lo-fi

Well that remains to be seen! I have a feeling it's going to take more than two donuts

Well, I never imagined I'd be the one to do it, but it's going to happen I'll be honest, I've dreamed up about 100 other cool things I can do with joints since breakfast... Bye bye sleep.

I didn't even realise we had censorship going on! I'll get the ASET wheel config added too.

Yep, thats what we're looking at Haha, I'll see what I can do with the AG's. There is such a disconnect between how the gui action and the action group behaves you can wind yourself into a major muddle if not being very careful. And forgetting action groups and being stuck with only stuff on the left hand side being in the groups after moving a part still pisses me off...

The only way to tackle something like this is to go code diving sometimes, though I appreciate that may not be the easiest thing if you're not a coder. I'll cast an eye over KJR over the weekend and see if I can get a handle on how it's actually working its magic under the hood, so to speak.

Yeah, I think I can see a way to do the steerable mounts. Ought to be as simple as breaking the joint that ksp creates between the root of the mount and the engine part attached to it, and creating a new one between the GO that gets rotated and the engine. Yes and no on the joint. You can configure limits, but the hard part is getting the darn things to line up in the first place. I take it you mean use pin and eye with standard colliders, though? It will sort of work, but you'll get odd points where the collision fails and they will skip right through each other the same way you can fire parts through each other if you shoot them fast enough. We don't have anywhere near a small enough physics time step unfortunately - it's why anything that matters tends to use raycasts. Great stuff, looking forward to the next revision

Actually, creating a configurable joint in KSP is trivial. Thanks, Sirkut! I got concept code working in about an hour; now I need to read up on getting the joint configured correctly to give the right amount of angular movement in each axis. It already gives me the KAS type 'attached but not docked' situation I'm looking for. This is going to be cool! The hitching procedure is going to be the hard part to figure out here. I'm going to need to write a routine similar to the way the docking ports attract to each other, then only lock and create the joint when they are lined up within limits. I don't need to care so much about rotation, as we're looking at a ball hitch type affair, but position is going to be critical or it'll all look weird and out of kilter. Unless someone has a better idea for how to hitch up? Thought I'd see if I could make a docking port you can't undock... Yup!

I'm code diving IR for the joint stuff, will be doing the same with KAS shortly... I think I've seen some of your vids where you've used the KAS stuff for trailer towing? I am indeed looking for the 'undocked' behaviour you can specify with KAS.

Only you, Spanner! One of my favourites too, and what a workhorse she was Nice work, looks really good

Thanks, you've given me a couple of ideas. I'll see what I can do when I have some time. Not really sure about the door issue, it also creates problems for doing a stack launch :/ Not sure how to get around that one. I've created a GitHub repo for the 3rd party wheel configs. Only stock squad wheels are in there for the moment, but I'll have a look at the Rollcage ones too when I get a chance. Anyone wishing to install and try just needs to copy the WheelConfigs folder into Gamedata.

I agree entirely with Ippo; he's made some excellent points, particularly about how to get started. By way of a little encouragement though, please let me recount my story in KSP modding so far: In June this year, I had never used Unity or GitHub, written a single line of C# (or anything other than some school level C), or made parts for a game of any kind. I thought programming was something I would never be able to do, and didn't have a brain wired the right way for it. With a little determination, help from the incredible community here, poking the assembly browser in visual studio, literally stacks of googling my way to Unity and KSP info, and 4 months later I've written an entirely plugin for wheels, tracks, landing gear, landing legs and host of other things, as well as produced a load of new parts that it drives. You know what? Along the way, people have collected into a sort of team that each contribute with testing, texturing, model making; just about everything. It's really, really cool working with them, but would never have worked if I'd gone straight out asking for that. I just didn't know enough to be able to do anything effectively, let alone steer a bunch of people. My advice (if I may be so bold) would be to pick up the tools, get some learning done and start creating. If people like your approach and what you're doing, they will jump on board Plenty of help here (I've never known anything like it), Unity docs are excellent, and it's not all as impossible as you might think. Difficult, frustrating and the steepest learning curve ever? Yes. Absolutely. But all the more rewarding for it. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with

Yeah, I could see pod idea working well actually. Marce has some genius new struts which attach in flight that will make perfect tie down points to stabilise the whole lot. Are you thinking remove the rear compartment, keep the front as is and build a docking port into the flat bed at the rear? I suppose if you're doing that, you end up with a thunderbird 2 type affair, in which you just pick which pod you want. Would be neat! I forgot about you repulsor train, that was cool! The trailer has to happen, even if I have to rip the IR plugin to pieces and change what joint options you can make. Getting on that right after the next KF release

Hmm, I thought I'd broken the suspension adjustments and I haven't had a chance to look at it yet. Nice to give the stock models a new lease of life; I even had to adjust the CoM on the TR-2L. Maybe my aim of setting the gold standard for KSP wheels isn't too far off though Still mulling over how to do a trailer hitch. I know it's possible with KAS, but maybe there is a better way...

