What mods should i get for a super colonization?

[Netherman555]

Hi everyone, this is my first post so if I majorly break the internet I'm deeply sorry.

I'm trying to start my first modded 'series' (it's not going to be updated anywhere except the forums though) where I attempt to make a lot of colonization and stuff like that.  I know a variety of mods that I would like(things such as near future and extraplanetary launch pads) but any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also I will be taking names for colonists so if you want your name I'd be happy to help.

[Nippie1995]

Are you going to use some kind of Life Support?

[Netherman555]

2 minutes ago, Nippie1995 said:

Are you going to use some kind of Life Support?

I might, but I'm not really sure how to keep the levels of oxygen and food/water up so If you could help me there I would definitely include it.

[Nippie1995]

15 minutes ago, Netherman555 said:

I might, but I'm not really sure how to keep the levels of oxygen and food/water up so If you could help me there I would definitely include it.

I would help you but I have no idea myself. I usually just slam every module the mod adds on my ship and hope that it works. 

If you are using LS I would recommend Deepfreeze Continued. My favourite colonization mod is Kerbal Planetary Base Systems. And a rover mod like the malemute or Karibou Expedition rover.

Oh and tweakscale. It's not really a "colonization" mod but it's very handy. Just like Kerbal Inventory and Attachment system.

[RoverDude]

I make a few colonization mods

[DStaal]

I'd also take a look at Wild Blue Industry's mods: MOLE, Buffalo, Deep Space Exploration, Pathfinder.  Pathfinder is really a competitor to RoverDude's UKS, but it can play nice with it if you turn off some of the settings.  MOLE is really good in early exploration.  (Launch a fuel tank, turn it into a science lab...)

Orbital Tug can be very useful for in-system orbital work.

SCANSat gives a feel that you're actually scanning, instead of just hitting a button.  (And can make you prioritize: Do you want to scan everything, or do you want to find a landing point quickly?)

StationScience enables a bit more long-term science, giving your Kerbals a reason to go places other than 'it's there'.

WayPoint Manager will make your life easier. 

EasyVesselSwitch and EasyBoard are also mods that will save you more time and aggravation than you'd really think they should. 

And if you want to have interesting names for your ships, take a look at Champagne.

[Netherman555]

4 hours ago, Nippie1995 said:

I would help you but I have no idea myself. I usually just slam every module the mod adds on my ship and hope that it works. 

If you are using LS I would recommend Deepfreeze Continued. My favourite colonization mod is Kerbal Planetary Base Systems. And a rover mod like the malemute or Karibou Expedition rover.

Oh and tweakscale. It's not really a "colonization" mod but it's very handy. Just like Kerbal Inventory and Attachment system.

What does Deepfreeze Continued do? It sounds like cryosleep to me but I don't see how that would... oh Life Support.  Right.  Also, do you know if EPLP (Extra-Planetary Launch Pads) allows me to build craft on other celestial bodies? I believe that's what it is right?

 

Edited June 27, 2016 by Netherman555

[Nippie1995]

2 hours ago, Netherman555 said:

What does Deepfreeze Continued do? It sounds like cryosleep to me but I don't see how that would... oh Life Support.  Right.  Also, do you know if EPLP (Extra-Planetary Launch Pads) allows me to build craft on other celestial bodies? I believe that's what it is right?

 

1. Thats what Deepfreeze is.

2. And that is what EPLP is for, altough you will need some heavy machinery. A less part-intense mod would be SimpleConstruction, which allows you to do that, but with stock parts.

[Madscientist16180]

I think for a real Kolonization game, the USI mods from RoverDude are the best out there. Couples with extraplanetary lauchpad, they are a very well integrated Kolonization suit. From life support to ressource gathering and transformation, they have you covered. Sure part of my "could not play ksp without" list.

ScanSat gotta be up there with them, as it allows you to actually plan the Kolonization, and not just guess what you should be doing.

Not so evident, but once you get Kolonies going on multiple world, Kerbal alarm Clock will be useful to set up alarms not to waste time filling full containers and things like that.

For a basic, trouble free and not too complex Kolonization game, they are in my opinion the very best solution there is.

[cantab]

UKS with USI-LS is the 'heavyweight' choice, loads of complexity. Extend it with KIS, OSE Workshop, and Extraplanetary Launchpads.

I consider TAC-LS a simpler life support mod now, even though it doesn't have an easy-mode non-lethal option like USI-LS does. TAC-LS can also be used with UKS.

For something simpler, consider Kerbal Planetary Base Systems with TAC-LS.

