwed myself a little... so to speak... with the last few "road-trip" chapters. According to the story, the 5 additional ground-stations are just now being brought online... which is fine... except... awwww, crap.... 

Yeah... it means I only had the one original KSC tracking-station for all those years before the ground-station road-trip....

So I've been sending up a new batch of probes, and will begin adding in relays, working on the assumption that there was only one ground-station to begin with. And to make things really fun, I not only turned off the additional ground-stations, I turned on signal required and plasma blackout, so a dead signal is really dead.

This has been a lot of fun, but a little more tricky, especially timing launches so I don't have to do a burn somewhere like the darkside of the Mun, where I have absolutely no signal, and the probe is totally unresponsive.

It won't effect the story too much, but this time my relays will actually be relays, if you know what I mean. 

I also turned on G-forces... just because it's fun.

What else??? Oh, I'm also trying to do the "Worlds-First" contracts in order, to maintain the consistency.  This was something that was also really screwed up in the old game, from updating, adding mods, and my just generally screwing around with stuff. So I'd like to keep it back the way it should be as long as possible.

I know this seems like it's taking a long time... but there's a bright side, trust me. While I've been doing all this, I've also been planning out not just the next chapter, but the next 7 chapters, all the way to Chapters 99 & 100. There is a lot going on, so I need to make absolutely sure I've weaved the sub-plots back together perfectly... plus I need to do at least one more "Emiko's Backstory" chapter somewhere before chapter 99.

So while I'm rebuilding the game, I'm also making a huge pile of notes, and setting everything up behind the scenes so I can dive right back in... and try to make this Making History addition to Emiko really epic, and not just gratuitous.

Oh, last thing, I saw Kopernicus mod updated over the weekend... WOOHOO!!! Thank you @Thomas P.!!!   

I still need OPM, but I know @Galileo took it over, and he'll get to it when he can. He takes care of a few mods... I'm not exactly sure how many, and I don't need it right this second, so if you see this @Galileo, take your time, we all understand the deal... and thank you, too!!!  

 

Edited April 2, 2018 by Just Jim

[Just Jim]

Oh... one other quick note, for the record...

I LOVE Making History!!!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!  

I have no idea how, but it's like someone at @SQUAD read my mind, or my Emiko wish-list, and gave me everything I needed to make the next phase of the Saga really work!!! 

@Darth Badie, please tell everyone there what I just said... and that I love all of you!!! Thank you!!!  

[Thedrelle]

On 3/30/2018 at 8:27 PM, VelocityPolaris said:

Heck, I might stand a chance of fitting in.

ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

Just now, Just Jim said:

Oh... one other quick note, for the record...

I LOVE Making History!!!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!  

I have no idea how, but it's like someone at @SQUAD read my mind, or my Emiko wish-list, and gave me everything I needed to make the next phase of the Saga really work!!! 

@Darth Badie, please tell everyone there what I just said... and that I love all of you!!! Thank you!!!  

FANCY!

I realy gotta read up on what's in the making history addon

Looking forward to the next batch of chapters. 

[Just Jim]

9 minutes ago, Thedrelle said:

ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

FANCY!

I realy gotta read up on what's in the making history addon

Looking forward to the next batch of chapters. 

It's ironic, really... I don't want to say too much, because it'll give stuff away, but most of the new parts and features, like Woomerang, play in so beautifully with my existing plans... I couldn't be more excited!

But also, for the record, no-one at @SQUAD knows what I have planned... in fact it's quite the opposite. I know I have a couple readers there, when they have the time, so I don't want to spoil it for them either.

This is just another one of those wonderfully weird times the game itself seems to be helping me write Emiko... 

 

Edited April 2, 2018 by Just Jim

[Thedrelle]

Just now, Just Jim said:

It's ironic, really... I don't want to say too much, because it'll give stuff away, but most of the parts and features, like Woomerang, play in so beautifully with my existing plans... I couldn't be more excited!

But also, for the record, no-one at @SQUAD knows what I have planned... in fact it's quite the opposite. I know I have a couple readers there, when they have the time, so I don't want to spoil it for them either.

This is just another one of those wonderfully weird times the game itself seems to be helping me write Emiko... 

 

Maybe the guys @squad are trying to anticipate your needs.

[Lithobrake]

3 hours ago, Just Jim said:

Hehehe... yeah, I was just playing, sorry. d thank you, too!!!  

YES!

10 minutes ago, Thedrelle said:

Maybe the guys @squad are trying to anticipate your needs.

I hope they are, because it means more Emiko Station for us!

[Just Jim]

11 minutes ago, Thedrelle said:

Maybe the guys @squad are trying to anticipate your needs.

