CaptRobau

I was planning to use this method if I included the solar panel change. At the moment I'm leaning to including it as a separate MM cfg. That way there's the option to use or not use it. The stock panels don't follow the inverse square law. Instead the solar intensity is given for various points (Sun, Kerbin orbit, etc.) I can approximate the inverse square law though.

Need some feedback on this. Currently solar panels will deliver power well beyond where most players will go, around twice as far as Eeloo. In my mind this makes RTGs completely useless, contrary to real-life where those things are necessary for missions to the gas giants and beyond. In real-life solar panels can only be used up to the orbit of Jupiter (the Juno spacecraft). I was thinking about reducing the power-production range for solar panels to the semi-major axis (the average orbit) of Jool. Since power is so essential to science I think this would help make science gathering more interesting, more strategic. So what do you think? Is it something that needs changing? Do you think it's beyond the scope of this mod or not?

Version 1.1 is now up in the OP. Changelog: 1.1: -Moved the ScienceRevisited.cfg out of the Squad folder and into a custom one, to keep the former clean -Changed the placement of the science parts in the tech tree nodes, so that most, including the Science Lab, are unlocked much earlier The science parts are now introduced two nodes earlier and the progression is tied to how much they're worth. This creates a more natural progression, where investing in the science path rewards you with more powerful tools to get lots of science instead of the stock version where most of the worthwhile parts are at the start. Delete the previous version of the mod, btw. @Nelien, I decided against the RT2 integration. I looked at the mod and its settings are also different from stock, which seems to imply that its creator had his own kind of balance in mind. The mods are still compatible though, minus the antenna balancing.

The speeds are now in direct correlation with the electricity cost. Low electricity cost is combined with slower transmission speeds and high electricity cost is combined with higher transmission speeds. The 88-88 for example had twice the electricity cost as the 16 but only 20% higher speed. The DTS-M1 on the other hand only had one-and-a-half times the power cost but twice the speed. Now the order is 16, DTS-M1 and then the 8-88 (because it is much larger than the DTS-M1) in terms of speed and thus power cost.

Thanks for the feedback. You're probably right. I hadn't thought of how much the science requirement can grow with each tech tier. The order is better now I think, but it needs to be moved up to earlier nodes.

As we all know deleting mods by ourselves doesn't always work. So I was wondering if one of the mods could help me out. It's the http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/0-23-science-revisited-1-0-2/ mod that I want deleted. I accidentally clicked upload twice, resulting in a duplicate upload. Thanks in advance.

