Craft exploding (overheat) 1.0.4

[Nigeth]

Had to register just to vent.

The update to 1.0.4 has just ruined my 200+ hour career mode save. Basically everything I ever built explodes as soon as I switch to it due to the new heating system. Within seconds overheating indicators will show up on almost every part and then everything just explodes.

Since I can't attach heatsinks to ships that are already in planetary orbit or in transit (even if I had KAS/KIS I'd never get to do it in time) I've lost basically all of my ships and probes, my space stations and months of gameplay.

Also since I bought the game on steam I can't revert back to version 1.0.2 which means that everything I achieved over the last two months is now irrevocably lost.

[sal_vager]

Hi Nigeth, it's possible your Physics.cfg didn't get updated by Steam, try renaming it to force* KSP to make a new one when you start it.

*bad typing.

Edited June 23, 2015 by sal_vager

[Laethen]

I too am registering just to vent. Have the exact same problem as Nigeth. No idea what sal_vager is talking about, can someone put that in a more user friendly context? I'm pretty sure he doesn't literally mean rename the Physics.cfg to KSP.

[sal_vager]

I do indeed mean rename the Physics.cfg that you can find in the KSP game folder, it's just a text file of values that the physics uses.

Various values have changed between 1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2 and so on, and if the file was not updated by Steam because it thought the file was correct, you can have the wrong values in KSP.

KSP will automatically write a new Physics.cfg file if it can't find it though, so by renaming (or even deleting) that file, you force KSP to make a new one with the current default values.

Try renaming it to Physics.old.

Also, edited earlier post as I see what you mean.

Edited June 23, 2015 by sal_vager

[micha]

I -always- take a copy of my game before I let Steam update. In fact, I don't let Steam update - I always make sure it downloads a complete fresh copy.

Typically:

1. Rename the "Kerbal Space Program" folder to "Kerbal Space Program vX.YZ"

2. Let Steam download the new version

3. Zip up the new version "KSP_VX.YZ_(Windows|Linux).zip" - this gives me a vanilla copy of the new version for archiving

4. Copy save-games/mods/settings/etc from the old copy to the new copy (unless planning to start afresh)

5. Run the new copy; if anything breaks majorly, continue to play the old copy until workarounds/patches/etc have been found for the issues.

Yes, it's a bit more effort, but it means I have complete fresh copies of every version of the game and can revert if necessary, as well as having a copy of my last good game just in case the new version goes titsup.

</offtopic, well, somewhat>

[koyoti]

Hi Nigeth, it's possible your Physics.cfg didn't get updated by Steam, try renaming it to force* KSP to make a new one when you start it.

I've just registered to to say that I, and Jeb, Bill and Burney Kerman (who's quite aptly named) would all like to say thanks to you for that tip. You've saved my sanity and many Kerbals lives with that piece of information.

Every time I loaded my Minmus lander from 1.02 it would explode in a fiery ball of overheating doom within 10 secs, now it's landed with 3 live Kerbals who are quite happily doing science once more

[Nigeth]

Hi Nigeth, it's possible your Physics.cfg didn't get updated by Steam, try renaming it to force* KSP to make a new one when you start it.

*bad typing.

I've deleted the game and re-downloaded it. I had to install two mods (KW Rocketry and Scansat) because otherwise my crafts wouldn't work. Ships don't explode anymore but the physics is still a bit wonky. (antennas get stuck, I broke off my gigantor solar panel while rotating the craft, there are weird phantom forces whenever I switch to a craft in flight etc)

[sal_vager]

Well, small antennas will only retract after transmitting, this is kind of a bug, really they should stay extended permanently.

Not sure what you mean with the Gigantor without more info, but the phantom forces is interesting, please make sure you are not accidentally applying trim though (press modkey(alt)+X)

Moving to modded.

[Nigeth]

Well, small antennas will only retract after transmitting, this is kind of a bug, really they should stay extended permanently.

I'm talking about the big dish antenna.

