jamis

Well, I found the pattern, I just don't know what it means, yet. The problem mods are all hosted at spaceport... The bundler makes two requests for these -- one to get the actual download URL for the file from spaceport, and another to download the file. Perhaps something is broken in the flow. I'll dig in, but might not be able to really pay attention to it until tonight. Thanks again for your help!

Thank-you! I'll see if I can find something in common with those problem mods. Also, it may not be a bug that TreeLoader is being downloaded, even if unchecked. It is a dependency of RP LITE, so if you check RP LITE, TreeLoader will be downloaded, checked or not. If you find TreeLoader is being downloaded even when RP LITE is unchecked, though, that's probably a bug. Thanks again!

Curious. Hmm! I know it's a pain, a list of the problem mods might be just the thing. Given that the ones that error, error consistently, I wonder if there is something easy going on, like a URL parsing issue or something. Thanks for helping to troubleshoot this!

Ugh, I'm sorry to hear this! What version of Windows are you on? I've tested with XP (which is all I have to test with) and it worked okay. Some other questions: Are you behind a firewall of some sort? Do you use an HTTP proxy to access the Internet? If you retry the build, does it work? Or do the same mods consistently give you the "connection closed" error? Does updating Java on your machine help at all? (You can get the latest version of Java here: https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp) I know there aren't a lot of people using this bundler app yet, but if anyone else tries it, I'd appreciate it if you could report your experience here. It'd be good to know if this is working for anyone besides me.

I just updated the OP with the latest version of the bundler. For this one, you WILL NEED to download the bundler app itself--it won't auto-update. Hopefully this new version will be friendlier when mods get updated. I'll try to stay on top of keeping the manifest up-to-date, but I'm not always as fast as people might like!

TranceaddicT, great suggestion! Some of those appear to be windows-only, which I'd like to avoid, but the TextureCompressor mod, at least, would be a great addition. I'm almost done with the next version of the mod bundler, and I'll see if I can test that mod with the bundler before I ship it.

Ugh! Sorry about that, MDBenson. I'm working on a more robust way to track these now. Hopefully when this next pass is done, things will be less fragile all-around.

General encouragement is much appreciated. Safe travels! I'm in a hotel right now, myself. Winter is not my favorite time to be on the road!

Sorry to be slow updating that--crazy week! I just bumped the mods.yml to refer to the latest versions of all referenced mods. You do NOT need to redownload the bundler for this change! Your existing copy will automatically update the mod list when you run it next. Specifically, I changed the following: Mission Controller Extended bumped to dev build 6 Kerbal Joint Reinforcement bumped to 2.0 KSP Interstellar bumped to 0.10.3 AIES bumped to 1.5.1 (and yay! it doesn't need to a manual download now) Toolbar bumped to 1.5.1 (and boo! it needs a manual download now) Added the HullCam VDS mod (just because)

That's actually exactly how it works now -- the mods.yml file (that mod manifest file) is hosted on github (with the source for this app), and the app downloads it on every run. So it is possible for *me* to update it whenever a mod is updated, and then everyone gets the updated list. It is technically possible for anyone to feed their own mods.yml to the script right now, but it requires that you run the command-line version, and not GUI one. But that's a good suggestion; I'll see about adding a way for users to specify their own mods.yml, so that if I'm slow updating the canonical version, people can at least fiddle with it on their own.

Whew! I've updated the OP to reflect the most recent release of the bundler. It now includes a graphical interface for choosing mods, and for building your custom real-solar-system bundle. No more command-line! I've tested it on both Windows and Mac, and it works great. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Alright, baby steps. I just posted an update that actually works on Windows, now, and should be marginally simpler to run. It still requires the command-line, but I've tried to simplify everything else. Next step: building a UI for it. That's not my forte, I'll admit, but I'm up for it, I think. It might be a week or so before I have something for it, though.

bowman3002, yeah, no Windows yet, sorry. I know most of KSP'ers are Windows folk, so this utility is currently of limited value. I'm working on it.

The commands should be typed at the command-line. What OS are you using? On Mac, that's Terminal.app. On linux, it could be any number of things. For Windows, it's the console (but this bundler won't yet work on Windows, alas). The default HardMode.zip is around 180MB in size, but depending on individual mods that you select to include (or not), it might be much smaller, or much larger.

