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[1.9-1.10] Hangar


allista

[b]Do you use the [u]Desaturated Texture Pack?[/u][/b]  

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  1. 1. [b]Do you use the [u]Desaturated Texture Pack?[/u][/b]

    • Yes, the grey textures are more stock-like
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Hangar - store your vessels until they are needed



Introduction

Hangars are parts that can store whole ships inside. Stored ships are not docked but unloaded, which reduces part count considerably, improving framerate and memory footprint while allowing to carry out missions of great complexity.

Aside from the hangars themselves the mod provides a set of utility parts that help in various usage scenarios. To further reduce part count, most parts (including hangars) have multiple integrated modules and resources that are balanced and often eliminate the need to add such things as batteries, lights, generators, probe cores and reaction wheels.

 

 

Features

  • Many different types of hangars for any application
  • Most hangars may be rescaled to the needed size and proportions via tweakables
  • Ships could be stored in hangars at construction time
  • Crew and resources can be transferred between a ship with a hangar and stored ships
  • Ground hangars have anchors for comfort use on low-gravity worlds
  • An asteroid can also be stored in a hangar. If it fits, of course.
  • And vice versa: a hangar can be made inside and asteroid!
  • In addition, many utility parts are provided to help in various usage scenarios.
  • For more information read:

Documentation 

(partially outdated)

ChangeLog


Downloads and Installation

Delete the old version of the mod before installing the new one.

You may keep the config.xml to save positions of GUI windows.

Before any upgrade I recommend you to backup your saves.

Releases are available at:

  • Spacedock is the main download page
  • CKAN is now officially supported
  • GitHub (including beta pre-releases, all releases and source code)

Before using a hangar, study the list of modules that are integrated into it (RMB on part's icon).

Many of the hangars have plenty of modules (like batteries, command modules, fuel tanks, etc.) to reduce part count. Don't worry, all is balanced by weight and cost, no cheating.

Known Issues

  • GUI:
    • Dropdown lists show vertical scrollbars when there are too many items. But due to the implemented click-through prevention mechanism the scrollbars cannot be moved by mouse cursor; use mouse wheel instead. And curse Unity3D for the poor GUI API.
  • Rovers:
    • Rovers stored in editor have somewhat smaller dimensions due to inactive suspension of the wheels. So if you pack several rovers tightly into a hangar, and than launch one of them, the launched rover sometimes cannot be stored again into that same hangar with the "No room ..." message. Again: it's no bug, calculations are performed correctly, the rover's just got bigger.
  • Mod Conflicts: none at the moment.
  • Other:
    • Removing Hangar in career mode sometimes corrupts the savegame (the user cannot enter VAB/SPH and so on). To fix such savegame see

the HOWTO.

Requirements

Recommended mods

  • Extraplanetary Launchpads: big ground hangars are not suitable as parts for vessel construction and are too heavy to launch anyway. So the only meaningful way to use them is to build them on site.
  • Throttle Controlled Avionics: if you're planning to build VTOLs and hovercrafts with spaceplane hangars, this mod (which I currently maintain) will help greatly as it ads automatic thrust balancing and altitude control.
  • Editor Extensions: invaluable for vessel design. Even considering 0.90 editor improvements.

Supported mods

Hangar supports KSP Addon Version Checker.

And some functionality and parts are added if the following mods are installed:

Unsupported Mods

  • Asteroid Recycling Technologies is not compatible with the Asteroid Hangars framework. Both mods can be installed at the same time, but you cannot use the same asteroid both as a hangar and by ART machinery.

Acknowledgements

First of, I want to thank my beloved wife for her support, understanding and help. This work takes much time...

I also want to thank:

  • Taniwha for inspiration and advice.
  • DragonEG for helping me to fix the friction problem.
  • Kerbas-ad-astra for making AntennaRange adaptation.
  • Thorbane for making Switchable Tank Type configs for support of USI (MKS/OKS, FFT, Karbonite, Karbonite+) and initial support of KSPI to Switchable Tanks.

A record that I used to create propeller sound effect was obtained at Sound Jay.

My patrons on Patreon. Thank you for your support!

  • Kevin Casey
  • Bob Palmer
  • Ryan Rasmussen
  • Matthew Zaleski
  • Bart Blommaerts
  • eL.Dude
  • Layne Benofsky
  • Igor Zavoychinskiy
  • Issarlk
  • Meiyo
  • BP
  • Jenna Mitchell
  • Squiddy
  • Ted Achenbach
  • SCESW
  • Patrice Hédé
  • Steve Victory

And here are the mods which sources provided me with an understanding of how KSP API works. And with working solutions in some cases. In no particular order:


 

Source code is licensed under the MIT License.

