BetaguyGZT

Okay folks! BioMass, code-wise, is ready for testing. Uploading to my Github Repo as we speak, give it an hour to settle in (as long as Github isn't being flaky). I still need to get with @Stone Blue regarding the Models, so this will be just a functional test release only for now. Everything should at least work and be balanced. I'll update the initial post with the download link when it's live.

Yessir. Just have the Compressors left to recode, and it'll be set for the moment. Then it's off to @Stone Blue to merge the models. I'm testing more changes to the Greenhouses here in a sec. So far they're nice and balanced. Sadly, some code tricks I wanted to do to clean things up (and to eliminate some button pushing) didn't pan out the way I wanted, so it's back to manually toggling Light Baffles for now.

Not a problem, and I'm happy to help out. My time is somewhat limited as I'm attending College, but this Term isn't as bad as the others have been so I've been chunking away bit-by-bit at stuff (finally!), but that's totally fine with me if you prefer to do it that way. I follow you on Github as it is ... so yeah. Cool with me.

A quick look at the Github repo reveals that the parts also have some TAC-LS bits that need to be reworked too. That's probably causing the weirdness -- but mind you, that's just a cursory glance and not an actual diagnosis of the problem. Also, it uses Fuel Switching and that might need to be looked at too. I say might. Plus, Karbonite and TAC-LS don't always play nicely together .. so yeah. Could be a couple of things going on simultaneously. I'm almost done with re-coding BioMass, if @linuxgurugamer hasn't taken over this mod already then I'll do it. I've got some time.

Hiya Seanth. Not yet. I tried to upload to Github once before, but I completely botched it up somehow. The in-browser interfaces wouldn't let me upload more than so many files at a time, and the directory structures kept getting messed up so I quit trying for the time being -- but this was several months ago. Once I've finished redoing the code to 1.2 ways (since TAC-LS has changed so much), I'll be making another upload to my Google Drive and give ya a link via PM. Some stuff works, some not as of right this second. The models have been tricky, but we think we've got the answers now. As far as "why use TAC-LS", I might end up dropping it and use the Stock Converter since it does everything now. We've done it this way to future-proof BioMass without having to recompile .dll's; but it no longer has (or needs) a UI. Instead, we will encourage Players to use Action Grouping and chain together the cooperative BioMass systems (via the Action Groups Extended plugin). And if you ever feel like taking the reins back, say the word. It's still yours, bud. I'm rapidly approaching my Sophomore year in College, so I know all about not having a lot of time. And yeah, it's "hard mode". There's only one way to do Space, after all.

Glad to be back! Classes are pretty easy this Term, so I've got time to get my hands dirty on some KSP again. I'll be stopping in at the usual haunts again shortly. [EDIT] In fact, my hands are absolutely filthy with config code right now .... updating a certain mod that I was supposed to have finished four months ago. Ah well. College ... gotta love it.

Excellent, will test and report any anomalies.

Thank you, sir! I missed AGE in 1.2 ... it helps with my Dev Work along with just plain being useful for playing the game.

No problem, although I wasn't using any of those other features like Specialist Bonuses, Heat Generation or anything. But I'm with you that it's better to eliminate something that only one or two people actually use when it makes maintaining that thing far easier. And it'll help future-proof TAC-LS if you don't actually need to compile a bunch of .dll's every time, when in fact it might be a couple of them that are less subject to breakage. So yeah, I see your logic.

Think I'm back up to speed now. I need to get all the converter code ported over ... guess I'll be dropping TAC-LS as a dependency, since the stock ModuleResourceConverter is doing everything that TAC-LS was nowadays -- and the clean Config code has been dropped too, which was another selling point. Bonus, if there is one, is that the parts will run a bit more efficiently. @Stone Blue, I'll rework the configs over the weekend and we'll proceed from there.

Hello, yeah that's what I meant. I never could get ModuleResourceConverter working, that's why I was using TAC-LS instead .. between that and the config code being easier to work with.

Hi @JPLRepo. Got a question for ya. The "old way" that TAC-LS worked in the configs, that nice, compact code that was distinctly it's own ... that no longer works, does it. Has to be the "New KSP way" with MODULE TacLifeSupport and the substantially larger Converter code?

Excellent, thanks @JPLRepo!

Love this mod. Big fan of your work.

Once TAC-LS is working again on 1.2 I'll be picking things back up and development can continue. Shouldn't be terribly long for a Testing Release afterwards, mostly just making sure stuff is working. Some 1.2 changes will have to be addressed, likely; but aside from that things were looking about 85% done iirc.

Good stuff. Once this is going again I can finally get back to work on BioMass.

