Mod bundler for "Real Solar System" (DEFUNCT)

[jrandom]

Where do I put it?

Anywhere you like. The 'File' menu in the UI lets you navigate to where you dropped the file.

[tmikesecrist3]

thank you I got it to work

[Playful1510]

I tried to update the manifest file, but now when I try to use that file, java spits out this mess... I checked on line 138, and there is no \t on it.

http://imgur.com/0Z7Fbki.jpg

I figured out what was going on! Apparently, when you start a new line in Notepad+, it indents automatically, and the indents were supposed to be done with spaces!

[jamis]

All: my sincere apologies for letting the manifest file languish. I was out of town, and then changing jobs, and things have been patently crazy. I'm still trying to get my feet under me, but I'm making progress.

I've updated the manifest files with the latest versions (as of this morning). Note that many mods are still in some state of flux because of 0.23.5 (in particular, MechJeb is known to not work very well, and you actually need to download one of the dev builds for now), so things will probably be changing rapidly for a while yet. I'll try and stay on top of things better!

[O Nerd]

Thanks dude! PROBLEMS! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

[NathanKell]

jamis: hope the job changing went/is going well!

A note on MJ: you should always be grabbing the latest dev version; the only difference between a dev version and a version in the OP is that r4m0n edited the OP to point to the latest dev version.

FYI I'll be updating all my stuff very soon (I too have been semi-away, moving).

[sarbian]

Note that many mods are still in some state of flux because of 0.23.5 (in particular, MechJeb is known to not work very well, and you actually need to download one of the dev builds for now)

LIES ! It is perfect !

Starwaster asked for a change related to RSS but it missed the official release by a few minutes. It will be in the dev build soon, and there will most likely be an other official since the current one is not as good as I want it to be...

[Playful1510]

Does the updated RO include the update to RealEngines? Could I also recommend that Distant Object Enhancement be added to the list? Would it be feasible to say on the OP the last time the manifest was updated?

Edited April 8, 2014 by Playful1510

[O Nerd]

My Interstage F.A. is not working. I've tried reinstalling the mod, but it was of no use. The Mod Bundler did it for me, so i can't really find a reason.

EDIT: It doesn't stretch it's radius, base, etc., only the height.

Edited April 8, 2014 by O Nerd

[usulrasolas]

O Nerd, are you in campaign?

And Jamis, I got another one for you for future consideration:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/76156-0-23-5-Procedural-mod-resource-storage-parts

[NathanKell]

All my mods' links (except RftS--will fix soon) have been ported over to GitHub. In addition, RO now no longer by default includes RealEngines; that needs to be grabbed from the link the OP (or RftS, also from link in OP).

[BombastixderTeutone]

Hi,

Is the mod bundler still up to date? Are you still maintaining it Jamis, since it's one of the most practical mods out there

[jamis]

My apologies. I fell off the face of the planet again, didn't I? Things are crazy, and this might be the new normal for a while, for me.

I've updated the manifest, but as I haven't had a chance to test any of the updates...it might be just as broken now as it was before. Please post issues you discover and I'll try to address them as quickly as I can. (For example, I just saw NathanKell's last post here and realized that I probably need to update the manifest to include RealEngines now... I'll see about getting that added this afternoon, if at all possible.)

[Jobin]

Someone really needs to get to work on this. I can't get it to work and can't get real fuels to work. There's just too many mods to download for this for it to be reasonable to get them all individually. The UI never loads for me no matter what I do.

[jandcando]

I think part of the problem is that some mods are updated to .23.5, and other are still on .23. RemoteTech is not going to update to .23.5 ever, apparently. I feel like we should all stay on .23 for the sake of everything working.

@NathanKell, I would really appreciate it if you could post the .23 versions of your mods in addition to the .23.5 versions. I don't think I ever installed RO correctly in the first place, so I want a fresh start and I can't get the core mod versions that work with all the other mods.

[jandcando]

Someone really needs to get to work on this. I can't get it to work and can't get real fuels to work. There's just too many mods to download for this for it to be reasonable to get them all individually. The UI never loads for me no matter what I do.

I understand how you feel. I managed to get the game to load, but I think I didn't install all the things right, and I got stuck in the tech tree because I couldn't get anything new done. I feel like everyone involved in writing code for this pack needs to collectively create ways to make this easier for people to install, as it is such a good idea and it is almost working smoothly. Maybe create a single massive mod that asks you what features you do or don't want when the game loads?

[NathanKell]

While I can certainly point to various older releases of my own mods (and I know ferram keeps his old releases available) it's less certain for other mods. Further, now that IR is updated for .23.5, I am unaware of any mod that works in .23 but fails in .23.5 (RT2 was *also* unsupported for .23, basically, but we still used it; and we can still use it now. The title of the thread is just saying don't bug *Cilph* with bug reports, he's busy).

