[1.9.x] REKT Escape Pod Mod

[JediRangerkendor]

I have 1.6.1, and have to report that I still have the OTAV going into a spin once the winglets are deployed. How do I tell if the RLS mod is working?

[linuxgurugamer]

On 5/18/2019 at 3:52 AM, JediRangerkendor said:

I have 1.6.1, and have to report that I still have the OTAV going into a spin once the winglets are deployed. How do I tell if the RLS mod is working?

RLS mod?

Also, this seems to be your first post in this thread

[JediRangerkendor]

On 5/21/2019 at 7:00 PM, linuxgurugamer said:

RLS mod?

Also, this seems to be your first post in this thread

Retractable Lifting Surface

[linuxgurugamer]

Hit the F12 and watch the aero forces

[AmpCat]

Love this mod. I've always been a fan of having lifeboats on stations, but sometimes making my own can add up to a lot of parts (and KSP does not play well with my 500 part stations as it is). However, I'm just starting to use it, so I'm trying to figure out exactly what configurations are used on the pods for landing, returning from orbit, etc. Is there a document file somewhere?

[AmpCat]

Also, any chance the cargo could support B9 Part Switcher and the community resource pack? Not sure if it's easy to have it use both that and the other one, but seems like a lot of the new mods are going to B9's solution. At least, the ones I use.

[linuxgurugamer]

1 hour ago, AmpCat said:

Love this mod. I've always been a fan of having lifeboats on stations, but sometimes making my own can add up to a lot of parts (and KSP does not play well with my 500 part stations as it is). However, I'm just starting to use it, so I'm trying to figure out exactly what configurations are used on the pods for landing, returning from orbit, etc. Is there a document file somewhere?

Beyond the OP, you can read the original thread here:  

 

53 minutes ago, AmpCat said:

Also, any chance the cargo could support B9 Part Switcher and the community resource pack? Not sure if it's easy to have it use both that and the other one, but seems like a lot of the new mods are going to B9's solution. At least, the ones I use.

Not at the present time. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I may do that eventually, but not now.  And of course, if someone were to send me a PR with the changes, I'd be happy to accept it

[AmpCat]

26 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Beyond the OP, you can read the original thread here:  

 

Not at the present time. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I may do that eventually, but not now.  And of course, if someone were to send me a PR with the changes, I'd be happy to accept it

Looks like I really need to learn some MM skills here. Lots of mods I'd like to help improve, but most people are busy. I'll see what I can figure out. Thanks!

[linuxgurugamer]

1 hour ago, AmpCat said:

Looks like I really need to learn some MM skills here. Lots of mods I'd like to help improve, but most people are busy. I'll see what I can figure out. Thanks!

If you really want  to, take a look at this mod:

Go to the last post.  If you follow the links to Github, you can look at the parts files to see how I converted them from Firespitter to B9PartSwitch

This one is probably the best:

https://github.com/linuxgurugamer/OrbitalTug/releases/download/1.3.0/OrbitalTug-SeparatePatchesFromParts.zip

because it has all the MM configs in a MM_Patches directory.

Good luck, and feel free to ask for help if you get stuck.  Since you are learning, it may take a little while.

[AmpCat]

2 minutes ago, linuxgurugamer said:

If you really want  to, take a look at this mod:

Go to the last post.  If you follow the links to Github, you can look at the parts files to see how I converted them from Firespitter to B9PartSwitch

This one is probably the best:

https://github.com/linuxgurugamer/OrbitalTug/releases/download/1.3.0/OrbitalTug-SeparatePatchesFromParts.zip

because it has all the MM configs in a MM_Patches directory.

Good luck, and feel free to ask for help if you get stuck.  Since you are learning, it may take a little while.

Thanks for the links. I do software for a living, so it shouldn't be too bad. Just need to learn the syntax and ins and outs of how MM works. One question I do have though, when testing a change for a patch file, is there an easier way than reloading the whole game? I have a lot of mods (and even with none) it takes a long time to load.

[linuxgurugamer]

Just now, AmpCat said:

Thanks for the links. I do software for a living, so it shouldn't be too bad. Just need to learn the syntax and ins and outs of how MM works. One question I do have though, when testing a change for a patch file, is there an easier way than reloading the whole game? I have a lot of mods (and even with none) it takes a long time to load.

