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[1.4.X] Colonists!


maculator

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Colonists! for 1.4.X

Colonists! Introduces a new kind of Kerbals the (tadadadaaaa) colonist. (A mashup between Engineers and Scientists).

The intention to create them was to have some kind of kerbal wich can be dropped off on a planet with a rover and do some science without mystery goo or materials bay getting useless after the first use and without them and their rover getting stuck because a wheel suddenly broke.

Without coding it is just possible to decide wich abilities to copy from a kerbal and wich not. So the possibilities for me are limited. This is exactly what I took/left:

 

Taken from Scientists: Ability to execute experiments in EVA and reset them.

Difference to scientists: Scientists can process data in laboratories and provide a science bonus for recovered experiments/vessels.

 

Taken from Engineers: Ability to repair stuff.

Difference to Engineers: Engineers boost drilling/converting resources.

 

Taken from Pilots: Ability to provide basic vessel control (activate stuff, steer, etc.) even without connection back to the KSC

Difference to Pilots: Pilots provide SAS!

 

Here is what he will learn in detail:

Level 0 Reset experiments, Perform experiments in EVA, Full vessel Control
Level 1 Repack parachutes
Level 2 Repair lander legs
Level 3 Repair wheels

They will spwan like any other type of kerbal and you can recruit or rescue them.

 

Here you see Jesvie and her description:

eCajbWo.png

 

Hope they come in handy for some of you!

Published under MIT License, see source for details.

Download (Spacedock): LINK

Zip contains the "Colonists"-folder, just drop this in GameData

Source (Github): LINK

I do love it, but would appreciate some feedback.

"Changelog":

Deleted the pilot abilities because it was not possible to make the vessel uncontrollable if connection is lost. Without this drawback they would've been too overpowered!

Added the "FullVesselControl" parameter to the colonists abilities. So no more pilot stuff but control of the vessel everywhere, hope that is more balanced!

Edited by maculator
1.4
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Cool, something like that was definitely needed. But aren't they OP? They can do everything all the roles can do except the multipliers (for labs and drilling). I would expect this role to work with colonization mods to fulfill special tasks (like growing food).

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4 minutes ago, garwel said:

Cool, something like that was definitely needed. But aren't they OP? They can do everything all the roles can do except the multipliers (for labs and drilling). I would expect this role to work with colonization mods to fulfill special tasks (like growing food).

They don't give you the science bouses, won't speed up drilling, can't opperate a lab and can only fly a vessel if they get instructions from mission control.

I wanted someone to be able to repair his rover and reset experiments and he should be able to control a vessel. Sadly the "autopilot"-features and the ability for SAS are "hardcoded" together.

I would've prefered only to have SAS, but for me as someone who can only do some basic config editing and modulemanager stuff it's beyond my limits :/

23 minutes ago, RoverDude said:

I like this :)

With MKS 0.50.0 I moved to effects, so once that's out feel free to chat and we can make sure your colonists are good to go for MKS bases :)

Well I won't be a big help since you're like the godfather of mods and I am just someone who knows a bit about configs and VERRY basic modulemanager stuff^^

(All learned thanks to KSP to make my few ideas possible, I'm quite happy and proud but my mods are VERRY basic :) )

Wohooooo merging replies is a thing now? cool!:rolleyes:

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This sounds like a wonderful idea, but I feel the idea of resetting experiments is a little high on the list of skills, taking them and storing them maybe for scientists to use wherever they're stored maybe, but resetting experiments are one of the key advantages to hauling a scientist with you, even if you control a ship via probe and your own piloting prowess. I do agree with minor repairs and always having control though, and this idea is certainly well placed.

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1 hour ago, CodatheSpaceFox said:

This sounds like a wonderful idea, but I feel the idea of resetting experiments is a little high on the list of skills, taking them and storing them maybe for scientists to use wherever they're stored maybe, but resetting experiments are one of the key advantages to hauling a scientist with you, even if you control a ship via probe and your own piloting prowess. I do agree with minor repairs and always having control though, and this idea is certainly well placed.

I get your point and I'm quite open to suggestions, but resetting experiments is one of the things I desperatly wanted them to do. This whole Idea came to me when I couldn't sleep and I thought "It would be really nice to be able to drop some poor kerbal on planet X with a rover and let him do a bit of science in different biomes and then recover the scienece via the return module and send it back without the materialsbay getting a useless weight on the rover wich will get stuck at the next hill due to a broken wheel anyways." <-- This was my intention to create the colonist!

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4 minutes ago, maculator said:

I get your point and I'm quite open to suggestions, but resetting experiments is one of the things I desperatly wanted them to do. This whole Idea came to me when I couldn't sleep and I thought "It would be really nice to be able to drop some poor kerbal on planet X with a rover and let him do a bit of science in different biomes and then recover the scienece via the return module and send it back without the materialsbay getting a useless weight on the rover wich will get stuck at the next hill due to a broken wheel anyways." <-- This was my intention to create the colonist!

alright, that's a fair point, and I've had that issue myself just rovering around KSC for early career science, it's quite frustrating, and since a lot of the science equipment really doesn't seem to require some physical sample (Can't exactly preserve goo in zero G on the planet's surface.) it'd make sense for someone to be trained to take an analysis.

