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AlphaMensae

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  1. AlphaMensae
    There's going to be larger sizes, I'm planning Mini, Small, Medium and Large ones. The Mini is sized for 0.3125m and 0.625m rockets.
  2. AlphaMensae
    Well, I have been hitting roadblocks in trying to make the launch rails. Turns out I had a hidden flaw in my node-attached launch clamp bases and stands: I did not have the pivoting action actually working when I tried to make a regular surface-attached launch clamp. Despite studying the stock clamp, I still could not get it to work right, so I abandoned the idea of launch rails as launch clamps. The launch clamp module might have been to limiting for my purposes anyway. Then I tried using Animated Attachment for rotating the rails with a deploy limit slider. That worked...but only for one specific case, that being a surface-attached rocket that did not have the root part in it. If I made the rocket first, with the probe core on top as the root, then attached the launch rail, the rocket would not move as the rail was rotated. If I then re-rooted to the launch rail, then attached the rocket to the rail, then the rocket would move with the rail... but not if it was attached to the rail's node. The trouble comes from a surface-attached rocket needing the radial decoupler module, which brings more problems. And having the root part not being in the rocket is not desirable either. But I found a solution: Use B9PartSwitch to rotate the launch rail in 5° increments, and then rotate the rocket the same amount, which is easy using left-shift with the rotate gizmo. I also made the launch rail a separate part. I originally was going to use the Mini Milkstool stands as the base for the rails, which would allow surface attachment (no decouple module needed), but the Animated Attachment limitations made me separate the rails from the clamp bases (can't have them be the root part). Of course, with the B9PS method, I could make the rails a launch clamp stand again, but having them be separate parts allows them to be used with the other launch bases and stands. It also avoids duplicating the Mini Milkstools. So, here is a test demo of the Mini Launch Rail; it's very early WIP, haven't even properly textured most of the rail yet. It's mounted on the Mini Milkstool Stand 1, and the rocket is three of the BDB Staara-20 "Aquilae" SRMs: The rail (or rod in this case) does have a full-length capsule collider, and it caused no problems with the rocket angled like that...provided it's not clipped into the rocket.
  3. AlphaMensae
    @KattenCan Animated Attachment be made to work with node-attached parts. Example being the launch rails I'm trying to make. They can be angled by using a deploy limit slider animation, but if the rocket is node-attached to the rail (at the bottom of the engine) then it doesn't move with the rail as the slider is adjusted. If the rocket is surface-attached to the rail itself, then it does move. Also, I discovered if the rocket has the root part in it (usually being a probe core or pod at the top), then it also doesn't move with the rail. I was wondering why AnimatedAttachment wasn't working with my test rail, but when I rerooted to the launch stand the rail was mounted on, then attached the rocket to the rail, then it did work. I'd would greatly rather have the rail being attached to the rocket, with the rocket having the root part.
  4. AlphaMensae
    I could make a specialized launch stand cradle rather quickly for the Mk-33. It'd be simple, based on that concept image, just the two forks that hold it up. Angel's going for full reusablity functionality that I'm not interested in.
  5. AlphaMensae
    Yep, the speed was set for the default Titan II GLV height; the other heights will move faster, as they travel a greater distance in the same amount of time. I tried giving different speeds to the different height variants, but then you had to wait for all the elevator variants to reach bottom before you could regain control of the one you had enabled. Quite annoying.
  6. AlphaMensae
    No, there isn't any in KSP itself, I would have to adjust the animation length in Unity. I can't make them too slow, or going up would take way too long, so you have to accept a rough ride going down, except for the shortest elevators like the one with the Saturn Launcher Base. All the elevator heights reach the bottom at the same time, so the higher the setting, the faster it will go. Though I haven't had any problem with the Gemini one, which one are you using, v2.0 or v2.1 dev?
  7. AlphaMensae
    Make sure it's not attaching to one of the Soyuz engine bottom nodes. The gantry attaches to a lower node in the center of the base.
  8. AlphaMensae
    Hold left shift when using the offset gizmo to get 20m of free offset range. The extra node that I patch into the BDB Saturn engine mount is just a general node. It could use some fine tuning, I'll see what I can do.
  9. AlphaMensae
    I actually am now working on some simple-type launch rails. These will work like a regular launch clamp, i.e. will be able to angle a rocket and the rail will rotatte properly. The rail part will be mostly cosmetic, but I will see if giving it a collider causes any problems with a launch. In the future, I will experiment with fancier launch rails, ones that use actual launch lugs (jettisonable) attached to a rocket that fit into the launch rail.
  10. AlphaMensae
    Yep, as I said, most rocket part modders balance against the stock parts, which already are balanced for a 2.5x Kerbin. An example: The stock 1.25 fuel tanks and engines correspond to the BDB Redstone, also 1.25m size. IRL, the Redstone rocket (actually the lengthened version the Jupiter-C/Juno I variant used) could not put the Mercury capsule into orbit, all it could do was a short suborbital hop. But at stock-scale KSP, you can orbit the Mk 1 pod with a very Redstone-like stock rocket. Just shows how OP the stock parts actually are.
  11. AlphaMensae
    Well, the easier way is to make Kerbin bigger by resclaling it. The harder way is to modify the parts for the stock size Kerbin. I have done this with my own parts for my in-hiatus Alternate Overhaul--I made a Saturn V act like the real one at stock scale, with just enough delta-V to do an Apollo Mun landing and return. It is not as easy as it sounds though. Simply reducing fuel in the tanks makes them weigh less, so TWR goes up. To compensate, you have to also increase the dry mass of the tanks as well as of other parts. But increase too much, ans the tanks will be like they're made out of solid lead. So you could decrease the thrust of the engines, but again, decrease it too much and it will become too much out of scale with the real one it was modeled after. Decreasing ISP of an engine is another technique to use, as it lowers delta-V without changing fuel amounts or mass. It's a complex balancing act of multiple factors.
