[1.12.x] - Modular Kolonization System (MKS)

[CSE]

3 hours ago, RoverDude said:

So if you were to hypothetically get some larger, more permanent modules, what kind would you want to see first?  What kind would you like to see in general?  And if anyone has concept art ideas (movies, books, etc.), now would be a good time to show them off

For the models, something like giant Universal Storage wedges: potentially, a quad-symmetric core where each wedge is comparable to the Tundra, and a hex-symmetrix core where each wedge is one step larger. They'd be vertically stackable into a tower, with attachment nodes (on the core, at the corners?) to connect existing modules/tubes - the four/six arms of the core piece would be about kerbal-corridor sized. The top layer of a tower would, ideally, have a special roof texture, and thus single-storey versions could be built as domes. Existing MKS parts (and KPBS, and some others) provide lots of good horizontal base elements; something vertical and base-like would be welcome.

Gameplay-wise, there could be:

• Modules that must be in the top storey (greenhouse, observatory?) or that benefit from it (common living areas).
• Likewise, some modules might prefer to be at ground level (workshop, waste recycling?) or above ground level (water storage, common living areas again?)
• Efficiency-enhancing modules might offer a bigger benefit if the enhanced modules are attached to the same core, i.e. in the same tower at the same level.
• Conceivably, some modules might reduce each other's potential if attached on the same core.

[RoverDude]

You guys are coming up with a lot of good stuff

[RoverDude]

@jd284 - grab the latest code for KolonyTools, compile it, and see if that sorts your issue with efficiency parts in catchup

[Urses]

The only thing i realy miss at the Moment... "Rock" Storage. And my C#-fu is Way to rusty to try me on MM Patches.

[Domfluff]

Really like the petal-like details on this one, more interesting than a plain dome, certainly

The piled-regolith look might be hard to make work in KSP, and might make everything look mostly like hills. I could see a solution like ART though, for abstracting digging into the surface.


The below looks very plausible insofar as how you'd get it to the surface, but doesn't gel with the existing MKS stuff quite as well, and will be a bit top-heavy.

A model constructed for the Mars society - greenhouses look a lot like some of the artwork previously.

These are clearly Mars direct inspired, so are a smaller scale than your intended end-game stuff. Still, it's more content.

 

[RoverDude]

5 minutes ago, Urses said:

The only thing i realy miss at the Moment... "Rock" Storage. And my C#-fu is Way to rusty to try me on MM Patches.

Log a github issue

[Urses]

41 minutes ago, RoverDude said:

Log a github issue

I try it And thank you for lightspeed replay!

E: #85 logged

Edited March 27, 2017 by Urses

[Domfluff]

Polish radio station

The nice thing about that is it does give an idea what a bunch of similar modules together would look like. Whether that's the intended aesthetic or not is a different story.

Quite a nice pattern for a geodesic dome.

 

 

 

 

Again with the things-connected-to-earlier-modules look:

Getting away from domes:

[Domfluff]

Not sure the cooling tower makes sense, but it definitely screams "factory". Quite like the onions, mind you



 

[Urses]

37 minutes ago, Domfluff said:

 

 

This One remember me on a Story and awake the urge to name it "Monkey Paw"

But i Think it corespond not with KSP Physiks?

It looks like it use Plasmathrusters and Antigrav-Technologie.

[notthebobo]

As for end game, I'd like to see a single *large* part for each of the primary game functions: life support; habitation; power production; resource gathering; manufacturing; research; and colony life.  These are essentially rewards for demonstrating the ability to produce them in bit-parts.

As for style, go full retro.  For example, Space Mountain, a classic, would work for habitation or manufacturing.

Spoiler

Epcot's Space Ship Earth for power; think of it as a fusion machine.

Spoiler

Glass pyramids for the life support

Spoiler

I say go BIG, something that can *only* be produced with GC in-situ.  The point is that if you've colonized the world, you're making the things *there*, not shipping them in.

[RoverDude]

Now to just make Kerbal suits with mouse ears

Good stuff, got some ideas already, but keep 'em coming and by all means keep the discussion rolling.

[DDay2021]

Full on retro complete with Winnebago and Airstream?  

 

 

 

[DStaal]

1 hour ago, Urses said:

This One remember me on a Story and awake the urge to name it "Monkey Paw"

But i Think it corespond not with KSP Physiks?

It looks like it use Plasmathrusters and Antigrav-Technologie.

Depends entirely on what the characteristics of the world it's designed to operate on is.  Probably not the best design for an atmospheric world, but with no or low atmosphere I don't see why it couldn't be made with real engines.  (Especially on lower-gravity worlds.)

