Kommitz

Pretty much, albeit with a different design and size standard.

Here they are! I'm very indecisive when it comes to making things so I almost completely re-did the mesh since showing them off, which is why I didn't release them earlier. Thanks, I'm a fan of FASA too fwiw.

Octagonal Truss Set Currently awaiting re-development and re-release with a host of fixes and improvements. Old version: http://www./download/yh6kgh4jnyncp6f/octotruss_25march2014.zip

I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you’re referring to as 'Open Resource System (ORS)' is, in fact, a plugin that can be, used within the context of your own mods. ORS is not a playable mod in itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning mod system made useful by the ORS .dll.

KSP uses the alpha channel for specular maps, the parts you can't see are likely just completely flat and non-shiny so are mostly transparent. To flatten the alpha channel (and keep the map so you can re-apply the spec afterwards) you need to make sure you've got the channels tab in your toolbar. It looks like this. You can deselect all the colour channels and paint over the alpha to remove all transparency from the image. You'll probably want to save the alpha so that you can re-apply the spec later, and you can do that by going to: Colours > Components > Decompose This will open up all the component channels from the image in a separate file, on multiple layers. There's the solar panel texture in all its glory.

I was thinking just within the stock implementation. First number is the engine throttle, second number basically acts like a multiplier on the relevant stats of the particle emitter it's working on: emission = (throttle)1.0 (stat multiplier thing)2.0 Emission is the number of particles emitted, speed is the velocity. They work to change the particle emission characteristics as defined in the emitter that's chosen (and usually saved in a .mu file).

The KSP particle emitter in part tools is pretty straightforward if you have them installed, and implementing a particle effect for an engine just requires using the new 'ModuleEngineFX' as in the Rapier. If you look at the .cfg in that you should see how the effects are set up generally. If you do make a custom particle emitter, it just needs to be exported as a .mu file and you can call it up for your engine effects using ' MODEL_MULTI_PARTICLE'. I've not checked how many custom particles emitters you can stick on one engine, but I know each .mu will only work with one in it.

I am making things, and have been for a while, but I'm probably close to actually releasing them by now. Cylinder is the same size as an orange tank, for scale reference.

Cute pod, would fly. The IVA layout is nice too, and I like the double windows. Gives some nice views.

Ah, I really like blue. Nice recoulour. Also: I'm working on a 3.75m engine now roughly based off the NERVA 2 design, should fit in nicely with a matching texture job. Won't be out for ages though as I've got other priorities. In the meantime, I'll do some multiple engine adapters with built in fairings. A while back I posted a wee video of a prototype I made months ago, so i just went with that idea and polished it off a bit, mostly keeping it similar to the stock multi-couplers: (I don't ever use 5m parts, please don't mind the super-junky test rig) A more spaced out engine design like that NASA image isn't really feasible sine my FTmNs a bit, err, fat. And a cluster of the FTmN 40s is a bit redundant.

That is odd, what are your framerates like when running the game? For me the exhaust looks like this: I could try upping the particle count or changing the shape of the emitter. Also for the config file 'emission' is the number of particles produced, 'speed' is their speed (pretty self explanatory).

Yeah I noticed that. I knew Nert was working on struts but I was just assuming they'd match the hydrogen tank style from his pack. The octostrut thing makes sense though, it's got nice options for symmetry and having it fit the stock struts give it more utility in the game which is why I went with it. There's only so much you can do with truss sections. Anyway I've been threatening to actually release these things since so I'm aiming to finish them by the end of the month. I'm hoping to add specific variations on some of the engines down the line that can function as dual mode engines/power reactors down the line. The technical reason is that it requires extra plumbing and I've not modeled it on the engines yet, plus I think electricity is easy enough to manage with batteries and solar panels so I'm not adding generation to the standard engines. I'm not planning to. Wouldn't add much to the pack that couldn't be done by sticking engines on other parts. I just patched up the pack with some improved particle effects. Changed the sprite to be much smoother. Check on spaceport!

+1 to Greys. I think the mod library has everything covered well enough if you're looking for centralised lists and categories, so long as people know where it is.

I'll probably make the large particle effects more orange/yellow. Didn't realise how red they were when I was ground testing.

Ah, well maybe the temperature fixes in the new upload should help. Also does anyone like tubes? I love tubes. Look out for a new thread soon!