Models, Textures, Sounds and other assets are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, until stated otherwise.

 

Edited by allista
New version released
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So....I'm sorry, I read it all and I'm still not sure I grasp it, basically it's one tweakable part that functions as a mobile launcher of other ships, but without having to have their parts loaded? You can just launch them whenever?

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Oh, shame on me for not being clear >_<

Pics are coming in 10 hours, I just don't have time to prepare and post them now. Work.

There are several parts that, first of all, can capture and store vessels that are already launched and loaded. Such vessels are saved inside the part, their crew is transferd and then they're unloaded, so they basically disappear from the game. So yes, it is a mobile launcher of a sort.

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This sounds pretty exciting! This will effectively let us keep shipyards but have a virtually way less part count, right?

I'd like to put down a request for you to investigate the built-in KSP toolbar and use that instead. I love blizzy's toolbar but it'd be nice if everyone began to transition to the stock version. Also, having less mods is always a nice part.

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This sounds pretty rad. If I understand correctly, you add this part to your ships and then can load other designs into it when you build the rocket, or you can dock ships and load them in later on?

Curious to know how it interacts with Kerbal Construction time. Absolutely trying it out.

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Yep! The shipyard is what I was having in mind from the beginning of the development. That and parking for rovers in colonies. All to reduce part count.

I'll see to the stock AppLauncher ASAP.

And I've uploaded some screenshots. Nothing edited or pretty, but somewhat explainfull I hope.

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So a viable example of this would be say, I want a rover on the Mun for pre screening a base location:

Instead of having to build a convoluted deployment chassis on the upper stage of a rocket, you build your rover in the spaceplane hangar and save it for later. Go over to VAB, build your rocket with a ground hangar. Then you load said hangar up with the rover and launch with a balanced, low-part-count rocket. Land the thing on the mun, open it up, and out pops your rover. No insane contraptions, no crazy tweaks. Just the vehicle-sized version of a Kerbal Attachment System storage.

Am I getting that image more or less right?

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AdmiralTigerclaw, more or less. With the exception that ground hangrs are not suitable as spaceship parts (look at the picture of one above). You may attach it to the top of the ship, but that would look awfull =^_^=

Instead you could use in-line hangar with the same effect. But in that case the rover will be upside down if you rotate the hangar so that its doors are faced to the ground. I'll have to think of some modifications to implement this scenario. I like it!

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One thing, how do you carry that ground hangar..?

In another, bigger hangar? ≈^_^≈

Actually, you don't. As I've written in the description, I recommend to use Extraplanetary Launchpads to build it on site. Ground hangars are heavy and not meant to be used as transportation system.

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This is a very cool idea. I can't wait to tweak the configs so I can store hangars in other hangars. Hangarception! Or Russian Hangar Dolls. Whatever :D

More seriously, I love this idea. Part count can always be a problem on ground bases and space stations. If I could store all my tugs and transfer vehicles that would not only free up their parts, but all the fiddly docking ports and whatnot that the station needs to attach them to.

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In another, bigger hangar? ≈^_^≈

Actually, you don't. As I've written in the description, I recommend to use Extraplanetary Launchpads to build it on site. Ground hangars are heavy and not meant to be used as transportation system.

Another way could be:

starting with a "hangar package" (quite lighter and smaller) then by using a similar building mechanism as EL, actually build it where it should be, ten use it to store and retrieve crafts.

This hangar package may be some kind of prefab building like the one military use to set up bases on foreign countries.

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A hangar may be stored inside other hangar without any tweaking. There's nothing preventing it =P

As for the rover transportation problem: it seems a very common idea, so I think I'll just make anothe inline model suitable for just that. soul be easy enough.

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Another way could be:

starting with a "hangar package" (quite lighter and smaller) then by using a similar building mechanism as EL, actually build it where it should be, ten use it to store and retrieve crafts.

This hangar package may be some kind of prefab building like the one military use to set up bases on foreign countries.

Lore friendly building requires adding some resource system. Otherwise where do you get the additional mass from? And that would be a remake of EL, in which case it's easier to use EL itself.

But making an inflatable ground hangar of some sort. Now that's an interesting idea. I'll see to it...

Edited by allista
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The idea is amazing!

But is it possible to make it less dependable on ExL? I know it sounds sensible to be unable to launch a ground base hangar due to weight and form factor, but installing ExL just for this purpose in your mod makes it a strange dependancy for a user like me, who does not use ExL.