And for real large-scale stuff, look at Civilian Population, although I don't know if it's up-to-date.

[RoverDude]

I'd add - probably the best way to view UKS (USI Kolonization Systems) is that it's not a parts pack, it's a gameplay mod.  i.e. even if all of the parts were white cylinders, the gameplay elements stand on their own.

Also - don't confuse complexity with depth   Most folks who get lost in UKS do so because they are trying to make a self-sufficient long term colony in a single launch or in one throw of the dice.  The mod strongly encourages pre-staging of infrastructure, small steps, and a more long term gameplay approach.  i.e. for your first base, you don't even need to use any of the new resourses - just drop in some hab modules and supplies, then start working slowly towards extending your stay, all the way up to making your bases relatively self sufficient (in my experience, VERY few bases actually need to use every single module UKS has - in most cases unless you want to be there for decades - it makes more sense to just send supply runs).

[Netherman555]

Alright the modpack is finished! I didn't use all of your ideas but quite a few of them, the others I didn't get because I didn't feel they were necessary or for other reasons like that.

I'm going to post up a modpack download containing all the mods for any of you who want to play along, as well as a thread where I'll be telling about my adventures.  Thanks for the help, guys!

[cantab]

If you're making a KSP modpack then remember to respect at the very least the legally-binding licenses of the mods, and preferably their developers' wishes as well. I also strongly recommend you properly test compatibility between the mods involved before making a public release.

[Streetwind]

What @cantab means is: unless every single bit of content in your pack permits your independent redistributing of said content, you cannot offer this download. Also, some licenses demand that any redistribution be licensed under the exact same terms as the original. As soon as you have two different licenses that both demand this, you automatically become unable to comply with both at the same time. The more mods you try to bundle, the more likely it is that you're stepping into a legal minefield.

A more worry-free method of presenting your modpack to the public would be to create a thread here on the forums with detailed installation instructions. CKAN allows you to export mod lists, which another user can download (without worrying about licenses) and import into the mod manager, triggering downloads of all the mods in that list. However, keep in mind that not all mods are represented in CKAN.

Edited June 30, 2016 by Streetwind

[cantab]

17 minutes ago, Streetwind said:

As soon as you have two different licenses that both demand this, you automatically become unable to comply with both at the same time.

I believe this would not normally be the case actually. A valid Open Source or Free Software license may not restrict redistribution alongside other software under different licenses. I believe that a modpack would qualify under that. Although like many things, it's not a settled legal question until there's a relevant court case. (Heck, I'm not even sure if it's valid to use the GPL v2 or v3 for KSP mods at all without additional permissions.)

[Streetwind]

Of course, nobody will be going to court over KSP mods (at least, i sure hope so).

But just to give an example that i am familiar with (because I help out with Near Future): Nertea licenses his mods under the Creative Commons license, specifically CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0. The "SA" part of this means "share-alike", and it literally means: any redistribution or derivative work must also be licensed either under this exact same CC license (with the exact same options), or a "compatible" license. What is considered "compatible" is defined on the Creative Commons website, and right now, for this particular constellation of options, no non-CC licenses are approved as compatible.

If @Netherman555 now goes and redistributes Near Future by way of providing a modpack download, he must do so under a Creative Commons license - for the entire modpack, since the NF redistribution cannot be obtained outside of that entire pack. Regardless of whether or not that modpack also includes works licensed under MIT, GPL, etc, or even worse: public domain (you are by default not allowed to apply a more restrictive license to public domain redistributions).

If he chooses not to do so, then he probably won't go to court... but Nertea would be easily able to sic a forum moderator on him, who will delete his thread and potentially even ban him from the community. I'm sure he does not want that.

And while he can probably get around all that by approaching each and every mod author and asking for permission, that's a whole lot of hassle. It's easier to just not offer a modpack download in the first place. Sidesteps all these issues at once.

Edited June 30, 2016 by Streetwind

[Gojira1000]

TLDR: Don't do modpacks. Make a nice recommended list with download links to individual mods.

 

[RoverDude]

The community has not reacted well to modpacks in the past

[Netherman555]

On ‎6‎/‎30‎/‎2016 at 5:46 PM, RoverDude said:

The community has not reacted well to modpacks in the past

 

On ‎6‎/‎30‎/‎2016 at 0:08 PM, Gojira1000 said:

TLDR: Don't do modpacks. Make a nice recommended list with download links to individual mods.

 

Well that's nice to know.  I think i'll do what Gojira1000 said and make a list, but include like a 'Download All' link or something.