So far I'm liking @DDay2021 and @CSE's ideas.    As an extension of the latter: with a bit of care, you could also make the base able to expand radially.  If the outer edge of a module is an even multiple of the inner edge and the angle is such that the same multiple equals the same percentage of the next outer radius,  (for instance: If one module is a sixth of a circle, and is three times as wide at the outer circumference as at the inner, if three modules side-by side were a sixth of the next circle.  So you have six in the inner circle, 18 in the next, etc.)  you could build both up and out.

[TauPhraim]

My suggestions (no concept art for a change :)), for gameplay:

• a bigger Assembly Plant and Refinery, so that we can have one of each kind of bay in a single part
• a bigger multi-resource storage (more than 3 resources). This may be combined into a "Tundra logistics center" offering lots of storage + a planetary logistics module (no survey/kolony as opposed to the pioneer LC). Or  just be a Tundra-shaped kontainer (like the flat circular ones, but not flat). Or even some other shape showing nicely it has several compartments
• bring back orbital logistics

For aesthetics:

• a different kind of container: the square ones are nice but are too colorful, compared to the rest of the bases. The ISMs look great, but using a lot of them gives a "mushroom field" look
• more colors for the Tundra line: not bright blue/yellow a-la kontainers, but more metallic shades (kind of like the liquid kontainers have)

[voicey99]

7 hours ago, Urses said:

The only thing i realy miss at the Moment... "Rock" Storage. And my C#-fu is Way to rusty to try me on MM Patches.

FYI the Rock Tanks from ART and PAL Counterweights from Konstruction store Rock (the latter isn't really designed to but it works as a tank, with a cheese button to magically refill it anywhere, anytime). TBH you don't really need large-scale Rock storage on ground bases (since the roid that's providing it is an orbital refueller already)

Edited March 28, 2017 by voicey99

[Urses]

6 minutes ago, voicey99 said:

FYI the Rock Tanks from ART and PAL Counterweights from Konstruction store Rock (the latter isn't really designed to but it works as a tank, with a cheese button to magically refill it anywhere, anytime). TBH you don't really need large-scale Rock storage on ground bases (since the roid that's providing it is an orbital refueller already)

I only States that i miss Diversity for Storage options? No more no less , and FYI you have no Pull Push requests for the tanks you are mentioned? And as i see the "Rock" is a ressource unic to USI and i prefer to may work with it?

[voicey99]

Just now, Urses said:

I only States that i miss Diversity for Storage options? No more no less , and FYI you have no Pull Push requests for the tanks you are mentioned? And as i see the "Rock" is a resource unic to USI and i prefer to may work with it?

It'd probably be pretty simple to edit the cfg to add Rock storage to a Kontainer. I'll give it a go later,

[Urses]

Like i stated my C-fu is rusty? I aktively programmed 20 Year's ago. And punch card was SOTA and MC the next big step And before i  try and "destroy the internet" i ask patiently if a USI unic Ressource can become a Switch option for USI Kontainers

Funny Kabooms 

Urses

40 minutes ago, voicey99 said:

It'd probably be pretty simple to edit the cfg to add Rock storage to a Kontainer. I'll give it a go later,

Thanks for the try!

[bdole92]

As long as we are on the topic of late-game kolony content, i will add my two cents.

For me, the biggest thing that's missing from MKS is the ability for kolonies to boot-strap themselves once they reach a high enough level of development. My desire is that there be a tipping point where colonies are able to start producing basic colony modules and even simplistic rockets on site. The simplest way (imo) would be to tie it into the already fantastic GC mod, and give the colonies the ability to produce DIY kits on the ground, then finish those kits themselves. Maybe you could add in a new Tundra 3.75m part (or something of a different design altogether) that's sort of a DIY kit mini-factory. You could place restrictions on what could be produced based on how many skilled kerbals you have, how much workshop space you have available, that sort of thing. Imagine an entire colony, dozens and dozens of kerbals supported by an entire planetary network of food and material production, dedicated solely to the production of new colony modules and small-scale rockets! You could plop a colony down on Laythe and use it as a staging point for colonizing the entire Jool system! Pair it with Asteroid Recycling and you could create a Dres Orbital Refinery that turns those sweet sweet space rocks into the raw materials to power the ever expanding wave of kerbalkind!

Maybe that goes beyond the boundaries of what RoverDude wants the mod to do, but i would absolutely love the ability for colonies to power their own development

 

Edited March 28, 2017 by bdole92
Accidentally hit enter on original post

[Fury1SOG]

21 hours ago, RoverDude said:

Make sure you have the very latest USI Tools - it should not be doing this.