Sadly, Ruby doesn't really make this (generally) possible. (That is to say--some limited solutions exist, but they are just that: limited.) Still, that doesn't mean we can't find another way--it just means we might need to find another implementation language. The Ruby implementation I posted is really more of a proof of concept; maybe it's time for me to dust off my Java chops and see what I can do. (It's been almost ten years...) A centralized list would be wonderful, and I wouldn't mind maintaining it. That's a really great idea. Thanks for the feedback!

NOTICE: This project is no longer being maintained. As mods get updated, the manifest files here will NOT be updated, which means things will quickly begin breaking (if they haven't already). Please read the full announcement here: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/67668?p=1117572&viewfull=1#post1117572 NathanKell's "Real Solar System" mod (http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55145) is all the hotness these days, and no wonder. But anyone who's tried to set it up will understand when I say that it's not a task for the faint of heart. There is a maze of dependencies to navigate, and the lists of supported and recommended mods rarely have links to point you at where to download them. In navigating this maze myself, I took some notes, and these notes turned into a list, and the list turned into a simple script. The purpose of this script is to pull in all the needed dependencies and install them, and after testing it for a week or so, I've found it works quite well. Well enough to share with others who might find themselves in the same quandary I was in. Just grab the bundler here: http://jamisbuck.org/files/real-solar-system-20140325.zip (20MB) Unzip it somewhere (NOT IN YOUR KSP FOLDER), and then click on the "real-solar-system.bat" (Windows) or "real-solar-system.sh" (Mac/Linux) to launch the UI. Also, while the manifest file itself (which defines the mods that can exist in this bundle) is always downloaded automatically every time you launch the app, there may be times when you want to tweak the list, or change a mod that has been updated recently. (I will always try to keep the manifest up-to-date, but I'm human and sometimes fall behind.) In that case, you can download the manifest itself here: https://github.com/jamis/KSP-RealSolarSystem-Bundler/blob/master/real-solar-system.manifest That will be a YAML-formatted list of mods, and you can tweak that in any text editor. Then, from the bundler, you can choose the "File" menu and open your local manifest that way. Alternate Manifest Files The following are provided experimentally. I do not make any promises to keep them up-to-date, but I'll try. These are mostly made available to demonstrate how alternate manifests might work. Alternis Kerbol - this lovely reimagining of the (stock-sized) Kerbin solar system is well-worth playing. With its tweaked lighting and beautifully-colored planets, it's a treat for the eyes. Give it a try by downloading this manifest: raw2.github.com/jamis/KSP-RealSolarSystem-Bundler/master/alternis-kerbol.manifest I'd love feedback, as well as pull requests to make the process simpler. Sadly, please do not ask for the generated bundle of mods itself, because I am not permitted to distribute it. It contains the work of many others, and I'm not allowed to share all of that without explicit permission. Lastly, here is the list of (most of) the mods (optional and otherwise) referenced by my bundler, with links to their corresponding forum threads: core mods Deadly Reentry Continued - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/54954 ECLSS - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/58127 Engine Ignitor - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/51880 Ferram Aerospace Research (FAR) - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/20451 RSS - 1/10 Scale Solar System - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55145?p=935476&viewfull=1#post935476 RSS - 10x Scaled Kerbin System - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55145?p=852178&viewfull=1#post852178 RSS - With Planet Factory Planets - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55145?p=894879&viewfull=1#post894879 Real Solar System - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55145 RealChutes - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/57988 RealFuels - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/64118 Realism Overhaul - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/59207 Realistic Progression LITE - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/58135 Remote Tech 2 - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/56399 StretchySRB - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/57422 TAC Life Support - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/40667 extra mods Kerbal ISP Difficulty Scaler - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/52882 Kerbal Joint Reinforcement - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55657 Mission Controller Extended - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/43645 Procedural Fairings - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/39512 Visual Enhancements (Hi-Res) - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55905 Visual Enhancements (Low-Res) - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55905 interesting mods HullCam VDS - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/46365 Infernal Robotics - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/37707 KSP Interstellar - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/43839 Kerbal Attachment System (KAS) - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/53134 Kerbal Space Industries MFD - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/66198 Kethane - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/23979 Krags Planet Factory - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/60318 RasterPropMonitor - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/57603 SCANsat - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55832 part mods AIES - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/35383 Bobcat Soviet Engines Pack - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/24724 FASA - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/24867 KW Rocketry - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/51037 NovaPunch - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/3870 RLA Stockalike - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/24593 support mods Active Texture Management (Aggressive) - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/59005 Active Texture Management (Basic) - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/59005 Reaching for the Stars Pack - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/57833?p=773847&viewfull=1#post773847 TreeLoader - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/53192 utility mods AIES Antennas for RemoteTech2 - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/68142 Docking Port Alignment Indicator - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/43901 Enhanced Navball - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/50524 Kerbal Alarm Clock - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/24786 Kerbal Engineer Redux - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/18230 MechJeb - http://mechjeb.com MechJeb for All - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/68142 Navball Docking Alignment Indicator - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/54303 RCS Build Aid - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/35996 Ship Manifest - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/62270 TAC Fuel Balancer - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/25823 Toolbar - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/60863 Tweakable Everything - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/64711 Tweakable Wheels - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/68530 Contributing If you're interested in helping out, the source code is hosted on GitHub: https://github.com/jamis/KSP-RealSolarSystem-Bundler Pull requests are gratefully received! CHANGELOG 2014-03-25 * Worked around SSL problem with github-hosted files * [Windows] hide command prompt after launching (thanks @paxy97!) * [Mac/Linux] set script directory automatically, so it can be launched from anywhere 2014-02-25 * Fixed a file processing bug that caused some files and directories to be incorrectly ignored (like the Module Manager config files for RealChutes) 2014-02-13 * Include descriptions of and links to the referenced mods * Only the "default" set of mods is displayed, by default, but you can change the filter via the dropdown above the list * Added more robust config file manipulation to support mods like Kethane that need significant tweaking * Window is slightly larger, to see the list better * Added a grundle of optional mods, and updated a few existing ones 2014-02-11-2 * Fixed a bug that caused spaceport downloads to fail on 64-bit windows 2014-02-11 * The manifest file now uses a more robust method for downloading files, which will hopefully make things less fragile when a mod is updated. * Mods are now organized by category * You can now open a manifest file manually via the "File" menu, if you want to tweak the existing manifest (or make your own!) * Added a few more (optional) mods to the manifest 2014-02-03 * A new graphical interface for choosing mods, and building your bundle! No more command-line (unless you want it) * Updated the mods list to include recent updates to various dependencies 2014-01-30 * Windows support! * Switched to JRuby, to allow the script to be more easily bundlable * The mods.yml (dependency database) is now read directly from the git repository, allowing mod updates to be distributed without needing the script to be downloaded each time