This mod attempts to correct many of the flaws found in the current implementation of the science system. In a nutshell: it makes science gathering with unmanned more practical, makes the science lab a bit more useful and returning science to Kerbin is no longer the only viable option. Crew & EVA Reports The base value of both types of reports has been dropped a bit. This was done so that a certain area isn’t fully ‘scienced’ on the first try. This means you can either transmit the data and collect the remainder then or you can have another spacecraft pick up the remaining science. This also makes often visited places like low Kerbin orbit a bit more interesting, as there might still be some small bits of science left. The most important change is that Crew Reports in low orbits are now biome specific, while EVA Reports no longer are. This removes the annoying get-out-of-the-pod-click-on-EVA-report-and-climb-back-in and replaces it with something that works a little more intuitive. Experiments All the experiments now have a base value that is around ¾ of the science cap, to achieve the same effect as the Reports. The experiments have had their values changed the most, to create a more logical increase in reward vs. the amount of data it has to send (and thus how much electricity it costs). The small experiments also transmit at 100% now. Gravimetric or temperature data are after all just numbers, which can be easily transmitted. This gives also more use to probes, as they now have more science to gain from experiments that they can perform. It also cuts down on the necessity to bring all spacecraft back for maximum science. The Temperature Scan now also works in outer space. A modified version of the MastCam by Sethnizzle (see thread for license) has been added, which allows for remote EVA reports but less efficient than a manned EVA report. This allows probes to be more useful but without removing the advantage of manned expeditions. An unmanned surface sample part has also been added, but it’s less efficient than a Kerbal collecting samples. A third new part performs a special orbital science experiment called Surface Mapping. This biome-specific experiment creates a use for satellites. Both of these parts’ models were graciously provided by Frizzank. Mobile Processing Lab To make the Lab more competitive with returning experiment results back to Kerbin, the transmission boost has been raised from 1.5 to 5. To make the science lab a bit more difficult to haul around, the mass has been increased to that of two Hitchhiker pods (which are about the same size as one Lab). The Lab now also has an interior, that of the Hitchhiker. There’s now place for four Kerbals, although only two are still necessary to enable the Lab’s function. Other Changes The antennas have been balanced and the placement of the science experiments on the tech tree has also been redone. The experiments with the lower payouts (such as the thermometer) now come before the ones that get a lot of sciene (such as the Materials Bay). The Hitchhiker pod has now been given a special space-based experiment, which makes it a worthy addition to any space station. The mod also contains an optional mini-mod that changes the way solar panels work. They now more closely follow the inverse square law, which means they receive more realistic amounts of sunlight at various distances from the Sun. Instead of them working perfectly far beyond Eeloo, solar panels are now practical only to around Dres’ orbit. Like real-life, this means that if you want to go out further, RTGs might be a better choice. Comments (critiques, suggestions, etc.) are also always welcome. Changelog: 1.3.1: -The science UIs now hide when not available 1.3: -Added an optional tweak that changes all solar panels to more accurately follow in the inverse square law -Added a new part that runs an orbital science experiment called Surface Mapping, which makes satellites more useful for science gathering -Added a new part for doing unmanned surface samples, at the cost of reduced transmission values compared to manned samples -Rebalanced the science values of all the science experiments, to account for the added experiments -Increased the data scales of some experiments to make electrical management less trivial in later stages of career mode -Replaced the modified Hitchhiker IVA for the Science Lab with only 2 available seats to the normal Hitchhiker IVA with 4, because I increased the crew capacity to 4 since it's such a big module. You still only need two Kerbals to work the Lab though 1.2: -ModuleManager updated to 1.5.6 -Hitchhiker moved to the science tab and replaced its Crew Report with a special space-based experiment -Small experiments have had their values changed, as I had a few values switched around 1.1: -Moved the ScienceRevisited.cfg out of the Squad folder and into a custom one, to keep the former clean -Changed the placement of the science parts in the tech tree nodes, so that most, including the Science Lab, are unlocked much earlier License: This is the same license as for the Probobodyne MastCam that I'm used for this mod. ModuleManager is distributed according to the rules set forth by its creators. Credits: Somnambulist - for helping me with ModuleManager stuff Sethnizzle - for the original MastCam Frizzank - for his models ialdoboath and sarbian - for ModuleManager

I'll try it out when I have time. The modelling looks great, but the textures are definitely lacking.

Uploaded Alpha 3: -Added the ScienceDef changes to the ModuleManager file -The Temperature Scan now works in outer space as well -Balanced Antenna parts -Changed the Lab's crew capacity and changed the IVA to the standard Hitchhiker one -Raised the data scalar for the Mystery Goo and Materials Bay to 0.5 -Also increased their data scales (how much Mit they have to send) I didn't add the wildcards for the crew reports and envirosensor as you suggest somnambulist. For some reason it messed up stuff with the Materials Bay/Mystery Goo. I did add the ScienceDef stuff to the ModuleManager cfg.

Bussard Ramjet here we come.

The problem with doing a separate report is that you're unbalancing the game by adding more science to the universe. Unmanned parts doing EVA reports or crew reports (with limits) only adds different ways of getting the same science.

Great mod. I'm really impressed by the stockness of the modelling. Do have a few suggestions though. -The bright colors of the Scoop-o-Matics don't match well with the stock parts. A light blue or pale yellow would make it fit in better. -The Kerbal Kam would look better on tight probes if its not-in-use state would be more compact. Juts out too much at the moment. -The Scoop-o-Matics and the Kerbal Kam when used really stick out quite a lot. Perhaps you could have the Scoop-o-Matics' jaws be open when clean and closed when full. That way it could retract after getting the surface sample but still look different enough to indicate its state. The Kerbal Kam could also retract, but for example when clean it'd have a lens cover in place and when full it'd be open. -The descriptions of the EVA reports fit the Kerbal Kam's use as a lander/rover camera much better. Perhaps it'd be a better fit than the Crew Report.

