[1.12.x] USI Life Support

[ImmaStegosaurus!]

This mod is exactly what I've always wanted! Very good job with idea, models and textures. All top notch!

[RoverDude]

Thank you

[helcustom]

Do the command pods have life support or is it just not showing up.

[ExplorerKlatt]

10 minutes ago, helcustom said:

Do the command pods have life support or is it just not showing up.

Command pods do not have built in Lifesupport. You have to add supplies using the parts provided with the mod.  

Edited August 17, 2016 by ExplorerKlatt

[helcustom]

9 hours ago, ExplorerKlatt said:

Command pods do not have built in Lifesupport. You have to add supplies using the parts provided with the mod.  

Thanks.

[skald]

quick question. should i worry that EC in the life support window expires as it doesn't calculate solar panel input when unfocused? Can't quite tell if this is causing my kerbals in my mobile lab to stop researching or not. Or does the mod only check resources kerbals need when focused so no impact?

As always, thank you for your mods, they're basically essential to kerbal in my humble opinion.

[Domfluff]

2 minutes ago, skald said:

quick question. should i worry that EC in the life support window expires as it doesn't calculate solar panel input when unfocused? Can't quite tell if this is causing my kerbals in my mobile lab to stop researching or not. Or does the mod only check resources kerbals need when focused so no impact?

As always, thank you for your mods, they're basically essential to kerbal in my humble opinion.

Shouldn't worry, not stopping research (assuming they have power), ksp doesn't really do background processing, so much as catching up when the ship is in focus.

I don't know whether there's a better way to display this when out of focus. Perhaps EC could only be shown for active vessels?

[Araym]

Just added a lot of USI Life Support parts -MK (and from other mod that support it), so I'm working to understand them (but also to improve some other mod parts to:

I get a basic grasp of the various "conversion", but a thing it is bothering me, and probably they are questions already done millions of time, but even I didn't find a clear answer on USI wiki:

1. I do not understand the "ReplacementParts" resource: somewhere it's stated that are needed by recyclers, they are displayed on the parts cfg as resource, but I do not get how check it in game (basic questions: if I put a recycler on a vessel, it can stop to function? How to replenish it???), but also, no USI-LS recycler use "ReplacementParts" on its cfg... but other recycler from other mods that support USI-LS are using it: how to balance them???

2. "Wear" of parts:
in the general USI-LS setting it seems disabled... but some parts show the value during game. Have I to do something to "repair" an old vessels?? Mostly thinking about "reusable modular interplanetary ships" I could create, to do multiple trips from and to Kerbin. I could like the idea of "refurbish" them before/after a trip, but I do not get how it works (and playing mostly in career, I do not like to send a big ship, considered still capable of fly, and then have a major mission failure during the trip...)

3. -RELATED TO 2- "Machinery" Resource: somewhere in the wiki is stated that it is needed to mantain "resource converters" at full potential, and the amount could be replenished by other "converter" from other resources. I almost get it (I need just to put some of those converters at work)...
I'm confused about the statement that Machinery could be needed to repair also "old parts" with an hi value of "wear" (but it could be my misunderstandig, or referring to some old part of the wiki made before "Wear" was disabled....

Help!!!

Thank you all
 

Edited August 18, 2016 by Araym

[Merkov]

@Araym, are you playing with UKS as well, or just USI-LS? If I remember correctly, all of the mechanics you mentioned are disabled unless you are running USI-LS with UKS.

To broadly answer your questions, ReplacementParts and wear are the same mechanic: ReplacementParts are a semi-invisible resource that are slowly consumed over time. Command pods as well as some other parts have them. They are replenished by having a part containing MaterialKits nearby, then EVAing an engineer, and selecting "Maintenance" from the right-click menu when close to the part.

Machinery is produced using parts from UKS, and basically manages the efficiency of many UKS parts. Like ReplacementParts, they are slowly consumed over time (though they are actually converted into Recyclables, but I digress). As Machinery is used over time, the efficiency of UKS parts goes down.

Again, all of that only applies when playing with UKS. Also, it takes a LONG time for parts to wear out. The idea being that after several crew rotations, it may be time for maintenance.

[LatiMacciato]

i vote for wiki-ing your post! @Merkov now that helped me more than reading the wiki up and down, and again .. for days now .. your post gave me more clearness about the parts and stuff .. i knew USI is very complex, not too complicated .. but even with my relative good english (german here) .. i do have my issues understanding the whole concept because most terms/structures are  .. well too specific termed (still getting confused on the warehouse-terminology .. sorry LOL)

[Merkov]

6 minutes ago, LatiMacciato said:

i vote for wiki-ing your post! @Merkov now that helped me more than reading the wiki up and down, and again .. for days now .. your post gave me more clearness about the parts and stuff .. i knew USI is very complex, not too complicated .. but even with my relative good english (german here) .. i do have my issues understanding the whole concept because most terms/structures are  .. well too specific termed (still getting confused on the warehouse-terminology .. sorry LOL)

In the wiki's defense, wear, replacement parts, etc. are on the wiki to-do list. A few of us have been going through and updating/expanding the wiki, but I know that I, personally, have been slowing down on the wiki updating lately given that RoverDude is going to be doing a fairly large update to UKS soon, so some of the mechanics you mentioned may be changing. Once KSP 1.2 arrives and RoverDude releases the updates for his mods, I (and hopefully others ) will have a bunch of wiki work to do.

