Jump to content

Config file question with RPM and ASET


Recommended Posts

Hey guys, new to the forum but have been involved in KSP for about 4 years now...I’ve just recently gotten the bug to make my own IVA for some add ons (mainly airplane parts atm) anyways, I’ve gotten unity and adding basic gauges and preprogrammed buttons is pretty straight forward but attaching a function to a random button is beyond me as well as custom light boxes. I’ve been using RPM and ASET buttons but only the ones already attached to the stock function (brakes, gears, etc) there are many many choices in the pack and I’m trying to expand my options. I’ve read the tutorial but I’m in every sense of the word a noob to coding and the phrases used specifically in the KSP coding. Any good basic tutorials out there?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome to the forum!

One of the difficult aspects of the ASET props and ASET Avionics packs is that they are not robustly documented.  There are hundreds of props, and once you've covered the obvious controls (throttles, action group switches, that sort of thing) it becomes difficult to figure out what the props do.  One option is to look at other RPM IVAs that are using the ASET props packs, and see what props they use.  The odds are pretty good that most of the props you would use in an aircraft IVA are already in RPM, and already functional.  The trick is finding them.

As far as coding - you probably won't need to write any actual code (as far as C# programming is concerned), unless you plan to create a plugin to add more functionality to RPM.  If it's a question of adding a prop because you can't find the right one, you probably will need to write a configuration file.

It's been a few years since I worked on RPM IVAs, but I may be able to point you towards the right props if you give me an idea of what functionality you're looking for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks!,

Ive been lurking on here for years and I love your IVA posts...My idea is to create a realistic cockpit for aviation. I’m a commercial pilot (helicopter) so having a close to fully functional realistic cockpit is my goal.. I’m currently just focused on one right now, the airbus cockpit pod from the airplanes plus mod. Plugins would be a future plan but right now I’m just experimenting with layouts and functionality, working switches, annunciators etc. Yea the amount of options is staggering so it’s just exploring to see what does what right now...On a side note I saw from another post I’ve found that certain mods prevent unity from loading props...I’ve isolated my problem to TweakScale...I have 50+ mods installed and that was causing the conflict so if that question ever pops up somewhere on the forum...One last question. Does KSP use one gauge readout for each stage or current engine running? Ideally I’d like to try to have separate engine parameter gauges, temp, intake air, thrust tracking engine 1 and engine 2...etc. Unfortunately I suspect it might just look at the entire stage and get the info from there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RPM aggregates all active engines, so you won't get separate per-engine gauges.  KSP has separate engine data, but you can't access it through RPM.  There are a couple of reasons for this - first, because it's less data to wrangle, and RPM's flexibility is limited due to its architecture.  For the sake of in-game instruments, you could probably get away with using one set of data repeated on each gauge (I don't know if the engines have different enough values during normal gameplay situations).

I don't know how much this would help, but a modder worked on a B737 glass cockpit a while back.  It looks like he hasn't been around for a couple of years, but his mod is still accessible on DropBox.  He put a fair effort into making some good flight management displays, so it may be usable as a reference.

Another option to consider is to work with the RPM successor, MOARdV's Avionics Systems (MAS), which is a lot more capable than RPM (although it's more complex, too).  MAS supports the Advanced Jet Engines mod, and it allows you to set up some per-engine data tracking (it's a little bit limited right now, but that's because I'm a rocket guy, not an airplane guy :) ).  It also emulates radio navigation functionality (VOR, DMS, ILS).  If you end up needing to create customized props and MFDs to support the cockpit, you might consider it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh sweet I’ll have to check that out...Yea I figured it was limited in what it could track, no biggie thanks..Is it the same type of layout with switches? I see ASET has a bunch of MechJeb switches but they don’t seem to be active, unless I have to write a config file for that, of which I’m just barely starting to get the lingo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Holy moly I dig it! I’m not dead set on using RPM, it’s just what I’ve been familiar with for a while. Im just trying to make a realistic cockpit from a pilots perspective...Question, did you guys learn the config files from just trial and error and experimentation? Or from prior coding experience? I’m currently hung up on trying to make a warning light have a continuous tone..I’ve successfully changed the tone I wanted but when I put the line telling it to play continuously it either just plays the normal tone or none at all...Just time consuming having to load KSP to check a single thing lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/27/2019 at 8:51 PM, RockKrawler said:

On a side note I saw from another post I’ve found that certain mods prevent unity from loading props...I’ve isolated my problem to TweakScale

Hi the actual item causing  the trouble is  a fully commented out cfg in the tweakscale folder called Examples.cfg,  part tools reads this as a cfg containing no info and as you've found freaks right out, simply deleting Examples.cfg and restarting unity will clear the issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, RockKrawler said:

Holy moly I dig it! I’m not dead set on using RPM, it’s just what I’ve been familiar with for a while. Im just trying to make a realistic cockpit from a pilots perspective...Question, did you guys learn the config files from just trial and error and experimentation? Or from prior coding experience? I’m currently hung up on trying to make a warning light have a continuous tone..I’ve successfully changed the tone I wanted but when I put the line telling it to play continuously it either just plays the normal tone or none at all...Just time consuming having to load KSP to check a single thing lol.

The config files were mostly a case of "figure out how stock config files work".  RPM config stuff is mainly "I wrote a big chunk of RPM, so I know how the RPM config stuff works".  Although it's now over 3 years since I've touched RPM configs, so I'd have to go digging through the code and wiki to remember how to configure a prop.

 

12 hours ago, RockKrawler said:

I see ASET has a bunch of MechJeb switches but they don’t seem to be active, unless I have to write a config file for that, of which I’m just barely starting to get the lingo.

The ASET MechJeb switches should work out of the box, unless the interface with MJ isn't working correctly for some reason (which is a possibility).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve decided to go with the MAS system now seeing RPM is quite old...As far as making a config file would the ALCOR cockpit config be a good place to use to see how the config files are set up? I see I have to add a flight computer to the file but as I’ve said I’m new to modding and still learning as I go. Does MAS have built in functionality or does everything have to be built from scratch?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, RockKrawler said:

I’ve decided to go with the MAS system now seeing RPM is quite old...As far as making a config file would the ALCOR cockpit config be a good place to use to see how the config files are set up? I see I have to add a flight computer to the file but as I’ve said I’m new to modding and still learning as I go. Does MAS have built in functionality or does everything have to be built from scratch?

I figured it out, I’m liking the interfacing of MAS. Do you have any suggestions for a plugin tutorial?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, MOARdV said:

What do you have in mind as a plugin?

Not sure if it exists because I’m still learning with your system but maybe mechjeb setup for aircraft autopilot (heading and altitude holding) through IFMS...I’ve just seen orbital options and haven’t quite figured out how to make the buttons active at the moment...I do love the primary flight display for space planes with the attitude indicator and altitude and airspeed tapes. I’m a pilot in real life so I do love the realistic set up. :)

Edited by RockKrawler
Link to comment
Share on other sites

MechJeb aircraft autopilot isn't currently implemented.  It would require code changes in MAS (in particular MASIMechJeb.cs) to plug in to the MJ spaceplane controls.  I never bothered hooking it up, since I tend to be a vertical launch / ballistic landing player, but I imagine that it'd be fairly straightforward (I'd need to go poke around the MechJeb code to be sure).  I can add that to my to-do list.

EDIT: The MAS kOS terminal has a MAS-style attitude hold page.  It's not in the IFMS variant at the moment.

Edited by MOARdV
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, MOARdV said:

The MAS kOS terminal has a MAS-style attitude hold page.  It's not in the IFMS variant at the moment.

 I’ve discovered that page with MAS kOS it’s pretty useful...You’ve created tons of options and I’m discovering new things every time I put something new in..Its a good problem lol. I haven’t even converted and  other ASET props over to MAS because what you already have seems to be more than sufficient for a traditional jet cockpit. Hopefully I’ll get my first IVA wrapped up soon enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/3/2019 at 7:50 PM, RockKrawler said:

Hopefully I’ll get my first IVA wrapped up soon enough.

I look forward to seeing it.

If there are ASET props that you need that aren't available in MAS yet, please feel free to ping me (PM or otherwise).  I think there are some classic ASET avionics parts that haven't been converted.

I've been tempted to make an MFD that's a flight-specific design using the MFD2 prop.  If you haven't looked at the MFD2 Flight page, take a look at it.  Use the left/right arrows and up/down arrows to reconfigure it.  It was originally a basic flight display, but I kept adding configuration options to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, MOARdV said:

I've been tempted to make an MFD that's a flight-specific

Nice! Well if you need any input from a current pilot then hit me up...I could give you some ideas on the current functions currently used on some of the systems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...