[1.12.x] Mk2 Expansion v1.9.1 [update 10/5/21]

[JadeOfMaar]

@ztoundas The second value in the triplet is the drag coefficient (not necessarily the coefficient of any particular axis). It is in effect the bluntness or steepness rating of the part. 1 = fully blunt; 0 = fully pointy; but note that the majority of pointy parts (in stock) are rated at about 0.37 which gives you a good sense of scale for this number. The M2X super-pointy nose or tail might have a noticeably lower Y+ (but not Y-) value. Congrats on that progress there.
 

Spoiler

The next lesson is how to approach animated parts such as inline docking nodes, cargo bays, elevons, and their 2 or 3 drag cube states. But that's for another day.

 

[ztoundas]

 

 

 

@JadeOfMaar so I'm thinking that if the y-axis area from one part matches the y+axis area of another part, then the drag coefficient for those mating polarity axis is basically ignored because the difference between the two areas is 0, right?

So a stack of four identical parts traveling perfectly along the y axis should see that the middle two parts are experiencing virtually no drag?

But more important to the majority of my designs, how do bi and tri-couplers work? This particular mod has a tricoupler (with 1 auto-generated drag cube) that mates perfectly fine on the y + front side, but basically experiences full drag on the Y- back end as if three rapiers weren't connected to it. Yet the 3 rapiers say that Y+ end of their drag cube is fully connected and experiencing no drag, but of course the uncovered Y- back ends with the nozzles are experiencing drag (as one would expect.)

Edited November 20, 2019 by ztoundas
Corrected the polarity of a mentioned y axis

[Manul]

11 hours ago, SuicidalInsanity said:

I'll add fixing the drag cube(s?) to the list. Out of curiosity, if you know, does the stock mk2 drone core ( which also doesn't have a custom drag cube defined in the .cfg and holes in the model) also display similar draggy behavior?

I noticed the same (but much worse) behavior of Mk1 DroneCore and Mk1SAS from Airplane plus. The part next to these parts creates enormous amounts of drag as if it was first in the stack without nosecone.

[ztoundas]

(Edit: The following regards 1.8.0, but some problems remain after the patch, i.e hollow parts)

Now that I figured out last night what's causing all these drag issues, including was causing the really irritating drag issues with the stock cargo bays even when closed, I will work on submitting a proper bug report detailing what I found.

Turns out the explicitly specified drag cube for those bays (when closed), and a majority of the other stock parts that have abnormally high drag are because their drag cube has an extremely high drag coefficient on what we consider the bottom of the part when put into a horizontal stack like an airplane. This is when compared to other parts that act normally, like the MK2 LFO tank section of equal length. Last night I went through and smoothed out every part in my ship, and now the drag is nice and consistent concentrating on the areas that you would expect like a nose cone and the intakes and Tri couplers in the back. 

Really there are two issues that affect the drag inappropriately on stock and modded parts. Some, like discovered earlier on in this troubleshooting path, get a miscalculated area for the front of the drag cube because the game gets confused when they have hollow internals. This is what was happening to the stock drone core and the modded RCS stability section. The other issue is that some simply have and abnormally high drag coefficient on the Z axis of the drag cube (around 0.92 instead of say 0.35-ish), which would be the belly of the plane. This was what was causing abnormal drag in the closed stock MK2 clamp-o-tron and cargo bays.

I'll take a look at the Spaceplanes Plus Pack and see what stands out there.

All that being said, does anyone know who does stock patches, or a way that this fix could be integrated into a stock fix mod? That's the kind of modding that I'm incredibly unfamiliar with, but it seems like it wouldn't be too hard to push a fix while the devs figure out a way to make the calculation of drag cubes more consistent.

EDIT: The latest patch update, 1.8.1, solved the inconsistent X axis drag (i.e the belly of the plane)! Values are far more consistent. The drone core is still broken on the Y -/+ axis, so I am doing a bug report for that. 
Mods will still certainly be problematic for the hollow-part reason.

