The White Guardian

Hey everyone. Sorry for my extended absence but I've had less time to work on KS3P than I'd originally anticipated. With that said, this prolonged hiatus has afforded me the opportunity to begin working on the most requested feature: an in-game editor. Rest assured the next release of KS3P will be rewritten from the ground up to maximize performance and include an in-game editor of sorts. I'll also be adding the support for DX11 (thank you, @jrodriguez) and OpenGL, besides recompiling against KSP 1.6 of course. Expect the next release before the end of this week.

Sorry for my absence, everyone. Besides having lost interest in KSP for a while, I also had some problems to sort out that prevented me from giving this mod a proper lookover. I'm back now, and will continue working on the mod. Allow me to list a few things being worked on. I'm also working on an in-game editor, but I have no idea how mods like KittopiaTech and Scatterer handle in-game editing, so that's going to take a while to complete. Lastly, I'm looking into forcing the cameras to use a specific rendering path. If possible, I may add support for it. HOWEVER, games are usually built around a specific rendering path, so changing the rendering method from Forward to Deferred or vice versa can have terrible consequences. I'll test it beforehand to see if any such problems occur, but I may not notice everything. So, if I add such a feature, use it with caution. ... Okay, that wasn't really 'lastly'. I have one more thing to reveal.

That's because of the billboard targeting method used by INSTANTIATOR currently: the same class responsible for keeping the star's corona pointed in the right direction. Sad to say but that class is complete krakens, with how it tends to jump around when doing stuff like looking at the star's poles. I'll write a replacement class for it that should not only fix this issue, but make billboards possible for non-stars as well. That's probably due to Unity's render queue system, with the INSTANTIATOR shaders having a higher render order than the Scatterer atmosphere. This may require a bit of an exotic fix: if possible, I may have to adjust the materials for their queue id's to match those of the scatterer atmospheres. This way, Unity should draw them in the same order, and thus sort depending on camera distance. Otherwise one will always be projected on top of the other. Can't guarantee that this will work as well as I hope it will, but I'll certainly do what I can.

1. What's wrong with asking questions here or in the Kopernicus Discord channel? Especially because that means help can also be offered by others, not just Thomas? 2. If you're starting a new mod, don't expect Thomas to hold your hand through it. Make sure you're ready to tackle this mod on your own, otherwise you're going to have a really rough time, no joke. 3. "Kittopia doesn't work" -> we need details: logfiles, screenshots, that sort of stuff. Did you install it right? Are you using the wrong hotkeys by chance? Is something in conflict? There's a thousand-and-one reasons as to why kittopia won't work on your end. Without more information, we can't help you.

