Implempting the Kerbal Space Center in Trainz: A New Era

[MedwedianPresident]

I am playing with the idea of creating a KSP-themed route in Trainz. Rail infrastructure could include a railway to and from the Kerbin City metropolis south of the KSC, technical and cargo railways on site, commuter trams for those employed on site and even rail transport of rockets from the VAB to launchpads. The route would portray how KSC and the area around it would look realistically, including residental houses, roads and other things.

 

Things that would be needed, ranked in order of priority:

- High-quality heightmap of the KSC and its surrounding areas suitable for 1:1 recreation in Trainz: A New Era

- Existing scenery objects (Launchpad, VAB/SPH, space center buildings, runway, monolith); what are possible porting methods?

- "Stockalike" additional objects (possibly utilizing "KSC Extended" packs?) - residental buildings for workers, more launchpads, etc...

- Kerbal-themed scenery objects for the surroundings - normal village houses, factories (KSC and everything between it and Kerbin City would be the Kerbal equivalent of Silicon Valley)

- Kerbal-themed rolling stock - "stockalike" trains possibly utilizing stock models

 

 

What do you think? Since KSC was recreated in Minecraft, we ought to do so in other games, too.

[Kerbinchaser]

49 minutes ago, MedwedianPresident said:

I am playing with the idea of creating a KSP-themed route in Trainz. Rail infrastructure could include a railway to and from the Kerbin City metropolis south of the KSC, technical and cargo railways on site, commuter trams for those employed on site and even rail transport of rockets from the VAB to launchpads. The route would portray how KSC and the area around it would look realistically, including residental houses, roads and other things.

 

Things that would be needed, ranked in order of priority:

- High-quality heightmap of the KSC and its surrounding areas suitable for 1:1 recreation in Trainz: A New Era

- Existing scenery objects (Launchpad, VAB/SPH, space center buildings, runway, monolith); what are possible porting methods?

- "Stockalike" additional objects (possibly utilizing "KSC Extended" packs?) - residental buildings for workers, more launchpads, etc...

- Kerbal-themed scenery objects for the surroundings - normal village houses, factories (KSC and everything between it and Kerbin City would be the Kerbal equivalent of Silicon Valley)

- Kerbal-themed rolling stock - "stockalike" trains possibly utilizing stock models

 

 

What do you think? Since KSC was recreated in Minecraft, we ought to do so in other games, too.

I like this. KSC ++ adds trains, so I could just take some Jointed rail F7s I have and re skin them to be a custom paint scheme. However, the problem would be creating the actual KSC building models, as I don't think you could find a VAB on the DLS  

 

I could definitely do this. I have built massive routes in the past and one of my routes is currently awaiting confirmation that it will be payware. 

 

EDIT: 

Technically, the KSC would be a military base, as putting residential homes near a rocket launch pad isn't the brightest idea. So you could have the homes in the highlands part of the KSC.

Edited February 10, 2018 by Lo Var Lachland

[MedwedianPresident]

Maybe we could start with the 70km-long railway from KSC to Kerbin City and then start building longer Kerbin-themed routes?

BTW: We could incorporate fictional countries. I have Medwedia, for example, which occupies a large part of the northern hemisphere.

[Kerbinchaser]

2 minutes ago, MedwedianPresident said:

Maybe we could start with the 70km-long railway from KSC to Kerbin City and then start building longer Kerbin-themed routes?

Yeah. I could use the ruler to measure the proper distance. I'm thinking a 2/3 track main would be good. You also need to have SOME industries, so you can have a bit of operational value. 

2 minutes ago, MedwedianPresident said:

BTW: We could incorporate fictional countries. I have Medwedia, for example, which occupies a large part of the northern hemisphere.

Now you're talking train border crossings that you need to stop at. I like this. That would be a great operating session. Going from country to country would definitely add operational value.

@Lack is there anyway to get the models for your trains?

@MedwedianPresident tell me what routes you have on your install that came default with the game. This will help me identify what version you have. 

Edited February 10, 2018 by Lo Var Lachland

[MedwedianPresident]

As already stated before, the whole eastern part of the tip of Kafrica, e.g. the area between KSC and Kerbin City, would be the Kerbal equivalent of Silicon Valley or the German Ruhrgebiet. Most rockets and rocket parts would be built there, with chemical factories supplying the fuels and computer factories producing guidance systems. Wouldn't it be cool to drive cargo wagons with the Probodobodyne or MechJeb or Rockomax logo?

And the area will be highly urbanized - wineyards and urbanized villages housing luxury mansions on the eastern slopes of the Kafrican Alps, factories and worker settlements in the middle, a recreational city spanning some 60 to 70 kilometers with more luxury mansions on the beachside. The industrial area will border the northern suburbs of Kerbin City. Northwards from KSC, it would continue for some 20-30 kilometers before turning into pure farmland.

@Lo Var Lachland The only freeware routes supplied are C&O and London-Edinburgh.

Edited February 10, 2018 by MedwedianPresident

[Kerbinchaser]

3 minutes ago, MedwedianPresident said:

As already stated before, the whole eastern part of the tip of Kafrica, e.g. the area between KSC and Kerbin City, would be the Kerbal equivalent of Silicon Valley or the German Ruhrgebiet. Most rockets and rocket parts would be built there, with chemical factories supplying the fuels and computer factories producing guidance systems. Wouldn't it be cool to drive cargo wagons with the Probodobodyne or MechJeb or Rockomax logo?