Edited November 20, 2019 by ztoundas
I updated my game and half the problems went away

[JadeOfMaar]

@ztoundas I can't help with bicouplers and tricouplers, sorry. I tend not to use those or not pay attention to potential aero issues in their general areas. I do tend to use the OPT J quadcoupler often, and when I only need to use 2 of the rear nodes (which is half of the time) I cap off the other two with nose cones larger than their nose size to try and meet that difference. I'm testing another part mod right now and I had to add an attach node to its most troublesome adapter parts, facing in the necessary direction, in order to make room for that "counterweight" nose cone.

Edited November 21, 2019 by JadeOfMaar

[ztoundas]

Yeah, I figured it just takes the added face areas for that axis of everything connected there and subtracts it from the area of that end of the coupler, but the ones in the mod are acting like it's got nothing there. To sidestep the issue so I can play, I've just dropped the coefficient of the coupling face until I figure out how to make it proper.

Oh and as for the crew portraits... I am embarrassed because I should have updated before reporting the problem... Because, @SuicidalInsanity, they are no longer missing after 1.8.1. Sorry for my lack of attention there.

Edited November 21, 2019 by ztoundas

[Manul]

On 11/20/2019 at 12:03 AM, SuicidalInsanity said:

I'll add fixing the drag cube(s?) to the list. Out of curiosity, if you know, does the stock mk2 drone core ( which also doesn't have a custom drag cube defined in the .cfg and holes in the model) also display similar draggy behavior?

Yes, it does. A fuel tank behind the drone core creates up to 100 kN of drag while others create up to 10. I took a drag cube for Mk2 battery from parts database and copied it to the drone core cfg and it works. All fuel tanks create equal drag, the drag of drone core didn't change.

Dragcube for Mk2 battery also works for Mk2 SAS module but I'm not sure it's a good idea because it's twice shorter.

Edited November 21, 2019 by Manul

[SuicidalInsanity]

M2X 1.8.6.6 is now up, which should fix the aero issues people have identified.
Grab from SpaceDock | GitHub
Changelog:
-Adds drag cubes for RCSAS, Aligned Dockingport, and Radial Mounts. These should generate much less drag now
-Fixes Sledgehammer AARE compile error
-Cockpit lights now uniform color
-Fixes R-71 cockpit IVA portraits, kerbals no longer occluded by instrument consoles
-Windowshine MM Patch now calls for TextureReplacer instead of the less up-to-date TextureReplacerReplaced

[budda]

would it be possible to get a half size lab or a cfg please ?
 

[SuicidalInsanity]

On 11/25/2019 at 1:53 PM, budda said:

would it be possible to get a half size lab or a cfg please ?
 

Something like this? (requires MM)

Spoiler

+PART[mk2CrewCabin]
{    
    %name = ShortMk2Lab
    %CrewCapacity = 1
    %TechRequired = advExploration
    %entryCost = 8400
    %cost = 1750
    %category = Science
    %title = Short Mk2 Mobile Processing Lab MPL-XSM
    manufacturer = #autoLOC_501624 //#autoLOC_501624 = C7 Aerospace Division
    description = For when the MPL-SM Mobile Science Lab simply is too big. The MPL-XSM is half the size of the standard Mk2 Lab, and provides a minimum of off-world science processing capability. Features a Junior Chemistry starter set and an old magnetic tape recorder for keeping track of experiments.
    %mass = 1.5