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Taniwha, even before I started building this I used EL in conjunction with MKS to build a colony and figured that the best way to build colony modules is to use a rover with a small pad (hexagonal one) with its axis oriented horizontally. You position the rover where the module you're building is needed, then link it with KAS to the main base containing the workshop and resources, then build. So even with pads it's quite usable.

Smunisto, the only possibility to do that I can think of right now is to implement the abovementioned inflatable light ground hangars. Such hangars should not have any modules (except command, or they'll be destroyed as debris) and are basically tents to shelter rovers. I already made an Issue on GitHub with this proposal, but for now I won't have time to dig into this totally new functionality. Although the MKS implements some inflattable modules, so there I'll go looking for a start.

Edited by allista
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i tested now the "Habitable inline hanger" and docked it at my station. Inside i stored before twice the Moth (without launcher) . On the station i had 2 kerbals.

In space and after docking i activated the hanger, opened the doors, set pilot for the Moth-Ship and launched it. The little ship was then floating inside the hanger till i switched to it. No pilot in it , it immediatelly started to wooble like hell and exploded with pieces shooting in all directions.

Second launch with second kerbal whent the same way. At tehe moment i have a huge mess around my station.

Any idea why?

*edit*

i tested a bit more. On this 2 launches i was not teleported to the spawned ship. I guess , as the crew was in a unusual crew quarter (one of the OKS modules) it couldn't be teleported to the ship.

Edited by Ringkeeper
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Taniwha, even before I started building this I used EL in conjunction with MKS to build a colony and figured that the best way to build colony modules is to use a rover with a small pad (hexagonal one) with its axis oriented horizontally. You position the rover where the module you're building is needed, then link it with KAS to the main base containing the workshop and resources, then build. So even with pads it's quite usable.

Interesting. I had suggested something like that to another person but it didn't work out. Unfortunately, I don't remember the details (collided with the ground?).

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i tested now the "Habitable inline hanger" and docked it at my station. Inside i stored before twice the Moth (without launcher) . On the station i had 2 kerbals.

In space and after docking i activated the hanger, opened the doors, set pilot for the Moth-Ship and launched it. The little ship was then floating inside the hanger till i switched to it. No pilot in it , it immediatelly started to wooble like hell and exploded with pieces shooting in all directions.

Second launch with second kerbal whent the same way. At tehe moment i have a huge mess around my station.

Any idea why?

*edit*

i tested a bit more. On this 2 launches i was not teleported to the spawned ship. I guess , as the crew was in a unusual crew quarter (one of the OKS modules) it couldn't be teleported to the ship.

Sorry for the mess with your station =( I hope you have your save backed up.

Am I understand correctely that you stored Moths during construction in VAB? If so, they are probably repacked badly on launch from VAB. I thought I got rid of this bug, but apparantely not.

Could you please post a KSP.log somewhere (Pastebin, Dropbox...)?

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Smunisto, the only possibility to do that I can think of right now is to implement the abovementioned inflatable light ground hangars. Such hangars should not have any modules (except command, or they'll be destroyed as debris) and are basically tents to shelter rovers. I already made an Issue on GitHub with this proposal, but for now I won't have time to dig into this totally new functionality. Although the MKS implements some inflattable modules, so there I'll go looking for a start.

Thank you for the swift response and the understanding. I do enjoy the idea of EL, but I find that I have too much stuff to do in KSP(noone would think this is possible, but KSPI+MKS+Karbonite..), so I have not used it yet. I know it's a great mod.

After thinking a bit about it, I realised that the large heavy hangars are useless without EL for anything other than rover storage like you said. So if you manage to make a large inflatable rover storage hangar which retains the functionality and animations(doors opening for immersion, but I think those are part of your core design anyways), it would be totally amazing and sufficient for someone who does not use EL.

And of course, given the fact that you just launched your mod, the development of this part of your mod should not take priority over the important stuff - battling bugs and balancing.

EDIT: Another thing I came up with, since your mod responds to an old issue of the KSP community - part count, is the compatibility of your mod with other cargo transportation systems. I have not installed it and tried it yet, but maybe it will be possible coding-wise to implement the functionality of your mod in any cargo bay part - such as CTS, B9 or Lack's part packs. I have no idea how easy would that be, but it would make your mod even greater, since it will allow great versatility regarding craft uniformity. However I do think implementing it should keep the volume requirements, and calculating those for third party mods may be hard or impossible.

Edited by smunisto
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