MIP-Modification of Inner Planets [WIP]

[KerikBalm]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vrav31dnevhl7su/MIP.zip?dl=0

So this is a continuation of my Rald mod. I was going to call it IPM/ the Inner Planets Mod, but that might be too deceptive as its in no way affiliated with OPM, nor is it all that similar.

The star of the mod is Rald:

Spoiler

A planet/moon based on Mars, but obviously covered with water and a thicker atmosphere, as Mars may have been ~3 billion years ago... and covered with life.

My current preferred location is where stock Duna is, but other configs are offered, as I think people particularly liked having it at Keosynchronous orbit. Supplied configs are as follows:

Spoiler

Keosynchronous orbit: size increased since the first time I released this, its now >0.5 surfage G and 450km radius, compared to the previous iteration that was 0.33 surface G and 320km radius

Where stock Minmus used to be: Minmus is reparented as a moon of Rald

Kerbin "L5": this one stays the "old" size of 0.33g and 320km surface radius

Rald-Duna binary planet: Rald takes Duna's place, Duna is made a moon/binary companion of Rald. Ike is put in a more distant and inclined orbit around Rald-Duna

I've additionally provided a config to move and transform Kerbin into Rald (the Rald-Duna version), and of course replace it with a clone of stock kerbin named "Bin" as demonstrated by GregoxMun:

"Rald Space Program" note:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zaw8fcznam7sa4z/RaldSpaceProgram.zip?dl=0

The RSP config in the earlier link has some major issues. Use this one instead in combination with the Alien Space Program Mod. You still need to add the rald folder (which contains height/color/biome maps). The "default" config for Rald needs to be removed if the Rald Space Program config is used.

 

In addition to Rald, I've added 3 new bodies, all derived from real world height maps as well (a lot of credit to the RSS mod and their sources is due here).

Eki- Uses RSS Heightmap/etc for Callisto. This low gravity airless body is placed at Kerbin L4 as a "trainer" for interplanetary missions. Its always in pretty much the same position relative to Kerbin, so there is no need to wait for transfer windows when going to/from here

Pact - Uses RSS data as well (Mercury, IIRC), but then modified, and procedural noise added on top. A Pallas analogue. More boring than Dres, mostly there to help portray the asteroid belt.

Vot - Uses real data from Vesta. A vesta analogue. More boring than Dres, mostly there to portray the asteroid belt. With a Ceres, Vesta, and Pallas analogue in game, there are analogues for nearly half of the real asteroid belt (as ~46% of the real asteroid belt's mass is composed of just Ceres/Vesta/Pallas)

 

Additionally, I made additional tweaks to stock bodies, some for gameplay, some to make them closer analgoues, some for a combination of reasons.  A lot of the changes I made have a 3x rescale by SigmaDimensions in mind, but should also work well at stock sizes.

Kerbin system

Spoiler

Mun and Minmus orbits swapped

Reasoning:

Closer analgoues: Mun is a better analogue for Earth's moon if its orbit is where Minmus is, then it would be at approximately the right proportional distance, right now its way to close. Minmus has no analogue anyway, so I don't mind moving it.

Gameplay, particularly for new players or more challenging situations such as a scaled up system (ie using SigmaDimensions): Minmus actually takes less dV to reach than Mun, but new players may find it daunting as it appears so tiny and distant, with the added complication of an inclined plane. I think it works better as a "trainer moon" like this. Its also better for a "staging area" like this, as the orbital period is shorter, and its not inclined, so its easier to get the timing right for a departure for an interplanetary transfer (with a burn low over kerbin).

Dres - reduced in size and gravity to be a better Ceres analogue. This also makes it easier to visit when playing in a scaled up system (when dV demands are higher). Its now the largest of 3 on rails asteroids, and no longer would qualify for full planet status (its a dwarf planet)

Jool system

Spoiler

Jool's moons, particularly Laythe and Tylo, are proportionately far too big to be Jupiter analogues. At a real scale, this would result in obscene dV requirements, its still really challenging at 3x.

Jool's surface gravity is increased, a lot. It is now proportionately as massive -relative to kerbin- as Jupiter is -relative to Earth-

Tylo/Laythe/Vall: Reduced their radius to 2/3rds stock size (still proportionately ~2x larger than they should be), and reduced surface gravity. Laythe's atmosphere also gets thinned. Laythe ends up being quite different from Kerbin, and more like Titan, in that it becomes a pretty low gravity world with a significant atmosphere)

Moho - Surface G increased to be the same as Mercury's

Eve - Surface G decreased, atmospheric thickness increased

Sun - Radius reduced, surface G increased (mass unchanged)

 

I just updated KSP and mods yesterday and the Rald-Duna version was working in my 3x system (SigmaDimensions). I just moved these files into 1 folder today, compressed, and uploaded... haven't tested, maybe I screwed something up. Hopefully people can figure out where to put which files.

