Deadweasel

*subbed for awesomeness* Can't wait to see this released!

The problem is RAM usage due to large textures. Textures are large because the game will accept formats that are in non-native formats like .png, which accommodates ease-of-access to modders. Solution: require a compressed and compiled texture format like DXT for quicker load times and easier rendering by the video card. Remember when KSP would accept "raw" editable model formats instead of compiled ones? Things got more snappy once that changed. Remember when one of the version releases resulted in ridiculously-long load times because of a png rendering bug in Unity? They fixed that, but the fact remains that .png is still a- shall we say, less than optimal format to use for the final load. Look through your other games; how often do you find any recognizable image formats in their resources? In fact, look in KSP's libraries. They're already using compressed formats for the core game elements like the VAB/SPH and the kerbals themselves (wrapped up in the .assets files), though it's evident that was done more to protect intellectual property assets than for performance reasons, because the parts themselves are still wide open to changes. Now, the downside to my proposed solution is that modding becomes slightly more difficult for developers due to the format restriction, and it becomes more difficult for players to make their own changes to the mods to suit their desires. Currently, mods like Active Texture Management do this compression on-the-fly in a non-destructive manner, each time the game is loaded. It makes for a slightly longer load, but ends up using less memory once all is said and done. Now imagine if all mods used the compiled DXT format natively. We'd see much quicker load times, less RAM usage, and snappier frame rates in general. Currently Active Texture Management and its ilk help a lot, but they are not perfect solutions because they need to be aware of a particular mod's texture names before they will be able to work on them, and while they cover most of the big mods, they certainly can't be expected to address every single possible one. As long as Squad are going to actively encourage modding as they have so far, it might be a good idea to release a parts dev kit that includes automated methods of compiling the models and textures into a variant of the .assets bundles for use in the game. Sources can still be released as they currently are, in a separate folder in the downloadable archive files, alongside the compiled (game-ready) bundle.

BigNose: Is there a way to get the models to show facing forward in the VAB/SPH? Currently they're all rotated so all you can see is the light body, which forces you to mouse over to see what's what, either by its name or waiting for the image to rotate around.

Thanks for the heads-up! I ended up changing the folder name after creating the archive, but forgot to change the contents to match. That'll be fixed in just a bit.

Very cool, thanks a bunch! I'll see about getting the final touches done in just a bit. Had another idea I need to see about...

Awesome! In that case, here's the link for the initial set. It includes the "pyramid" lens LED and square LED versions, as well as a copy of the original stock skins so they're backed-up from the start. Enjoy! Deadweasel's DeadSkins for AviationLights (v1.0)

Heh, I was going to suggest that maybe he was using the pitch vector engine from another mod, but then I actually... you know, watched the video. It wasn't until he took it out for a test flight that I recognized the bouncing movement of a tank on a hinge (since he left out the part where he actually put the engine in).

I see a lot of nonplussed glances. You could probably improve their outlook if you invested the resources to at least deliver a shipload of snacks. It doesn't take much to make Kerbals smile, after all.

Ah, I see. I have to admit that if that ever did come to pass, I'd probably throw in the towel at that point as well. I mean, there's an incredibly huge wealth of knowledge, stories and shared experiences here. If they wiped it out entirely, I'd almost bet there'd be a general revolt and they'd lose more than three quarters of their fan base. All of these players getting as much from sharing their experience as playing the game itself. Nobody would want to have invested this much time in contributing to the community, only to see it all completely wiped out and lost forever. A forum crash setting everything back a month or two is one thing; going back to... nothing? Well, I'd be thinking "what's the point?" to myself after that, too.

Had a pair of HSOC Peregines lingering up in orbit. I can't remember for the life of me why I had them both up there, except for the possibility that I was thinking of slapping them on a TranStar carrier bound for Laythe. Anyway, the newer HSOC Kestrel has come along to surpass the Peregrine, so it was time to bring those puppies back home. Well, one of them at least. Once the pilots had played enough rounds of Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock to be satisfied which one was the best to bring back, they took up their seats and began the retro-burn. Once the burn was completed, they scavenged all the fuel they could from the other bird, and cut it loose to see how it fared on re-entry. As they slowed into maneuvering speeds, Kurt lifted the nose, while Wilfred took a short time-lapse of the impending impact below. It went on for some time, and both agreed it was "pretty kool" to watch. A few minutes later, the remaining Peregrine landed smoothly and rolled up to the SPH. There was no gathering of press or onlookers to welcome them back, as TranStar had never announced their mission, nor were they apparently willing to publicly admit they'd completely forgotten about the flight for the last two weeks. >_< - - - Updated - - - ...and now you've just taught another player that the feature even exists! Thank you!

