Probus Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 (edited) This thread has moved to New Releases: Click Here In collaboration with @GregroxMun: The Coming of the Martians Chapter One The Eve of the War NO ONE WOULD have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water... ...Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us... --> <-- OK. So Kerbals don't exactly look like particularly fearsome Martians and their intellect has been brought into question more than once. But as the story goes, the Kerbals, whom we call Martians, arrived on Mars in days too ancient for us to remember. As their planet slowly and steadily lost its vast oceans & atmosphere, the Kerbals moved underground... This is the premise of "Little Green Men From Mars" based on Nathan Kell's awesome Real Solar System (RSS) mod. Essentially, it moves the KSC to Mars (where little green men belong). Step I - Move the KSC to Mars. The low delta V required for orbit and significant lack of atmosphere make Mars the ideal spot in RSS to explore the rest of the solar system. With its 2 moons, Phobos and Deimos, much science can be gained in the campaign game without leaving the SOI of Mars, much like the Mun and Minmus. Step II - Add Content. Hmmm... What can we add? Maybe a "War of the Worlds" part pack complete with giant cylinders, fighting machines, heat rays! That means we would also need a mission pack that includes H.G. Wellian missions to peacefully explore (conquer) the earth! Alternatively, with the October 2015 release of "The Martian" we could create its habitats and vehicles on Mars. We would also want to add sites to include the Viking landers and Mars rovers for the Kerbals to explore. Maybe some missions to keep an eye on those pesky earthlings. Martians... I mean Marbles... I mean Kerbals have developed "jet engines" that work in the Martian Atmosphere (what little there is of it). Also they have researched advanced Air Brakes rather early in the career game. Why? Because... well, you'll find out. Currently, here is the setup and debug notes: Real Solar System (RSS) & Module Manager are required. KSP is now on RSS Mars close to Olympus Mons. Air breathing engines work on Mars as I have set the atmosphere to contain oxygen. This will change to a more exotic solution. Climbing through the atmosphere to orbit has some weird atmospheric fades. KillAshley is working on smoothing them out for RSS. Scatterer configs are in work with help from Blackrack, but currently are set to Mars in a dust storm. I also have a well known modeler working on some 1952 era Martian parts. I can hardly wait to see 'em! Thanks to GregroxMun for all the atmosphere help. It will be lots of work to get it just right. To add an extra bit of fun to this completely alien environment, I recommend you use: The Engineering Tech Tree Futuristic mods like Interstellar, Near Future, Atomic Age, Solaris Hypernautics and don't forget the airbags (you'll need 'em): SXT Airbags by Lack & USI Survivability Pack by RoverDude. To set the mood listen to: . Remember to build everything in threes, as 3 is the Martian "lucky" number. Download the WIP Development zip and install: DOWNLOAD I prefer to play with RSS textures at 2K but I install the Mars files from the 8K version. Known Issues: 1. Double Fade high in atmosphere. 2. Surface reflection coloring needs tweaking 3. Phobos has a blocky, quicksandish surface in RSS. NathanKell is looking into this. This mod is not for the KSP beginner. More to follow... Released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 license. You are free to redistribute and modify the work so long as it is not used for commercial purposes. Edited January 18, 2016 by Probus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whovian Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 I should probably note that the creators of Kerbal Konstructs have had trouble with off-Kerbin launch sites. Hence there might be problems launching from Mars with RSS setting the "home" planet to Earth.I dunno. It might be easy to work around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FungusForge Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 I should probably note that the creators of Kerbal Konstructs have had trouble with off-Kerbin launch sites. Hence there might be problems launching from Mars with RSS setting the "home" planet to Earth.I dunno. It might be easy to work around.If my understanding of RSS is correct it basically replaces Kerbin with Earth. It can't be too difficult (relatively speaking) to replace Kerbin with Mars. However last time I checked it still referred to Earth as Kerbin, so it'd probably end up with Mars being called Kerbin and Earth being called Duna.But then I don't really know what I'm talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrHappyFace Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 It's actually impossible to move the KSC to another planet, but you could just switch mars and earth so that mars is based off of kerbin and earth is just another planet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Probus Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 It's actually impossible to move the KSC to another planet, but you could just switch mars and earth so that mars is based off of kerbin and earth is just another planet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Augustus_ Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Bingo MrHappyFace! That's how its done. I've already made the switch (as you can see from the opening screenshot), but there is some tweaking left to be done to get the KSC exactly where I want it. Also some visual settings require enhancing.I would like to put KSC on Olympus Mons. What do you think? Naah, too easy to launch from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Probus Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 Naah, too easy to launch from there.You may just be right _Augustus_. But it sure would make for a nice backdrop during launches. So maybe put the KSC at the base of Olympus Mons. That would be VERY scenic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Augustus_ Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 (edited) I have a better intro..No one but conspiracy theorists would have believed in the first years of the twenty-first century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences as advanced than man's and yet dumber than his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a kaleidoscope might scrutinize his lawn chair....Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us... Edited August 26, 2015 by _Augustus_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaffaFediration Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 So this will make kerbals into Martians? You sir, are a genius! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Probus Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 (edited) I am trying to justify the use of jet engines and intakes on Mars. Maybe they use the Leidenfrost effect to power their jet turbines? Any thoughts or other Sci-Fi ideas to justify how they work? I'm grasping at straws: http://www.gizmag.com/carbon-dioxide-engine-mission-mars/36443/I'm also running into this problem:http://www.universetoday.com/7024/the-mars-landing-approach-getting-large-payloads-to-the-surface-of-the-red-planet/ Edited August 30, 2015 by Probus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrHappyFace Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 You could just make it use carbon dioxide as an oxidizer. I looked around, and found this which suggests using CO2 from the atmosphere and Magnesium as a fuel source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Probus Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) Thanks GregroxMun for helping me debug:http://www.twitch.tv/gregroxmun/As you can see. We have our work cut out for us. Edited September 8, 2015 by Probus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Probus Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 Currently, here is the setup and debug notes:Real Solar System (RSS) & Module Manager are required.KSP is now on RSS Mars close to Olympus Mons.Air breathing engines work on Mars as I have set the atmosphere to contain oxygen. This will change to a more exotic solution.Climbing through the atmosphere to orbit has some weird atmospheric fades. KillAshley is working on smoothing them out for RSS.Phobos has a blocky, quicksandish surface in RSS. You've been warned. NathanKell is looking into this.Scatterer configs are in work with help from Blackrack, but currently are set to Mars in a dust storm.I also have a well known modeler working on some 1952 era Martian parts. I can hardly wait to see 'em!To add an extra bit of fun to this completely alien environment, I recommend you use:The Engineering Tech TreeFuturistic mods like Interstellar, Near Future, Atomic Age, Solaris Hypernauticsand don't forget the airbags (you'll need 'em): SXT Airbags by Lack & USI Survivability Pack by RoverDude.To set the mood listen to: .Remember to build everything in threes, as 3 is the Martian "lucky" number.Download the WIP Development zip and install after and over RSS: DOWNLOADI prefer to play with RSS textures at 2K but I install the Mars files from the 8K version.This mod is not for the KSP beginner.More to follow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Baginski Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 The chances of anything coming from Kerbal are a million to one they said,But they just used more boosters... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pargentum Posted September 15, 2015 Share Posted September 15, 2015 You could just make it use carbon dioxide as an oxidizer. I looked around, and found this which suggests using CO2 from the atmosphere and Magnesium as a fuel source.Liquid Hydrogen should burn in CO2 atmosphere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Probus Posted September 15, 2015 Author Share Posted September 15, 2015 The chances of anything coming from Kerbal are a million to one they said,But they just used more boosters...Ha! That's great, except you misspelled moar!- - - Updated - - -Liquid Hydrogen should burn in CO2 atmosphere.Will it now? Hmmm.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Probus Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) Mars in a Scatterer dust storm:KSC with concrete texturing:If you are interested in building any martian parts, just let me know. We are going to need some really high speed landing gear, long graceful wings and an impact resistant "metallic cylinder". I am working on a Tri-Air-Break for the thin atmosphere and fast re-entry speeds.We are looking for engine effects that are similar to the book: leaving a greenish streak behind it that glows for some seconds. Also jet engines that can start in a 1% atmosphere. Tricky.Say hello to squidy: A high speed re-entry vehicle and also my first attempt at a youtube video. Notice the wonderful lighting and camera angle. Edited September 22, 2015 by Probus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antgeth Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 this looks totally great although i think i'll wait until it's a bit further along to try it.any chance of some custom airbag parts coming out of this? that would completely make my day as i've never been satisfied with the ones i've tried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris P. Bacon Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Awesome idea.. will be watching this closely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Probus Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 I love your signature block Chris P! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenewableRocket Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Looks great, though KSC seems too clean to be constantly barraged by red sand storms, they must really love using brooms Anyhow, would love to see a "Marsified" look of the Center, if that is even possible... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrHappyFace Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 I agree with @RenewableRocket, you should try out KSC with martian dust colored land instead of that concrete color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Probus Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) Dusty brown maybe? Maybe red weed from the book? What do you think? Edited September 29, 2015 by Probus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hattivat Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Interesting idea, I'm scrubscribing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whirligig Girl Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I fixed Mars' blue tint. I've sent Probus a PM with a link to the fix.Javascript is disabled. View full album Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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