Well... OK...

The truth is I've been secretly meeting with @Darth Badie, and we're plotting how to do a complete Emiko Station storyline for the next DLC, including a published version...

Oh, wait... April Fools Day was yesterday... lmao.... 

[Thedrelle]

23 hours ago, Just Jim said:

Well... OK...

The truth is I've been secretly meeting with @Darth Badie, and we're plotting how to do a complete Emiko Station storyline for the next DLC, including a published version...

Oh, wait... April Fools Day was yesterday... lmao.... 

ah well, you missed April fools, so I guess your gonna have to do it! 

[Lithobrake]

2 hours ago, Thedrelle said:

ah well, you missed April fools, so I guess your gonna have to do it! 

They could make a DLC that allows you to incorporate various elements of some of the stories, and how special tutorials, i.e. how to get stranded on eve: Thompberry's "Base" or by Dipperkraft.

[Just Jim]

3 hours ago, Lithobrake said:

They could make a DLC that allows you to incorporate various elements of some of the stories, and how special tutorials, i.e. how to get stranded on eve: Thompberry's "Base" or by Dipperkraft.

It's a wonderful idea, but @SQUAD could never do it, just for the simple fact it would be really un-fair to all the other great writers we have on here.

However... I have been looking at the new Mission Builder really carefully, and I'm wondering...

I need to get caught up first, but I'm thinking I might be able to re-create some of the more interesting moments of Emiko Station with it... maybe. There is a lot of potential for the Mission Builder, and it's just in it's infancy. And I have all the backups going back to chapter one... including all the craft files. But again, I have to get caught up with everything else first....

After that... who knows???  

Edited April 3, 2018 by Just Jim

[Just Jim]

On 3/30/2018 at 8:27 PM, VelocityPolaris said:

Sir Jim, thank you for this story.

I forgot to answer earlier, but thank you!!! I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far.  And you are most welcome to join in on the conversation(s)... All I ask is we keep it more or less on-topic. But like my friend @Garibaldi2257 points out... 

On 3/31/2018 at 5:58 PM, Garibaldi2257 said:

There are a whole lot of other references too: Scooby Doo, Babylon 5, Firefly, just to name a few. and welcome to the wackiness!

Being on-topic in Emiko Station still covers a wide range of things... 

On 3/31/2018 at 11:32 AM, HansonKerman said:

What is the visuals mod you use?

P.S. I love Phineas and Ferb as well

None, actually... Oh, wait, Texture Replacer, to change the skybox. Other than that I am really just using parts mods. 

I probably should make a list... 

And P&F are great!!! And how can anyone NOT love Perry???

 

Wait... How did Candace sneak in???  hehehehehe

[TeslaPenguin1]

1 hour ago, Just Jim said:

However... I have been looking at the new Mission Builder really carefully, and I'm wondering..

OOH! Maybe you could make a mission where  you have to move an asteroid (emiko) into orbit! That would be fun!

[HeroBrian_333]

4 minutes ago, TeslaPenguin1 said:

OOH! Maybe you could make a mission where  you have to move an asteroid (emiko) into orbit! That would be fun!

The Emiko asteroid was slung into orbit after a Minimus encounter by luck, not moved their by kerbals.

[Just Jim]

1 hour ago, TeslaPenguin1 said:

OOH! Maybe you could make a mission where  you have to move an asteroid (emiko) into orbit! That would be fun!

58 minutes ago, HeroBrian_333 said:

The Emiko asteroid was slung into orbit after a Minimus encounter by luck, not moved their by kerbals.

Yeah, @HeroBrian_333 is right, Emiko Asteroid got a bump from Minmus and swung itself into orbit... albeit a sort of upside down Molniya orbit. What I did was go out and move it into a more stable, equatorial orbit.... which was still not the easiest thing to do with a 4,000 ton asteroid.

Interestingly enough, I saw this happen again just a few weeks ago. It's only the second time I've seen an asteroid get captured on it's own in I don't know how many thousands of hours I've played... kinda shows how rare it is.

Edited April 4, 2018 by Just Jim

[TeslaPenguin1]

1 hour ago, Just Jim said:

Yeah, @HeroBrian_333 is right, Emiko Asteroid got a bump from Minmus and swung itself into orbit... albeit a sort of upside down Molniya orbit. What I did was go out and move it into a more stable, equatorial orbit.... which was still not the easiest thing to do with a 4,000 ton asteroid.

Yeah, what I meant was moving the asteroid into a stable equatorial orbit after it had been slung into orbit by mimmus. I would do that mission!

