ZodiusInfuser

Hi All, Forgive the lack of updates with the mod of late. Both myself and Sirkut are re-assessing where we want IR to be for the 1.0 release. Since coming on the team I've been working on remodelling a number of parts currently offered, in order to give a more unified feel and allow for cooler robotic contraptions! Whether I end up redoing every part remains to be seen. Certainly texturing will be something that we hope to address, but not by me as my texturing skills are non-existant . Now, been as though I'm working on these new models I'd like to ask people some questions: - Are there any parts in the current lineup that you don't use? What's the reason for this, e.g their style, size, redundant functionality? - Do you have any suggestions for new parts the mod could benefit from (that you can't already do with the current selection). Maybe you had an idea for a craft but couldn't build it due to lack of parts. Many people in the past have suggested a Scissor-Lift so that's on my list. As an incentive for feedback, I'll leave you with this Thanks!

As the new moddeller for IR, I'd be eager to hear both your views about the current selection of parts, their style etc. It would be great if you could PM me

Indeed it is. I've dabbled with it in the past for n-joint legs, but the solution I used didn't work in all cases. Cool to watch though:

The counterforce effect was certainly unexpected the first time we tried it. You can see the SAS fighting it to make the correct part remain stationary. It also produces strange gyroscopic forces if you try to steer a craft whilst one is spinning!

AFAIK, you can't surface attach things to animated parts like the centrifuge (or you can but they won't move); however, it is possible with robotics parts. Here's what myself and Sirkut are currently working on for Infernal Robotics (because we too have that dream )

I play career mode. I'll send you my ideas for part placement when i get chance.

Yea, IR has 9 different piston parts that are scaled so that they fit perfectly inside each other, like so I guess the same principle could be applied to this but it may require some model rework.

Good point Gristle. That being said, I would personally like a more unified feel with the mod in the future, not necessarily a stock feel though. Maybe something I can look into in the future.

Perhaps it's something to consider for the future. I personally think it's more important to expand and refine the capabilities of the mod first before looking at a second pass on the art. Edit: On a slightly related point. I'm curious, how people are actually using the current selection of parts, and what for? Are there any that people don't use or would prefer better versions/variations of?

Maybe its a case of seeing what KJR does with it's configurable joints, and adjusting our own robotics joints to behave similarly (if that's even possible in unity).

Indeed he did! I look forward to seeing the other versions when they're ready for me.

This is actually an issue within the game too! When I started the ring on my first test craft, because it was heavier, the centre of my ship just spun in place. The solution is to either have contra-rotating rings as you say, or control systems such as RCS or reaction wheels. To make life easier for people I'm going to incorporate a reaction wheel into each of these parts, with a large force but only on the roll axis. This will save having ships with 10 SAS units inline. For the sake of realism imagine that there is a large mass wheel enclosed in the centre of the mechanism, rotating in opposition to your main ring. That should minimise Handwavium

The image is more representative of what the final style will be like. The video was our first attempt at getting the part to work in game, as we've had to do a trick to get around a limitation in KSP, so no point spending time texturing it and the idea not work. Edit, I would love to see people use these as wheels! Obviously the main purpose of them is to add spinning mid-sections to your craft for Artificial Gravity and the like. At least that's what I plan to do

I was wondering when you'd start showing these off Btw, other styles will be available that are less flamboyant.

The issue with Inverse Kinematics is that there is no single solution for all arm setups, meaning that you'd have to write a fresh IK script for every limb you make. A possible solution is something like Cyclic Coordinate Descent. I've experimented with this before with positive results.

I too have had issues seeing other ships. Deleting persistent.sfs only seemed to work the first time I booted the game up . I do have to say though, despite it's issues, being able to see craft other people have left on the server is really quite magical. Keep up the great work TehGimp!

This mod have awesome potential! I was on Queril's server and was able to land near someone else's vessel and get kerbals to meet

No where near the scale of all your contraptions, but the heaviest thing I managed to get into orbit was this 208t (803 part) space station. And here's what a "simulated" re-entry looks like

The CFG files contain multiple part definitions, so check if you've added techRequired etc to all of them. For reference the telescopic piston comes in 9 different sizes!

Interesting. Are you sure you've got the latest version, as I know Sirkut has made it his point to include probe sized variants of all the parts. Perhaps there's a few he's missed. Edit, or rescale the ones you want as Sirkut says.

Are there any particular parts you have issue with?

The lock feature of the robotics parts is purely a control lock. Since the free spinning parts don't respond to a control they can't be locked. I'm sure Sirkut could include it though if there's sufficient interest in the feature.

Hi, I haven't had chance to update my game yet. Are there any pics of the new parts offered in 0.8?

There's a specific node for robotics (http://i.imgur.com/OkwRzka.png), but the question is whether all parts should be placed under there? Perhaps some of the basic things, like Docking Washers can be introduced earlier to coincide with the unlocking of docking ports. Edit: I think the majority of the parts should reside in the Robotics section of the tree, but there's no harm in introducing the basic ones (Docking Washer and Adjustable Rail) at earlier points where they could be useful.

I have to agree with TicTacToe! and others. I rarely download part mods, but this one adds much more choice to inter-planetary travel and looks great too! The fact that the parts look stock is a real bonus. I like this direction, as currently it's a bit unclear how the current three engines relate in terms of performance. Would this mean the removal of the current Xenon tanks? It would be a real shame to get rid of that awesome spherical side-mounted one just because it's not capsule shaped. Due to the properties of the RL shapes, putting Xenon in a sphere (and Argon in a capsule for example) offers no negative effects in terms of pressure distribution. If the tank types are clearly marked to indicate their type, I don't think people will have issue with fuels not being in the correct shape. Btw, what are the current thoughts on colours and marking?