[1.4.1] Kerbal Construction Time 1.4.0.69 (2018-03-24) - Unrapid Planned Assembly

[magico13]

Yeah trying again today, something has completely broken KCT. Tech and KSC upgrades are instant despite KCT options saying otherwise. No upgrade points come from tech either.

I'll turn on debugging and get you some logs.

Have you tried deleting all the KCT config files and then starting the game? I'm seeing the issue below in the logs, which would explain the symptoms, but am not sure how its happening. It sounds like a corrupted config file (specifically the KCT_Formulas.cfg file)

NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
  at KerbalConstructionTime.KerbalConstructionTime.UpdateOldFormulaCFG () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at KerbalConstructionTime.KerbalConstructionTime.Start () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

If that for some reason doesn't work, below is a link to the default configs. Use these instead.

http://www.magico13.net/files/KSP/configs.zip

These go in the GameData/KerbalConstructionTime folder directly.

Just a thought. I think it would be neat to be able to split up your VAB/SPH build queues. For example, you could have a separate queue for manned missions and one for your probes. That way you can prioritize missions without interference from the other queues. The upgrade points would work no different.

As the plugin works currently, that might actually be detrimental to the player. They'd spend extra points on rates that might not get used as frequently, in which case they could just buy more rates and fiddle with the ordering of their builds a bit more. The current method ensures that every rate can be used, and that the fastest rates are always used first.

However, where that could work well is if you can purchase additional buildings (which I plan on doing with LaunchPads at some point). So imagine you can buy a second VAB with funds+science that you can allocate your upgrade points to in parallel with the main VAB. So if you've got 10 upgrade points in your main VAB, you could put 10 into your secondary VAB (or maybe some reduced number depending on balance). So a similar idea, but it won't hurt the player as much as splitting up upgrades more than you already can.

BTW, RSS already has a similar feature as each KSC operates independently, meaning you can have one entirely devoted to building manned rockets, one for mass producing probes, and another for only building planes. I need to convert that code over to the new KSCSwitcher that Regex has made, so when RSS for 1.0 comes out KCT won't work with it right off the bat.

[stevehead]

As the plugin works currently, that might actually be detrimental to the player. They'd spend extra points on rates that might not get used as frequently, in which case they could just buy more rates and fiddle with the ordering of their builds a bit more. The current method ensures that every rate can be used, and that the fastest rates are always used first.

Completely understood. Obviously anything added like that would need to thought out and balanced. I just happened to think about the idea earlier today when trying to juggle the timing of manned LKO/Mun/Minmus missions with multiple interplanetary probes and their launch windows and thought it would be nice to have the separate queues. Keep up the good work btw!

[Cleric2145]

Have you tried deleting all the KCT config files and then starting the game? I'm seeing the issue below in the logs, which would explain the symptoms, but am not sure how its happening. It sounds like a corrupted config file (specifically the KCT_Formulas.cfg file)

NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
  at KerbalConstructionTime.KerbalConstructionTime.UpdateOldFormulaCFG () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 
  at KerbalConstructionTime.KerbalConstructionTime.Start () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0 

Hrm. Interesting. Good catch. My Formulas.cfg file when opened with Notepad+ is totally corrupt and just displays the corrupt "NUL NUL NUL NUL..." etc.

When reinstalling with CKAN, it doesn't get removed hence the reinstall not fixing the problem. I actually considered a manual install but I kept putting it off, which ironically would have fixed it.

Now that I have a fix, I'm curious as to the cause, and the only way I could really think that the cfg gets corrupted after working fine initially is if KSP crashed during a write to the cfg.

I tend to play until KSP runs into the 4gb memory limit (always during a scene change) and then restart KSP. I'm curious if there is a write occurring during the scene changes to the formulas.cfg file that is interrupted when KSP runs out of memory?

Judging by how nobody else is really encountering this issue I'm confused as to what's causing it. Would you like a bug report on github?

[futrtrubl]

Hrm. Interesting. Good catch. My Formulas.cfg file when opened with Notepad+ is totally corrupt and just displays the corrupt "NUL NUL NUL NUL..." etc.