And the area will be highly urbanized - wineyards and urbanized villages housing luxury mansions on the eastern slopes of the Kafrican Alps, factories and worker settlements in the middle, a recreational city spanning some 60 to 70 kilometers with more luxury mansions on the beachside. The industrial area will border the northern suburbs of Kerbin City. Northwards from KSC, it would continue for some 20-30 kilometers before turning into pure farmland.

@Lo Var Lachland The only freeware routes supplied are C&O and London-Edinburgh.

not even Kickstarter county? 

 

And also, I agree with you. I can reskin some cars to have the logos...

[MedwedianPresident]

And high-speed trains to transport kerbonauts from the surrounding cities to KSC...

[YNM]

Maybe get some inspiration from how they've done it in Russia ?

[MedwedianPresident]

Of course. But the difference between the KSC and Baikonur is that Baikonur is the largest settlement within a 500 kilometer radius while KSC is located amidst a densely populated industrial zone.

[MedwedianPresident]

@Lo Var Lachland @YNM Could you provide me with a high quality heightmap of KSC and the surrounding area?

[Kerbinchaser]

3 hours ago, MedwedianPresident said:

@Lo Var Lachland @YNM Could you provide me with a high quality heightmap of KSC and the surrounding area?

Wish I could.  

[MedwedianPresident]

I have started an experimental route. Made some farmland west of the KSC.

Edited February 12, 2018 by MedwedianPresident

[MedwedianPresident]

@Lo Var Lachland What do you think?

[Kerbinchaser]

21 minutes ago, MedwedianPresident said:

@Lo Var Lachland What do you think?

Oooooh!! It looks awesome! Can I have the .cdp? 

[MedwedianPresident]

How do I recover a .cdp? Or do I really need to upload it to the DLS?

[Kerbinchaser]

DLS I think

 

[MedwedianPresident]

Okay. BTW, do you have any idea on how the models of the space center buildings can be ported into Trainz?

[YNM]

13 hours ago, MedwedianPresident said:

Could you provide me with a high quality heightmap of KSC and the surrounding area?

I think you can grab it from SCAN's files somewhere, or from the game files itself. As KSP planets are generated through a similar means, they should be available.

For the reference on russian launch sites, I don't mean the placement, I mean on how they lay rails within the facility. Using rails prelude the usage of VABs for example. The outside could be simpler - SSRBs were carried by train, so it's not too weird to look for reference in the US as well.

Edited February 12, 2018 by YNM

[MedwedianPresident]

I think I understand what you mean, @YNM. It is EXTREMELY unrealistic to think that all (or any) vessels are assembled within the VAB or SPH - some are larger than those buildings. As outlined before, there is a large industrial complex within and southwest from KSC, where rockets are built in large hangars, fuels produced by stinking factories and where the workers employed in the Kerbal Space Program live in large barracks. There are heavy railways connecting the factories with KSC and Kerbin City, with some of them leading directly to the hangars and launchpads of the KSC and light railways, possibly forming one system with the metropolitan rail of Kerbin City, transporting persons.

I think that we should outline a rought plan for the route we will be building.

43 minutes ago, YNM said:

I think you can grab it from SCAN's files somewhere, or from the game files itself. As KSP planets are generated through a similar means, they should be available.

BTW: How can I grab it from the game files? And SCANSat's heightmaps are of relatively bad quality, unusable for small-scale modelling.

[YNM]

3 hours ago, MedwedianPresident said:

It is EXTREMELY unrealistic to think that all (or any) vessels are assembled within the VAB or SPH - some are larger than those buildings.

If you want to do vehicles, you have to be able to house it in. Real-life VAB and whatever the N-1 used can fit them, so I expect if some is actually larger than them, theye have to be retrofitted or a new facility have to be built. If BFR is significantly larger than Saturn V then they'll need a new building (though from current scaled representations, it seems not quite).

 

For the planet surfaces, I reckon you should ask those that maintain Kopernicus as they need to insert heightmaps to make the planets. They probably know where the files is in.

And if you think the scale is bad, I think KSP Planets are pretty rounded anyway 

Edited February 12, 2018 by YNM

[MedwedianPresident]

19 minutes ago, YNM said:

If you want to do vehicles, you have to be able to house it in. Real-life VAB and whatever the N-1 used can fit them, so I expect if some is actually larger than them, theye have to be retrofitted or a new facility have to be built. If BFR is significantly larger than Saturn V then they'll need a new building (though from current scaled representations, it seems not quite).

 

For the planet surfaces, I reckon you should ask those that maintain Kopernicus as they need to insert heightmaps to make the planets. They probably know where the files is in.

And if you think the scale is bad, I think KSP Planets are pretty rounded anyway 

Yes. I will ask the Kopernicus maintainers.

[MedwedianPresident]

@YNM Do you have any idea on how to get VAB/SPH/Building models?

[Kerbinchaser]

@MedwedianPresident in one of your pics, it shows traffic signals. Did you get those from the DLS?

 

[MedwedianPresident]

@Lo Var Lachland  YARNISH intersection comes with them. Also note that the country surrounding KSC uses rather american signs, while signs more similar to the Vienna Convention are used on the premises of the KSC - this is to cater for kerbonauts and scientists from other countries. KSC is a special administrative region under international jurisdiction with its own laws. BTW: How could the flag of KSC look?

[Kerbinchaser]

1 hour ago, MedwedianPresident said:

@Lo Var Lachland  YARNISH intersection comes with them. Also note that the country surrounding KSC uses rather american signs, while signs more similar to the Vienna Convention are used on the premises of the KSC - this is to cater for kerbonauts and scientists from other countries. KSC is a special administrative region under international jurisdiction with its own laws. BTW: How could the flag of KSC look?

Mmmm. Want me to design one?