Could you put up a small example mod or screenshots? I have a hard time making it work, which isn't helped by not knowing what everything should look like.

It's so high because the Americans have no other options, so the Russians can ask anything they want. 70 mil is not the price the Russians pay to put a cosmonaut up there. Also the the comparison between Soyuz and the Space Shuttle is moot. The Shuttle is supposed to do nearly everything, while the Soyuz is part of a larger fleet. The Russians can launch station modules on things like the Proton-K while the Soyuz is the crew ferry. The Shuttle is both the station launcher and the crew ferry. Very different. What can be discussed is conventional rockets vs. shuttles. In that discussion I'd argue for the conventional rockets. They can do everything the Shuttle can, except for returning large quantities of cargo from orbit, but due to them being more versatile launchers (scalable stages and scalable payload sizes vs. a single design and limited cargo bay) I'd choose them over the Shuttle.

Is there any documentation on how the new particle system works and how modders can use it?

If you're running 10 FPS you're PC is simply not up to it. Maybe it's time for a new one?

To all who replied to me, I think you might have misinterpreted my comment (or I didn't convey it well enough). I was just trying to say that it shouldn't be as hard as in real life, not that it shouldn't happen at all. It should be designed so that it should not be so hard that most designs will overheat if you ascend to fast in the atmosphere or that when you don't perfectly angle your craft you always blow up. That would just annoy a lot of people, especially newcomers. So it should be not too easy, nor too hard. Dedicated heat shield parts I don't consider a good idea though. That adds a lot of complexity and radically reduces the designs you can build. NASA has the advantage that they can build custom heat shield for each type of mission but in KSP we'd only have a few that would have to work for everything. A system where bad reentries raise the temperature of your (weak) parts until they eventually blow up would probably be more intuitive.

I don't think a realistic version of reentry heat is a good fit for the game. IRL the margins between life and death are pretty slim. But NASA and other space agencies have scientists and computer to easily calculate the precise angle. In KSP you have to eyeball it, which would probably mean certain death for every new player. Certain failure the first ten times would scare off too many players. Realistic looking heat shields would also unnecessarily complicate the game and drastically reduce the designs you can make. A simplified system where your parts will overheat if you come in at truly crazy angles (like falling straight down from 1000 km) would probably be a better compromise. I think you're spot on about the life support thing. It would give career a more logical progression. A manned mission to the Mun would be possible with a reasonably small ship, but to go to something like Duna you'd need a craft that's big enough to support your crew.

Since rings are so thin and is composed mostly of pebble-sized objects I think a 2D texture is the best way to go. SpaceEngine does this really well by having a single opaque image at a distance, but when you get close a moving detail texture is applied which gives the idea of the rings having some content to them. Water works in a similar way: single texture high-up, tiled detail textures close-up.

toadicus I tried out the new dll and it seems to be working as it should. I'd change the font of the message that you get when you don't have enough range to the same one that is used for the science messages. Creates more consistency. Other than it's pretty much perfect. Going to be a must-have mod for any future careers.

No it doesn't. It just says nothing past 1976. That just means Apollo is on the table, nothing else.

I'm just glad we got to play with it in the first place. Loving the Agena.

The tech tree is tailored to new players, rather than veterans. Which is why probes, planes and car parts are later in the tech tree than rockets and the like.

If your center of lift is a long way from your center of mass, you've basically built a lawn dart. And lawn darts tend to pitch down after a while. SAS shouldn't be able to hold your pitch in this case, as it's not a substitute for bad design. Move your wings closer to the center of mass to make it fly better.

Dropping out of warp for SoI changes and maneuver nodes makes a lot of sense. In both situations you'll want to drop out of warp more often than not. Ten minutes for maneuver node is a bit long though. You have to timewarp a while after that, to get to the maneuver node, and that might make you overshoot. One minute or thirty seconds should be enough for most ships to get into position for the maneuver node (if you haven't done so already).