Hi all. Please excuse my absence. Lot going on. Yeah, I'm still around and want to continue BioMass. Classes have been a challenge. This week is Finals for this Term. I've also been in a car accident and had emergency surgery (fairly minor, but needed to happen) last week. As for the earlier period of time, it's been all Classwork plus I had to get a job. My apologies for letting KSP-related stuff scorch on the back-burner. Too many irons in the fire. Let me get caught up over the next day or two, and we'll proceed. I have to run some errands here in a minute, so I'll be back in a little while.

Thankfully Midterms went well (I scored 3.988 overall ... missed ONE question on ONE test out of about six, and four papers!), so I'm recharging by getting some long-needed KSP flight-time under my belt. I think I can use the distraction before I go completely bat-scat ... Anyway, I left BioMass in a pretty good state. Imbalanced & fairly overpowered by my reckoning (I'll let you all be the judge of that), but decent enough for now. While @Stone Blue is working on the models, I think it's a good week to consider a test release as-is. You folks have waited long enough, and have been very patient. Stone Blue and I really appreciate it. Please bear in mind that there are issues with the models. Some might not connect quite right -- especially the Station Hubs. Don't use them yet. Seriously, don't use them yet. They're ... floppy. Remember the cartoons, where the character holds up a stick and it just makes a funny sound, then wilts like a daisy in the desert sun? That. You'll just end up deleting it. Some of the Greenhouses are kinda finicky with Docking, too. I think it's the Blue one that I had trouble with. Keep trying, and it'll go on the second or third try. Specifically, what we're looking for in this first round of testing is "Baseline & Balance". Making sure things are as they're supposed to be without being too much or too little. The rationale is: One of each Greenhouse equipped on-board, and together they should sustain three Kerbals. One of each Compressor shouldn't be letting you make too much of anything too quickly or too slowly. And the extra Convenience Parts are nice, too. Oh, and the "Super Items" -- the Heavy, gotta-lug-this-thing-into-orbit-using-Saturn V ones -- those don't count. Those are "Rewards". (You're welcome!) We're not worried about those being balanced ... we already know they aren't. But they aren't "Monty Kerbal's Quest for the Revered Krustacean" either, like you've suddenly won KSP. Soooo ... if you enjoy stuff that's mostly working but might not always be what you expect, we'll have something for you this week. I want to make sure @Stone Blue isn't going to scream at me to hold off first. /giggle

Hi there, @RoverDude. I'm looking at moving BioMass over to USI-LS, and had some questions for you if there's time to answer a few. - Do the converters work pretty much like the Stock API, except less finicky? I tried doing it the Stock way and ended up frustrated ... even copying it from the ISRU didn't work, which really threw me for a loop. (And the Documentation for Stock isn't complete, so I had to go on what should work, but doesn't; so the API Documentation Project entries likely aren't correct either) - How is the USI-LS with custom resources? Any strangeness? I ask because BioMass does some unique things that we're currently working on making less unique, but some of it can't be helped. - Coding-wise, how clean and straightforward is it to use relative to TAC? I guess I should just look and find out for myself ... Anyway, I'm a big fan of your mods in general, so yeah. Keep on keepin' on! And thanks in advance for answering, I know you're a busy fellow. [EDIT] Never mind, read the Wiki. This isn't for converters.

Hi everyone, sorry for the lack of updates on my end. Classes have resumed, and it's easily double the amount of classwork from previous. I'm enjoying it, but it's taking most of my time and focus. I haven't even played KSP since June 18th. @Stone Blue is working on models, last I knew. When those are ready, we'll go over any code and balance tweaks that need to happen internally, and once we're satisfied that everything is nice and balanced, we'll do a Public Beta. Once we get a couple of those public test releases done and everything is 5x5, we'll do the Grand Re-Opening of BioMass on the Addon Release Thread.

Yep, we're using "grow lamps" in the Greenhouses. Thanks for taking a look and getting creative with the API stuff, that's some real wizardry. I'll have to try that out myself ... but I can see it being "spammy" somewhat. I'll give it a test and see how it behaves, and go from there.

Yes I have, but I'd never taken a look at its' guts. Might be an interesting one to examine more closely. It won't be this weekend, I'm up to my eyeballs in Final Exams and classwork that I gotta have done by Sunday.

Not as technical as ya might think, @Stone Blue.

Fire up the lights, and it starts converting ElectricCharge into the Light resource. That's the desired behavior. I tried it as a nested Module, and it wouldn't work. Tried it both ways; first with the TacGenericConverter module first then the ModuleAnimateGeneric second (as a nested) and then the reverse -- no happy in either case. Either the converter would appear in the options and generate (but no animation for the light), or the light would come on and no resource would be generated. Strange stuff.

Long as you aren't calling other Converter API's (like Stock) on the part then you can have as many as ya want and TAC-LS works fine.