Hi @RoverDude, I am able to repro the Karibou strut problem with a clean install and USITools 0.8.18.0. 

I cleared the GameData folder of everything except for the Squad folder, reinstalled Constellation_2017.03.17.zip from Github, and updated USI Tools to 0.8.18.0.

[RoverDude]

51 minutes ago, Fury1SOG said:

I am able to repro the Karibou strut problem with a clean install and USITools 0.8.18.0

Ok - will take a look

[TDplay]

18 hours ago, TDplay said:

Ooh! Idea!

WARNING: MAY TURN INTO BRAIN DUMP FULL OF TECHNICAL JARGON

  Reveal hidden contents

Why not make these permanent modules like inflatables with a twist:

Perhaps they come in a 2.5m or 3.75m initial package, perhaps 2.5m for 5m parts and 3.5m for 7.5m parts, and they're just all the stuff that can't be made In-Situ. Then you'd make all the needed stuff in-situ.

Oh, and, you may be thinking, TDplay, you picky madman, why all the different resources? Well, there could be an ISRU machine, possibly named '[name of resource] Factory' for each. That would encourage getting a sort of 'priority system' for what to send in these modules, who wants a spawling mess of Factories (you get chair factories and table factories and bed factories and computer factories and electrolyser factories and Hydroponic Bed factories and valve factories and pipe factories - you get what I mean...)

WHAT COULD NEED WHAT

Crew Modules - Chair, Table, Bed

Command pods - Chair, Table, Computer

Life Support machine - Computer, Electrolyser, Hydroponic Bed, Valve, Pipe

Medbay - Bed, Cabinet, Chair, Computer

Deep Mining Operation (basically an overpowered drill inside a huge casing that pulls up enormous hunks of dirt) - Mega-Bore Reinforced Drill, Motor, Deep Mining Reinforcement, Deep Mining Shaft

Geothermal Generator (endgame machine that uses Water to make Steam, assuming ground contact, perhaps with drill code) - Deep Mining Reinforcement, Pump, Pipe, Heat Plate

Universal Factory - Robot Arm, Conveyor, Computer

Mega Legs (after all, we need a way to have these not roll around and drag the base all over the planet) - Just use existing resources for this, it's not that significant

Nuclear Reactor (but this bigger one uses EnrichedUranium to turn Water into steam) - Reactor Core, Heat Plate, Pipe, Computer

Turbine (Endgame machine to make your valuable EC from Steam, rendering the geothermal generator and bigger nuclear reactor useful) - Turbine Blade, Alternator, Shaft

Regolith Sifter - Motor, Shaft, Crusher, Conveyor

Nuclear Fuel Centrifuge - Motor, Shaft, Centrifuge Parts

Nuclear Reprocessing Unit - Motor, Shaft, Reprocessing Chemical Tank

 

Of course, all these parts could be available in 5m, 7.5m and 10m sizes, with bigger parts needing more resources.

And there shouldn't be a 'do it all machine', that would be too overpowered.

Also, the way the mega legs could work, these modules could have nodes on all 6 of their sides, where you attatch other parts on orbital stations or Mega Legs on planets. Mega Legs should have 5 attatchment points, one on every cardinal direction but down.

EDIT: And perhaps they could need Construction Bots instead of Engineers to 'inflate'

Just an idea

Also, massive antennas would be nice. And perhaps an ground penetrating antenna that can communicate with any ground penetrating antenna up to a right angle round the planet but not to normal antennas, if that's possible?

I dunno, there're so many things to put into a new oversized series for permanent bases!

[jd284]

17 hours ago, RoverDude said:

@jd284 - grab the latest code for KolonyTools, compile it, and see if that sorts your issue with efficiency parts in catchup

Yes, looks like it's fixed, thanks! Closing the ticket.

[Gilph]

16 hours ago, RoverDude said:

Now to just make Kerbal suits with mouse ears

Good stuff, got some ideas already, but keep 'em coming and by all means keep the discussion rolling.

I think Habs are the most logical choice. Manufacturing is already OP with all of the stacked bonuses, and the Tundra form factor is good to put different manufacturing capabilities together, depending on your needs.  The use of Tundra and inflatables for hab on the surface is a bit meh, on the larger side.  All of the cool art work posted lends itself very nicely to cool looking places to live and be happy, kinda like a base version of the hab ring with a really large extra time setting. Or, the ability to configure hab, medbay, and kolonization functions built in to a single part.