[WIP][1.8.x] SSTULabs - Low Part Count Solutions (Orbiters, Landers, Lifters) - Dev Thread [11-18-18]

[Jimbodiah]

mage, is that sc-a-cm in the mod (2.22)?

[Shadowmage]

1 hour ago, Jimbodiah said:

mage, is that sc-a-cm in the mod (2.22)?

Negative:

https://github.com/shadowmage45/SSTULabs/issues/68

As stated earlier today, it is scheduled to be reworked and added back in with next weeks' update (12-12-15 or so), -if- the necessary modules can be written and worked through.

 

[Jimbodiah]

The "rework" threw me off, went looking in the parts folders if I was going blind or something. 

Is the part pricing (career mode) made purposely higher than comparable stock parts? The engine clusters are sometimes 5 times more expensive than the same thrust value stock engines.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Jimbodiah

[Shadowmage]

48 minutes ago, Jimbodiah said:

The "rework" threw me off, went looking in the parts folders if I was going blind or something. 

Is the part pricing (career mode) made purposely higher than comparable stock parts? The engine clusters are sometimes 5 times more expensive than the same thrust value stock engines.

Not intentionally, no, just haven't been balanced yet.  I believe they are all using a copy/pasted default value from whatever part-file I cloned them from

Will open up an issue ticket regarding this, as it is def. something that needs cleaned up prior to 'public' release.  Feel free to comment in the ticket regarding any suggested prices for particular parts.

 

https://github.com/shadowmage45/SSTULabs/issues/88

[Jimbodiah]

Everything 1 credit ofcourse

[MrMeeb]

Quick bug report - although the fairing is in 4 sections, it is still only decoupling as one...am I doing something wrong?

Okay, I can't figure out how to remove an imgur thing after adding it. This new forum is useless

[Shadowmage]

Hmm... it worked when I tested it, but there could be some KSP-loading-sequence garbage going on with it as happens with some of the other modules (the loading sequence is different for nearly every scene; prefab has one sequence, root-part-in the editor has another sequence, non-root part in the editor, yet another one; previously-saved-and reloaded part in the editor, yep.. another different loading sequence; previously-saved-reloaded-in-flight parts, yep.. still another different sequence; just-launched-from-editor parts, still yet another sequence; revert-to-launch is yet-another loading sequence; and revert-to-editor is still yet another).

If you open up a Github issue ticket for it, I'll see about getting it fixed up for this weekends update (if it is in fact a problem).  Please include the exact steps you are using where you are seeing the issue (as noted, every loading sequence needs its own special handling).  Screenshots of the in-editor part setup would help to make sure it is setup properly.

One other note, make sure you are setting the right fairing to have multiple sections; there should be two section-adjust sliders on that part; one for the side-fairings, one for the lower node fairing.  You will need a part attached to the node for the slider to show up.  Make sure they both say '4', and test again.  Simply launch the craft, and test it on the pad.  If it works there, test it after a full launch.  Test it after a revert-to-launch, and make sure the settings are persistent after a revert-to-VAB.

Edited December 4, 2015 by Shadowmage

[MrMeeb]

I'll do as you suggested tomorrow. I can assure you it was set up properly (4 fairings for each), but as to staging, both the Orion fairing and the petal fairing were in the same stage, so they staged together. There wasn't a decoupler between them, if that is worthy of note. I'll get back to you with findings when I can

[Shadowmage]

Hmm.. it could be an interaction issue between the ISA and the fairing module;  IIRC the ISA uses a very non-standard way to decouple modules (and really shouldn't be used with space-bar staging at all).  I'll do some testing of that configuration tonight/tomorrow (if I remember) and see if I can spot the issue.

Will be revisiting the ISA part in the near future (next couple of weeks) to add a proper payload base model (same as the upcoming fairing parts), and clean up its decoupler setup (move to using standard decoupler modules).

 

More general development updates:

• SC-FUEL-MFT-A - Modular Fuel Tank has been 'finished' and is undergoing internal testing.  All of the design requirements were met, and it looks like it should be a fairly stable part in the future.
• Added tech-limits to SC-FUEL-MUS - Modular Upper Stage parts; implemented the same as with MFT part
• Fixed up in-editor mass display of all modular/custom/procedural parts except lander-core parts.  SC-GEN-DC, SC-GEN-ISA, SC-FUEL-MFT, SC-FUEL-MUS, SC-GEN-RBDC
• Added interstage optional node to SC-FUEL-MFT, SC-FUEL-MUS, and SC-ENG parts.  There should be a 'Toggle Interstage Node' button in the VAB to enable/disable this node.  It will be used by the upcoming interstage decoupler, and can be used by the existing Interstage Petal Adapter.
• Working on adding tech-limits to the rest of the configurable parts (SC-GEN-DC, SC-GEN-ISA both done, SC-GEN-RBDC is WIP)
• Nearly every plugin/module has had some bugs fixed or new features added over this week; so there might well be some new bugs/etc to run into =\
• This weeks release will mark the start of the 'Semi-Public' release stage.  During this stage I will be posting a link in the OP directly to the most recent 'stable' release, and will begin doing more frequent dev/testing releases (every couple of days rather than once a week).  The 'stable' release might only be updated every few weeks/month, depending upon the stability of the dev releases.  Will be reorganizing my internal workflow/dev setup a bit to accommodate this (moving to using repo-branches a bit more, creating a pack-and-publish script to save me a bit of time).  The first 'stable' release will likely be the current 0.2.22 release -- I'm sure this weekends release will have a few issues in it that need cleaning up.

