Mod thematic compatibility

[Jarin]

So I've finally finished dabbling in the shallow end of tech mods and am finally looking at diving into the complicated stuff. Just one quick question if anybody has in-play experience with it; how well does KSPIE work alongside the USI suite of mods? Both technically and thematically, I mean. Complement? Conflict? Awkwardly different processes to similar results? I'm looking over the functionality of both, but I don't think I'm going to grock any of it until I put it in play, and I'd like to know if I'm headed for issues and should leave off USI for another career before I dive in deep. 

On a similar note, how do the above work with NFT/B9, etc (NFT especially, since it has a lot of power like KSPIE does)? Or am I just asking for editor and brain overflow looking at all those at once?

My general goal here is to finally do a proper high-tech career, with KSPIE as a central focus (I'll probably be starting with tech researched up to the 160 level or so). For that, I need complementary mods for life support, offworld industry (for deep space craft construction), and general rocket part selection. I was looking at USI because it handles 2 of those 3, and is an interesting set of systems in its own right. Any recommendations towards that end would be greatly appreciated. Also a tech tree suggestion? I know there's several alternate trees out there that use the CTT as a compatibility framework.

Edited January 31, 2017 by Jarin

[nascarlaser1]

if you want off world industry, OSE workshop and EPL (extra planetary launch pads) are your friend. EPL lets you build entire ships on other planets and in orbit, and OSE workshop is and add on of KIS and KAS which let you build pieces of ships (like batteries) off world as well, not to mention that KIS and KAS let you build entire rovers off world, by bringing the pieces with you, saving you the pain of figuring out how to strap the awkward thing to the top of a rocket .

For Tech tree I personally use the ETT (engineering tech tree) which starts you off unmanned, and lets you choose where you go from there, and it is designed to be used with modded games. The Historical Tech tree also looks interesting, but since I do not use it my self, I'm not sure if it fits your playing style.

 PBS (planetary base systems) and Deepfreeze continued are great extra mods for the LS side of things, not to mention that with PBS you can set up cool bases on other planets. MKS OKS also lets you build bases and is designed to work specifically with USI LS (they are made by the same person) but it can get extremely complicated and is very hard to get right.

I'm not sure if USI conflicts with the KSPIE, but I'm pretty sure it wont, especially if you have the Community Resource packet installed.

Finally, I extremely recommend CKAN, if you don't have it already. CKAN will tell you what mods conflict which, installs the mods for you, to make sure they go in the right spot, installs any and all required mods (like KIS and KAS if you get OSE) and not only does it do all that, it also gives you an entire list of recommended mods to choose from, that you can choose whether or not they get installed. Also, last but not least, CKAN will alert you when your mods need to be updated, and will update them all for you, with just the push of a button!! (make sure you have the up to date version of KSP though, or you'll break your game like I did lol).

Hope this helps!

[Jarin]

3 hours ago, nascarlaser1 said:

Hope this helps!

Any perspective on how those interact with KSP Interstellar Extended? Like I said, that's probably gonna be the core of this playthrough.

I use EL in everything, but I know that USI pulls out most of the guts and replaces it with a more complicated production chain. For conflicts, I'm mostly talking about "these two nuclear reactors use totally different resources, and only one can be used with that nuclear motor over there". I assume none of it is actually game-breaking, if only because KSP mods tend to play fairly well together codewise. I know the broad strokes of what most of the major mods around here do, I'm just looking for the perspective of someone who's used them alongside eachother.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Jarin

[kerbiloid]

Afaik, KSPI-E and USI have no conflicts, but they logically intersect in some ways.

They both have reactors, nerdish in KSPI-E and toyish in USI. And using both styles at once look excessive (though doesn't disturb each other).

They both have Warp Drives (in USI it's a stand-alone mod, but USI-oriented). Two different warps at once also look excessive. 
Roverdude's one has a nice bubble effect, but KSPI-E warp is more KSPI-E integrated.

They both have tank sets, both configurable, but looking differently. Though, USI has rectangular containers.

***

If NFT installed, KSPI-E modifies its own productivity values to match with NFT. 
So, with NFT your KSPI-E reactors become much less powerful.

NFT reactors and engines are also more simplistic than in KSPI-E and looks not much sense in using them together.
(While KSPI-E has already implemented some electric parts like in NFT).

***

Seems to me that a must-have thing for a base building is Allista's Hangar mod.
With it you can hide your rovers, landers and unused equipment into a special hangar, decreasing parts and polygons count of your base.
Also there are special types of hangars to launch and land bulky constructions inside. This also keeps FPS.