    !MODULE[ModuleScienceExperiment] {}

    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleScienceContainer
        reviewActionName = #autoLOC_502204 //#autoLOC_502204 = Review Data
        storeActionName = #autoLOC_502202 //#autoLOC_502202 = Store Experiments
        collectActionName = #autoLOC_238018 //#autoLOC_238018 = Take Data
        evaOnlyStorage = True
        storageRange = 2
        allowRepeatedSubjects = True
    }
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleScienceLab
        containerModuleIndex = 0
        dataStorage = 250
        crewsRequired = 1
        canResetConnectedModules = True
        canResetNearbyModules = True
        interactionRange = 5
        SurfaceBonus = 0.05
        ContextBonus = 0.125
        homeworldMultiplier = 0.1
        RESOURCE_PROCESS
        {
            name = ElectricCharge
            amount = 10
        }
    }
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleScienceConverter
        dataProcessingMultiplier = 0.1 // Multiplier to data processing rate and therefore science rate
        scientistBonus = 0.12    //Bonus per scientist star - need at least one! So 0.25x - 2.5x
        researchTime = 7        //Larger = slower.  Exponential!
        scienceMultiplier = 4    //How much science does data turn into?
        scienceCap = 250        //How much science can we store before having to transmit?        
        powerRequirement = 5    //EC/Sec to research
        ConverterName = #autoLOC_502055 //#autoLOC_502055 = Research
        StartActionName = #autoLOC_502056 //#autoLOC_502056 = Start Research
        StopActionName = #autoLOC_502057 //#autoLOC_502057 = Stop Research
    }
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleKerbNetAccess
        MinimumFoV = 17
        MaximumFoV = 63
        AnomalyDetection = 0
        DISPLAY_MODES
        {
            Mode = Terrain,#autoLOC_438839 //#autoLOC_438839 = Terrain
            Mode = Biome,#autoLOC_438890 //#autoLOC_438890 = Biome
        }
        REQUIRED_EFFECTS
        {
            Effect = ScienceSkill
        }
    }
    MODULE
    {
            name = ModuleExperienceManagement
            costPerKerbal = 0
    }
}

 

[budda]

yes thank you just what i needed

[Cruss]

Nvm. 

Question was about making scramjet work at higher altitudes than it does already. Which isn't possible due to how air pressure is calculated for the upper atmosphere.

Edited December 28, 2019 by Cruss

[Mircea The Young]

Game gets stuck on loading M2X RATO. I've tried clean and verified install multiple times, but it keeps getting stuck. Any fix?

 

Edit: NVM, after trying yet again, it seems to have worked.

Edited February 11, 2020 by Mircea The Young

[Manul]

An issue with mirror symmetry has been fixed both for stock bicouplers and modded ones

[JadeOfMaar]

11 hours ago, Manul said:

An issue with mirror symmetry has been fixed

Heavens, yes!

[LesYeuxNoirs]

Hello, I have an issue with the mod:

Fuel tanks attached to the "MK2 tricoupler" 0.625m side adapters (there are 2 tricouplers by the same name, this issue is only with the one with the 2X 0.625 and 1X 1.25 attachment points) don't allow fuel cross-feed. It works for the left tank, but not the right one, (seen from behind the vehicle, with the adapter attached naturally as a rear engine mount). It doesnt happen with any other adapters that i know of and I've only seen this with the MK2 expansion mod so far. I was able to easily recreate the bug and tested some adapters other adapters and isolated the issue to this one. I have not tested all parts from this mod. I have also tried adding each fuel tank separately without symmetry, which garnered the same result.

My guess is it has something to do with how the game handles adapters that convert to more than one type of attachment point. Or maybe it's to do with the fact there is only 1 config file by the same name as the 2 parts which share that name (at least in-game), but really I've really no clue.

The issue can be worked around using external fuel ducts.

 

Aside from that, love the mod. It really fills in the gaps and then some.

[Husky777]

Hi! I found a texture bug. detail is "SP-R7 "Mallet" Air-Augmented Solid Booster"

[TrueMetis]

So interesting issue with mirror symmetry on the internal banshee lift fan. I put on some wings so that they were facing the same way, but when I launch the craft they flip out, and when I go back into the hangar it looks like the image below.

https://ibb.co/gy1MZfW

The other banshee fan doesn't allow stuff on the sides at all, so I assume that it just wasn't made to allow for attachment there.

[SuicidalInsanity]

I've tried various means of attaching radially attached bits to the inline Banshee fan to try and reproduce the error you're seeing, but have been unable to replicate it. I'm going to need detailed reproduction steps.

...
 

M2X Update 1.8.7 is now up at long last. Grab it from SpaceDock or GitHub.
Changelog:

Spoiler

1.8.7
==========================================
update for KSP 1.9
-Banshee Fans now have in-game fueltype toggle
-Rework of variant part names and descriptions.
-Part Remodel: Mallet AASRB
-Mallet AASRB mass reduced slightly
-"New" Part: Shrouded Landing Leg
-Fixes CB-C cockpit issue
-Fixes Dual-Cycle engine node positions
-RealPlume patch should be less broken now (Thanks Rodg88)
-MATTOCK smoke now correctly oriented

Of note - All parts with variants now now have color tagged descriptions, Banshee fan fuel types can now be dynamically toggled in the SPH/VAB (no more messing with MM patches), and the Mk2 landing leg is back after an extended absence.

