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[1.11] RemoteTech v1.9.9 [2020-12-19]


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The Undervalued "Root Mode" in RemoteTech

Are you confused that a ground dish of the size of a whole rocket cannot communicate with the nearest moon?
Do you find standard Remote Tech too challenging, but like the line-of-sight logic?
Looking for a gameplay twist?
Want bragging rights to claim playing KSP w/RT?
Welcome to Root Mode.

In essence, it calculates antenna ranges based on their combined performance (optionally their count). A stronger antenna on one end will "boost" (gain) the range of the weaker one. It's details and calculations with the base RangeMultiplier are well documented, I'll try to show you what else it enables you to do for your gameplay.

With the exposure of the RT configs in the UI, it is now easier to activate and offers a whole range of difficulty scaling.
And if you are playing a RSS or any other scale mode, you will love it.

 

Example 1. Stock RT with lower RangeMultiplier (0.333)

What this does, it "opens" up the hard cap of the standard mode, but in a more stricter way than the 0.5 modifier, while two identical antennas still maintain 90% of their "nominal" range.

You can kick off your Keosynchronous satellite network (~3.0Mm) up with the VR-2 omni, a single 88 dish can put omnis on Mun and KSC can almost reach to a medium dish around Duna (10-20Gm). Also more antenna/relay combos are possible for other planets.

Circles designate LKO/KSO/Munar/Gigameter ranges. A green value means the gain is hard capped by the "root flat max" limit.

wVQSjhQ.png

 

Example 2. RSS

RSS is big. So big, that you need a lot of ground stations beyond KSC just to start, and still be out of touch almost half the time. Root mode really comes into play as it gives the 'deep space' a meaning again. The recommended multiplier (0.5) is too much here, considering the massive range of real dishes - the small 500km reflectron could be picked up at GPS orbit by the DSN :wink:

Note: RT in RSS doesn't seem to change ground station range when rm is used.

Values between 0.1-0.333 start to make sense, depending on decisions like if you want to reach the Moon with omnis or not. Let's take rm=0.15

Here circles go LEO+/GSO/Moon/Mars. Jupiter would be 800+Gm.

5aXAo7b.png

Numerous, but short range yellow stations now greatly expand ground contact coverage for big antennas up to the Moon. Green stations can lock omnis at synchronous orbits and narrow-beam dishes can, at moments, easily call home from the inner planets.

There is an additional config value allowing combined effect of multiple omnis, but its implementation seems to be a little unclear github #594. But that would be really helpful in spacecraft pairing at these lower rm values, as 2 antennas only reach a performance of ~54%. But you win some, you loose some.

It takes a bit of tweaking to find what suits you, but all in all, it makes RT to be much more than it seemed to be. I went from RT to AntennaRange, but with Root Mode, back to RT. Take a look at it :wink:

P.S. the spreadsheet is based on a very useful one I grabbed once from RT or RO posts, but don't remember where, anymore.

Edited by rgr
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2 hours ago, rgr said:

The Undervalued "Root Mode" in RemoteTech

I generally use the table in the Appendix of the RemoteTech Player's Guide Options page. But, yes, I agree that RT is swankier with the Root Range model enabled.

Oh, and I currently have a Keosynchronous comm network consisting of only two satellites, each with a DTS-M1 targeted at Kerbin. The first is set up with a direct view of KSC, the second is on almost the opposite side of Kerbin, but with a line-of-sight to the other satellite. This gives me complete coverage of Kerbin at orbital altitudes, with only a DP-10 on connecting craft. I'm pretty sure this satellite configuration leaves a small dead spot on the surface of Kerbin, but I can live with it for now, early in my career mode game.

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I'm having some strange issues with RemoteTech. I just came back to Kerbal after a while, updated my mods for the newest version and opened up my old save, but it's like RemoteTech isn't even installed. All my antennas are showing "Status: Locked" and I can't do anything with them, I've got no communications link displays in the map or any of the RemoteTech buttons, and I've got no configuration screen. I'm definitely using 1.7.0 here, and I've already uninstalled and reinstalled it. I apologize if this is some minor thing that I'm just missing, but I'm at a loss here, and I haven't found anyone else reporting anything like this. Anything else I should try?

