[0.20] RemoteTech: Relay Network – V 0.5.0.1

[CAPFlyer]

I too would like to see some mesh/soft dishes in addition to the stock one for a similar reason to what was shown above.

I would also like to see maybe some antenna models similar to the TDRSS multi-access antenna which are phased-array type antenna and can support up to 5 "download" connections and 1 command connection at a time.

See - http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/pdf/97440main_TDRS_fs_9.18.pdf

Also, I would like to ask that maybe you consider either enlarging the existing AIES command parts into 1m equivalent parts or build new "satellite buses" to support these bigger dishes that are being built as the existing half meter parts "prope" are just really too small for use as tracking or relay satellite bases. Not to mention they are too small for use in a Figaro network as well.

[W3asel]

Is there any hope of a beta version of this soon? By that I mean released for actual use as opposed to play-testing. I don't expect perfect, I just want stable enough to use RemoteTech with an expectation of not having to redo my satellite network to be able to take future updates.

I guess what I really want to know is if I should hold off on interplanetary missions (where the delay matters) for a beta or just give up on RT2 for this save and try to get RT1 working with new SAS.

[GavinZac]

Is there any hope of a beta version of this soon? By that I mean released for actual use as opposed to play-testing. I don't expect perfect, I just want stable enough to use RemoteTech with an expectation of not having to redo my satellite network to be able to take future updates.

I guess what I really want to know is if I should hold off on interplanetary missions (where the delay matters) for a beta or just give up on RT2 for this save and try to get RT1 working with new SAS.

I think, in a single-player, sandbox, no-achievements game like this, you would be pretty justified in just replacing your existing RT1 network with an RT2 network using hyperedit. Remember, it's supposed to be fun!

[W3asel]

I think, in a single-player, sandbox, no-achievements game like this...

Yes, single player sandbox game so I play by my rules, which include (among many others): nothing goes to space without me strapping it on something with rockets and flying it manually

[DrPastah]

For Remotetech 1, how can I get my maneuver nodes executed by my probe properly? I click maneuver in the flight computer but it doesn't follow the maneuver vector. Most of the time my maneuvers don't go exactly as I want them to, they usually screw up.

[GavinZac]

Yes, single player sandbox game so I play by my rules, which include (among many others): nothing goes to space without me strapping it on something with rockets and flying it manually

Fair enough, but you've already done it. There seems something a bit masochistic about, upon losing a lot of work due to circumstances beyond your control, then recreating everything by hand rather than just using a 'backup'. But that's just for me! Horses for courses, I suppose. Just suggesting an option

[Belkaland]

I accidently moved my menu for RT off the visible screen to the side, and now I can't get it to come back. Any ideas how to fix this?

[JDP]

I accidently moved my menu for RT off the visible screen to the side, and now I can't get it to come back. Any ideas how to fix this?

in RT1 you can access the module settings by pressing <modifier key> + f11 in-flight. From there you can reset window positions.

[GavinZac]

in RT1 you can access the module settings by pressing <modifier key> + f11 in-flight. From there you can reset window positions.

Thank you! Been trying to figure this out for weeks.

[rkman]

You can have an early look of both the new dish, and the fairing functionality in this little dev video:

Looks nice, but (in reality) it would not have greater range than a single dish half the size: it is in effect two dish antennas (it has two feeders) that each get half the output power of the transmitter, so the total radiated power remains the same.

A solution might be keep the folding 'flower petals' and change their shape and unfolded angle so that they form two parts of the same parabola that reflects toward a single feeder in the center.

'Stacking'/making an array of antennas to increase gain only works with antennas that affect each others radiated field when placed next to each other, such as Yagi antennas. http://www.arrl.org/images/view/Soapbox/sop-11759.jpg (though dishes typically have much more gain than even stacked Yagis)

Edited August 22, 2013 by rkman

[DoubleOSeven1]

Looks nice, but (in reality) it would not have greater range than a single dish half the size: it is in effect two dish antennas (it has two feeders) that each get half the output power of the transmitter, so the total radiated power remains the same.

A solution might be keep the folding 'flower petals' and change their shape and unfolded angle so that they form two parts of the same parabola that reflects toward a single feeder in the center.

'Stacking'/making an array of antennas to increase gain only works with antennas that affect each others radiated field when placed next to each other, such as Yagi antennas. http://www.arrl.org/images/view/Soapbox/sop-11759.jpg (though dishes typically have much more gain than even stacked Yagis)

Sounds like someone may be a ham radio operator maybe?

[gabmaia]

In RT2, how exactly do I set a burn for t minutes in the future?

[DoubleOSeven1]

So based on the crude image, I think I have managed to create what I would call an "Iridium Replica?"

The crude Image:

My take at it:

I added a means of orbital menuvering but other than that I think I managed...

Edited August 22, 2013 by DoubleOSeven1

[Kimberly]

In RT2, how exactly do I set a burn for t minutes in the future?

First, use the buttons to make your craft orient the correct way. Then click the "queue" button to open the queue window. Enter the burn information on the boxes on the bottom-left, but don't hit enter yet. In the bottom-right hand corner, press the amount of seconds of delay you want and press enter. Now hit enter on the burn--the command will be sent to the probe, and once the artificial delay has expired the burn will be performed.