When reinstalling with CKAN, it doesn't get removed hence the reinstall not fixing the problem. I actually considered a manual install but I kept putting it off, which ironically would have fixed it.

Now that I have a fix, I'm curious as to the cause, and the only way I could really think that the cfg gets corrupted after working fine initially is if KSP crashed during a write to the cfg.

I tend to play until KSP runs into the 4gb memory limit (always during a scene change) and then restart KSP. I'm curious if there is a write occurring during the scene changes to the formulas.cfg file that is interrupted when KSP runs out of memory?

Judging by how nobody else is really encountering this issue I'm confused as to what's causing it. Would you like a bug report on github?

Oh CKAN............ if you find a bug don't rely on it to do what you think it should.

[bdragon9222]

Has anyone experienced a bug, that all kerbals disappear?

I use the following mods, so i'm not sure which one causes the problem.

KSP: 1.0.2 (Win32) - Unity: 4.6.4f1 - OS: Windows 8.1 (6.3.9600) 64bit

Contracts Window Plus - 1.0.5.1

Kerbal Construction Time - 1.1.6

KSP-AVC Plugin - 1.1.5

Final Frontier - 0.8.2.1285

PlanetShine - 0.2.3.1

SCANsat - 1.1.2

StageRecovery - 1.5.5

TAC Life Support - 0.11.1.20

Kerbal Alarm Clock - 3.3.1.1

Alternate Resource Panel - 2.7.1

It happened in my last newly started game, that at some point, when i start the first tourist contracts with suborbital flights, i build a rocket, choose to launch it at KSC after the rollout and then there is no crew in it at the launchpad. Afterwards i can't recover or move the ship anymore from the launchpad. (no probe core, so only kerbals can fly it). Recover shows up the recover screen and my ship value is added again to my funds, but the ship is not removed. I can delete it at the save file but it appears the next time again the exact same way. When i have a look at the astronaut complex, i see at a first tier building (5 kerbals) nobody inside the astronaut complex at the left and right side, but the text above says active kerbals 10 (max 12). It's scary.

That was yesterday, today at the exact same save i can rollout my ship and all kerbals including those 2 tourists are inside, but when i look at the astronaut complex while they still sit there at the launchpad i sometimes see "active kerbals 10 (max 12)" (tier 0!) and sometimes the correct amount with "active kerbals 4 (max 5)". Oddly enough my assigned kerbal is listed at assigned, the tourists still at available. After a third opening of the astronaut complex, the tourists now are at both to be seen (assigned AND active).

Anyone else with something like that?

[Jackson Mackenzie]

Ok, for those of you with Tourist woes, could you please try using the .dll from this page... (snip)

Worked a treat, thank you!

[John FX]

I uninstalled CraftHistory and its working now.

If you wish to still be able to keep track of all the craft you make (as well as every save and quicksave and subassembly) then you might like jebretary, it's git based and runs as a separate process on your computer so does not take memory or processing time from KSP.

I find it works with anything. It is not a plugin so cannot conflict. It would be a good stop-gap until crafthistory becomes compatible.

[magico13]

Hrm. Interesting. Good catch. My Formulas.cfg file when opened with Notepad+ is totally corrupt and just displays the corrupt "NUL NUL NUL NUL..." etc.

I'm curious if there is a write occurring during the scene changes to the formulas.cfg file that is interrupted when KSP runs out of memory?

Would you like a bug report on github?

I think your assumption is spot on. KCT loads (and then immediately saves) the settings on scene change, so likely during the crash it just wrote some random garbage rather than the actual config. I've never seen it happen before, so I imagine it isn't too likely to happen again, so no need for a github issue.

I don't package the configs with the zip file, they get autogenerated when you load the game. That way you don't overwrite any changes when you update. Since CKAN will only remove files it installs (so, not the configs) uninstalling through CKAN will still leave the config files and the Kerbal Construction Time folder. The only way to do a clean uninstall would be to make sure to delete the folder manually after uninstalling through CKAN.

Oh CKAN............ if you find a bug don't rely on it to do what you think it should.