Parts Updated, check the first page: adjusted the temperature related stats on all parts and added some new particle effects. As far as problems with Kerbal Engineer go, I believe that's to do with the new moduleenginesFX that my parts are using now. I'm reluctant to change them back though, it's all what allows the particle effects and sounds to work. Aside from that, my struts are coming along well after I decided to change the aesthetic around a bit. All parts in various stages of early texturing: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ I'll have to take a look at how ferram works as I don't use it myself, but I'd guess it's an issue with the colliders on my engines. They're very simple and just built out of unity primitives.

You can just drag & drop them into the asset browser. Probably good practice to delete the old version beforehand.

I'm sure you'll figure it out for yourself once you start testing things, but liquid hydrogen by itself as a nuclear rocket propellant is an absolute $%^&. Firstly, you'll need tons to get anywhere but these are vast tons that take up ridiculous amounts of space, so you'll need to make huge tanks that hold thousands of units of the stuff. Using the stock KSP tank mass ratios is just not workable for hydrogen alone, so you'll probably have to reduce that to a fraction of what it is. Hydrogen/oxygen afterburning could work alright though, or any other number of exotic but poorer performing propellants. Regardless of my opinions on that damn element, the tanks look very nice and I'm looking forward to some more habitat modules eventually.

I'll change the temperatures around when I update. Personally I think the stock temperature implementation is just a nuisance that makes no sense, I'll lower all the heat production. I'm not familiar with dealy reentry, so I'll go give it a look. Does it reconfigure the stock engine temperatures with module manager? If so I could just put up a DR config patch. I certainly don't want to big engines to explode when you use them how they're supposed to be used :|

I think procedural cloud cover would be more useful at the moment, it could increase the apparent resolution and drop memory usage down if done right. I think.

I've never had the engines overheat on me, even in clusters. It's probably the specific fueltank you've it/them mounted on that's causing it, or the size of the cluster. Could do with more information. I was just thinking it would be handy to use modular fueltanks so you could devote whole, stock tanks to just liquidfuel rather than either using tweakables to half empty them or adding a load of not-especially-useful liquidfuel only tanks.

Err, probably not. Thanks for pointing it out, the temperature thresholds just have so little impact on the stock game that I tend to overlook them. I'll make them all a bit more consistent next update. Ahhh it's not actually going to be *methane*, I'm just using it as an archetype that makes a bit (definitely only a bit, it's still unrealistic) more sense than the current stock NTR stats. If I wasn't too bothered about mod reliance I'd just go ahead and fuel them with Kethane (I suppose that could be a useful alt config).

Neat idea. Have you got any plans to tackle the prevalence of uneven terrain across the system? It just strikes me that most of my current basey/mining operations end up fairly sloped which could get difficult once things start spreading out.

Update is out! Check the first post or spaceport to see what's in it. As for future updates, I think I'd better stop making any promises on deadlines because I'm generally working on multiple things at a time and get easily distracted... But in the works I have that big strut and fueltank set, which should go nicely with the engines for making some proper deep-space looking craft, and an engine stats rework. What I want to do is change the engines to be a bit more 'realistic' with regards to their stats, but at the same time I think the changes could be beneficial for gameplay in KSP generally. Currently they are just statted like the stock LV-N, which makes no sense. I'm thinking of changing the engines to work more like methane nuclear engines, which would have greater thrust than (typical) hydrogen nuclear engines but a lower Isp. Basically change the engines to just use LiquidFuel, increase the thrust by maybe 1.5 or so and drop the Isp down to 600. Doing this would necessitate using Modular Fuel Tanks plugin to keep things from getting confusing with the stock fuel tanks, but I can always leave the current configs available as an alternative. Anyway I'll focus on making new parts first. I'm working on another project aside from this at the moment though so it might take even longer than usual. _______________________________________________________________________ Should be fixed now. I've already got separate cylindrical and spherical tanks done, but I'm not planning on giving them a gold foil texture. Will release them eventually, although rather than giving them fixed amounts of fuel I think I'll just bundle Modular Fuel Tanks with them.

I have been largely overcome by christmas laziness and probably won't push out an update for another few days now. On the other hand I'm going to try and also release those tanks I showed a while back, I've just been tweaking the sizes and geometry to make them chunkier looking. Also large strut parts. Partial disassembly during launch... Near future used to put interesting bits on the end of the arms.