Edited April 4, 2018 by TeslaPenguin1

[Just Jim]

17 minutes ago, TeslaPenguin1 said:

Yeah, what I meant was moving the asteroid into a stable equatorial orbit after it had been slung into orbit by mimmus. I would do that mission!

That shouldn't be terribly hard to set up. I think the only difficult part would be trying to match the orbit to how it was originally captured. I think I have the game save from before I moved it... if I do, and it still works, I think I can use something like HyperEdit to get the orbit info numbers I'd need... But I really haven't played with asteroids in Mission Builder much yet... so I'm not positive yet just how exact I can match the orbit. Or the mass and shape of Emiko Asteroid.

As for playing the mission itself, besides trying to haul a 4,000 ton asteroid, the tricky part is once again the orbit, which was a sort of upside down cross between a Molniya and Tundra orbit... not quite as steep an angle as a true Molniya, but really stretched out and elongated like one, and slightly upside down. That's how it got captured in the first place, it passed so close to Kerbin it nearly closed the orbit on it's own, so it only took the slightest nudge from Minmus to circularize. But my original fear was another slight bump could send it right back out of orbit and Kerbin SOI.

Anyway, it's not the easiest thing to rendezvous with... which adds an additional challenge factor for a mission. It might be fun to see if I could set one up... again, once I'm caught up a little.

Edited April 4, 2018 by Just Jim

[Just Jim]

OK, great news! I talked to @Galileo for a second yesterday, and he's going to try and get to OPM this weekend... WOOHOO!!!  Again, no big hurry, I'm just super grateful he's doing it at all, because my understanding is it's not originally his mod. But he's maintaining it now, and for that everyone reading this should throw him a great big "Thank You!!!"

Along with all the other mod-makers.

Speaking of... I think the only one left now is Texture Replacer... and I have to make a decision about that. I've been using the older version, but when I experimented with it and MH, it only works on the older style spacesuits. And it leaves about a zillion errors in the log file... so that's out unless it gets updated. I know there are a couple newer versions... I'm going to have to take a look at them I suppose, and hope one will work for what I need. 

The biggest thing I don't want to lose is my skybox. It would seem weird switching back. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any advice how to keep it.

I don't want to lose all the colored spacesuits, either... but at least that part can be easily explained in the story if I have no other option.

Just when you didn't think you have enough reason to already hate her... hehehehe.... I can lay the blame on (acting) Grand Kerbal Samantha... 

"And further more..." Samantha bellowed. "Get rid of the rainbow colored spacesuits!!! This is a space center, not a karnaval!"

 

Edited April 4, 2018 by Just Jim

[adsii1970]

2 hours ago, Just Jim said:

Speaking of... I think the only one left now is Texture Replacer... and I have to make a decision about that. I've been using the older version, but when I experimented with it and MH, it only works on the older style spacesuits. And it leaves about a zillion errors in the log file... so that's out unless it gets updated. I know there are a couple newer versions... I'm going to have to take a look at them I suppose, and hope one will work for what I need. 

Yes, this is holding me back, too...

[TeslaPenguin1]

2 hours ago, Just Jim said:

"And further more..." Samantha bellowed. "Get rid of the rainbow colored spacesuits!!! This is a space center, not a karnaval!"

 

What color will they be now? Just plain old boring white?  or will you also use the new MH suits?

[obney kerman]

4 hours ago, Just Jim said:

"And further more..." Samantha bellowed. "Get rid of the rainbow colored spacesuits!!! This is a space center, not a karnaval!"

I involuntarily read this in the voice of the Wicked Witch of the West.

[Just Jim]

1 hour ago, TeslaPenguin1 said:

What color will they be now? Just plain old boring white?  or will you also use the new MH suits?

Yeah, I may have to go back to all white for the old style... but that's the worst case scenario.

As for the MH suits, and most of the parts... and especially the killer orange/grey paint scheme... Oh yeah, I'll be using them!

In fact, I've known for weeks how I'm going to be using them. I knew almost the instant @SQUAD first posted pictures of them in the KSPweeklys. And after having a chance to play with them, I'm more convinced than ever exactly how to bring them in...

But it won't be right away... I have a way to introduce the MH parts and features that actually works into the story-line, and isn't just a gratuitous change in style, but it'll be a few chapters before y'all start to see it, OK?

 

6 minutes ago, obney kerman said:

I involuntarily read this in the voice of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Margaret Hamilton???  Hmmm... I hadn't really considered her... let's see....

 

Oh, absolutely!!!  If she were still alive, she definitely can have Samantha's part... or Carlenna Krazy/Kraken!!!

Bwaahahahahahaha

 

Edited April 4, 2018 by Just Jim