Today, for the first time, I was able to build and launch a probe from "real size" Kerbin/Earth, to Jool/Jupiter. I didn't try to optimize at all--no Eve/Venus fly-bys, no fancy trajectories, just a simple Hohmann transfer from Kerbin to Jool. My conclusion: Jupiter is awesomely, breathtakingly, painfully huge, and mind-bogglingly magnificent. I wish now that I'd done this with a universe-replacer that made things look like Jupiter, but this was enough to give me a taste for just how enormous our real solar system is. Here are some pics of my arrival at Jool/Jupiter (I didn't think to take any screenshots of the launch, sorry!) Other mods I used: Deadly Reentry Continued, FAR, RealFuels, StretchySRB, Realism Overhaul, Kerbal Joint Reinforcement, Visual Enhancements, and MechJeb, as well as various part mods (Procedural Fairings, AIES, KW Rocketry, NovaPunch, RLA Stockalike, others).

@NathanKell, you nailed it. There was! It looks like I installed the RPL Mini Realism Pack 18b (solely in order to get the custom experiments plugin, because that's what the RPL tech tree instructions said to do) and I forgot to delete the ModularFuelTanks folder (I managed to get the others, though). Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

I'm really sorry if this has been asked before...I've searched, and haven't found anything. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong, but I don't know what. The problem is that while the engines want to be configured to use Kerosene and Alcohol, those two resources don't appear when I try to configure the fuel tanks. Instead I see LiquidFuel, which (if I read these threads correctly) shouldn't be there at all. I've got a perfectly clean install of KSP. I've set it up with Real Solar System (v5.5), Realism Overhaul (v3), RealFuels (v4.2), StretchySRB (v8.1), Engine Ignitor (v3.1), and, heck, lots of others (trying to maximize realism, here). I've installed the RftSEngines.cfg in RealismOverhaul. I've deleted SFJBRealEngines. I can provide an exhaustive list of the mods I've installed, but I wanted to see if anyone could see something obvious I've done wrong. Thanks!