  12. AlphaMensae
    The fairings can't be merely patched for 1.10.0, as the stock procedural fairing module wants the fairing base object (i.e., in the .mu file) to be named "mesh". In 1.10.1, the "mesh" name can now be overridden in the .cfg, but in 1.10.0, Beale would have to go into Unity and change the base object name to "mesh" for all of the Tantares fairings...needless to say, he (nor any other modder) wants to do that.
  13. AlphaMensae
    To be more specific, the BDB parts are scaled against the stock parts, which actually are scaled for a 2.5x Kerbin, even though its size is 1/10th scale. Stock parts start to to get OP at the 2.5m size; note how you can do a Mun landing with just 1.25m parts.
  14. AlphaMensae
    There is a single-button Toggle function in the PAW. I suggest removing all mods except Modular Launch Pads. If everything is fine, then the problem is with some other mod or combination of mods. Even something like an improperly written MM patch or patches can create havoc.
  15. AlphaMensae
    An interim launch plate I made for the Tantares Energia, coming in v2.1 of Modular Launch Pads (available now on the AlphaDev branch of the Modular Launch Pads GitHub): The Zenit openings are big enough to accomodate both realistic placement (offset on the X-axis) and non-realistic symmetrical about both the X and Z axes (since that was how I thought they were...until I looked more closely at the craft file I was using ).
  16. AlphaMensae
    The interim Eneriga Launch Plate is done and now on the AlphaDev branch of the GitHub. I had thought that the Zenits were symmetrical about the core along both the X and Z axes, but it turns out they actually are offset a bit on the X-axis. I made the openings big enough to accomodate both arrangements, for Energia-style rockets. I have no idea how the Energia was held down, so I'll leave hold-down placement to the users.
  17. AlphaMensae
    Yes, it's a KSP limitation. You only get one activation on EVA.
  18. AlphaMensae
    Yes it is, as I'm using it in my 1.8.1 dev install The latest B9PartSwitch works in 1.8.1 as well.
  19. AlphaMensae
    Some odds'n'ends posted to the AlphaDev branch: Separate versions of the Centaur Umbilical Arms, titled Short and Tall: They can both surface attach and node attach to the top plates of the general towers, or....whatever The short one still has the angled umbilicals, so if the two are used together, it will be to moved to the side. Another Launch Plate, this one for the new N1 coming in TantaresLV (still a WIP, but is available now on the TantaresLV GitHub repo): Yes, the remade N1 is BIG, as it's now proper scale. The N1 tower will come much later, after the Saturn and Shuttle pad remake. The plate I could do now rather quickly, and may keep it for the N1 set, though it may get a color change. I'm now working on a simple launch plate for the TantaresLV Energia, as an interim base until I can get around to the full Energia-Buran pad set. It's also laying the groundwork for the unique exhaust holes needed for Energia.
  20. AlphaMensae
    You might have some other mod that's causing the problem, as KER works properly for a test multi-stage rocket I made, though my dev install of KSP 1.8.1 is pretty light on mods (just MLP, KER, Collide-O-Scope and whatever part mod I'm designing for at the time). I also tried it out in minimal KSP 1.10 install (only MLP added) in which I still have the stock dV caluclator running, and it worked fine too. Is there a specific launch base that's causing a problem?
  21. AlphaMensae
    That happens if the launch base, stand or plate is the root part. It's usually best to add the base last, or else you have to reroot to another part like the command pod or probe core.
  22. AlphaMensae
    @Beale When you finish the N1 remake, I have something to launch it on: the N1 Launch Plate that will be in v2.1 of Modular Launch Pads: The actual N1 tower will come much later. Since the N1 was just set upon a hole in the launch pad, I made a giant version of my round launch plates to approximate how it was done.
  23. AlphaMensae
    I believe it's parts with animations (deployable solar panels are an animated part) that don't have a defined drag cube in the .cfg that got broken in 1.10. Something about the procedural generation of the cubes for those parts not working.
  24. AlphaMensae
    The Falcon 9 Launch Plate, and the six general Launch Plates (3 round, 3 square) are now on the AlphaDev branch of the GitHub. The Shuttle FSS Tower Crew Section also had some extra front panel options added. Two craft files for Tundra Ex were also added, these two: The Launch Plates are minimalist very low-profile base clamps that sit flush on the launch Pad. Push the lower dark section of the plate below the VAB floor to ensure proper positioning. Most of that lower dark section is just an extension to cover the gap between the plate and the launch pad, as KSP doesn't put things directly on the top of the pad due to weird colliders or KSP wackiness. Note that the Falcon 9 Launch Plate is just the plate, the strongback tower and hold-downs (use the General Drop-Arm Hold-Down at medium size) are separate.
  25. AlphaMensae
    I only have a vague recollection of this being mentioned some unknown time ago, and I didn't even know this was still around. As smotheredrun said, the Shuttle Launch Pad parts can be made to work with this with some tinkering. Otherwise, the General Pads parts in MLP also can work for non-STS/Buran-type shuttles. The current MLP Shuttle pad parts will be revamped in the coming months, I could add additional options for the KSOS. Oh yeah, as @smotheredrunmentioned, the tower (as all towers are in MLP) is modular, and can be made as short or tall as needed. A different launch base with a rectangular exhaust hole variant can be usaed if the Shuttle Base isn't appropriate.
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