Firespitter propeller plane and helicopter parts v7.1 (May 5th) for KSP 1.0

[Hooligan Labs]

Snjo, I see that left/right determination thing is still being used! I thought I'd drop by this page because I saw bac9, the new dev, is using your plugin too so I thought I would see how everything is going. Grats all around!

[aggressorblue]

The check happens the very first time the vessel is launched, then the left/right value is written to a persistent value.

(otherwise you'll get weird behavior when loading a nearby vessel before the one with the wheels)

Hmmm, interesting. Is this data stored to the craft file or something? Perhaps I could manually change it?

[Snjo]

Hmmm, interesting. Is this data stored to the craft file or something? Perhaps I could manually change it?

it's this stuff:

[KSPField(guiActive = false, guiName = "invertMotion", isPersistant = true)]

private bool invertMotion = false;

[KSPField(guiActive = false, guiName = "invertSet", isPersistant = true)]

private bool invertSet = false;

so you would just find the line in the persistence, or possibly the craft file (not sure), with invertMotion, and set it the way you want. If you then set invertSet to true, it won't check again.

[Snjo]

Snjo, I see that left/right determination thing is still being used! I thought I'd drop by this page because I saw bac9, the new dev, is using your plugin too so I thought I would see how everything is going. Grats all around!

I saw he became a Made Man too, pretty awesome

[Hooligan Labs]

While this might be an unusual case, perhaps rather than doing vessel.transform.right it would be best to do transform.root.right? In theory that would point to the parent of everything, the core part. I never expected vessel to get confused, though.

Edit: Link http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/ScriptReference/Transform-root.html

Edited May 14, 2013 by Hooligan Labs

[Snjo]

While this might be an unusual case, perhaps rather than doing vessel.transform.right it would be best to do transform.root.right? In theory that would point to the parent of everything, the core part. I never expected vessel to get confused, though.

Edit: Link http://docs.unity3d.com/Documentation/ScriptReference/Transform-root.html

Useful stuff, but I can't imagine that would be a more sure bet than the vessel transform direction, which would in (almost) all cases be based on controlling pod. I think I'll accept some edge case bugs rather than massive uncertainty.

[Snjo]

Pre-release 4.2

I've been pretty lazy lately, but I figured it was time I got the push prop function out there at least

Download

Changes:

- Windmilling propellers, with constant spin rate while active. (Only on the 0.5m engine for now. Updating the older propeller meshes before I apply it there)

- Performance tweaks (caching values), and made classes public

- Tail rotor max thrust is now 0.25-32 instead of 0.25-infinity

- 0.5m engine can now reverse for push prop setups, or taxiing (using a new module that can be used on any engine)

- Uncommented FAR values

Still to be done for 4.2:

Better propellers

f-86 tail jet

Propeller EVA hand crank

electric 0.5m propeller

Update the old cockpits with switches

Gyrocopter blades / autorotate (if I can get to it)

engine idle sound

Edited May 15, 2013 by Snjo

[Darren9]

Thanks again for some more stuff Snjo. 1000 thrusts is the most I've reversed at full throttle - looks like I'll be able to increase that a bit

[Lazurkri]

I have a request for you; try to do a "soviet" style helicopter, something like the Mi-25 "Hind" or maybe even something more ambitous like the MI-28 "Halo", the biggest helicopter in the world.

In case you were wondering what a "Hind" and "Halo" are, here's some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MI-24

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mi-26

[Read have Read]

I have a request for you; try to do a "soviet" style helicopter, something like the Mi-25 "Hind" or maybe even something more ambitous like the MI-28 "Halo", the biggest helicopter in the world.

In case you were wondering what a "Hind" and "Halo" are, here's some links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MI-24

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mi-26

Someone on the Spaceport created a Homer Mi-12

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/mil-v-12-homer-twin-rotor-helicopter/

It actually works on cargo throttle. You'll need the last version of KAS for this file, along with legacy multiwheels and the MK4 cargo.

[Snjo]

You can now put info on your craft. Very useful for shared craft files, and for my example craft. But really for any hard to remember control setup.

[ahappydude]

Great idea cheers

[Snjo]

v4.2 pre-release 2

I think this is the version I'll upload to spaceport tomorrow, but there's always a chance of bugs.

Download

- Electric 0.5m propeller

- Windmilling propellers, with constant spin rate while active.

- An empty bomber fuselage section for reduced weight. (Take off with the included K-17 mk5 to see how much easier that is to get off the ground)

- f-86 style tail jet

- Info window popup part for explaining action groups etc. Good for shared craft files or hard to remember setups.

- 0.5m engine can now reverse for push prop setups, or taxiing (using a new module that can be used on any engine)

- Tail rotor max thrust is now 0.25-32 instead of 0.25-infinity

- Increased propeller engine isp from 1200 to 2000

- Increased old propeller response speed

- Increased node strength on the bomber parts. and landing gears. You can now land a heavy plane without breaking apart.

