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[1.12.x] USI Life Support

RoverDude

By RoverDude
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RoverDude

RoverDude

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So I have been considering over the past month or two the creation of a life support system tailored to fit in with the USI mods, and also bring together some the bits I like about other mods already on the market, and add a few of my own tweaks, etc.

This is pretty much my interpretation of how, if I were to go buy Kerbal in a store, I would expect a stock-ish life support system to work. I've been playing with it and minus a few refinements am very happy with the result.

With that, I am pleased to introduce USI Life Support.

IO1fsne.png

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Basic overview stuff.

Mechanics wise, it's pretty simple.

Kerbals require supplies. Kerbals also require EC. these are both on the same timer, so I just check supplies for the status window. When Kerbals are done consuming supplies, leftovers, scraps, and 'anything else' is either tossed overboard, or (if storage is available) tossed into a 'mulcher'. The resulting organic slurry is called 'mulch' and can be used to feed greenhouses, etc. at the player's discretion (or in the case of MKS, converted into Organics at varying levels of efficiency).

15 days out, the visuals go yellow (sorry, no auto-warp-slowdown-thingie, use KAC). When supplies run out, things go into the red. If you leave them unsupplied for 15 days...

well, they just say 'screw it', get grouchy, and quit.

They are still in the pod. they still take up a seat. But they can't fly, can't EVA, and essentially do the Kerbal equivelant of spinning around in their office chairs, refusing to work, until resupplied. This is a design consideration in that all of us, at least once, has just flat out done goofed, and lost a whole colony of Kerbals via glich or other sadness. Yes, death/despawn will be an option. Not the default one tho. Mechanics wise, they are transformed into tourists, as they are essentially on a self-imposed vacation :wink:

Once resupplied, they are happy as clams and will return to work.

While on EVA, they will not quit. But if they are brought back aboard a ship and have been starved (and can't find a hot meal waiting) they will promptly go in strike, and begin their self imposed vacation immediately.

Orange suited Kerbals (Jeb, Bill, Bob, and Val) are immune to the ill effects of life support. They will still consume supplies if given, but do not leave the job, because they are just that awesome. This always gives a player (especially a new one) an 'out' to test out a manned mission before actually committing your other kerbals, etc. to a horrible fate of snack deprivation.

Yes, it's a bit more 'Kerbal' than TAC-LS, but also a lot more predictable and with harder consequences than 'Snacks'. It does, however, feel 'right' (at least to me) from a design standpoint.

Parts wise: Three inline storage compartments.

No extra recyclers needed. No resourced added to pods (the 15 day window covers all of the Kerbin SOI so no point). No random contracts.

MKS/OKS Changes

MKS wise, closed loop just got a lot harder/more interesting (depending on your point of view).

The old C3 (now renamed to the Pioneer Module) will have a basic mulcher and greenhouse and can do recycling at 50% efficiency for up to four Kerbals.

Kerbitats operate at 75% efficiency.

Mk-IV modules (once released) will operate at 90% efficiency off-world, 100% efficiency on the surface (pulling in of local material is inferred, no extra drills required).

Supplies come from organics. Organics come either from mulched supply waste, or from a combo of water/substrate. So surface bases are easier to get to self sufficiency - if they are on water/substrate deposits. Orbital will always be a pain - so you will need to fly up fresh organics or keep large stores. And since organics creation is not tied to the life support loop, building large surface farms is also pretty easy now.

Dealing with hungry Kerbals

So you can do some very interesting things. Run a command pod to dock reviving supplies/snacks to a starved out colony ship. Use one of your orange-suits to lead a mission and conserve supplies. Note that Kerbals are pretty damn aggressive about getting their snacks - the only way to lock them out of the biscuit tin is to click that little feed button by the resource on a part (same way we reserve some battery power for a probe).

Note that a Kerbal about to starve (i.e. no supplies for 15 days) will in fact happily break open said biscuit tin. witty screen message included :wink:

Design side note:

So 'Mulch'.

Waste was used, and too generic. And I wanted something that showed that the stuff was kinda useful, not edible, and felt more 'kerbal' (and less like poo!) if that makes sense.