Not sure what you mean with the Gigantor without more info, but the phantom forces is interesting, please make sure you are not accidentally applying trim though (press modkey(alt)+X)

I've already replied to another thread but just so that you see it here also:

With 1.0.4 I see all kinds of phantom interactions between the game and my spacecrafts

With mods installed (KW Rocketry, Scansat) and without (clean stock)

It happens in all modes (career, science and sandbox)

Even after I re-installed the game and made sure my physics config was current

I run it on a 2013 MacBook Pro under Windows 8.1 (Geforce GT650 m 1 GB, 2.7 GHz Core i7 Processor 16 GB RAM)

What happens:

Every time the physics simulation gets activated the craft is subjected to phantom kinematic forces and phantom energy flux/energy flow, e.g. when changing from VAB or SPH to the launchpad or the runway, when changing from the tracking station to a vessel, when reverting to launch or when switching between vessels.

This seems to be an issue during "wind-up" when the game switches from "physics-less" to physics mode.

Kinematics:

The craft is subjected to a short (nearly instant; < 1 second) burst of kinematic force. The burst is high and hard enough to make the g meter spike. This force spike applies enough energy to the vessel that it visibly and significantly changes velocity and/or direction. In space it will lead to a measurable change of orbit (apoapsis and periapsis values change). It's high enough to make vehicles flip over and high enough to exceed the kinematic limits of certain parts.

- After "revert to launch" to the runway it sometimes leads to vessels flipping over or flipping sideways.

- After "revert to launch" to the launchpad it sometimes leads to the rocket - including the launch clamps (!) - to turn sideways. This usually means that vessel and launch clamps end up tilted 45° from normal.

- In flight or in orbit it can lead to stuff breaking off. Especially parts that have a low threshold for breaking like solar panels, parachutes or decouplers.

- Sometimes just rotating or turning a vessel via the reaction control systems is enough to break parts off. (I rotated one vessel with 'Q' and 'E' and my two main Gigantor solar panels snapped off)

- When switching to a vessel the forces involved will lead to a sudden change in direction and/or speed and will also sometimes lead to stuff breaking off.

I have two vessels - one landed on Eve and another splashed down on Laithe where the solar panels will fall off every time I switch to them and the physics simulation "winds up". I've lost parts in flight (atmospheric sensor inside a service bay for example) without it noticing because of that. Currently I have two identical vessels (same .craft file) with one missing an atmospheric sensor due to this issue.

Sometimes when I switch to a vessel it just breaks apart mid flight even without any control input.

With 1.0.4 the same happens for energy flow. The craft is subjected to a short (nearly instant; < 1 second) burst of heat. The burst is high and hard enough to make overheat indicators appear all over the vessel - even on parts with a high temperature threshold (I've seen it appear on parts that can sustain 2000° C). This seems to be an issue during "wind-up" when the game switches from "physics-less" to physics mode. So it can happen in the same situations as the other issue.

- Sometimes when switching to a vessel it is subjected to a spike in temperature. This will make overheat indicators show up on all parts (haven't checked if it's really all parts but it's definitely a lot of indicators so it's safe to assume all).

- Parts with a low temperature threshold will explode (batteries, science equipment etc.) usually taking the whole vessel with them.

- Sometimes this only happens to a single part.

- This also happens to parts occluded and shielded by other parts. (Parts inside service bays for example)

Deleting the physics.cfg has made the temperatuire problem appear a lot less often but has not affected the phantom force problem

Re-Installing the game has not solved the problem

The problems appear with or without mods

Module manager seems to make the phantom heating problem appear more often though. As soon as I install a mod that requires this things get more explodey.

[Kiro]

I -always- take a copy of my game before I let Steam update. In fact, I don't let Steam update - I always make sure it downloads a complete fresh copy.

</offtopic, well, somewhat>

I do this too. This is great advise everyone. I strongly support it.

[davidy12]

I had the same problem and I removed the FAR and the problem went away.

[CrasHReBooT]

Heat sinks do not solve the problem. I Launched my rocket with the cheat Ignore Max Temperature on, added heat sinks, and as soon as I left the atmosphere, my Hydraulic Detachment Manifold overheated and in seconds the overheat spread to the rest of the ship, this with the engine off. When I checked the temperature on the 2Hot thermometer attached to the ship and it registered a number to high to name it, in the gazillions, not joking, my ship must have been as hot as the sun. I believe there is an error or a conflict with one of the mods which throws off the heat model of KSP.

Check out the images at different times, one with the temp overlay F11 on.

Edited June 26, 2015 by CrasHReBooT
Added photo, or tried