 

In slightly more exciting news (for me at least), I remembered seeing/stumbling upon this little gem of info:

https://github.com/sarbian/ModuleManager/wiki/Managing-Dynamic-Modules

Apparently ModuleManager includes the capability to clean up part-persistence-save-data stubs from module config data that does not exist in the prefab part.  This was the single problem that kept me from implementing a proper module-switching functionality (the stuff used in the lander-core parts is a giant hack, at best... works, and is reliable so far, but is a giant hack/workaround).  So... I -might- be able to implement some of the functions I've been holding off on -- such as being able to disable/remove the RCS on the MUS, or optional retro-rockets on the fuel tanks.  Will begin looking into this in the near future; have a few uses for it right now, and would like to re-implement the lander-core parts for cleaner setup/functionality/inclusion of stock modules where needed.

[Shadowmage]

4 hours ago, MrMeeb said:

I'll do as you suggested tomorrow. I can assure you it was set up properly (4 fairings for each), but as to staging, both the Orion fairing and the petal fairing were in the same stage, so they staged together. There wasn't a decoupler between them, if that is worthy of note. I'll get back to you with findings when I can

Can confirm this issue, at least with the ISA.  It seems likely that the fairing is not respecting its # of panels being changed for some reason, as I don't think I'm seeing the textures being split in flight either.  Working through this now, will likely have it resolved shortly and available with tomorrows update.

Edit - fixed;  I had mistakely put the code to update the # of sections into an 'only run in editor mode' block (looks like it happened when I was fixing up fairing cross-module interactions; so it likely did work when I first tested it, and was broken during a fix of something else=\).

Edited December 5, 2015 by Shadowmage

[MrMeeb]

9 hours ago, Shadowmage said:

Edit - fixed;

 

Awesome...hopefully I'll be able to update the original shot after that and get the trailer done after  

[Shadowmage]

Updated test release is available - this is the first of the pre-release test versions.  Have moved over internal work layout to support multiple concurrent dev branches a bit better, and should be able to issue updates more frequently for bugfixes/etc.

https://github.com/shadowmage45/SSTULabs/releases/tag/0.3.23-pre-2

Highlights:

New Modular Fuel Tank - replaces all existing Custom Fuel Tank parts with a single configurable part.  Includes new mount options, and fairing support for the mounts.
More Texture Sets
Texture Sets as Optional Download (WARNING - you must install these if you were previously using any texture besides the default SLS on your existing craft)
Only SLS texture is included in the main download.
Added SSTU 'Agency' to enable filter-by-manufacturer support in the editor.
Petal-Adapter Bi-Conic capability (configurable lower straight portion)
Tech-limit support for most modular/procedural/customizable parts (WIP - mostly implemented, but mostly untested; only affects career mode)
Gobs of bugfixes and quality-of-life improvements.

 

Known Issues:

Surface attach for the new tanks is a bit... off.  Will be investigating this throughout the day and publish another update if/when I get it cleaned up.
Tech limit stuff is untested.  Will test this stuff and issue updates if necessary (hard to test career-mode, very time consuming)

 

 

I'll continue doing coding over the weekend, working towards the custom parachute module for the upcoming command-pod reworks.  It will likely be a 'modular part' module as the last few have been, and allow for quite a bit of customization and re-use (though will be more re-used dev side rather than as user-selectable part).

Will start updating the OP and repository over the next few days with the more permissive licensing/etc in prep for the 'public release' state, as well as adding a direct link to the 'stable' or 'recommended' download version.

 

Edited December 5, 2015 by Shadowmage

[MrMeeb]

Awesome Hopefully video should be ready by tonight/tomorrow morning ready to come in with the OP updates

Edited December 5, 2015 by MrMeeb

[Shadowmage]

Updated test release is available:

https://github.com/shadowmage45/SSTULabs/releases/tag/0.3.23-pre-2

• Fixes up surface-attach interaction for modular fuel tanks
• Fixes up real-fuels patch for modular fuel tanks
• Fixes up real-fuels compatibility issues with modular fuel tanks

 

Edited December 5, 2015 by Shadowmage

[Jimbodiah]

Awesome work, Mage!!!

I see you included the DIRECT mount, but are there any engineclusters of 4 that fit in there in this release, or is it for future releases? I found the one with 3 in-line.