Hey everyone. Apologies for not being online much, I'll dive into the issues mentioned ASAP. That said, a bit of an explanation on 'Scene = 4'. For this, let's walk through KS3P's loading code together. try { UrlDir.UrlConfig[] configs = GameDatabase.Instance.GetConfigs("KS3P"); if(configs.Length == 0) { Debug.LogError("[KS3P]: No configs found! Shutting down..."); isLockdown = true; return; } ConfigNode[] settings = configs[0].config.GetNodes("SETUP"); foreach(ConfigNode n in settings) { PPScene targetScene = (PPScene)Enum.Parse(typeof(PPScene), n.GetValue("Scene"), true); PostProcessingProfile result = ProfileProcessor.ProcessProfile(n); Index(targetScene, result); } isLoaded = true; isLockdown = false; } Firstly, the 'try' block. This is for safety. Should an exception occur within this code, KS3P will go on lockdown, essentially disabling itself lest it ends up doing something stupid. UrlDir.UrlConfig[] configs = GameDatabase.Instance.GetConfigs("KS3P"); Here, I use KSP's built-in database class 'GameDatabase' to search through all loaded config files, and select only the 'KS3P' nodes and their contents. if(configs.Length == 0) { Debug.LogError("[KS3P]: No configs found! Shutting down..."); isLockdown = true; return; } Note that we stored all configs previously in a 'UrlDir.Urlconfig[]'. Specifically, note the square brackets. Those indicate something called an 'array', a list of items (in this case a list of type 'UrlDir.UrlConfig') with each item having an assigned index number (IE I can grab the fourth item in the 'configs' array by writing 'configs[3]', because arrays start with an index of 0). I can check the total amount of items in any array by using the method array.Length, which returns the item count the array holds. In this case, I let the computer check if the configs array length is equal to 0 (IE if we found no configs previously using GetConfigs("KS3P")). If it finds that we indeed have found no config files, KS3P adds an error to the log, sets lockdown to true, and uses 'return' to end the execution of the code entirely (IE the computer doesn't execute beyond the if-block), for safety: if there's no data to build profiles from, how can KS3P know what effects to display, and how to display them? ConfigNode[] settings = configs[0].config.GetNodes("SETUP"); If we have confirmed that we have at least a single config to work with, we store all config nodes in a value called 'settings', grabbing the first item in the configs[], grabbing the ConfigNode,and grabbing all 'SETUP' child nodes for processing. foreach(ConfigNode n in settings) { PPScene targetScene = (PPScene)Enum.Parse(typeof(PPScene), n.GetValue("Scene"), true); PostProcessingProfile result = ProfileProcessor.ProcessProfile(n); Index(targetScene, result); } Here, we tell the computer to perform the set of actions described within the foreach block for, well, each item in the array specified. We also allow the computer to access the data of each individual array item, and we'll name this 'current array item' n. IE 'ConfigNode n' is equal to the ConfigNode the computer is 'currently' processing. Let's go through the actions. PPScene targetScene = (PPScene)Enum.Parse(typeof(PPScene), n.GetValue("Scene"), true); Here, we tell the computer to take the value assigned to 'Scene' of the currently targeted 'SETUP' node and parse it to a type of 'PPScene'. This is where 'Scene = 4' comes from. PPScene is an enumerator, IE a list of names with each name having an assigned index number. The above code browses through the entire PPScene enumerator data, and returns an instance of PPScene of which the assigned data is equal either in name or index number to the value assigned to 'Scene'. I'm not entirely sure what scene corresponds to the index of '4' anymore, I'll have to dive into the source code for that, but I hope this makes sense. Anyhow, to finish explaining the code: PostProcessingProfile result = ProfileProcessor.ProcessProfile(n); Here, we feed the contents of the currently targeted SETUP node to KS3P's 'ProcessProfile' function, which is in charge of parsing all of the PP effect information and storing it into a PostProcessingProfile, referred to with the name 'result'. Index(targetScene, result); And here KS3P indexes the data of the finished PP profile into a list, using the target scene as the key. IE if requested, KS3P can easily grab the profile corresponding to the requested scene. Here's the entire search tree: KSP loads a new scene | V KS3P checks if the scene is 'valid', IE if it's a scene that it's aurhorized to react to. | | V V valid scene Invalid scene | | V V KS3P seaches through the profile KS3P does nothing bundle database and selects the right PP profile bundle | V KS3P searches through the profile bundle for the profile setup that corresponds to the scene KSP is loading | V To fix an earlier issue with textures, KS3P doesn't have the actual textures, only a link to them. Therefore it clones the correct PP profile and updates this clone with the correct textures. This clone is either destroyed or overwritten when another scene is loaded depending on what is necessary. | V KS3P grabs the correct camera | V KS3P checks if the PostProcessingBehaviour component is installed on the camera | V If the component doesn't already exist, KS3P adds it | V KS3P grabs the PPB component and assigns the correct PP profile | V For safety, KS3P manually sets the PPB component to be active (it can also de-activate or even destroy the component if necessary) | V Post-processing effects in place, job well done.

Then mention that it might take half a day to reply. Or did I miss the moment where 'a sec' moved from meaning 'a short while' to 'over half a day'? What I'm trying to say is two things: 1. You really left Gameslinx hanging there. Even if you didn't know your access to a computer would be terminated soon, you're clearly able to post messages despite: So you could have signaled him. 2. Don't reply to me with nothing but a quote of your own message. It tends to annoy people if you don't bother giving them an actual reply, you implicitly tell them that they're not worth more of your time than two to five button presses. Because yes, the way you replied to me there really annoys me.

Not my problem mate. Then don't quote yourself as a response to me, because by doing so you implicitly state "TWG, read what I wrote earlier, ya dolt". Then just reply with "I'm not on my computer right now, I'll get back to you later." instead of sending a reply that implies that you are at your computer. And when you write 'just a sec', then don't leave people hanging for 15 hours. It tends to frustrate people if you send a reply that implicitly states that they should expect a reply soon, then don't reply for over half a day.

"15 hours ago, The Minmus Derp said:" "Just a sec" I see.

Quoting the old modding rule: "No logs -> no support" Without resources to work with there's literally a thousand reasons as to why your KSP could be misbehaving. Help us help you.

Then you heard wrong - KittopiaTech is very much alive and being worked on. As for updated tutorial videos, I don't have plans for that right now, perhaps in the future I might.

It's really not that difficult. It's just a matter of dumping some folders into the GameData folder of your KSP directory, which folder you need depends on the resolution, and even then it's just a matter of looking it up in the readme. For 1.3.X and 1.4.X I could simplify the installation procedure with how Scatterer has been updated (I haven't updated Arkas to 1.3.X+ officially which is why these changes are not present), but nonetheless it definitely is not too complicated.

Yikes, I see. I'll upload a mirror to my Google Drive. Edit: I just realized I always delete the compiled ZIP after uploading it to SpaceDock. Sorry, man - I'm going to have to re-compile it first.

My mods have backstories already. I'd be happy to fill them in for you.

That is bizarre. Just ignore it though, I'm currently working on a huge Cyran overhaul, and the atmosphere is part of it. I'm computing the atmosphere this time rather than crafting it by hand, and as such I'll have the equations ready to fill in any missing atmosphere portions. Ergo, the next edition of Cyran should be a whole lot better, especially on the atmospheric side of things.