Edited March 20, 2020 by SuicidalInsanity

[Critter79606]

@SuicidalInsanity Just wanted to report that the Mk2 tricoupler pictured below is missing the center attachment point.

Thanks!

[Northstar1989]

Where can I find the electric configs for the Banshee?

The readme says they're in the "Extras" folder, but I checked there and there was no config by the name indicated in the readme.

Do I have to download it separately?  Was this an item of such high demand that it's now integrated into the mod already somehow?

[JadeOfMaar]

15 hours ago, Northstar1989 said:

The readme says they're in the "Extras" folder,

The readme is outdated. That engine, and others like it, now use B9PS to provide fuel input switching.

[Northstar1989]

G

3 hours ago, JadeOfMaar said:

The readme is outdated. That engine, and others like it, now use B9PS to provide fuel input switching.

Good to know!

By the way, booted up the mod in my Career save, and if I may make a very easy suggestion...

The mod parts are all clustered far too early on the Community Tech Tree.  VTOL parts, in particular, should be found later down the Efficient Flight Systems line that "Subsonic Flight" (which is for basic propellers and such).  I suggest using the "Specialized Flight Systems" node (I think that one's in the Stock tree too...) which has a literal symbolic representation of a VTOL plane on it!

Also, if you're looking to be more ambitious, the mod parts feel a bit underpowered for the late game (though fine for early to mid-game).  I recommend adding an upgrade-node for them in the very last nodes of the Stock tech tree (and later still in CTT) that *slightly* improves the Thrust or reduces the weight of some of the parts (particularly the VTOL engines- which are much too heavy for their Thrust: especially considering you can't fit any fuel in the fuselage segment they occupy, even though you should realistically be able to fit just a little fuel around the margins of the engines...) if you're not going to add a little bit of fuel tankage to the fuselage-based VTOL parts...

By contrast the RADIAL parts feel much better balanced, as you're not stuck with a draggy and overly-heavy fuselage segment that, for some indecipherable reason, you can't fit any fuel in... (miniaturization, better design, stronger alloys: all reasons we might expect just slightly better parts for fuselage-based VTOL by the late game...)

Balancing parts by making them heavy or their thrust weak is something that's done far too much on "Stockalike" mods- often even undershooting the performance of the Stock parts themselves by quite a bit (which, in case modders missed it, are a good bit more effective than they used to be in earlier versions of KSP...)  Balancing by assigning *slightly* higher part costs and making parts available later in the tech tree is used far too little in Stockalike mods- and leaves us with parts that feel clunky/heavy and weak (keep in mind, real life rocket/plane engines outperform anything in KSP by leaps and bounds- often being MUCH lighter, more efficient, or powerful...)

[Bryson]

Hello, i have downloaded this mod and so far i love it, thanks for the hard work, I appreciate this effort, specially now with the quarantine, KSP is giving me a paradise to rejoice.

I love to build spaceplanes more than rockets and notice (3) things that are missing in the Mk2 stuff:

- No Cokpit have remote control points for the probes (hop)
- No double size service bay
- No nuclear tank storage (fuel/waste)



https://kerbalx.com/Bryson/craft

I have also install others mods like configurable containers to use the regular fuel tanks but some mods arent compatible with others

[KanzKa]

Hi ! I don't know this, but my kerbal potrait on lower right screen is missing everytime i use this mod (when i remove the mod, the problem fixed), not only on mk2 cockpit variant but all of my crewed command module even from another mod. I'm using 1.8.6.6 ver in KSP 1.8.1. All dependencies are installed properly.

 

Also just question, this mod compatible with Restock mod, right ? Seems occurred when I'm updating Restock mod

Update : when i use the extra config for 4x kerbal HS-X HyperCockpit the kerbal portrait shown, but when i remove it it missing again

Edited May 23, 2020 by KanzKa
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