Scatterer Supported

Config file for resources of the Community Resource pack that are relevant for life support (CO2, Water, Oxygen)

Vestigial config file for SigmaDimensions if you want to play at 3x like I do.

Don't add files from the "alternates" folder to your game data folder.. but rather use those to replace the corresponding files if you want to change the location of Rald/Play Rald Space Program

Edited December 30, 2017 by KerikBalm

[TheProtagonists]

Woah. That's the best looking planet I've seen in a while!

[DAL59]

@KerikBalm, I have an idea for an orbit config.  What if Mun was at the Rald l4 and Minimus at Rald l5? Would that crash the game?  

[KerikBalm]

no, it wouldn't, but then Kerbin would have no moons.... maybe I could just move Minmus to Rald L5. The farther away from the sun it is, the less unrealistic it seems (if we pretend the flats are due to some frozen water or something)

[eddiew]

Hey @KerikBalm,

I've been playing with patching Rald into Galileo's Planet Pack, specifically putting it out around Grannus, since the GPP system is pretty crowded already.

I've actually tweaked it since these screenshots and slightly adjusted the orbital radii, but the arrangement remains the same and Rald ends up a few degrees above freezing - which is probably fair given your placement of it in the stock system. There's also just about enough room to squeeze a warmer habitable planet around on the inside without it being completely scorched (be glad KSP doesn't model solar flares!)

Thought I'd share the patch in case you're interested   (Obviously discard the KerbinMoons.cfg and MIP.cfg files if using GPP.)

@Kopernicus:AFTER[Kopernicus]
{  
	@Body[Rald]
	{
		@Properties
		{
			@description = Primitive kerbals believed Rald did not exist, because it can't be seen with the naked eye from Gael's surface. Now we know better, and we are intrigued!
		}
		@Orbit
		{
			@referenceBody = Grannus
			@semiMajorAxis = 3481547985 // slightly cooler vacuum temps (and slightly less solar power?) vs Gael around Ciro, but enough to keep a green planet above freezing.
		}
	}
	
	@Body[Eki]
	{
		// Eki is now a moon of Rald because it's lost Duna and Ike
		@Orbit
		{
			@referenceBody = Rald
			@semiMajorAxis = 12564284 // about half of Gael-Iota. Rald is smaller and closer to its star, so it needs to hug its moon to keep it.
		}
		@Properties
		{
			@description = Small, grey, and moon-ish, Eki gives a little sparkle to Rald's night sky. As if Ciro isn't enough for that.
		}
	}
	
	@Body[Vot]
	{
		// Vot's PE comes perilously close to Pact's orbit, but both being so small their SoI's don't actually overlap
		@Orbit
		{
			@referenceBody = Grannus
			@semiMajorAxis = 7245125787 
		}
		@Properties
		{
			@description =  Vot is a small dwarf planet that seems intent upon obliterating Pact one day. Luckily it has so little gravity that it never will.
		}
	}
	
	@Body[Pact]
	{
		@Orbit
		{
			@referenceBody = Grannus
			@semiMajorAxis = 5878125782
			@inclination = 3.7 // entertainingly near miss with Vot's orbit every cycle
		}
		@Properties
		{
			@description =  Pact is a small dwarf planet that's hardly more than a large asteroid.
		}
	}
	
	// not really appropriate to keep Duna or Ike in GPP :)
	!Body[Duna] {}
	!Body[Ike] {}
}

 

One thing I did want to ask is whether it's normal that there are no clouds/atmospheric effects from orbit without Scatterer? Far as I can see you haven't configured anything for Eve to work with, but just wanted to check it's not me mucking it up by fiddling xD

[KerikBalm]

Ah, maybe I completely forgot the EVE config. IIRC, its just a duplication of Kerbin's clouds... or maybe it was Duna's... I've used both in the past.

I tried adding a noise generator to the config to make it less pixelated, but so far I haven't been happy with the results, low deformity values don't seem to help with the pexilation, and when they go high enough to help, the terrain features (like riverbeds) are all screwed up. Maybe I need to select another noise function.

[eddiew]

8 hours ago, KerikBalm said:

Ah, maybe I completely forgot the EVE config. IIRC, its just a duplication of Kerbin's clouds... or maybe it was Duna's... I've used both in the past.