Make a test install.  Only have in it the mod you are testing (and any dependencies, of course).  If you want, you can delete all stock parts except for the Cubic Octagonal Strut.  Load times will be much faster.  If it hangs during loading and you've deleted the stock parts, try putting them back and see what happens

[AmpCat]

Ah. No way to just reload one mod, while the game is running?

Also, for this particular mod, I've found that all the pods seem to sink pretty fast if you hit the water. I know I had this problem with one of Nertea's pods, and he fixed it, so should be a way to tweak something. But I don't know what that would be. I know you maintain a bazillion mods here and might not have time to fix little things, but thought I'd let you know.

[linuxgurugamer]

20 minutes ago, AmpCat said:

Ah. No way to just reload one mod, while the game is running?

Also, for this particular mod, I've found that all the pods seem to sink pretty fast if you hit the water. I know I had this problem with one of Nertea's pods, and he fixed it, so should be a way to tweak something. But I don't know what that would be. I know you maintain a bazillion mods here and might not have time to fix little things, but thought I'd let you know.

Not really, (reloading during game).  Part of the problem is that ModuleManager is needed, and by the time you would have that run with everything else, you might as just restart the game.

Try playing around with: 

// This goes in the main body of the part config

buoyancyScalar = 1

That's the default, try making it 1.1 or 1.2.

[DStaal]

There is a way to have MM do a reload without restarting the game - but I've never found it helped much.  It has to do a full reload, and by the time it's done that you might as well have restarted.

[AmpCat]

3 hours ago, linuxgurugamer said:

Not really, (reloading during game).  Part of the problem is that ModuleManager is needed, and by the time you would have that run with everything else, you might as just restart the game.

Try playing around with: 

// This goes in the main body of the part config

buoyancyScalar = 1

That's the default, try making it 1.1 or 1.2.

Okay. I don't see one listed, so I'll add it in and try. I'll also fix the tags while I'm at it. The parts seem to be missing some obvious ones.

I should probably figure out how to submit code to github for people too.

2 hours ago, DStaal said:

There is a way to have MM do a reload without restarting the game - but I've never found it helped much.  It has to do a full reload, and by the time it's done that you might as well have restarted.

I think I tried that once, and yeah, might as well have started over.

[AmpCat]

Also in REKT, I noticed one of the buttons (I think to activate engine, I'll look again) said #autoLOC_5012 (the number might not be right). What do those mean, and how would I go about fixing it? I see the numbers under ActionNames, but I don't know what each number means.

Think I figured it out. It's a localization string. I'll pin it down and see if I can fix it.

Edited May 25, 2019 by AmpCat

[linuxgurugamer]

13 hours ago, AmpCat said:

Also in REKT, I noticed one of the buttons (I think to activate engine, I'll look again) said #autoLOC_5012 (the number might not be right). What do those mean, and how would I go about fixing it? I see the numbers under ActionNames, but I don't know what each number means.

Think I figured it out. It's a localization string. I'll pin it down and see if I can fix it.

Look in the directory :   GameData\SHED\REKT\Localization

All localization strings are in the files in this directory

[AmpCat]

Yep, found it. Seems there's 3 localization strings simply not present in it for one of the pods. I added these to REKT_en-us.cfg. They were simply not there, but referenced from the DeepFreeze cryo pod one. Probably needs added in the other languages as well.

		#autoLOC_REKT_0015 = Cryo Generator 
		#autoLOC_REKT_0016 = Start Generator
		#autoLOC_REKT_0017 = Stop Generator

I also added a few tags like 'REKT' and 'OTAV' to all the parts (as applicable).

I'm also going through and tweaking bouyancies so all the pods float. Seems like that would be designed into escape pods in some fashion. I'll get a pull request setup for some of these changes which seem like bug fixes.

I also might look into the retro-rockets on the Mk1n. Either there's something not quite right with the landertron landing code, or they don't have quite enough fuel/thrust to safely land on Kerbin, at least, on rockets alone. There's some other balance sort of things which seem off for these to be very useful, especially when considering a basic life support mod like Snacks!. These might be more up to personal preference, though. Once I fiddle with this, I'll do a separate pull request.