The spec is pretty clearly laid out, and the most important aspect of the spec is to not overwrite or delete any files not controlled by CKAN. CKAN does exactly what it should, if you know the rules of its operation. Except when it encounters an error when installing a bunch of things and it forgets what you had selected, that always bugged me, but I think has been fixed.

I like CKAN, to the point that I actually back pjf on patreon each month to help its development.

Has anyone experienced a bug, that all kerbals disappear?

Anyone else with something like that?

Tourists have a slight bug in KCT that causes issues similar to what you're describing. I've got a fixed development version, but haven't gotten the time to do a new release (I've got at least one other bug I want to fix before a new release, but it's the middle of finals week for me). If you grab the development version from here and replace the .dll in the KerbalConstructionTime/plugins folder with that one, it should work properly in the future. You might have to open up your save and change any "idx -1" to "idx 0" under any tourists to get your save back. I'm going to add a warning and a link to the first post, since it's been longer than I had anticipated for the update.

[Gfurst]

Oh CKAN............ if you find a bug don't rely on it to do what you think it should.

Actually it is expected, CKAN doesn't remove files that it didn't install, eg the config file, and it shouldn't.

Edit: opsy didn't read magico post above

[bdragon9222]

Tourists have a slight bug in KCT that causes issues similar to what you're describing. I've got a fixed development version, but haven't gotten the time to do a new release (I've got at least one other bug I want to fix before a new release, but it's the middle of finals week for me). If you grab the development version from here and replace the .dll in the KerbalConstructionTime/plugins folder with that one, it should work properly in the future. You might have to open up your save and change any "idx -1" to "idx 0" under any tourists to get your save back. I'm going to add a warning and a link to the first post, since it's been longer than I had anticipated for the update.

I'll give it a try. Thanks!

[Mister Spock]

Just popping in again to offer more testimonials to this wonderful mod. (This post contains no bug reports or feature requests; you can skip the rest of this post if rave reviews bore you!)

Anyway, I just had my first manned Mun landing -- in the second year of my space program. I'm making myself play with no reverts, since KCT's ingenious "simulation" function lets me test-drive every rocket and plane I make, for a cost. KCT's time delay, coupled with a "lite" life-support mod (Rover's USI life support), induced me to build a rescue vehicle and a refueler before building the Munar lander. I was (gasp) planning ahead, kinda like one might do in an actual space program, since if something went wrong, I wanted to have rescue vehicles ready to go. After the refueler was launched, I rehearsed every critical aspect of the Munar landing: liftoff, staging, Munar landing, Munar liftoff, re-entry, parachutes. When the actual event came, I was actually a bit nervous, as I've resolved not to revert, but things went off without a hitch -- immensely satisfying!

I also enjoy the trickle-science aspect of this mod. I hadn't really digested this aspect of KCT when I started playing, but the option to earn science by building rockets and aircraft really appeals to me. This might reflect the technological and engineering advances that occur when smart people design and build complicated things. As a gameplay matter, it means I can focus more on big missions, less on grinding out tiny bits of science, even on "moderate" or "hard" difficulty levels. Even if a big rocket fails -- and several have failed -- I still get something out of it.

Other users have stressed the immersive feel of the mod, and I can only echo that. I'm using Final Frontier, and it shows 6 decorated Kerbals, but they've gained those medals slowly, over time, not all in the space of a week or so. Great stuff.

All in all, this mod is the "star" of my current career game. Thanks to magic0 for making it.

[Gryphon]

Anyway, I just had my first manned Mun landing -- in the second year of my space program.

Other users have stressed the immersive feel of the mod, and I can only echo that. I'm using Final Frontier, and it shows 6 decorated Kerbals, but they've gained those medals slowly, over time, not all in the space of a week or so. Great stuff.

As has been mentioned before, KCT makes time into a resource.

Since I am playing with TACLS, I prefer to have one rescue ship on orbit, and another prepped in storage. Though TACLS doesn't start consuming resources until the first time you come in range of the ship (or Kerbal), it makes rescue contracts more realistic to me if I can actually start the rescue immediately.