There's a time and a place for 'stock-a-like', but sometimes you've got to break with that and do your own thing IMHO. All good to hear though, that's precisely what we're aiming for yep, the tanks and box are now separate parts, and more will follow. The trailer I have one or two ideas for, and I need to look into what a science lab actually is and does cargo pod is a definite, all details tba.

A trailer is on my wish list. I'll come up with something! Latest build: External components are now modular Cool, let me know what you think. I think it'll be to do with how the colliders scale, so there probably needs to be a variable that TS changes. Their 'torque' is measured in force, not force over radius, which should go some way to explain it I'll get to it soon, it's been on the list for ages!

Gotta love a bit of VAB destruction. Surely Jeb was looking around for snacks? PART { name = KFroverWheel2 module = Part author = Squad & Kerbal Foundries mesh = model.mu scale = 1 rescaleFactor = 1 node_attach = 0.2233052, 0.5248517, 0.00, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1 TechRequired = fieldScience entryCost = 3100 cost = 300 category = Utility subcategory = 0 title = KF RoveMax Model S2 manufacturer = Kerbal Motion LLC & Kerbal Foundries description = Seeing an untapped market for a smaller design of rover wheel, Kerbal Motion quickly pounced upon this opportunity with the Model 2 - designed for robotic vehicles or smaller crewed vehicles. attachRules = 0,1,0,1,0 mass = 0.05 dragModelType = default maximum_drag = 0.3 minimum_drag = 0.2 angularDrag = 1 crashTolerance = 7 maxTemp = 3600 crashTolerance = 20 breakingForce = 20 breakingTorque = 20 MODULE { name = ObjectDestroy objectName = bustedwheel } MODULE { name = OverrideWheelCollider susTravName = suspensionTraverse moveCollider = true moveColliderBy = 0.05 suspensionDistance = 0.2 spring = 1 damper = 0.05 mass = 0.25 targetPosition = 0 } MODULE { name = ModuleTrack raycastError = -0.015 springRate = 0.8 damperRate = 0.05 smoothSpeed = 8 chargeConsumptionRate = 0.2 hasSteering = true torqueCurve { key = 0 60 0 0 key = 2 60 0 0 key = 6 30 0 0 key = 12 0 0 0 } steeringCurve { key = 0 30 0 0 key = 6 10 0 0 key = 12 5 0 0 } torqueSteeringCurve { key = 0 0 0 0 } brakeSteeringCurve { key = 0 0 0 0 } brakingTorque = 70 rollingResistance = 0 maxRPM = 600 } MODULE { name = TrackWheel wheelName = wheel colliderName = wheelCollider sustravName = suspensionTraverse steeringName = lateral isIdler = false isSprocket = false smoothSpeed = 40 wheelRotationX = 0 wheelRotationY = 1 wheelRotationZ = 0 susTravAxis = Y steeringAxis = Y } MODULE { name = FXModuleLookAtConstraint CONSTRAINLOOKFX { targetName = susp1 rotatorsName = susp2 } CONSTRAINLOOKFX { targetName = susp2 rotatorsName = susp1 } } EFFECTS { WheelEffect { AUDIO { channel = Ship clip = KerbalFoundries/Sounds/wheel volume = 0.0 0.0 volume = 0.1 0.2 volume = 1.0 1.0 pitch = 0.0 0.6 pitch = 1.0 1.5 loop = true } } } } PART { name = KFwheelMed module = Part author = Squad & Kerbal Foundries mesh = model.mu scale = 1 rescaleFactor = 1 node_attach = 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0, 0.0 TechRequired = advancedMotors entryCost = 6000 cost = 580 category = Utility subcategory = 0 title = KF TR-2L Ruggedized Vehicular Wheel manufacturer = Kerbal Motion LLC & Kerbal Foundries description = The TR-2L is an extremely tough wheel made for mobilizing medium sized vehicles across a large variety of terrain. The extremely high traction tread ensures firm grip on any surface, providing reliability and reducing the chances of being used for high-speed tomfoolery. attachRules = 0,1,0,1,0 mass = 0.15 dragModelType = default maximum_drag = 0.3 minimum_drag = 0.2 angularDrag = 1 crashTolerance = 7 maxTemp = 3600 crashTolerance = 100 breakingForce = 80 breakingTorque = 80 CoMOffset = -0.75, 0, 0 MODULE { name = ObjectDestroy objectName = bustedwheel } MODULE { name = OverrideWheelCollider susTravName = suspensionTraverse moveCollider = true moveColliderBy = 0 suspensionDistance = 0.15 spring = 1 damper = 0.05 mass = 0.6 targetPosition = 0 } MODULE { name = ModuleTrack raycastError = -0.015 springRate = 0.8 damperRate = 0.05 smoothSpeed = 8 chargeConsumptionRate = 0.2 hasSteering = true torqueCurve { key = 0 60 0 0 key = 5 60 0 0 key = 10 30 0 0 key = 20 0 0 0 } steeringCurve { key = 0 20 0 0 key = 6 10 0 0 key = 12 5 0 0 } torqueSteeringCurve { key = 0 0 0 0 } brakeSteeringCurve { key = 0 0 0 0 } brakingTorque = 70 rollingResistance = 0 maxRPM = 300 } MODULE { name = TrackWheel wheelName = wheel colliderName = wheelCollider sustravName = suspensionTraverse steeringName = trackSteering isIdler = false isSprocket = false smoothSpeed = 40 wheelRotationX = 1 wheelRotationY = 0 wheelRotationZ = 0 susTravAxis = Y steeringAxis = Y } EFFECTS { WheelEffect { AUDIO { channel = Ship clip = KerbalFoundries/Sounds/wheel volume = 0.0 0.0 volume = 0.1 0.2 volume = 1.0 1.0 pitch = 0.0 0.6 pitch = 1.0 1.5 loop = true } } } }