The default scenarios are set up to disallow access to the space center. The scenario I've uploaded for this challenge starts you at the space center, and allows you to return to it as often as needed. (That took some experimenting to figure out...!) Thanks for giving it a shot! I'd love feedback on what would make the challenge better. I'd like to try more scenario-based challenges, now that I'm figuring out how the format works.

I just meant that you cannot select the artifact in the tracking station, and then click the "fly" button. You may certainly target the object in order to navigate to it.

My own attempt: I started well, but had a significant setback in phase 3 when I ran out of electricity on return from the Mun, and wound up killing all 5 Kerbals. Ouch. Even aside from the emotional trauma of losing Jeb, that set me back 25 whole points! My score, then: Phase 1: rendezvous with artifact, and approach within 20m: 10 points. No MechJeb: x2. Subtotal: 20 points. Phase 1b: Not attempted. Phase 2: Two full orbits, eccentricity < 0.001, inclination < 1 degree: 10 points. No MechJeb: x2. Subtotal: 20 points. Phase 3: 5 Kerbals successfully docked with artifact: 5 points. TAC Life Support: +5 points. 5 Kerbals killed on return: -25 points. Subtotal: -15 points. Phase 4: Artifact touches down intact, on dry land: 10 points. Deadly Rentry: +5 points. No MechJeb: x2. Subtotal: 30 points. Total: 20 + 20 - 15 + 30 = 55 points. Definitely could have been better! [Edit] Mods present: Toolbar, Crew Manifest, Deadly Reentry, Kerbal Joint Reinforcement, Kerbal Alarm Clock, MechJeb, RLA Stockalike, TAC Life Support

