Which colonisation?

[MajorMushroom]

My ultimate goal in career is the colonisation of as many planets as I can. I’ve been thinking about which mods I can get that will work together nicely. My thoughts are:

-Standard KER/KAC etc.

-Extraplanetary launchpads for the shipyards I’ve always dreamed of

-Kerbal Inventory system for fun.

-Konstruction for assembling bases.

-Coyote freighters (I’ve forgotten the exact name, but it might be good for transportation)

-Extra Science 

Now I’ve been thinking between USI orbital/surface colonisation or planetary base systems, as the designs look really great. Which mod do you think would fit/work best with others? I don’t mind giving USI life support a go as well. I heard that the Coyote space industries is also compatible with USI, so overall it seems like the best option. Which do you guys thing would be better/ more fun, or more compatible if I ever choose to download something new.

[DStaal]

Both!  All!    USI's colonization pack adds quite a bit of depth to the game, plus a fair number of parts.  Planetary Base Systems just adds parts, so they work together fine.  (I even have an integration pack which helps them work together further.)  Note that MKS (USI's colonization pack) comes with Ground Construction, an alternate for Extraplanetary Launchpads.  (Though it's not quite as capable, as it requires a 'kit' shipped from Kerbin.)

Also worth looking at in this context is Pathfinder (as well as DSEV) from WBI.  Most of their colonization parts are inflatable, and field-configurable.  Recent updates have added larger parts than MKS has, as well as a resource transfer system that means you don't have to actually *launch* your fuel from your mining base to your orbital colony...   WBI's stuff works fairly well with USI's, depending on mode, though it isn't always fully balanced/optimized since Angel-125 focuses on his own mods.

[Alshain]

Pathfinder is the best one I've seen if you want to construct bases insitu.

USI is moving away from the idea of insitu construction.  While it technically supports it, the developer has been working with other mods like Ground Construction that emphasize insitu assembly, rather than construction.  That goes for EPL too, while it supports it, the USI developer really wants to support Ground Construction which requires you to ship a box for every craft you want to build and then assemble in place after it has landed.  It's also tends to be very buggy in my experience. 

I've never played with Planetary Base Systems, so I can't say how it would compare, on paper it looks pretty good.

Add KIS/KAS for with that and you can construct and assemble.  The USI construction parts are a neat idea, and they extend the range abilities of KIS, but in my experience using them with the mechanical parts is just too difficult (though the mag lifter is probably the most useful if you can keep it from dropping the payload).  The big problem is not necessarily the mod or the parts, but the controls that we are resigned to with KSP and servos.  I long for a mod that can add Farming Simulator style servo controls to KSP.  In any case, I found when using Konstruction, I never used the servo's and instead just used their KIS range extending abilities.

You might consider adding OSE Workshop to that list for constructing new base parts insitu.

Edited October 26, 2017 by Alshain

[MajorMushroom]

2 hours ago, Alshain said:

Pathfinder is the best one I've seen if you want to construct bases insitu.

USI is moving away from the idea of insitu construction.  While it technically supports it, the developer has been working with other mods like Ground Construction that emphasize insitu assembly, rather than construction.  That goes for EPL too, while it supports it, the USI developer really wants to support Ground Construction which requires you to ship a box for every craft you want to build and then assemble in place after it has landed.  It's also tends to be very buggy in my experience. 

I've never played with Planetary Base Systems, so I can't say how it would compare, on paper it looks pretty good.

Add KIS/KAS for with that and you can construct and assemble.  The USI construction parts are a neat idea, and they extend the range abilities of KIS, but in my experience using them with the mechanical parts is just too difficult (though the mag lifter is probably the most useful if you can keep it from dropping the payload).  The big problem is not necessarily the mod or the parts, but the controls that we are resigned to with KSP and servos.  I long for a mod that can add Farming Simulator style servo controls to KSP.  In any case, I found when using Konstruction, I never used the servo's and instead just used their KIS range extending abilities.

You might consider adding OSE Workshop to that list for constructing new base parts insitu.

Sorry, but what exactly does insitu mean? I think it might mean ‘on site’ as in the location where my base is meant to be, which would be ideal.

[DStaal]

4 hours ago, MajorMushroom said:

Sorry, but what exactly does insitu mean? I think it might mean ‘on site’ as in the location where my base is meant to be, which would be ideal.

'In place': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_situ

Basically, using the resources on the planet they came from, instead of trying to ship them elsewhere, or trying to ship in resources.  In this context, it means building with the resources already on the planet, instead of bringing everything with you.

7 hours ago, Alshain said:

I've never played with Planetary Base Systems, so I can't say how it would compare, on paper it looks pretty good.

KPBS is just a parts pack - a very nice one, with parts built for use on the surface.  (And for getting shipped to the surface, if that's how you want to do things.)  It has support for EL built in, but it doesn't really change how bases are built in any way - it just adds some nice parts to do it with.

[Alshain]

DStaal is right, though in my context I was trying to differentiate between assembly (like the Lunar rovers which had to be built on the Moon) and actual onsite fabrication (like the proposed "3D Printed" bases by NASA and ESA.)  USI would seem to favor the former, while Pathfinder along with OSE Isa better match for the latter.

Edited October 26, 2017 by Alshain

[DStaal]

4 hours ago, Alshain said:

DStaal is right, though in my context I was trying to differentiate between assembly (like the Lunar rovers which had to be built on the Moon) and actual onsite fabrication (like the proposed "3D Printed" bases by NASA and ESA.)  USI would seem to favor the former, while Pathfinder along with OSE Isa better match for the latter.

Well, in that context KPBS is probably light-assembly: They are really designed as 'rigid expandables' - Less set up than an inflatable, but still not quite as bulky as shipping the entire thing pre-assembled.  I know it has support for both EL and GC (including some very nice EL parts...), but the design is probably 'ship-in and connect up'; after all, it's just a parts pack and in theory you could use it with nothing else but stock.

Of course, nothing is stopping you from building them via EL, and I often do.

I think RoverDude's end goal is full onsite fabrication - but as a very late-game ability, not something you're going to be sending your first Kerbals to the Mun with.  But that will require the next planned stage of GC, which isn't here yet.

[bigcalm]

Seconding or thirding the recommendation for MKS.  Planetary Base Systems essentially serves as an add-on to MKS with parts performing similar functions.  Also add PlanetaryDomes because they look so cool and stop your bases looking like refineries (which they are, but they should be pretty too).