 

Playing around with the parts. Awesome dude!!!!! The modular fueltank is great, shitload of options, but super!  I take it SRBs are next?   yes, they are, #70

Edited December 6, 2015 by Jimbodiah

[Jimbodiah]

@blowfish I tried the other engines you suggested, but they don't have enough thrust to get into orbit. Right now I went from F1 to the 7x R25 and they can do the job as well (1/3 the thrust of the 5x F1B, but longer burn due to lower thrust and higher ISP). So depends on what you like: orginal look with 5 engines, or a cluster that is more suited. Second stages also have an RS25 now, indeed more balance than the bigger one I was using.

 

[blowfish]

59 minutes ago, Jimbodiah said:

@blowfish I tried the other engines you suggested, but they don't have enough thrust to get into orbit. Right now I went from F1 to the 7x R25 and they can do the job as well (1/3 the thrust of the 5x F1B, but longer burn due to lower thrust and higher ISP). So depends on what you like: orginal look with 5 engines, or a cluster that is more suited. Second stages also have an RS25 now, indeed more balance than the bigger one I was using.

 

Well you of course might have to adjust the tank lengths etc to compensate for higher efficiency but lower thrust engines.  I usually aim for a lifoff TWR of 1.25 (maybe more with boosters), and an upper stage TWR of about 0.7 (though I've done the last 1 km/s to LKO on a TWR of only 0.4).  Having something like MechJeb or KER that can tell you your delta-v and TWR per stage is very useful.

[Jimbodiah]

i use mechjeb and can see those values. I have two versions now; one realistic looking and one "kerbal appropriate" with smaller tanks/engines. like I said earlier, the realistic looking ones could take me to Duna instead of LEO

thanks for those numbers. I'll see if I can match those.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Jimbodiah

[Shadowmage]

And one more updated test release is available:

https://github.com/shadowmage45/SSTULabs/releases

Fixes up some problems with the new modular fuel tank - nullrefs regarding nosecones, fixes up texture-selection for nosecones/mounts.

 

Spotted a bug regarding modular upper stage RCS/fx stuff, will work on getting that cleaned up tomorrow morning/afternoon, and post another update with that fix.

[Shadowmage]

Updated test release is available --

https://github.com/shadowmage45/SSTULabs/releases

Fixed up the RCS/fx problem, and a few more fairing-related issues (all on Modular Upper Stage parts).

Unless any more bugs are found with this release, I will likely be moving it out of -pre status, and posting it as a 'recommended/stable' release in the OP.

[Jimbodiah]

Ares I, the Kerbalized version.

1st stage: dV 2100  TWR 2.28
2nd stage: dV 1700   TWR 1.45  (will try to get dV down, but rocket is starting to topple over on launch, maybe less thrust in SRB)

Spoiler

Now uses the shortest booster instead of the longest.

Secondary tank is much shorter and now uses the J2 engine (650 thrust).

Still plenty of dV left.

 

Edited December 6, 2015 by Jimbodiah

[MrMeeb]

35 minutes ago, Jimbodiah said:

Ares I, the Kerbalized version.

1st stage: dV 2100  TWR 2.28
2nd stage: dV 1700   TWR 1.45  (will try to get dV down, but rocket is starting to topple over on launch, maybe less thrust in SRB)

  Hide contents

Now uses the shortest booster instead of the longest.

Secondary tank is much shorter and now uses the J2 engine (650 thrust).

Still plenty of dV left.

 

It's so stubby 

[ComatoseJedi]

"Here's the rub". When I applied the new release, the tanks that were described as "being depreciated" in the cfg file are not loading when you start the game, causing the load to freeze. Would it be okay if I went ahead and move them out? Or do I need them in order to get the tanks to work?

Nevermind, fixed it. Had duplicate texture file in another folder clogging things up. 

Edited December 6, 2015 by lynwoodm

[Jimbodiah]

@MrMeeb Haha, it is stubby compared to the realistic looking one. But it does the same job with about 1/3 the fuel and horsepower. Not as fun though, but better suited for career mode

 

I now have SRB thrust set to 40% and main engine to 70% and have 100dV left when in a 245km orbit on a tank that is one step shorter.

1st stage  2107dV  1.63TWR  40%
2nd stage  1750dV  1.11TWR  70%

There are no engines in the SSTU library between the J2 and the smaller ones that only give 50-60 thrust, else I could probably use a 300-350 thrust engine at 100%.

I noticed I had one lower size SRB left in the SSTU package, but it becomes too short and will try to tumble while the booster is still on, and just flip over at the moment of separation. That and it looks funky.

 

Edited December 6, 2015 by Jimbodiah

[Jimbodiah]

Kudos on the releases Mage!!!!  The new modular tanks are awesome and offer a lot of possibilities, and I also notice we can now go to 10m diameter instead of 6.25. Gonna build me a huge, inefficient as a 1980's pickup, beast of a rocket now. just because I can! Hah!

This thing is so huge that KSP just croaked on me.

Spoiler

 

Edited December 6, 2015 by Jimbodiah