Pledna mod??? Heightmaps, my dude. You need to make a heightmap that grants a planet cube-like ridges.

@4x4cheesecake I can't look at it rn, but I'll have a look tomorrow. Furthermore, I'm working on a 'write script' for the unity editor that converts a post-processing profile into a KS3P config file so you don't have to do the writing yourself.

I spy an ambitious and interesting project! However, I do notice a glaring issue. In that case - and this is going to sound a bit harsh - I advise putting this idea on the shelf for now until you've figured out at least the basics. Trust me, unless you know what you're doing, the result will be a lot of frustration and a planet pack that doesn't have a 'wow-factor' on par with that of other packs. These things really take time. Once you've figured out how planet packs work under the hood (and by that I mean understanding the significance of most entries in a config file) I'd advise giving this pack another attempt. I must admit that I'm somewhat tempted to offer my help with this pack, but in the end I must also admit that I'm more comfortable making mods as a one-man-army. I am however willing to answer any question you might have regarding the inner workings of planet mods. Best of luck, my man.

Like @Beetlecat said, it's the lens dirt effect, which you can remove in the settings, found under GameData/KS3P/Config.cfg. In there, look for each instance of 'Bloom { ... }', in which you should navigate to the dirt settings. Either lower Dirt_Intensity to decrease the effect's strength, or set 'Dirt_Enabled' to 'false' to disable the effect entirely while preserving the bloom. And yes, KS3P is fully compatible with scatterer. The deserts being bright and the rest of the game being somewhat dark is an unfortunate side-effect of a basic tonemapping setup. I'm still working on a more ideal tonemapping configuration for KS3P to use by default. In the meantime, you can eliminate this problem by deleting every instance of the 'Color_Grading' node, as well as the opening bracket and closing bracket following the node name, and everything in between said brackets. Essentially look for this: Color_Grading { Preset = ACES } And delete every instance you find of it.

Not currently, but such a construction would most definitely kill your computer.

OPM has you covered with the remaining analogues. As for an actual, dedicated planet 9, I'm not aware of any. However, the Planet Cyran pack will feature such a location in the next release.

To people that find that KSP is a bit too dark with KS3P - it's likely because of the Tonemapper. Currently it uses the ACES Filmic preset by default which boosts the saturation, and this may lower the brightness overall as KSP is a bit dark. So, two solutions present themselves. The easy one and the advanced one, each with pros and cons. Easy solution: Just delete the 'Color_Grading' node for the Flight and EVA scenes, and potentially IVA. Pros: Easy fix. Cons: It dumps the benefits of tonemapping, namely better colors. Advanced solution: manually configure the Color_Grading with a boost. I'll work on implementing such a setup for the next release of KS3P. Speaking of which, I'll be releasing KS3P V5.1 as soon as 1.4.3 drops. I mean, I might as well check for compatibility and release afterwards rather than release now and risk incompatibility in a few days. This update will feature 1.4.3 support and a feature suggested by @Gameslinx regarding the Settings.cfg file. It's not an important change, it just changes the way KS3P handles the settings file so ModuleManager can patch it.

Dear god, what kind of beast of a computer do you have???

It has. I'm just an idiot and forgot to update the OP.

Good thing Revus isn't a moon then.

Attention I did not use any command lines such as '-force-d3d11', therefore command lines could be in conflict with the post-processing effects. If you are having issues, and are using command lines, go through the following steps: 1. Disable your command lines, and try launching KSP again. If the problems are resolved, go to step 2a, if not, go to step 2b 2a. You have now found the cause of your problem. Check the logfile for exception spam. In the case of @Gordon Dry, the Eye Adaptation component seems to be causing trouble. Find the post-processing effect conflicting with your command lines, then proceed to step 3. 2b. You have just ruled out that command lines are the cause of your problem. Remove all mods but KS3P and restart KSP to confirm if everything is working. If it is still causing issues, proceed to step 5. If not, continue to step 4. 3. Open up all KS3P configurations you have installed (those included in addons utilizing KS3P as well as KS3P's default configuration) and delete every instance of the node of the effect causing the issue. That should resolve the problems. If not, continue to step 5. 4. You have just confirmed that a mod is conflicting with KS3P. Re-add your other mods one-by-one to find the culprit. Once you have found the conflicting mod, proceed to step 6. 5. You're having a rather persistent problem on your hands here it seems. Please send me the logfiles (especially KSP.txt) in a zip-file (not .rar or .7z please) and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. 6. Now that you have found the mod causing issues with KS3P, please run KSP again with the conflicting mod, and afterwards send me the logfiles (especially KSP.txt) in a zip-file (not .rar or .7z please) and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime you can choose to remove either KS3P or the conflicting mod while I work on a solution. You can, of course, always reach out to me for questions both here and in private messaging.