NotCoach

"Hey Jeb, didn't there used to be a solar panel here where this charred hole on the fuselage is?"

There are so many other much easier ways to "cheat" ourselves energy that I don't think it matters. Nobody who isn't testing the mod is going to go through all this trouble to get infinite energy.

Not a reply specifically to you Eadrom, but maybe an idea how to fix this problem. Couldn't MJ just simply be frozen at whatever value it is at time warp 1x when time warping above 1x as a work around? Forgive me is that sounds ignorant since I am not a programmer, and so I have no idea what the limitations in this game are, but this seems rather straightforward and simple as a fix. The only check you would need during time warp is whether or not your ship can still produce MJ. If it can't, because you ran all your fuel out during time warp, MJ immediately drops to zero (or is used up).

Probably within the next week or two based on what they've posted in The Daily Kerbal.

What are the plans for tweakables in this mod under 0.23? I personally would like to see the option to pick fuels and upgrade state before building something.

Practice could get there. I am currently building a RemoteTech system that has 3 satellites around every body, including Kerbol. With a transmitter and relay on each that might mean 51 transmitters, and 51 relays. I guess I need to rethink that. What about only transmitters at Kerbol, and receivers and relays everywhere else?

I'd like to see queued ships. I don't see the point of warehousing gigantic quantities parts for very large ships of when the parts are made on sight. I think a nice feature would be the ability to queue a ship that needs more parts then you have warehoused, and and new parts made are automatically applied to the ship waiting in the queue. Nobody builds very large anything with all the parts on hand first IRL. And with part fabrication on sight the warehouse should never be a limit to ship size.

I think you made the same mistake I did and neglected to delete the old install before installing the update. I had the same problem as you until I deleted Interstellar entirely and installed it again.

No I didn't. Thank you.

The 62.5cm fission reactor looks like the old 3.75m fission reactor. The connection nodes seem to be correct (almost entirely swallows a cupola when connected), but the texture is obviously wrong. And the old 1.25m fission reactor is still there, but not still there. Shows as unresearched in VAB. Go to tree and research it, still unresearched in VAB. Go back to tree and it's not researched again. I don't think it's supposed to be around at all with the new reactor models, but it's apparently having a hard time accepting its obsolescence.

I don't like MechJeb auto-docking because it just doesn't seem to work for me. It is beyond painfully slow, and even when I'm very close to my target docking port the auto-docking sends me off into space away from my target. I think you'll have more luck utilizing Smart A.S.S. and switching between ships to dock. Procedure that works for me: 1.) Get within a comfortable distance of your target (I do 50m for small craft, and 100m for large craft). 2.) I am going to assume you know how to select control from docking ports, and set as target target ports. Switch between crafts using the '[' ']' keys to do the same for both craft. 3.) On both craft select the 'TGT' tab in Smart A.S.S., and select the '+TGT' button. Wait for them to line up with each other. 4.) Select 'Kill Rot' in Smart A.S.S. on the target craft after they have lined up with each other. 5.) Switch to your approaching craft and select '+RELV', or '-RVEL' (depending on which will take less time to line up with). I suggest RCS be off at this point if it isn't. Once the approaching craft is lined up with the prograde reticle or the retrograde reticle click 'Kill Rot' in Smart A.S.S. Turn RCS on and tap the 'H' or 'N' keys until your relative velocity is as close to zero as you can get it. 6.) Turn RCS off (I found turning using RCS adds relative velocity to my craft. Probably improper RCS balance on my craft builds. I only worry about RCS balance on the forward and backwards axis ('H', 'N' buttons). Press '+TGT' on Smart A.S.S. 7.) When approaching craft is lined up on the target reticle swtich back to target craft and press '+TGT' on Smart A.S.S. 8.) When both craft are aligned with each other turn RCS back on approaching craft and press 'H' until relative velocity is approximately 0.5m/s. 9.) Now watch your target reticle and your prograde reticle. The prograde reticle should remain mostly inside the target reticle as you approach your target. If it starts to drift from the target reticle return to step 4 and repeat process. Just remember your relative velocity is now 0.5m/s, so you'll have to kill all of that velocity as well. 10.) At 5 meters from target I switch to target craft and select 'Kill Rot' in Smart A.S.S. I switch back to approaching craft and watch the magic happen. After much practice the above method works 9 out of 10 times for me. If I bounce off I usually just have to do a retrograde (because I'm now traveling away from target) RCS burn to get back to target. Make sure you switch to target and select '+TGT' in Smart A.S.S. if this happens, though wait until approaching craft is more than 5m away before doing so. Repeat steps 7 thru 10 until successful. I hope the above helps. Docking was a huge pain in the arse for me until much practice and experience. I don't know why the auto-docking module is almost useless for me (probably something I am doing wrong myself), but I can't use it the way it currently works for me.