I believe the russians came up with just such a contraption in WW2 Very cool! Jebs half hidden expression in the screen grab is absolutely priceless too.

Ah got ya. If you don't mind backing up a save and testing, you ought to find that the new version is a direct replacement for the old model, as I set the name the same in the config. Hopefully nothing bad should happen with craft in flight... Flying DSR2 sounds brilliant! I've been giving some thought to how to launch the thing on a rocket, which actually won't be easy as it stands.

Yeah, I'd say a config fubar, as I changed quite a bit in the plugin and done several repasses over all the models since I stopped testing with those. Any particular reason you like them over the repulsor wheels? I've updated so the (as-yet) unused repulsor mesh is removed on the new medium wheel that's using the repwheel mesh, which should sort it all out for you This needs to happen for release anyway.

Thanks guys, I'll do a bit of replication... EDIT: Madrias, I just noticed you're using the old medium model. I've not tested with that, I have to admit. Anything in the logs? It may well be a victim of my refactoring. Which config are you using? Gaalidas, I think you've discovered an edge case, and one where the settings menu is possibly not clear. I've modified to give different buttons to update steering and wheel settings independently, though still using the same group number slider. See what you think; hopefully it's not too confusing... I think I've fixed that bug with the repulsors (and hopefully not caused any more), as well as finally fixed the water code to my satisfaction.

Ummmmmm... Screen grab??? I think we all suffer from this affliction! Which wheel, could could you do me a screen grab? I've been messing with the suspension stuff, so I'd be very interested to see what I broke..

Working on fixing now, I messed it up when I changed to the smoothed height update method. Fair comments, it does have an external style all of its own. Spanner is working on sleeker version, and I have some ideas for larger bits that blend things together nicely, along with the texture tweaking in progress.

So cool catching your own smoke trail, and I love the interesting use of the small tracks How are your finding the DSR2, btw? I think I might have this water thing nailed, though I've just found a bug with the repulsors which means you can't reactivate them if they turn off due to low power, even when you have plenty of power again.

Sounds like like it ought to be quite interesting That would make sense with the null-refs. Tweakable wheels will have been looking for and instance of ModuleWheel which does not exist in the part any more..

Interesting.... I'm not really up to speed on the finer workings of MM, so post a log and I'll see what I can find. I tested with a duplicate config in the part directory. Log spam can only mean one thing: the module didn't find some named GO's, which is odd, because they haven't changed in at least five versions. Maybe the duplicate method with model nodes is the way to go, though. No worries, was just a thought What's your BA in, btw?