[Snafu225]

So what do I have to expect when I use KCT together with KIS? I heard there were some issues?

I don't really want to miss either of these mods.

[magico13]

So what do I have to expect when I use KCT together with KIS? I heard there were some issues?

I don't really want to miss either of these mods.

KCT's inventory doesn't recognize any parts in KIS containers. Its not too big of a deal, nothing game breaking, just a bit weird since you'd imagine parts in the KIS inventory would be taken from (or added to) the KCT inventory. It'll require a bit of special code to handle properly, that I may or may not add since it's not a priority at the moment and every specially handled case inevitably becomes a giant pain later on.

[Snafu225]

Ah nice! I thought parts in the KIS containers will dissappear when building the rocket. But that's really no big deal if you ask me as these are none the less only small parts (for now).

[DrNickDoom]

magico13 do you still want/need the Logo you talk about in the opering post i could probaly have a playaround later tonight if you do

[magico13]

magico13 do you still want/need the Logo you talk about in the opering post i could probaly have a playaround later tonight if you do

Yes! I'm still quite interested in getting a nicer logo, for the purposes of a banner on the main post and because I want to get it printed on a T-shirt (not entirely sure why, I doubt anyone would recognize it but it'd be fun to have). I won't be in contact much today, but if you do get any good results you want to share with me let me know and we can talk more

[Gfurst]

Yes! I'm still quite interested in getting a nicer logo, for the purposes of a banner on the main post and because I want to get it printed on a T-shirt (not entirely sure why, I doubt anyone would recognize it but it'd be fun to have). I won't be in contact much today, but if you do get any good results you want to share with me let me know and we can talk more

Thats a nice thought... having a kerbal shirt and waling it around see if anybody recognizes it.

[Inquizitor]

I like this mod but I think I want to hold off on it until I do an ultra realism play through. Is it safe to remove from my current game? I can't find uninstall instructions anywhere and I don't want to mess up my current game

[magico13]

I like this mod but I think I want to hold off on it until I do an ultra realism play through. Is it safe to remove from my current game? I can't find uninstall instructions anywhere and I don't want to mess up my current game

It should be safe to remove. Your log will contain warnings that it can't find what mod owns the KCTData scenario, but that's not a big deal. You can also just turn it off on a per-save basis in the KCT settings if you want. It doesn't use much, if any, RAM, especially when disabled.

Also, to everyone, look what's on this list

[Snafu225]

Nice, congrats on that.

Too bad I have to ask you about a bug I get sometimes when launching rockets/planes with your mod.

Somehow the terrain is moved and absolutely glitchy, which causes the rocket to be stuck in the ground and to explode instantly.

Despite that I failed making a screenshot but I uploaded the log.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/av40verxa8q8uo1/output_log.zip?dl=0

[magico13]

Too bad I have to ask you about a bug I get sometimes when launching rockets/planes with your mod.

Somehow the terrain is moved and absolutely glitchy, which causes the rocket to be stuck in the ground and to explode instantly.

The function KCT calls to launch a ship is the same one that launching through the launchpad uses, so can you try removing KCT and seeing if launching things through the launchpad dialog will cause the same problem. There are literally hundreds of thousands of errors being logged in your log file, mostly Deadly Reentry but also I think some things with FAR. I'll have to check it out more later.

[Snafu225]

Therefore it's pretty smooth sailing... I know that I use a lot of mods, but I always checked wether they conflict with another one and added them one by one.

Removed KCT again and for now everything launches perfect again. Will report later again, after more launches.

Thank you!

[Inquizitor]

I might leave it in then if I can turn it off per save. Beck I like the features. The only thing that bugs me right now is I'll get a ship ready for launch and realise I left something out or forgot to take something off. Then I'm left with a useless ship. Maybe there is a way to retrofit existing ships that I've missed?

Speaking of functions do you have plans to include recovery timers for the kernels themselves? It seems like they would need downtime between missions. Maybe add in another tab we can spend points on to reduce downtime?

[magico13]

You may be interested in the edit function, through the * button

As for Kerbal downtimes, check out CrewQueue. It's still a work in progress, but enneract's work is generally high quality.