Edited May 26, 2019 by AmpCat

[AmpCat]

Okay, think I got the floatiness figured out for each of the pods. I also noticed the CG of the pods is not on the centerline (at least the ones with RCS), so they have a tendency to rotate when RCS is used, even though the RCS is symmetric.

For the Mk1n (retro-rocket variant), the rockets seem to fire based on altitude above sea level, as best I can tell, which causes it to make a very hard landing on land above sea level. Sometimes the pod survives, especially if there's a sacrificial part to take the impact on the bottom. Over water, the engine stops a bit above the surface and then the pod falls, hitting the water at over 40m/s, and destroying it. Not sure how I want to handle this one. Using the landertrons doesn't give you enough time to deploy a 'chute after the rockets fire, so may just have to not use that feature at all. Maybe see if the landertron mod can be updated to be a bit more safe with firing altitude. Need to try this on an airless body as well, to see how it works. I'm not very confident, though.

Also, for all the pods, save the Cryo tube (with an RTG), the EC is a big issue. With Snacks! installed, at least, power only lasts a few minutes.Some mods require some small amount of power to keep Kerbals alive. This means the pods either need some solar panels, a fuel cell, or an RTG. There is a fuel cell part, but it's not stackable, so limited in use. Maybe I can look at adding another attachment node on the end. Even then, I'll need to see how long it'll last. Needs to be on the order of a week, at least.

Any one have thoughts on these and what a good solution would be? I'll try to implement it, if it's simple. I got my github stuff setup, and I'll fork the repository and try this out.

Edit: Okay, also the only pod that can survive Kerbin re-entry without extra parts is the Mk1a. The other's can barely make it with something on the bottom to help survive the heating.

Edit2: The REKT Fuel Cell lasts about a week on it's 1unit of monoprop, which is pretty decent, considering the pods have a reasonable supply as well. Some initial tests of the retro-rocket pod on airless bodies seems to be pretty good. Just not so good on atmospheric planets. Chose your pod wisely. Or bring a small variety for multi-destination missions. Of course, supplies won't last more than a week for a rescue. Keep that in mind.

Edited May 27, 2019 by AmpCat

[DStaal]

The Mk1a is the only one intended for use on worlds with air - it's designed to be used with a parachute for final landing.  The Mk1n is designed for landing on airless worlds.  (Which worked last I tried it - though you needed to cancel orbital velocity with something.)  The one with the cryo tube is designed for deep space - you wait to be picked up, you don't land the pod.

For EC - they're really only designed to have enough EC to land.  If they don't have that with Snacks! installed, I'd create a compatibility patch for Snacks! which increases the EC.  (And possibly for USI-LS.)  But really, only the deep-space pods should need more than an hour of EC.

If you're having issues with the retro-rockets, I'd bring that up in the Landertron thread, as the auto-fire feature is completely with that mod.  (The pod should still work without Landertron IIRC - you just have to be able to fire the rocket for the suicide burn yourself...)

On the EC front - I tried for a while to create some sort of solid-fuel fuel cell for the Cryo tube for the initial charge for the Deepfreeze function.  Last I checked, it didn't work because Deepfreeze would only work if it could get the EC in one chunk.  I reported that as a bug, I'm not sure if it's been addressed.

[cakepie]

10 minutes ago, DStaal said:

On the EC front - I tried for a while to create some sort of solid-fuel fuel cell for the Cryo tube for the initial charge for the Deepfreeze function.  Last I checked, it didn't work because Deepfreeze would only work if it could get the EC in one chunk.  I reported that as a bug, I'm not sure if it's been addressed.

Hm, that should have been fixed in https://github.com/steedcrugeon/REKT/pull/7 which is even before LGG took over the mod.
Would appreciate if someone can confirm if it's still working. @ me if it's somehow broke again and I'll take another look.

 

[DStaal]

9 hours ago, cakepie said:

Hm, that should have been fixed in https://github.com/steedcrugeon/REKT/pull/7 which is even before LGG took over the mod.
Would appreciate if someone can confirm if it's still working. @ me if it's somehow broke again and I'll take another look.