The idea of Kerbals tossing all of the spare bits and scraps into a contraption and getting out a semi-useful generic organic slurry had a certain appeal, hence the abstracted mulchers and mulch resource.

The resource itself is just 'supplies' and has the visual representation of a translucent, semi-rounded green cube. What are they? Well... leave that to the imagination. But the labeling will read 'N.O.M.S. - (Nutritional Organic Meal Substitute)' on the tins

LICENSE:

Configuration files and code are licensed under the GPL v3 license.

Assets, including Models (*.mu) and Textures *.png/*.dds) are All Rights Reserved. If you wish to use any of these assets in your project, just ask nicely :)

DOWNLOAD:

Get it at the GitHub Repo!

https://github.com/UmbraSpaceIndustries/USI-LS/releases

Edited by RoverDude
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prog

prog

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Let me copy my comment from WIP thread

I have very evil idea about interaction with mod Connected Living Space if it's installed. Should be fully optional and maybe even disabled by default.

Thing is: to make kerbals use only supplies they can access directly or through connected living space or from parts attached to living space but not further.

This could and will impact crewed ship designs dramatically - no more "slap supply container anywhere and be set" as parts accessibility should be considered or whole expedition may die from starvation while having full yearly supply next door inaccessible due to poor engineering.

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Wiseman

Wiseman

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Looks fantastic! I'm a total convert to The Kerbal-Umbra Space Program - I'm a sucker for well-integrated systems, and you've had some unique opportunities in that space that it seems you've really capitalized on :). I look forward to testing this out later today.

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Barklight

Barklight

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Awesome work! I'll probably want to add Oxygen requirements for crew on my install so that kerbals need more than just supplies (and to give myself a use for the Universal Storage oxygen tanks)... Can't wait to check this out in detail tonight after work :D

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Threadsinger

Threadsinger

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Excellent release! You've captured what makes KSP so much fun, for me anyways: a challenge based on a real-world concept, but surreal enough that it doesn't punish players too harshly or requires EVE Online levels of bureaucracy...

Love it!

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RoverDude

RoverDude

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does this have any recyclers or does that require MKS?

No recyclers that come with it, but trivial to make if folks want to make ones :) Trying to keep the part count light, and it assumes basic recycling already exists in all pods.

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ExavierMacbeth

ExavierMacbeth

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Hey Rover,

Question bout the EC Usage for this since your post mention its needed.

One of the problems I always had with TAC LS counters where that the EC regen was never taken into account forcing you to check on the craft regularly or install a truly absurd amount of batteries so you didn't have to come back to the craft every 5-15 days (annoying when your focus is time warping for a a window a year away) even if you had multiple years of everything else. Do your timers take into account EC regen to prevent this?

I ask since your screenshot only shows one timer per craft rather than by resource. :)

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futrtrubl

futrtrubl

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Hey Rover,

Question bout the EC Usage for this since your post mention its needed.

One of the problems I always had with TAC LS counters where that the EC regen was never taken into account forcing you to check on the craft regularly or install a truly absurd amount of batteries so you didn't have to come back to the craft every 5-15 days (annoying when your focus is time warping for a a window a year away) even if you had multiple years of everything else. Do your timers take into account EC regen to prevent this?

I ask since your screenshot only shows one timer per craft rather than by resource. :)

Doesn't really matter if you are time warping since you don't need them active anyway. Let them go on holiday for the long coast then switch back when you need them active, they get EC and become responsive again.

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ExavierMacbeth

ExavierMacbeth

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Doesn't really matter if you are time warping since you don't need them active anyway. Let them go on holiday for the long coast then switch back when you need them active, they get EC and become responsive again.

Lmao one would think. But the last time I used TAC LS it kept killing off my Kerbals once the Energy timer hit zero even if it would have energy when the script did the catchup. So I figured I would double check that having say a years worth of supplies with only a few days worth of energy (but enough panels to keep it recharged) won't make the timers ridiculously short :)

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RoverDude

RoverDude

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Doesn't really matter if you are time warping since you don't need them active anyway. Let them go on holiday for the long coast then switch back when you need them active, they get EC and become responsive again.

Not quite ;)

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