CrashnBurn

I put that node there to allow players to make their own configurations. There are no parts in the plugin that are intended for the top node. It works well for a stock parachute to land on Eve or Duna without the DROP, but I'm sure you could think of a hundred other configurations. We wanted to make the mod useful in a variety of settings, even those we had not thought of originally.

Unfortunately there are too many optional configurations to try and post them all. I will post a demo file with default parts if that will help.

The cage is upside down, the cross bars go against the DROP. Place the "cage" first against the DROP. then the ASAS, then the RCS tanks moving outward on the nodes toward the open end. The two smaller center nodes are for the ASAS and RCS The large Nodes are for the DROP and two meter launch vehicle. The RCS tanks should be centered in the cage, if not flip the tanks over. <a href="http://imgur.com/7qdQn"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/7qdQn.jpg" title="Hosted by imgur.com" alt="" /></a>

I have no clue what a Mako is, other than a shark. I wanted thrusters to over top obstacles or to use suborbital flights to speed recon. The current engine configuration was my call because four nozzles presents a more stable looking configuration. Although, in reality, there are actually only two thrust centers rather then the four that are animated. The four effects animations are just that, animation effects to present a more believable flight configuration. Glad you are enjoying the mod. Let us know what you think after you have a chance to fly it a bit.

Sorry to say we won't be supporting older versions of KSP. It's just not reasonable to put the effort into obsolete versions of the software. We'll do our best to keep up with the latest version of KSP.

Place the double crossbars against the non-door end of the DROP Place the ASAS on the closest node to the DROP with the four legs facing the DROP. Place the RCS tanks on the next small node, you may have to flip the RCS tanks over depending on the build orientation. The RCS center node should be outward toward the open end of the frame.

Thanks Blinkin, please send some feedback after you've had a chance to give the mod a thorough thrashing.

Truth. Please try out the Mk4 and give us some feedback. Thanks!

Not stupid at all, many mods are simple enough to dive right in...the Mk4 has quite a few special functions that you might not think of, so we created a field manual. Using the hatch as a jack to flip over an upside down rover, or performing the front flip over obstacles would not be obvious to everyone. BTW, after the first time you perform a forward flip, you'll never go back to driving around an obstacle....it addictive. We may do a hi res version, but it won't happen tomorrow. If you send me a PM, I'll put the request in for our next release. Have fun!

If you read the field manual, it will tell you to right click for a context menu. That little hint helps with a lot of the parts.

It's official, the RAT upload is complete and you can now download the DEMV Mk4 RAT v1.0.0. Have fun all!

Thank you Bobcat for all of your hard work on the Mk4! It's a pleasure to work with you and I look forward to our many exciting and innovative future releases. Take a bow, you deserve it.

Umm, did you check kerbal.net? You might want to go there and hit refresh a few times, the upload should be done very soon.

I love the smell of rocket fuel in the morning....smells like.....release day. Or Bobcat ate too many beans.

Yeah, I know. The earlier DEMVs are a little unbalanced. Bobcat was working alone and had a lot to do. Game balancing takes a lot of work, and he did a great job considering the solo performance. We're considering revamping them, but we also have to consider that we'd probably break persistence for people's existing designs. However: The Mk4 RAT has had extensive play testing and game balancing. Not only will the Mk4 be the best looking and best animated Bobcat Ind. release to date, but it will be extremely well balanced to the stock game parts. You will have to carefully select fuel loads, engines and landing configurations. Also, as stated earlier, now you must consider mass balance, both in vertical launch and horizontal landing settings. ...and this is just the beginning....

I agree. Thanks to all of the original Kethane development team, and thanks to Dani-Sang for both the original mod and for allowing it to stay in development with Majiir.

Now, who told you that? It's a secret...shhhh.

They are compatible with 0.17, unless you have a bug to report? Let me know if there's a problem.

Good to hear. Welcome back.

Does The DEMV Mk4 count?

We'll be making payloads for the Mk2 and the Mk4, yes.

Me as well, I want to get the Mk4 released and then move on to the mind-numbingly huge project we have planned next. ...and contrary to the rumors, it has nothing to do with firing pumpkins to Kerbin escape velocity with compressed air cannons.

Yes, new 'chute. I think it looks pretty nice.

We're not too far from release, but it's going to be as right as we can make it before we release it. That's just the way we roll. Bobcat didn't mean to say that we have a lot of bugs to resolve, just that we need to get mass balanced for smooth flight characteristics, and get parts balanced for game-play with stock parts. The "difficult to manage" part is the fact that due to game and plugin limitations, you have to understand the VAB well. For example: Since we want people to be able to use mechjeb if they wish, and mechjeb flies according to the pods original up axis, we need to orient the Mk4 pod vertically in the VAB. But since the cart plugin suspension responds strangely unless the parts original local orientation points the wheels down, we need to orient the chassis horizontally in the VAB. If you are not familiar with rotating parts in the VAB, this can be a frustration. Also, the game has a glitch where the last up axis parsed in the part.cfg connection nodes must be the first axis with a part attached in the VAB. The other up axes don't work until then. So the parts need to be assembled in a certain order. Another potential frustration here. Since we have no control over other plugins or attachment node function, we need to accept these build idiosyncrasies so that we can enjoy functionality and eye-appeal of the Mod. As far as the DROP being hard to manage, not really. The issue lies in the mass balance. Since it is balanced for vertical flight it can be a little twitchy when landing horizontally, because the COG is centered for vertical flight with default accessories attached. I have no problem with that, but some may find it challenging. But we're looking at these little details and trying to give the mod the best function possible before release. The end result is that the Mk4 Mod will be released very flight worthy and as easy to fly as possible. But, it will take more skill and planning to land a Mk4. You'll need to to plan your balance for vertical liftoff, as always, and also for horizontal landing...consider that a challenge. I think it's worth the wait.

That's the plan.