I'll admit I haven't tried it in a while - but the problem last I saw wasn't on REKT's side.  A code change in Deepfreeze had meant that the EC was just wasted that way, as Deepfreeze wouldn't use it - it had to grab the entire EC out of storage in one moment.  (That is - there actually had to be battery capacity larger than the Deepfreeze startup cost, it couldn't take it over time.)

[linuxgurugamer]

On 5/18/2019 at 3:52 AM, JediRangerkendor said:

I have 1.6.1, and have to report that I still have the OTAV going into a spin once the winglets are deployed. How do I tell if the RLS mod is working?

Do you have all the parts installed?  Including the vertical stabiliziers (small part which goes on top).

Hit F12 to see the aero forces

On 5/25/2019 at 7:25 PM, AmpCat said:

I'm also going through and tweaking bouyancies so all the pods float. Seems like that would be designed into escape pods in some fashion. I'll get a pull request setup for some of these changes which seem like bug fixes

You probably are already doing this, but check the buoyancy for the OTAV as well, I just tried it, and it's now floating 3 meters below the surface

Hee hee.  Just figured out how to get the OTAV to the surface.  EVA the kerbal and just hold on, takes a while, but it eventually gets to the surface

Edited May 27, 2019 by linuxgurugamer

[AmpCat]

8 hours ago, linuxgurugamer said:

You probably are already doing this, but check the buoyancy for the OTAV as well, I just tried it, and it's now floating 3 meters below the surface

Hee hee.  Just figured out how to get the OTAV to the surface.  EVA the kerbal and just hold on, takes a while, but it eventually gets to the surface

Yep, I fixed the OTAV as well. It only need a little boost. Some of the pods needed a BIG boost. I didn't check the KIS or cargo pods, really. Those could be highly variable from what I'm guessing. Had a busy day, so not been able to do a final QC check and figure out how to do all the git things.

Oh, I also was able to confirm the control surface weirdness that was reported earlier. I think if I tried controlling it with just yaw and pitch it was okay, though. I didn't play with the aerodynamics too much as of yet.

11 hours ago, DStaal said:

I'll admit I haven't tried it in a while - but the problem last I saw wasn't on REKT's side.  A code change in Deepfreeze had meant that the EC was just wasted that way, as Deepfreeze wouldn't use it - it had to grab the entire EC out of storage in one moment.  (That is - there actually had to be battery capacity larger than the Deepfreeze startup cost, it couldn't take it over time.)

There is a solid propellant generator on the Cryotube that will generate enough EC to either freeze or thaw a Kerbal (but not both). The instructions aren't terribly clear, but if you start the generator it'll kinda sit idle (since power isn't being used much), then hit freeze (or thaw), and it'll consume power while the generator generates all 3000EC from the one unit of solid propellant. Worked fine, but as I mentioned, only for one shot. I thought you only needed EC for freezing, but mine wanted it for thawing too. Maybe that's a config thing.

Also, as I mentioned if you use the REKT fuel cell part, it generates plenty of EC for the amount of supplies you have on board (for Snacks!, at least, not tried other mods). Also, adding just small surface solar panels on each side likewise keeps power levels fairly stable, as long as its orbit doesn't keep it in a shadow too long, orientation of the panels isn't terrible, and it's not too far from Kerbol.

Edited May 28, 2019 by AmpCat

[DStaal]

54 minutes ago, AmpCat said:

There is a solid propellant generator on the Cryotube that will generate enough EC to either freeze or thaw a Kerbal (but not both). The instructions aren't terribly clear, but if you start the generator it'll kinda sit idle (since power isn't being used much), then hit freeze (or thaw), and it'll consume power while the generator generates all 3000EC from the one unit of solid propellant. Worked fine, but as I mentioned, only for one shot. I thought you only needed EC for freezing, but mine wanted it for thawing too. Maybe that's a config thing.

Sounds like it's working as intended then.  It is a config thing, and you need it for both or neither - but the idea was that the pod only needed enough EC to freeze you.  The rescue ship supplies the power to unfreeze.