- Toggle engine ignition, landing gear brakes and retraction from EVA

- Air brake deployment state is now persistent

- Uncommented wing FAR values

- Performance tweaks (caching values), and made classes public

- crew fuselage IVA (not too pretty, but eliminates an IVA cam switch bug)

- hover switch now works in the original copter cockpit

[Mihara]

Excellent mod.

This design seriously needs that 0.5m scale electric propeller, 1m is a bit too big and too powerful for it.

[Snjo]

...

This design seriously needs that 0.5m scale electric propeller, 1m is a bit too big and too powerful for it.

The new 0.5m electric propeller has almost the same thrust as the old bigger one, but you can turn on "Hover Throttle" (silly name) in the action group setup to get 50% max thrust for finer control.

[Mihara]

The new 0.5m electric propeller has almost the same thrust as the old bigger one, but you can turn on "Hover Throttle" (silly name) in the action group setup to get 50% max thrust for finer control.

I was hoping for smaller linear dimensions, lower mass and lower electricity consumption, mostly, though lower thrust would also be appropriate. Right now, TWR on that.. airbike, for lack of a better word, is something like 4 on Kerbin, so it's extremely sensitive in balancing.

[Snjo]

A small bump in ISP makes a great difference in the amount of solar energy you need to collect, so I'll try raising it from 3000 to 3500 ISP, with a max thrust of 40.

Remember, if you need a physically smaller engine, add a line in the config with for instance:

rescaleFactor = 0.625

This will halve the size (default rescaleFactor is 1.25)

[Snjo]

The new version, 4.2, is now on spaceport

Download

v4.2

- Electric 0.5m propeller

- Windmilling propellers, with constant spin rate while active.

- An empty bomber fuselage section for reduced weight. (Take off with the included K-17 mk5 to see how much easier that is to get off the ground and land)

- f-86 style tail jet

- Info window popup part for explaining action groups etc. Good for shared craft files or hard to remember setups.

- 0.5m engine can now reverse for push prop setups, or taxiing (using a new module that can be used on any engine)

- Tail rotor max thrust is now 0.25-32 instead of 0.25-infinity

- Increased propeller engine isp from 1200 to 2000

- Increased old propeller response speed

- Increased node strength on the bomber parts. and landing gears. You can now land a heavy plane without breaking apart.

- Toggle engine ignition, landing gear brakes and retraction from EVA

- Air brake deployment state is now persistent

- Uncommented wing FAR values

- Performance tweaks (caching values), and made classes public

- crew fuselage IVA (not too pretty, but eliminates an IVA cam switch bug)

- hover switch now works in the original copter cockpit

- Apache monitors will display info window text

[Snjo]

Confused? Check the Firespitter parts guide

edit: pretty much filled out now. Let me know if you miss something.

Edited May 21, 2013 by Snjo

[Hooligan Labs]

Nice~! Did not know about those custom Apache wheels until I read this.

[Snjo]

Nice~! Did not know about those custom Apache wheels until I read this.

Hey, I actually learned some new stuff myself. Like, did you know the VTOL has hover mode? I didn't remember that!

[9911MU51C]

Pros:

-Amazing texture job

-Great animation

-Useful parts (like the passenger part and Gyroscope)

-Electric plane engines

-Lots of action group options (Which I think more people need to do!)

-Intake tanks

Cons:

-Parts have a bad weight:size:lift ratio (the large bomber wing has less lift than the standard delta wing...?)

-The electric engines don't work (They get electric starved, even when attached directly to a battery)

-The electric engines deleted themselves from my game after I put them on a plane

-Engines aren't strong enough to get you up to a speed you can maintain intake air

-The cockpits are indestructible (As far as I can tell)

It has a great look and idea (I love WWII style planes with propellers) But, it needs a bit of balancing

[Snjo]

Some good points.

It sounds like you are missing the resources file if the electric engines don't work and disappear. Make sure you put Firespitter.cfg in the Resources folder.

Now for the whole weight to thrust thing. The weight values grew out of the impression that most fuel tanks had a good wight value in the stock part set but the empty fuselage section was way too heavy. So the empty section are skewed towards the weights of dry fuel tanks.

The lift values on the stock wings are very odd. I based the fighter wings directly off the swept wings, which were the ones I'd use for monoplanes. And then, a big problem was that the smaller winglets have way too much lift to get a balanced craft with the main wings in a good position. The bomber wings were simply made to lift the bomber sections, which were in turn designed around a partially full orange tank (although I can see the dry mass of the bomber sections is a bit low).

It's hard to argue that my stuff is right, and the stock stuff is wrong, when after all , I am adding parts to that original set, and not in a vacuum. But in my experiences mixing and matching parts, these values are what worked for my designs.

I'll have to think of how to tweak this stuff to be more consistent while not breaking everything

Oh, and I agree that the cockpits can have a reduction in impact resistance.

[ahd1601]

when are the weapons infinitedice said he was working with you on be released?

[Snjo]

when are the weapons infinitedice said he was working with you on be released?

Oh, right, forgot about those

He's working hard on his stuff. I have a branch of the rocket pod I'm messing around with. I'll throw together a new mesh that looks like a WWII wing mounted rocket array and do some coding tweaks.

Kind of like this: