Biff Space

Good idea! Here are a couple of screenshots, one expanded, one minimized: This part does not guarantee a successful landing: The code is here on GitHub. (If I've got my GitHubbing right).

Proximity Audio Alarm Proximity gives an audio alarm and a visual display indicating distance from the planet surface (and depending on configuration, velocity towards it) during landing. UPDATED (2017-10-05), v2.9, Doesn't recognize RealChute chutes. UPDATED (2017-01-24), v2.8, Recognizes RealChute chutes. UPDATED (2016-10-14), v2.7, Recompiled with 1.2. UPDATED (2016-07-05), v2.6, Recompiled with 1.1.3. List of changes below. UPDATED (2016-05-02), v2.5. Recompiled with 1.1.2. List of changes below. UPDATED (2016-3-8), v2.4. Recompiled with 1.0.5.2 binaries. No changes to functionality. UPDATED (2014-8-01), v2.1. List of changes below. UPDATED (2014-7-23), v2.0. List of changes below. UPDATED (2014-6-5), v1.1. List of changes below. The Proximity Part The part, called 'Proximity', is found under the utility tab. In career or science mode, it is found in the 'landing' node of the tech tree. The part is activated when the ship is below a certain height (default is 4000m) which the pilot can configure. When active, a visual alert and an audio alarm are produced to inform the pilot of the height above the surface and velocity towards it. From v1.1 onwards, ModuleManager will add Proximity to any command module or probe core, so the separate Proximity part does not have to be used. Audio Alarm The audio alarm makes beeps to indicate height above the surface. The beeps become more frequent as the ship gets closer to the surface. If the 'variable frequency' mode is selected, the beeps rise in pitch as the ship moves faster. The length of the beep and its waveform can be set to match user preference and fit in with other game sounds. The audio alarm can be turned off altogether. Visual Display The visual display shows a horizontal line with two moving blobs to indicate the ship's distance from the terrain below. It can operate in two modes. In 'Distance' mode, the distance between the blobs corresponds to the ship's height above the surface, so during a descent the blobs start at opposite ends of the line and move towards the centre, meeting when the ship is at ground level. In 'Speed' mode, the blobs start in the centre and move apart if the ship is moving upwards, and start at the ends and meet in the middle if it is moving downwards. The speed of the blobs increases as the ship gets closer to the gound. The display can also be set to use distance mode above a certain threshold height, and speed mode below it. If this mixed mode is selected, a field to set the threshold height appears. The visual display can be turned off altogether. Download The proximity folder needs to be unzipped and put in your KSP\GameData folder: Proximity at SpaceDock Feedback This is my first mod for KSP, and I would like to have any comments and suggestions for improvements - please let me know what you think. Code The source code is available at GitHub. Licence Proximity, its associated files and the source code are all released under the GPL 3 licence, text here: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt. Version 2.6 updates - Window now disappears with the rest of the UI on F2 - If the part config file is edited to move the part to a different tech tree node, it will now behave sensibly rather than requiring 'landing' to be unlocked - efficiency tweaks - available in map mode - Recompiled with KSP 1.1.3 binaries. Version 2.5 updates - Beep length is not user-configurable any more. - If Module Manager is used to add Proximity functionality to command pods and probe cores, Proximity is still unavailable until it has been researched - New look for stock buttons - Recompiled with KSP 1.1.2 binaries. Version 2.4 updates - No change to functionality, just recompiled with 1.0.5.2 binaries. Version 2.1 updates - Integration with the new stock toolbar. Proximity can use blizzy's toolbar if preferred, just change 'stock' to 'blizzy' in the config file. - Potential problem caused by Module Manager config file fixed. - Obscure bug involving electric charge fixed. - Some stability improvements and GUI tweaks. Version 2.0 updates - An excellent new part model by Justin Kerbice, replacing the copy of the thermometer used previously. - Recompiled with KSP 0.24 binaries. - A toolbar button is provided to activate the settings controls anytime, using blizzy78's toolbar plugin. (The toolbar plugin is not included in the Proximity download. It isn't required, but the settings are only available near the surface without it.) - A configuration file has been added so that ModuleManager picks up Proximity and adds its functionality to all command modules and probe cores, so you don't need to add the part. (The part is still available, and ModuleManager is not required to use it.) Thanks to KerbMav for showing me how to do this. - There is a new option to automatically switch off Proximity if the craft is a rover-type vessel. This prevents it appearing now and then when driving a rover over bumpy ground. - There is a new option to automatically switch off Proximity if parachute(s) are open or semi-open. - The colour of the visual display changes smoothly in speed mode from green through orange to red, depending on a rough calculation of danger (worked out from vertical speed and altitude). It is now white when ascending. - Proximity switches off automatically after 5 seconds of ascent, since that's probably a launch. It switches back on if the vessel begins descending. - There is a volume control for the beeps. - There is an on/off button to quickly disable/enable Proximity. - The GUI has been re-arranged and tidied up a bit. Version 1.1 updates - Altitude above terrain is now used consistently. - Bug which caused the alarm to occasionally start up when very high above the surface has been fixed. - Frequency of beeping is now a smooth function of altitude, and beep pitch is now a smooth function of speed. - The colours of the visual display are now cyan (distance mode) and green, orange, or red (speed mode) depending on a rough calculation of danger. - Beeping pauses in when the game is paused. - All preferences are now saved and reloaded properly. - Part has been moved to Utility tab from Science tab. - Now released under GPL licence. Review and detailed description of all the settings by Kottabos:

Thanks, this is very helpful. I added KER but didn't know what dv values I'd need. Good work!

After a couple of days of flying fuel up to a pair of ships in orbit around Kerbin, I was ready to send off my first manned mission out of Kerbin's SOI - to Jool. There's a ship with two kerbals in it, and an unmanned one with a bunch of fuel to donate to them to get them home - I hope. Both have a couple of landers and probes stuck on the front, too, so I hope to get a good look at Jool and its moons. Everyone's got their fingers crossed for brave Maclorf and Ribdos Kerman back home. A few days later, a mission I launched ages ago got to Eve with some rovers. By pure luck I got into an aerobraking orbit with literally the last few drops of fuel, and got a couple of working rovers on the surface not in the sea. So I went for a drive:

I added a load of emergency lifeboats to my space station (after testing one out) so the crew can get back to Kerbin if it all goes pear-shaped. It's a deck-chair with a parachute, basically: There's a set of them attached in a line to the hub of the space station:

I've only been playing for 3 weeks, and I've used sandbox for my main game. I tried career, but the science collecting felt grindy, and there was no way to lose, and I got better 'progression' from learning how to put together stable rockets, how to set up transfers, how to land on moons and dock with space stations, etc. I will try the career mode in 0.24, but I'd rather set my own goals and feel my skills developing rather than follow a tech tree, which is a bit arbitrary.

Thanks for that, I hadn't realized there was a difference. I quite like littering - it gives a landing site a bit of atmosphere.

I made two variations on a theme: For the Mun I stacked 3 rovers on top of a landing module, separated by decouplers, and lowered one leg of the lander before firing them off to the surface: Landed - Deploying - All present and correct - For Minmus I added a landing module for each rover, and was able to put one on each of 3 big seas from one rocket, by landing all 3, separating the bottom one, and taking off again, then repeating for the stack of 2- The disadvantage is that there's a useless chunk of decoupler attached to the top of each rover, but they're still pretty stable.

Oh ha-ha-ha. I've just spent an hour and a half trying to dock a new design of space station module before realising that the covered docking ports have to be manually opened. What a waste of good swearing.

Built me a space station: One section has fuel supplies, one section a science bay, and there's also a return-crew-to-Kerbin module. Here t'is: Something puzzles me about EVA - when I click the EVA button on a crew picture, sometimes they leave the space station and cling onto a ladder outside (sensible), and sometimes they let go and go spinning off into space (not sensible). Anyone know why / how I can encourage the first option?

I docked for the first time! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Bill and Bob were rescued from a year-and-a-half of orbiting Kerbin, and I'm well pleased with that. They got stranded on one of my first orbital missions when I didn't realise they were in the stock space station with no engine, fuel or parachute. Now they're back on Kerbin all is good. To be honest, I think it was more luck than skill that I bumped the right parts of the rescue ship and the space station together.

First encounter outside Kerbin's SOI! I got an unmanned probe round Moho! I wont post a pic because it looks like a dustbin, but the Kerbals back at the tracking centre are no doubt having a glass of champagne.

Hmm, tried adding reaction wheels and the rover went mad, wheels tipping up whenever I tried to change direction. Obviously doing something wrong.

I drove a rover from the highlands on Minmus (where I landed it) down to the base on one of the seas. It handled beautifully on Kerbin while testing, but flipped a couple of times in low gravity. Luckily it landed right-side-up both times, only losing a solar panel and a couple of headlights. Still, a good drive / cartwheel day.

Thanks for the welcome, Kasper! Yes, I righted a rover of about 900 Kg on the Mun by sliding a Kerbal on his head very fast under the middle of the rover's tilted-up edge. It's a very hit and miss method, and took about a dozen attempts. I've given the Kerbal the rest of the day off. Is there an easier way? Standing under the rover and jetpacking upwards didn't budge it at all.

Hi everyone. For the last ten days or so, this game has taken over my life. Amazing stuff. Currently I'm winding down my Minmus base and starting one up on the Mun. I spent ages this morning trying to right a flipped rover, by bowling kerbals at it - ker-bowling? Thanks to all the people who've posted pics and answered questions - I've found loads of useful info here.