I'd suggest some cost for the function of resetting, or something like a limited reset, but I think that'd be more of a game mechanic than a kerbal mechanic, so it'd be silly.

Definitely adding this mod to my career though, well done again. ^^

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Just now, CodatheSpaceFox said:

I'd suggest some cost for the function of resetting, or something like a limited reset, but I think that'd be more of a game mechanic than a kerbal mechanic, so it'd be silly.

And this is totally beyond my "skills".

I would've loved to give those guys SAS ability, only SAS, but I can't code :/ so I had to stick with the stuff the game gives me.

I also would'v prefered them to be able to repair stuff at level 1+2 and give them other disadvantages in return. But as I said I can't code. Only a bit of modulemanager.

So I have to stick to my simple mods.

This comment has more words then the code of my two mods together. :D

 

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3 hours ago, maculator said:

I get your point and I'm quite open to suggestions, but resetting experiments is one of the things I desperatly wanted them to do. This whole Idea came to me when I couldn't sleep and I thought "It would be really nice to be able to drop some poor kerbal on planet X with a rover and let him do a bit of science in different biomes and then recover the scienece via the return module and send it back without the materialsbay getting a useless weight on the rover wich will get stuck at the next hill due to a broken wheel anyways." <-- This was my intention to create the colonist!

How about making it so that they have to be at least level 1 or level 2 to reset the science experiments?  If you have a colonist going to another moon or planet, odds are that the mothership, orbital station or surface base is going to have an MPL, so they'll have an opportunity to level up at some point before gathering science in earnest.  

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On 8/10/2016 at 5:58 AM, RoverDude said:

I like this :)

With MKS 0.50.0 I moved to effects, so once that's out feel free to chat and we can make sure your colonists are good to go for MKS bases :)

I rather like this mod as well, and have I mentioned lately, Rover, that you're one awesome (rover)Dude?

I'm not sucking up... just letting you know that with everything that has happened, I really appreciate modders like you. :)

 

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I'm a little confused with their abilities. I get that they do not get the science multipliers like a scientist, but what are the drawbacks compared to an engineer? Also, I'm confused on the piloting abilities. Can they only use SAS when there is a connection, like a rover, or is it not at all? what are the benefits/ drawbacks compared to a dedicated pilot?

I love the idea, I'm just trying to understand the specifics a little better. Hopefully someone with knowledge of the base code can help you get this like you want (if possible.)

Edited by metl
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@metl Engineers boost resource production while drilling, colonists won't boost anything and are useless in terms of operating a mining facility.

They were suppost do be able to use SAS and other stability assist when connected to mission control, but that stuff is hardcoded, all or nothing.

So I went back and canceld the SAS because it would've enabled all the other assists too. Now they can only ensure that a vessel is controllable even without connection back to kerbin. So technically if you mess up and your probe controlled ship carrying a colonist loses sonnection he can stil toggle stuff and maybe with a bit of luck perform that critical maneuver.

 

@JAFO Out of reach for me :/ The stock "EFFECT[RepairSkill]" provides the abilites at those levels and to change that I'd had to be able to actually code. If I would be able to code, the whole colonist would look a lot different. For now it is as close as it gets to my "vision" limited by my skills.

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For those confused.... look at it this way...

With a Scientist, you are limited to only doing science (humour me...)
With an Engineer, you are limited to doing engineering...

So already.... your crew is two people... 3 if you include the pilot....

However.... a colonist can do a little of both... and only takes up one seat...

Its a good compromise if you are limited to two seats... take a pilot and a colonist... its nearly as good as taking 3 people...

Sure.... its not perfect, but nothing on this planet, or the KSP world is perfect.... right.... well... except Jeb...

 

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@Aerospacer

On 8.10.2016 at 2:30 PM, maculator said:

Without coding it is just possible to decide wich abilities to copy from a kerbal and wich not. So the possibilities for me are limited.

 

5 hours ago, maculator said:

Out of reach for me :/ The stock "EFFECT[RepairSkill]" provides the abilites at those levels and to change that I'd had to be able to actually code. If I would be able to code, the whole colonist would look a lot different. For now it is as close as it gets to my "vision" limited by my skills.

 

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Mod interesting, I try. :D

 

-----------------------------------------------------------

12 minutes ago, hraban said:

Please also add tourists who never learn anything and can not control a space ship. Experiments which touch them should be lost.

I really like the idea.


 

Edited by Well
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On 11.10.2016 at 8:40 AM, Well said:

Mod interesting, I try. :D

 

-----------------------------------------------------------

I really like the idea.


 

I think it's funny but would get annoying really fast^^

The idea I like is to give the colonist the ability to repair earlier then the engineer, give him SAS ONLY when connectedi to mission control and make him loose his ability to steer the vessel when contact is lost. But he should be able to trigger stuff arround the ship.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thats some really interesting mod:wink:!

I'd like to suggest different types of colonists, so instead of having one Handy-Jack-of-all-trades guy you have different colonists with different skills. For example someone with role of harvesting crops ( farmer colonist ), repairs role ( mechanic colonist ), someone that performs and resets experiments ( researcher ), some other colonists with handy roles for expanding your growing colony: miner, builder, space taxi driver:cool:, and some really, reaally good guys at setting things on fire ( like Jeb or Dr.Wolfram ) ... oh better nope...forget the last one:D

 

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