[LatiMacciato]

sounds awesome to hear thats on its way, ty

[Araym]

31 minutes ago, Merkov said:

@Araym, are you playing with UKS as well, or just USI-LS? If I remember correctly, all of the mechanics you mentioned are disabled unless you are running USI-LS with UKS.

To broadly answer your questions, ReplacementParts and wear are the same mechanic: ReplacementParts are a semi-invisible resource that are slowly consumed over time. Command pods as well as some other parts have them. They are replenished by having a part containing MaterialKits nearby, then EVAing an engineer, and selecting "Maintenance" from the right-click menu when close to the part.

Machinery is produced using parts from UKS, and basically manages the efficiency of many UKS parts. Like ReplacementParts, they are slowly consumed over time (though they are actually converted into Recyclables, but I digress). As Machinery is used over time, the efficiency of UKS parts goes down.

Again, all of that only applies when playing with UKS. Also, it takes a LONG time for parts to wear out. The idea being that after several crew rotations, it may be time for maintenance.

Yeah: I have UKS (But also the "lite" one) installed (and KAS/KIS/Workshop), so I have the "full version" of life-support/production/repairs etc etc possible (probably too much resources all together :P)

But returning to your explanation:
basically (if enabled in the setting cfg at the line "ReplacementPartAmount = ") to "repair" a part I need MaterialKits!!!
Now it make sense.

But in other "recyclers" (not from USI-LS) it used also actively, as resource. I should comment it out from the cfg as recyclers does not need it???

How (and where) I should "add" replacement part if I wanna integrate it to "other parts" out of already supported mods? Basically, "ReplacementParts" are for crewed parts only??? What should be the "basic value" x kerbal (if it is crew based)???

But, also, as there are now 2 USI-LS setting files in my game (one with " "ReplacementPartAmount = 0" in USI-LS directory, and one in UKS with the amount set to "0.000001" in UKS): I could remove one of them???

Edited August 18, 2016 by Araym

[Merkov]

2 minutes ago, Araym said:

Yeah: I have UKS (But also the "lite" one) installed (and KAS/KIS/Workshop), so I have the "full version" of life-support/production/repairs etc etc possible (probably too much resources all together :P)

But returning to your explanation:
basically (if enabled in the setting cfg at the line "ReplacementPartAmount = ") to "repair" a part I need MaterialKits!!!
Now it make sense.

But in other "recyclers" (not from USI-LS) it used also actively, as resource. I should comment it out from the cfg as recyclers does not need it???

How (and where) I should "add" replacement part if I wanna integrate it to "other parts" out of already supported mods? Basically, "ReplacementParts" are for crewed parts only??? What should be the "basic value" x kerbal (if it is crew based)???
But, also, as there are now 2 USI-LS setting files in my game (one with " "ReplacementPartAmount = 0" in USI-LS directory, and one in UKS with the amount set to "0.000001

I think you're over-thinking it a bit (or I did a bad job of explaining).

ReplacementParts aren't only for crewed parts, but I know that all crewed parts use them. Some other parts use them, too. (Recyclers, like you mentioned).

When you are looking at a part in-game (on a vessel, not in the VAB) any part that has ReplacementParts as a resource will show a little "Wear xx.x%" message when right-clicked. All parts that have this little message are maintained by having an engineer EVA and perform maintenance. You need to have MaterialKits either on board a part on that vessel or in a nearby vessel (I believe the range is 150m). The game will take MaterialKits from storage, magically turn them into ReplacementParts, then put those into the part you are repairing. The "Wear" percentage when the part is right-clicked will then be reset.

As you mentioned, you will have two USI-LS setting files if you have both UKS and USI-LS. The game will give the UKS ones preference. Basically, it's set up that, if you only have USI-LS, you don't have to worry about wear (since USI-LS doesn't give you any way to store MaterialKits) but with UKS plus USI-LS, wear is enabled, since you have all of the tools necessary to deal with it.

You shouldn't need to edit configs to remove ReplacementParts from any parts since any part that has them can be maintained by the method described above.

[LatiMacciato]

well one question remains for me .. is there any way to check the wear status of any station/base/vessel? .. all parts in 1 display or something .. or base wear-out status etc?

[Merkov]

1 hour ago, LatiMacciato said:

well one question remains for me .. is there any way to check the wear status of any station/base/vessel? .. all parts in 1 display or something .. or base wear-out status etc?