I agree that right now there's a lot of misc patches floating around; Medieval Nerd and I are trying to centralize a bit more. However, I am not (and cannot) create a giant single mod[pack] that does it all; that's why this thread and tool exists, because licenses (and good sense) prevent us from doing that. (And I am not going to rewrite giant plugins and recreate parts just so that the download can be one big piece instead of via this tool or manually).

I'm currently (with MN, who's just released an update to RPL) going over the mods required. We'll get this sorted out somewhat better at least!

[jamis]

I've got some sad news, all. If I'm going to be completely honest with myself, and with you, I have to admit that I really don't have the time right now to maintain this. I'm going to have to walk away from it for awhile, I'm afraid. This means it will rapidly lose its usefulness, unless there is someone that wants to step up and start maintaining it.

I'll warn you--it's not easy to maintain.

This is because it is flawed. I could write at length about the fundamental problems here, like how some mods are distributed as RAR files, and some as zip files. Or how everyone seems to have a different way of hosting their mods (dropbox? mediafire? self-hosting? spaceport? something else entirely, potentially impossible to automate?) Or like how some mods archive their own subdirectory structure, while others bundle their GameData contents, and yet others start their distribution at the KSP root directory. Or how there is no way, currently, for mod authors to specify their dependencies in an easily-automatable way. Or how SpacePort doesn't let you download older versions of mods, which means the entire modding universe needs to upgrade in lock-step with every other mod.

Like I said. I won't go into it at length.

Suffice to say that what the community really needs is to address these more fundamental issues first. Trying to build a mod installer without that infrastructure means that the installer must do like my bundler did and encode all that logic in the manifest files. This results in a lot (A LOT) of work for whoever maintains the manifest files, because things change constantly, and with no prior notice. Breakage is the normal way of things, because it is impossible for one maintainer to constantly be testing every permutation of mod combinations as things get updated.

Anyway, if someone really wants to take over maintenance of the bundler, please feel free to fork the GitHub project and go for it, with my blessing (and condolences ). For now, though, I'm going to update the initial post in this thread to indicate the true status of the project, so that people don't expect it to work anymore.

It's been a great run, and it was a good proof of concept. I'd love to see someone (or some group) take the next step and spearhead some standards!

Cheers,

Jamis

[NathanKell]

Good luck with RL!

If no one else steps up I'll try to at least keep it current with my stuff--it's a wonderful tool and has saved me a ton of tech-support time, since installation is the #1 issue people have.

[tmikesecrist3]

thank you nathan... If I wasnt such a dunce when it came to programing I would try.... but well I did study programin about 14 years ago... when I try I keep getting it mixed up with every programing langege I learned :S look back over your code, and realize that you put everying in it form basic, vbug... an every thing ese I fooled with

[Guest]

Humm, someone really needs to talk with all these mod authors... I know everyone wants control over their own work, but this "oh hey you, dont distribute my mod in a package! or else!!" mentality is causing lots of issues and steep learning curves.

not to be a tyrant, but, but a notice of "allow redistribution (with work credited) or face dis-inclusion and replacement" might rattle some cages. Like really if author "X" is being uncooperative how hard would it be to re-write their code and banish them to the nether?

Like i said, i dont want to sound like a tyrant... but if they wont play nice...dont invite them out to play at all....

[tmikesecrist3]

Well I wonder if any one has tried asking for permission, if I made a mod I would not like it if some one put it in a mod pack, but of some one asked me I would likely say yes, as look as I got credit for my work

[Guest]

Well I wonder if any one has tried asking for permission, if I made a mod I would not like it if some one put it in a mod pack, but of some one asked me I would likely say yes, as look as I got credit for my work

I believe that is the issue, many say "yes", but some are hold outs and wont allow the packaging. Hence my post about the "play nice or dont get invited out to play" post

Note i have no 1st hand info on this, but from all the warnings about redistribution i believe this is the case

[tmikesecrist3]

I think what some of the hold outs are afread of is not being asked or if the give some people permission other people will assume the have permission. I have seen that happen so many times in game mods... it can really be quit a mess

[Guest]

you make a good point! i did not think of that

Maybe some type of "official packing permission" should be made, this could allow "big package" makers permission , like "RSS/RO/RPL package" or "Interstellar package" but keep other people on the "i'm sorry no" list.

There arnt that many "big mod packages" that i have seen past RSS/RO/RPL that really "need" a package to simplify installation for the masses. I remember my 1st few installs of the RSS/RO/RPL suggested mod combination, it was abit confusing but with effort and time and many helpful people in the community i did get it down right.

I do see many new people having instruction/install issues and it makes me feel we need another option... not every gamer is file/folder structure wizard or even knowledgeable about computers past playing zero configuration needed game, but they do want to try the wonderful setups that have been created (RSS being a prime example).

I guess we will see how it goes... but to any mod makers reading this... many want to try your work out in combination "packages" but lack the ability to work out the kinks, limited allowance of packaging could really help your work shine and improve the quality of KSP community gaming as a whole. I implore you, please consider it for the "big packages", we would all be thankful