Either would work   I stole some from GPP's Hadrian, because I probably won't be in both places at the same time, but a clone of a stock planet would be ideal for my setup, since it would be unique ^^

[TK-313]

@KerikBalm, please help. When I try running the game with Rald as homeworld, the game throws this at me:

If I still try to load, the space center screen is black (but with buttons visible), and in spacecraft view there seems to be no atmosphere visible, the sky flickers wildly and the game runs at snail speed (like 1 frame per 2-3 seconds). Link to all logs mentioned in the error message below.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/uf6l2idv4xltmfs/AACeZ7o0PbhSLKZyekEbCKvza?dl=0

GameData contents:

• 000_AT_Utils
• ConfigurableContainers
• EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements
• Hangar
• KerbalFoundries
• Kopernicus
• MIP
• ModularFlightIntegrator
• scatterer
• Sigma
• Squad (stock)
• ModuleManager.3.0.1

Also, despite the presence of the Sigma config, the planet remains 450 km in diameter. How do I turn the thing on?

[KerikBalm]

Ah, so I'm looking through my folder, and in my main MIP folder I have

MIP> GameData which has two folders, Scatterer (ignore for now) and MIP

In MIP> GameData>MIP>Rald     You should find the folder "BigRald", the folder "PluginData", and 3 files Rald_ScienceDefs.cfg  , Raldconfig.cfg (for scatterer), and RaldResources.cfg (for resources if you have the community resource pack)

In MIP>Alternates>RaldSpaceProgram, you will find MIP>Rald>BigRald

This replaces the MIP> GameData>MIP>Rald>BigRald folder. You still need the PluginData folder and ideally those .cfg files

You have them? 

*pre-edit* I'm about to try to load up rald space program, its been a while since I did, I'll see if I get a problem. If you're seeing that image in the start screen maybe you already have that plugindata folder

[TK-313]

I checked my folder, and it seems I had one odd file there, RaldDunaScat.cfg (my mistake was to copy the contents of MIP>Alternates>RaldSpaceProgram over the default install instead of delete-and-replacing). Removing it fixed the flickering sky, the atmospheres and snail speed, but the error message is still there, the KSC screen still black. If you tilt the camera various ways and zoom it  in/out, you can see an even grey surface or the starry skybox, like the camera is positioned inside the planet's mesh. And the sigma patch still does not apply by default.

Edited December 23, 2017 by TK-313

[KerikBalm]

hmm, I tried that last night, and also found that errant RaldDunaScat.cfg

I also get this error message, but my sigma dimensions patch did work on it.

I've long had a problem with the KSC camera not working correctly with this, I couldn't really solve it, but it was playable, so.... I just sort of left it there

This was the best I got it, and I don't really know what I did.

Spoiler

If Sigma Dimensions isn't working for some reason, you can just go into the config and change 450 to 1350 to rescale the radius for a 3x rescale (although the atmosphere is harder to scale up manually.

Did it scale up the orbital parameters correctly?

*edit* are you changing the base sigma Dimensions settings, or relying on the 3x sigma configs that I had in there... I should delete those or at least change the name/label. That config doesn't make rald or the system 3x... it rescales certain bodies to be more "proportionately realistic" if the system is a 3x system. Dres Pact and Vot, for example are meant to be Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta analogues... but they would be absolutely tiny in a normal system (like Gilly sized).

This is the sigma config that I use in the GameData>Sigma>Dimensions folder (Settings.cfg)

Spoiler

SigmaDimensions
{
    // Base Settings
    
    Resize = 3
    Rescale = 3
    Atmosphere = 1.25
    dayLengthMultiplier = 1.7320508076
    
    
    // Advanced Settings
    
    landscape = 0.5
    geeASLmultiplier = 1
    
    resizeScatter = 1
    resizeBuildings = 0
    groundTiling = 1
    
    CustomSoISize = 0
    CustomRingSize = 0
    
    atmoASL = 1
    tempASL = 1
    atmoTopLayer = 1
    atmoVisualEffect = 1
    
    lightRange = 1
    
    scanAltitude = 1
}
 

 

So I went back to the Alien Space Program thing that I was using as a template, and after playing with their Laythe Template, I couldn't get it to work there either... so I looked on their thread:

The release that I downloaded is broken for Laythe, but not Duna. I'll see if I can fix this.

Edited December 24, 2017 by KerikBalm

[TK-313]

Thanks for the config! Yes, I mistakenly assumed the one in the mod folder is self-sufficient. I have a major bug to report, though. The ships launched to space tend to vanish on subsequent game loads (launch ship > save > exit game > run game and load save > no ship). The number of flights is correct in the saves menu, but ships vanish as soon as the game is loaded. No error message is generated (other than that one about Kopernicus). The bug is not 100% consistent, but I replicated it 3/4 times. Funnily enough, the ship I left landed on Rald did not vanish.

Edited December 24, 2017 by TK-313

[KerikBalm]

Hmm, maybe its related to the way that kerbals and ships vanish after recovery, I'm trying to sort it out now. I just confirmed that "DunaSpaceProgram" is working fine (even though laythe is not).

So I'm going to use the Duna Space Program as a template, and try to fix it.

I'm thinking that I'll do it as an addon to this mod:

instead of having it be standalone.

 

Ok, this seems to work:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zaw8fcznam7sa4z/RaldSpaceProgram.zip?dl=0

Download AlienSpacePrograms and MIP just as you have done.

then put that folder in: GameData>AlienSpacePrograms

Go to the HomeWorldSettings.cfg in GameData>AlienSpacePrograms and change the 3rd line to:

    Homeworld = Rald

In GameData>MIP>Rald>BigRald keep DunaAsMoon.cfg and IkeDistantMoon.cfg   get rid of the other config for Rald, that is now in the AlienSpaceProgramFolder...

At least for now, I'm going to check if I can leave the "standard" Rald in place, but I think it may interfere (but then this folder may need to be changed if you change the Homeworld setting to another planet, I'll try and clean it up later, but this is just a quick fix and the next few days I won't have a lot of time

 

 

Edited December 24, 2017 by KerikBalm

[KerikBalm]

So I'm going to change the ground textures a bit for that one, but its perfectly playable now, with the main KSC screen functioning fine.

[TK-313]

And no vanishing spaceships now. Thanks for the beautiful planet!

[KerikBalm]

Updated textures for Rald Space program:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zaw8fcznam7sa4z/RaldSpaceProgram.zip?dl=0

[grungar3x7]

If it isn't too much trouble, could we be provided with a patch to restore Mün's sidereal rotation period (138,984.38 sec)? Don't want to deal with a ~25 day-long dark zone. Sheesh!

[KerikBalm]

25x6 hour days is only 6 Earth days, on Luna, the darkness lasts ~14 24 hour days, so I am fine with it.

It is very easy to change though - set tidally locked to false, and use whatever value that you want for the rotation period.

FYI, there are spots at the poles where you can get constant solar power. 

[grungar3x7]

6 hours ago, KerikBalm said:

25x6 hour days is only 6 Earth days, on Luna, the darkness lasts ~14 24 hour days, so I am fine with it.

It is very easy to change though - set tidally locked to false, and use whatever value that you want for the rotation period.

FYI, there are spots at the poles where you can get constant solar power. 

While all of that is true, it always bugged me that tidal locking happened with two moons orbiting relatively close to each other. with the larger of the two now in the more distant orbit, (I am a fan of RaldL5.) it also messed with the design of my bases, and to a lesser extent, landers. Therefore, dropping two more modules, (each with roughly 5x the ec storage of the rest of the base.) just for battery backup, was my only solution for the tech level (I'm one of those who unlock all of the nodes on a tech level before going to the next highest).

I was going to do a restart and was wondering if I could get some assistance with this, (either in the form of a patch, or as you have, an indication of the right direction, thank you.) as well as ask what your thoughts were on Distant Object Enhancement, specifically the flare colors of your lovely worlds.

So, would this work? I call it SpinningMun.cfg

@Kopernicus:AFTER[Kopernicus]
{  
	@Body[Mun] 
	{
		@Properties // Make Mun rotate at its former pace, releasing it from being tidally locked
		{
			rotationPeriod = 138984.38
			tidallyLocked = False
		}
	}
}

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by grungar3x7
Tested patch. It works!

[KerikBalm]

So before 1.4 dropped, I was working on a new version of this.

The changes I'd upload:

#1) Added some noise to Rald, found a balance where the noise doesn't obscure the features of the heightmap, but helps add texture and reduce pixelation.. the coastlines weren't too disrupted.

- the problem is there are certain features that I don't want to have noise, the "easter egg" features... Maybe I'll try to figure out how do do them like the do KSC (IIRC, its map decal something, need kopernicus to update, or to revert to 1.3 to try)

#2) Incorporated a previous modification I had made to duna... "Dying Duna": I gave it oceans and a slightly thicker O2 containing atmosphere:

- note sure if this would make the inner solar system too life friendly... Kerbin, Rald, Duna, Laythe... all with liquid water and O2, 3 of them with green shores/obvious life?

Spoiler

#3) Move Minmus to the "asteroid belt" with similar orbits to Dres/Pact/Vot... so that the "asteroid belt" will now have 4 small bodies

- Bump up science multipliers for Mun, since the Kerbin system would lose a lot of available science due to the "departure" of Minmus.

 

- Maintain alternate configs for Rald: Rald-Duna Binary/ Rald at L5 / Rald at keostationary orbit

[Mythical Donuts]

Hey, will this be updated for 1.4.x? This is an awesome mod, but I can’t use it!

[AloE]

MIP is a thoughtful & beautiful reason to dust off KerbalEDU 1.3.1 (or KSP 1.3.1 ;-)

Image below links to screenshot album of MIP Rald in KerbalEDU 1.3.1 (& a few  to show the difference in 1.7.3)