There's something in Kerbin's L3 point, and Kerbal scientists haven't a clue what it is. As you may or may not know, the L3 point is a stable orbital configuration in which an object may orbit with 1:1 resonance on the far side of the sun--in other words, always staying behind the sun from (in this case) Kerbin. (Sadly, KSP doesn't support true Lagrange points, so in this case we're pretending the L3 point simply shares Kerbin's orbit. Stay with me, here.) Whatever is at that point, though, it's emitting a strong, regular radio signal, almost like a beacon. Being behind the sun, though, it's signal is obscured by the sun's own strong radio emissions, and Kerbals have no way to observe it directly. The scientists call for a mission to investigate. Are you game? Installation and Setup This mission is distributed as a new scenario. To install it, download the (zipped) scenario file here: http://jamisbuck.org/files/alien-artifact.zip Unzip it, and move the "Alien Artifact.sfs" file to the saves/scenarios folder in your KSP installation. It should now show up in the "Scenarios" list when you open KSP. Challenge Rules You are not allowed to "fly" to the artifact via the tracking station until after you finish the first phase. You may not (at any time) actually control the artifact. You may not extend or retract any parts of it, or adjust its orientation in any way. (Once docked with the artifact, in phase 2 and later, you may "steer" the artifact as part of your own vessel. No other aspect of the artifact may be adjusted.) Points within each phase are not cumulative; you are awarded only the highest score for which you are eligible. Any mod is allowed, but you must clearly state all mods used. Any appropriate proof of each phase will be accepted. Screenshots are preferred, showing clearly your eligibility for each score you claim. The mission phases are as follows: 1. Unmanned Fly-By The first investigation must be via unmanned probe. You must send the probe to within 5km of the artifact in order to successfully pass this phase. The probe must be equipped with at least three science instruments, one of which must be an antenna or communications dish. Scoring: Pass further than 5km from the artifact: failure. You cannot proceed to phase 2 until you go within at least 5km of the artifact. No communications dish or antenna, or fewer than three science instruments: failure. You cannot proceed to phase 2 until you build an appropriate probe. Pass within 5km: +1 point. Pass within 2km: +3 points. Pass within 1km: +5 points. Pass within 500m: +7 points. Rendezvous (match velocities) with artifact, and approach within 20m: +10 points. Doing this entire phase without a MechJeb autopilot doubles the reward. Achieving any points in this phase allows you to "fly" to the artifact via the tracking station, but you may not (at any time) actually control the artifact. You may not extend or retract any parts of it, or adjust its orientation in any way. (The only exception is that you may dock with the object in order to retrieve it--see phase 2.) 1b. (Optional phase) Manned rendezvous For bonus points, and after completing phase 1 as described above, you may also send a manned mission to the artifact. If your manned vessel passes within 100m of the artifact, give yourself +5 points. If your ship includes a mobile science lab (and sufficient kerbals to man it), give yourself another +5 points. Give yourself +1 point for each kerbal you sent. If you are using any life support mod, give yourself another +2 points for each kerbal. All kerbals must be returned safely to Kerbin. For each one that fails to return, you take -5 points. (This means you may find yourself in the red if things go badly, here!) Lastly, you may combine this phase with phase 2, and even phase 3 if all the requirements are met. 2. Retrieval to Munar orbit Once scientists have had a chance to process the information obtained by the fly-by, they wish to be able to observe the artifact directly. You must design a mission to return the artifact to Munar orbit. The object must not--at any time!--come closer to Kerbin than 5,000 km, which means you cannot aerobrake in Kerbin's atmosphere. The object must complete 2 full, consecutive Munar orbits in order to pass this phase. Complete 2 full, consecutive Munar orbits: +1 point. As above, but eccentricity must be < 0.001: +5 points. As above, but orbital inclination is < 1 degree: +10 points. Doing this entire phase without a MechJeb autopilot doubles the reward for this phase. 3. Manned Inspection Now that the artifact is conveniently nearby, scientists want a chance to investigate it first-hand. Construct a mission to send four scientists and at least one pilot to the artifact. (Thus, at least 5 Kerbals.) The mission must include at least a Mobile Processing Lab MPL-LG-2, and one hitchiker module. It must dock with the artifact, and remain in orbit for 7 days (168 hours). Upon finishing this mission, the Kerbals must all be returned safely to the surface of Kerbin. 5 Kerbals dock successfully with the artifact in an appropriate research vessel: +5 points. Each Kerbal lost during this phase: -5 points. Rotate the entire crew at least once during the seven days: +10 points. (This means sending a new crew to the artifact, and sending the existing crew back to Kerbin--but the artifact must be manned continuously during this rotation.) If you have any life support mod installed and active in this phase, you get a +5 bonus. If you have the Deadly Reentry mod installed and active, you may have another +5 bonus. Doing this entire phase without a MechJeb autopilot doubles the reward for this phase. 4. Retrieval to Kerbin After the scientists return and their findings are thoroughly studied, it is found that the artifact poses no threat and contains no hazardous materials. The scientists therefore decide that the artifact could be best studied on Kerbin itself. You must design a mission to fly the artifact from its Munar orbit safely to the surface of Kerbin. Artifact probe core survives the trip: +1 point. As above, and the science instruments on the probe core also survive: +3 points. Artifact survives perfectly intact: +5 points. As above, and the probe touches down on dry land: +10 points. Further, landing within 50km of KSC gives you another +5 points. If you have Deadly Reentry installed, give yourself yet another +5 points. Doing this phase without a MechJeb autopilot doubles your reward for this phase.

It must have been a fluke--I tried it with another (similar) ship, and it worked just fine. The flight conditions, though, were this: the ship had just finished a transfer burn from low Kerbin orbit toward Minmus. I have a network of satellites in Kerbin orbit, and another in Minmus orbit, and they talk to each other just fine, but in between--nothing. So I was trying to set up a "fine tune closest approach" maneuver on the ship heading for Minmus. To do this, I created a maneuver node, and tried to get the ship to point in the direction indicated by the maneuver node--but it would just spin wildly, very odd. As I said, though, it worked just fine with a second ship, so I'm going to chalk it up to gremlins. If it happens again I'll try to get more info.

The flight computer seems to have a very hard (read: impossible) time trying to hold a heading that is near normal ("north" in my specific case). I've tried having it hold to a maneuver node, and I've tried having it hold to a specific pitch/heading/roll, and both times it just spins wildly trying to lock on that direction. Even if I prepoint the craft in the given direction, as soon as the flight computer gets hold if the instruction to hold that heading, it wobbles a bit, and then begins spinning like crazy. The specific heading I'm trying to lock onto right now is pitch=1.9, heading=351.2, roll=0. (I've tried various roll parameters, since those have no real effect on the direction, but they all exhibit the same behavior.) Is this a known issue? Is it something I'm doing wrong?