Not that I know of... I THINK TriggerAu's Alternate Resource Panel mod actually displays ReplacementParts for the whole vessel (although that MIGHT be because I have been messing with configs a lot in my install...) but even that doesn't really help you much, since it wouldn't tell you if one part was more worn than another. The only real way is to right click individual parts and check them. Remember, you don't have to check every single part on board a vessel. No engines or fuel tanks or anything like that have them. Only crewed parts and then some USK/USI-LS parts. Not too many to have to check.

Another thing to remember is that you don't need to worry too much about wear. Parts can last for a long time (years) before they need maintenance. That "0.000001" you found is how many ReplacementParts get consumed each second. If I remember right, that works out to ~10 ReplacementParts being consumed on a module per kerbal year. Since most parts have 100+ ReplacementParts when you launch them, you have a long time before you need to worry about them.

Another little option: The MK-V Inflatable Workshop and the UKS Orbital Workshop will automatically do maintenance on parts that need it as long as it is manned by an engineer (and there are MaterialKits available). That way, you don't even need to worry about EVAing and looking for parts with wear.

[LatiMacciato]

awesome, so this UKS Orbital Workshop is checking all parts that are worn (even after year(s)) or just surrounding as the description says?

.. im very looking forward to the upcoming things (KSP and mods), very excited to see, hehe

[Merkov]

It will perform regular maintenance on all parts that use the wear mechanic on that vessel, or on vessels within 150m of it. That way, all you have to do is make sure you have a supply of MaterialKits and an engineer on board the Workshop.

If you have any other questions, I suggest we take this conversation to the UKS/MKS thread, since wear is a UKS mechanic and is disabled on USI-LS-only installs.

[LatiMacciato]

no need for that. I'm very happy to use UKS systems including the LS, didnt knew thats connected in this way, bit good to know

ty for your support, very helpful!

[Space Kadet]

So i have alot of your mods, and installed this and started a new game put a saved station into space, then tried to put a orbatal fuel wharehouse using the karbonite collector, and on activating it it started shaking and said moving over ground when i tried to time warp. 

So i closed kerbal and pulled lifesupport out  then restarted (changed nothing else) and on loading it says that comunity resource pack, opt space plane parts and a few other mods where now incompatable because they where 1.1.2 but they arent, everything is 1.1.3 except station parts expantion nothing has changed except for removing usi lifesupport. Any ideas?

[skald]

17 hours ago, Merkov said:

 

NVM, answered elsewhere in the thread.

Edited August 18, 2016 by skald

[DStaal]

13 hours ago, Space Kadet said:

So i have alot of your mods, and installed this and started a new game put a saved station into space, then tried to put a orbatal fuel wharehouse using the karbonite collector, and on activating it it started shaking and said moving over ground when i tried to time warp. 

So i closed kerbal and pulled lifesupport out  then restarted (changed nothing else) and on loading it says that comunity resource pack, opt space plane parts and a few other mods where now incompatable because they where 1.1.2 but they arent, everything is 1.1.3 except station parts expantion nothing has changed except for removing usi lifesupport. Any ideas?

1. That sounds like a stock behavior that's occasionally encountered.  It's inherent in the tradeoffs made to make KSP work.
2. What is saying they are incompatible?  I don't believe KSP does much checking on that issue...

[Space Kadet]

Fixed it by reinstalling lifesupport and just starting a new game, the old saves are bolloxed. But it still says crp is 1.1.2 when its 1.1.3. But it works so feck it

[Merkov]

When you say "it still says crp is 1.1.2" do you mean KSP-AVC is telling you it is out of date? Can you confirm you have CRP version 0.5.4? The latest release of CRP is here and the associated .version file should properly flag it as for KSP 1.1.3.

[charliepryor]

So I've been using USI Kolonization along with pretty much every other Mod Roverdude has put out, except USI Life Support. For that, I've been using TAC Life Support, because it goes along better with how I view what the system should be like. However, there's something that might be a problem and I'm wondering if anyone knowledgeable on the subject could chime in here.

Recently, I noticed that USI Life Support had managed to make it's way into my install. Might have been a CKAN slip-up or something. Anyways, I noticed things were a problem when my Kerbals became tourists inside my space station. I found that super strange, because I didn't expect to have USILS installed... but sure enough, one of my viewers on YouTube chimed in and told me, and he was right. I had it in there.

So I promptly removed USI LS, and everything appears to be back to normal, after moving my Kerbals back to Kerbin and bringing them back up almost in one piece (RIP Bartmund Kerman). However, my Debug is showing lots of NREs now, and I get regular skips in frame no matter what craft I'm controlling, even unmanned vessels. The NREs are not very helpful in their description, but they started popping up right after this event happened. I've asked in a few other areas of the forum because of ideas that it could be another of those mods, but if you think you could take a look at this log file and see what the issue might be, I'd appreciate anyone's time wholeheartedly. 

I also see this in my Debug window now as well, in addition to all the NREs.

Spoiler

[Error]: Cannot find a Module of typename 'LifeSupportScenario'
[Error]: ScenarioModule is null.

Thank you for your valuable time.