[gabmaia]

First, use the buttons to make your craft orient the correct way. Then click the "queue" button to open the queue window. Enter the burn information on the boxes on the bottom-left, but don't hit enter yet. In the bottom-right hand corner, press the amount of seconds of delay you want and press enter. Now hit enter on the burn--the command will be sent to the probe, and once the artificial delay has expired the burn will be performed.

Or i'm just utterly stupid, or there's something wrong with my version, because i've been trying that since yesterday and the command executes in the moment i press enter....

[Kimberly]

Or i'm just utterly stupid, or there's something wrong with my version, because i've been trying that since yesterday and the command executes in the moment i press enter....

Then you haven't set an artificial delay, or so it would seem. Can you show a screenshot of your window with the burn active and the queue open, please?

[gabmaia]

Then you haven't set an artificial delay, or so it would seem. Can you show a screenshot of your window with the burn active and the queue open, please?

nevermind, i'm just stupid, got it. I didn't realize you had to press enter to set the delay. Sorry for wasting your time...

[masTerTorch]

An inflatable dish would probably need to be done with a scale animation. The problem with scale animations is that they tend to fall into the uncanny valley and look just wrong. Take the inflatable habitats on the old HOME module for example. To me their inflate animations look terrible. And if Bobcat couldn't make scale animations work, I certainly wont be able to.

On another note. I did a small test on a "taco" style dish:

Of course this is just a quick mockup using a very low-poly dish model.

For a full-sized dish, it's going to be hell to properly group and weight each vertex. Which I'll have to do by hand. Just this low-poly model had 64 vertices that needed proper weighting.

But it is doable, and possibly even with using only 8 bones per dish (16 might be needed for a more detailed folding animation). Another great thing I've found out is that Its now possible to animate the rig directly in Unity. That's going to make it much much easier to set up the part with a proper hierarchy.

With this realization, I might be scrapping the clamshell design and going for a single or twin taco design (am I the only one getting hungry for seafood and/or mexican food from all this talk?).

Love the taco style. Found the deployment sequence of the TRDS-K (see 1m 15s and 1m35s):

http://youtu.be/pP8Yt9ELF6s?t=1m35s

Edited August 23, 2013 by masTerTorch

[JDP]

Small dev update:

work progresses on the TDRS style folding dish. I'm having to learn armature animation pretty much as I go. so work progresses in test iterations, where I pretty much start from scratch each cycle. Here's the current dish (iteration 4), implemented and roughly animated in Unity:

I'm still not completely satisfied, so I suspect I'll be going on to iteration 5, and maybe even 6 after that. There are some mesh errors I'll need to adress, and I'll probably redo the entire rig with vertex weighting favoring the bones that fold inwards to get rid of the stretchy effect.

[John FX]

has anyone else had issues with the Command module, on your craft, that it provents any control of the craft.

the reason I ask is that I had build a very basic Satitlight and wih no Remote Tech Command Center / Module and I was able to lift off and flight it into space.

I then tried the same same craft, but the only differant is that I added a Command Center / Module and I wasn't able to do anything,

I even tried tried the craft with MechJeb, thinking it might have beem me, but again I wasn't able to take off.

so, if there a problem or a conflite that I am not aware off.

I am using KSP the Latest version of KSP and the Same version of Remote Tech from the First Page.

I think I may be having the same issue but I am using RT for the first time and so I don`t know... I`ll try to launch one of the ships I am having trouble with and only put a control module on instead of both and see if I can finally control them by relay

EDIT : I am only having the issue with craft after leaving LKO, still may be me not understanding stuff yet

EDIT 2 : It does in fact seem that if there is a command module and a control module on a ship with no kerbals on it then the ship is not operable. Mine constantly says no contact. now I have to relaunch about 30 flights...

EDIT 3 : I can now confirm that I have a fully funtioning network instead of many non functioning satellites. I can see why the modules operate as they do but for a new user it is confusing.

Do not mix command and control modules on unmanned craft!

Edited August 24, 2013 by John FX

[xZise]

What do you define as a control module?

Fabian

[mandingo-mc]

Any way to change the name of the ship when it is in orbit in remote tech 2?

[JDP]

Any way to change the name of the ship when it is in orbit in remote tech 2?

When in map view, you can change the name of the vessel from the menu in the bottom-right.

[mandingo-mc]

When in map view, you can change the name of the vessel from the menu in the bottom-right.

thanks man

[PhilMcgroin]

I want to play with this, but I can't figure it out. Why is it necessary at all to use a remote command module? If you had adequate Remote control coverage, say a bunch of satellites spaced out in geosync orbit with dishes pointed at various things, wouldn't you be able to have coverage anywhere? Because all the remote control sats relay signals from KSC, so anything with the control module could receive signals from the command center? I'm not understanding where the control module would be useful. But I'm probably missing something vital to how this works, because I made a sat with a RemoteControl module, an omni antenna, a sat dish, plenty of power, and launched it into geosync orbit. It said it had control while it was there, but when I came back to it a few days later, it had no signal and couldn't be controlled, despite being in geosync above KSC with the dish pointed at it and full power :s