Edited by Idran
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8 hours ago, Idran said:

I'm definitely using 1.7.0 here, and I've already uninstalled and reinstalled it. I apologize if this is some minor thing that I'm just missing, but I'm at a loss here, and I haven't found anyone else reporting anything like this. Anything else I should try?

What happens if you start a new game? Does it work there?

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9 hours ago, Gryphon said:

What happens if you start a new game? Does it work there?

No, I have the same thing. The parts in RemoteTech will show up on ships or in the VAB, the models seem fine. But even in a new game, I can't toggle their status in the VAB, and on the launchpad they just show "Status: Locked". No map controls either.

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Not sure if it's a bug or intended behavior. I have a vessel with a probe core, mk I lander can and hitch hiker can. And of course the usual array of batteries, tanks, antenna's, etc.

  • The craft is half way between Minmus and Kerbin, out of radio control reach
  • I cannot control the craft, as the scientist is in the hitch hiker (it's a multi day trip, and I value crew comfort). Fine.
  • I cannot move the scientist from the hitch hiker to the lander can to take control.

Wait... What? Isn't the whole point of crew that you'd have autonomous control? Or do they need permission from mission control in Kyong Yang before they can move to different quarters?

So, this might be oversight... personally I think crew should be able to move from one part to another regardless if there's a connection or not (and without any delay either). Or is this intended behavior?

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@WildLynx I will test this, but I'm relatively confident that when the Scientist is in the command capsule, he can control it (the probe core/flight computer guarantees that he's only issuing high level commands like "keep prograde"). That should not be allowed too then (I will follow up on this to ensure it works like that right now).  It seems to me that the current situation is that he can control the ship as long as he's in the command module; I just can't get him there.

I'll set up various scenarios to try out and get back to you what happens when.

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11 hours ago, Kerbart said:
  • I cannot move the scientist from the hitch hiker to the lander can to take control.

Have you tried taking the scientist on EVA to the Lander Can? That should work (assuming you have orbital EVA's unlocked).

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Hello,

does anybody know, why my orbital period keeps sinking slowly by itself? I just did a clean 1.12 install with Kerbal Engineer Redux only. Got to 776.6km circular.
As soon as I am "on rails" (non-physics-warp) the numbers stay. However, as soon as I am out of timewarp my orbital period / AP / PE start sinkling slowly...

Apsis are sinking roughly by about 0.1m per second and the orbital period is sinking by about 0.001s per 5 seconds.
Is KSP modelling atmospheric drag at this altitudes now?

Edit: I think this is the most matching answer...

BR
Rob
 

Edited by Rob2222
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17 hours ago, WildLynx said:

@Kerbart

Scientist is supposed to have control over command capsule in the first place? Hmm. At least he can push buttons on command, but without comm link, alone, surrounded by those blinking lights?

Tested: the issue arises regardless of crew type. I can put Jeb in a hitch hiker, as soon as radio contact is lost I cannot send him to the command pod.

7 hours ago, Gryphon said:

Have you tried taking the scientist on EVA to the Lander Can? That should work (assuming you have orbital EVA's unlocked).

Yes that actually works (tested). Not in my particular case, because radially attached tanks block the exit (the lander can, aside from being command pod, is also intended to be used as airlock), but while the astronauts apparently need permission to move from one part to another, they don't need permission for EVA's :D

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8 hours ago, Rob2222 said:

does anybody know, why my orbital period keeps sinking slowly by itself? I just did a clean 1.12 install with Kerbal Engineer Redux only. Got to 776.6km circular.
As soon as I am "on rails" (non-physics-warp) the numbers stay. However, as soon as I am out of timewarp my orbital period / AP / PE start sinkling slowly...

known stock bug in 1.1.2

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Since I'm constantly looking for the right antenna in terms of range, size, looks, etc. I missed the ability to scale the available antennas.

This MM patch changes all RT-activated antennas by setting them up with TweakScale.
Mass is scaled by the power of two since most antennas are surface-like.
Cost is scaled linearly (simply feels right).

Now the important bit - antenna range:
Seems to me this should scale linearly as well since e.g. doubling a dish antenna quadruples the surface area but shouldn't doubling the range quadruple the area/energy requirements as well? I'm not an engineer so if someone knows better I'm happy to be educated :)
So currently dish antenna ranges scale linearly, omnis a bit less and energy requirements stay the same regardless of scale. As do the data transmission parameters. All of that could be changed though if someone provides good arguments as to why...