Also this mod gives you base parts for asteroid mining. 
USI also has ART parts collection, but Hangar not just mines, but also turns the mined hollow asteroid into a hangar itself.
Hangar mining and USI ART do not conflict with each other in the sense of crashing.
But as they modify the same asteroid values, you shouldn't use them together on the same asteroid.

Hangar has several companion mods of the same author: Configurable Containers, Ground Construction and Throttle Controlled Avionics.
You can choose between container from this family or from USI, they both are configurable, but in different ways.
Ground Construction is a nice addition to Extraplanetary Launchpads.
Throttle Controlled Avionics is great for precise flight and hovering (though has a little bit complicated interface), but not sure if it works well with KSPI-E engines, as they have dynamically changing ISP and thrust.

***

For bases an rovers themselves there are several mod families

Roverdude's USI/Malemute.

Nils277's Planetary Base System/Feline rover.
Less industry-oriented, but looking great and solid.

Angel-125's Wild Blue Industries: Pathfinder/Buffalo/DSEV/MOLE/Heisenberg airships.
Very industry-oriented, has a resource management to build distributed bases (a group of bases 3 km from each other to avoid krakenization or FPS loss).
But it is totally based on inflatable modules, which are not everyone's choice. Though, its auxilliary parts are great.

Malemute, Feline and Buffalo rovers look so similar that it's hard to choose between them. 
Probably the choice depends on the base mod to keep the same style.

***

Not updated but still working in 1.2.2 Riocrokite's mods:
Mobile Frame System and Stork Delivery System.
They are adjustable frames to build base, rovers and plants.

***

Lack Luster Labs "LLL continued" also has multipurpose rectangular-shaped details looking nice for bases.

***

Keridian Dynamics has a very stylish smelter and some other parts.

***

GPOSpeedFuelPump plugin helps very much to establish the resource flow priorities and directions.

***

For myself, I'm going to restart my KSP epopee with:
KSPI-E as the core mod - full set.
Extraplanetary Launchpads and Deep Freeze - full set.
Hangar, Configurable Containers, Ground Construction - full set.
Mobile Frame System and Stork Delivery System - full set.
Auxilliary parts from Pathfinder (extendable lightpoles, etc).

As:
plugin module definitions from USI and Pathfinder can be easily used in 3rd party parts;
different USI modules anyway look similar;
I dislike inflatables like in Pathfinders;
I like the Planetary Base System view;
I'll clone Planetary Base System modules and move industrial "definitions" from USI and Pathfinder into those newborn cloned parts (I have done so earlier with custom parts).

As using PBS, I'll choose its companion mod with Feline rover.

So, from USI I will take mostly Konstruction, Submersible and maybe some more auxilliaries.

Then I'll add some compatible looking parts from LLL Continued.

Then I'll choose between OPT and Mark IV huge plane sets as they both look great.

B9 is nice too, but OPT looks greater for my taste. 
MarkIV is very great but more for Flash Gordon setting. Though, it has amazing fenestrons which I just can't avoid.

NFT I will sadly avoid - to keep KSPI-E parameters unchanged.

***

Also, TiktaalikDreaming's Convair Nexus looks great to launch really huge things.

***

Allista's Hangar and TCA mods one should pick up not from OP link, but from the past page of the corresponding threads, where the author puts beta versions.

Edited February 1, 2017 by kerbiloid

[Jarin]

9 minutes ago, kerbiloid said:

lots of great stuff

This is so much more than I dared hope I would get here. Thank you for the amazingly informative answer.

15 minutes ago, kerbiloid said:

I'll clone Planetary Base System modules and move industrial "definitions" from USI and Pathfinder into those newborn cloned parts (I have done so earlier with custom parts).

Any pointers on where to start on figuring this out? I've not touched config editing at all, aside from like, two mm patches (that someone else wrote for me)

[nascarlaser1]

20 hours ago, Jarin said:

Any perspective on how those interact with KSP Interstellar Extended? Like I said, that's probably gonna be the core of this playthrough.

I use EL in everything, but I know that USI pulls out most of the guts and replaces it with a more complicated production chain. For conflicts, I'm mostly talking about "these two nuclear reactors use totally different resources, and only one can be used with that nuclear motor over there". I assume none of it is actually game-breaking, if only because KSP mods tend to play fairly well together codewise. I know the broad strokes of what most of the major mods around here do, I'm just looking for the perspective of someone who's used them alongside eachother.

All mods I've state I"ve used along side each other (mini KSPIE, I don't use that one ) and they all work together without fault. I do not use MKS OKS, but instead use just the USI LS mod, so I do not know whether or not that changes out EL works. By using just USI LS though, nothing is changed or made more complicated.