I think that is a gross oversimplification. However, this isn't the place to debate the politics of thorium reactors. Fractal, with the introduction of thorium reactors would it be possible to have automatic on/off cycling? The benefit being reduced heat transfer requirements. The downside, of course, is reduced energy output. But it would add an interesting wrinkle to ship design I think. Your power production would be directly related to your radiator capacity, and a person would size their generators to their heat transfer capacity instead of to the size of their reactor (more or less). This would probably allow for more precise energy calculation needs on a vessel, and prolong the life of the fuel in your reactor.

Is there a straightforward way to establish a specific phase angle to another orbiting body using MechJeb?

Is that changeable in any of the config files?

I already use it, but thanks. Just to keep it challenging I only use it for magical refueling on Kerbin. Still need to get it into orbit. And I don't have a problem with collecting resources beyond Kerbin. That would just be a reality of any sustainable early space program, IRL, if traveling to other planets with live people and wanting to return without building a super-sized interplanetary vehicle. I'm also using the Orbital Construction mod as an intermediate step between full blown extra-Kerbin resource gathering, and construction. Still need to get resources up to the warehouse, but once I have my local tug (too big to move from Kerbin's surface with its 4 3.5m reactors and 4 3.5m thermal rockets) I'll move all resource gathering over to Mun or Minmus.

Understood. You are right there needs to be a cost component somewhere, but I just want that cost to not be my time. Collecting these resources beyond Kerbin has its benefits, of course. But if available on Kerbin I am interested in limiting the cost to some other mechanic besides time, such as having to earn the cash necessary to purchase the hard to collect materials. Those entrepreneuring Kerbins shouldn't expect to be paid nothing.

This stuff is very cool, but I have micromanagement concerns. The ultimate goal in playing KSP is to explore the Kerbin solar system. I personally don't want to get bogged down collecting resources on Kerbin. I would like to see an option to allow us to skip collecting any resources on the surface of Kerbin. That would include deuterium and tritium as well. As far as I'm concerned if Kerbin has a resource some other entrepreneuring Kerbins are collecting it and selling it to KSP. I only want to be concerned with resource collection and management beyond Kerbin. Real life space agencies aren't in the business of resource collection here on Earth. They are concentrating on sustainability and resource management beyond Earth.

It should be working. There are no visual indicators, only the option to turn on research. But every time you focus on the lab it should send the science it collected to your science pool. Check how much science you have before focusing on the lab, and then focus on the lab after warping about 8 hours ahead (just to give it time to collect science). Then recheck your science again and compare values. You should see an increase in your accumulated science.

Make sure the lab is manned. Unlike pods it isn't automatically manned. Needs to be manually manned before putting your craft on the launchpad.

I might do that, thanks.

For modeling purposes perhaps it might be cool to add aesthetic struts that span a reactor so it doesn't look like lateral connections are floating in midair. Instead the lateral connections will appear to be connected to the aesthetic struts.

Especially rovers. Made a mobile science platform for Kerbin with a generator and reactor. Everything is on its side, but it was really hard for me to get my wheels attached to everything properly. Ended up using scaffolding as a base for the wheels, and run the scaffolding inline from front to back underneath the rover. The uncooperative parts (generator and reactor) are forced to cooperate when I do it that way.

Are there any plans to improve attachment points on many of the parts in this excellent mod? Whenever I create a vehicle I find it difficult to attach anything laterally, especially on generators, reactors, and thermal rockets (haven't worked with other large key components yet). Usually I have to add structural extensions originating from stock or non-KSP Interstellar parts to make lateral attachments to KSP Interstellar parts. At least lateral attachments that don't clip to the center of the KSPI parts, anyways. Thank you.

My post was a suggestion for ease of use for the mod author's to consider, not a question asking how to change MechJeb in career mode. I already play with a fully functional MechJeb from day one in career mode.

Not everyone wants to be in the pilot's seat. I just want to purchase my ticket, and nap until arrival.