Range scaling - should be stock if you ask me :cool:

Samples scaled 50% - 100% - 200%:

llTZrNQ.png

Spoiler

TWEAKSCALEEXPONENTS:NEEDS[RemoteTech|TweakScale]
{
    name = ModuleRTAntenna
    Mode1DishRange = 1
    Mode1OmniRange = 0.75
}

@PART[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleRTAntenna]]:NEEDS[RemoteTech|TweakScale]:FINAL
{
    %MODULE[TweakScale]
    {
        type = free_square
        TWEAKSCALEEXPONENTS {
            name = TweakScale
            DryCost = 1
        }
    }
}

 

Edited by OliverPA
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im a bit confused.

im setting up a tri comm sat network for Kerbin in a stationary orbit, sound perfect right.

so now im stuck at what settings to connect to what.

do I use the DT's to connect the 3 sats to each other and the one above KSC use a 2nd DT for KSC. ?

obviously il set them named to each other. but what do I do to the dishes set to active vessel or are they more for set to planets?

are the Dt's enough for Kerbins moons-do I set more to active vessel ...

im just unsure of what to set my other dishes/telescopics/dt's to.

I'l also have a Tri setup for Mun and after that Minmus.

someone clarify for me please, Much App' x

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3 hours ago, C04L said:

im setting up a tri comm sat network for Kerbin in a stationary orbit, sound perfect right.

so now im stuck at what settings to connect to what.

Kerbin Sat A must be connected to B and C.
Kerbin Sat B must be connected to A and C.
Kerbin Sat C must be connected to A and B.
One of them must be connected to KSC. (Is "direct" above in ideal.)
All three are in Keostationary Orbit (in ideal.)
All three of them must watch to Mun and Minmus.

I also put an "Omni 16" on all.

I use 5x DTS-M1 plus 2x Communotron 16.

Imho the fittest way to build up an all around Kerbin Network.

Edited by Jansn67
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Hello all,

I think I may have found an interesting bug, I was playing with some of the parts from MKS, and some of them are basically manned command pods that can double as probe cores when unmanned (ie: CrewCapacity >0; ModuleCommand and minimumCrew=0). With the latest Remote Tech, these parts always show up as "Local Control" and no signal delay, even when unmanned. I assume this is due to having a crew capacity, but I could be wrong about that.

Not sure exactly what the issue is, but I figured it was worth mentioning :)

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5 hours ago, C04L said:

brilliant, do I rince and repeat for the mun/minmus (obv' exclude KSC direct.) but all 3 watch kerbin  on each network?

Exactly. (For quite full coverage) Around Mun and Minmus (and any other body):

Mun/Minmus Sat A -> B C
Mun/Minmus Sat B -> A C
Mun/Minmus Sat C -> A B
plus 1 Antenna back to Kerbin on each. (Or to the Relais if you do that style. See Expert.)

If you are Expert you could use a Relais Sat in Orbit of Mun/Minmus (short before/after out of their SOI but in "perfect" orbit).

For "full" coverage and wholeless connection (Rover/Stations/Bases... ) you need 3 Sats around a "Body" (ideal in a perfect triangle (with same SMA for avoid desyncing the orbits)).
(For that you should look into old RemoteTech wiki/manual for savegame editing, but that also can be seen as "cheating".)

If you want 100 % you also need (synced) polar orbited Remote Sats.

Edited by Jansn67
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I like to set up my Kerbin comm-sat network in Keosynchronous orbit, each with a DTS-M1 targeted at Kerbin. I'm using the Root Range model, so this means I can launch ships with only a DP-10 and have a connection from the ground up. For satellites with a view of KSC, this antenna also picks it up for the link-back.

My starter network is two satellites in KSO set up so they are each in the cone of the other's Kerbin-targeted dish, but also with a view of each other past Kerbin. This probably leaves a blind spot, but it's got view to all of Kerbin at 70km.

When I move to a 3-satellite, equidistant KSO comm-sat network, I put two in view of KSC, as a redundant link. If you don't have that first link from KSC, you've got nothing!
 

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oh boy, I'm loving this! im in mid game and now I know all the particulars (explained kindly TY sir!) im upgrading all my kerb sat's, ive launched and placed mun and minmus sat without any hitch!

maan RT was so daunting fresh out the Astronaut complex but now my head has synced and this mod is great!

Thanks again

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