Had another inspiration and kicked the texture resolution up a notch. (BigNose, if you find me publicizing my modding of your work annoying, please don't hesitate to let me know. I don't want you and the team to think I'm trying to edge anybody out or that your work is somehow sub-par.)

Not that I don't understand your reasoning, but this would be a tragedy and a half to have entire segments of the community simply fall away, especially the big mod makers like yourself! I wasn't even aware of the move you're referring to, and if there's no way to migrate these forums, it's going to be a heck of a dropoff. At least with the crash, there was something to start from; this just sounds like it's going to be a complete from-scratch transition (if I'm reading your intent correctly). O_o (One positive aspect will be that we won't have to deal with the complete mess that Spaceport has become, at least) EDIT: I found the thread discussing the move, and it has been stated that the forums won't be moving. WHEW! Well, here's hoping the modders who think like you will find their own hosting methods for their projects at least.

Played around with different texture ideas for AviationLights! I have more cool ideas for the models themselves, but I know two things about Unity modeling: Jack and sh- ...erman. >_>

Wait, I lied! ONE more idea I've been playing with (as if it's not obvious, I'm still trying to figure out the center point of the textures):

I thought about that, but that would mean switching over to .23.5, and though I have it, I don't actively play it yet, as a few mods I love dearly aren't quite up with it yet. In the meantime, since .23 has tweaks available, I thought maybe there'd be a way to tap into that for the AviationLights mod. Specifically, I'm considering a set of buttons to configure the lights from a set of color presets, so I could right-click and change a light into a red strobe or a green navlight in the VAB/SPH. The idea is that the mod would only need one skin to accommodate all possible variants, and would potentially help make it look a little more realistic.

How would one go about adding tweakable colors to lights like the stock .23.5 lights?

And one last variant:

Heh, well I'm not necessarily looking to develop something with the intent to displace the original texture altogether. Rather, I'm just playing around with creating alternative skins as a drag-n-drop set so they can be swapped out for one another in a (virtual) heartbeat. Speaking of which, here's another variation I'm playing with (oval LEDs):

So just for the halibut (or maybe I'm simply floundering), I set out on a mission to change the textures for the lights to make the models a little less visually obvious. The change isn't very drastic, only modifying the "lens" portion of the textures so they look a little more modern. I'm still working on the LEDs in the textures themselves; I think they can be tweaked to add a little more depth and realism to their appearance, but I've never actually tried going into such detail for tiny components in Photoshop before. Should be a bit of a learning experience, if nothing else. (The above image is not intended to make a political statement, but then again, as the saying goes: "Even a broken clock is right twice a day.")

Well, there it is on your computer, at least. We can't see it from here friend, you'll need to upload the picture somewhere where the rest of us can see it, like imgur.com.

*cough*Dr Who*cough*

All you have to do is edit the post, then look toward the bottom for the Delete button.

Heh, reminds me of Li'l Cthulu.

Sure is. Somebody put a gal-derned water tower right smack in the middle of the flight path!

Here's an idea that expands on yours in one swoop: Adapt the AviationLights to take advantage of the tweakable colors, allow them to be turned on and off in the VAB/SPH via right-click menu, and use one texture and config file for all: That way all the lights are the same. They can be made unique with the tweaks functions instead. I would imagine the build menu to look like Range: Spherical (current stock behavior) Range: Directional (projects outward from the light) NavLight On NavLight Flash Single NavLight Flash Double Beacon Flash Single Beacon Flash Double Light Off And the in-flight menu would look like NavLight On NavLight Flash Single NavLight Flash Double Beacon Flash Single Beacon Flash Double Light Off It would mean more coding effort, sure, but it would result in reduced complexity and greater functionality too. If I could only figure out how the tweakable light colors worked in stock...