The Saga of Emiko Station - Complete

[adsii1970]

I'm thinking of "evacuating" everyone to upgrade. That way, if I lose vehicles, I don't lose crews... But my story is a bit different than yours.

[Just Jim]

7 minutes ago, adsii1970 said:

I'm thinking of "evacuating" everyone to upgrade. That way, if I lose vehicles, I don't lose crews... But my story is a bit different than yours.

I would advise it. I can work around everything else, but that many KIA's is just not happening. If you can bring everyone home before you upgrade, then I would recommend it, just in case.

[adsii1970]

50 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

I would advise it. I can work around everything else, but that many KIA's is just not happening. If you can bring everyone home before you upgrade, then I would recommend it, just in case.

I'm planning to evacuate everyone... Even those who are on assignment on Kerbin. Will be interesting to see if my orbital station will still be intact.

[Just Jim]

1 minute ago, adsii1970 said:

I'm planning to evacuate everyone... Even those who are on assignment on Kerbin. Will be interesting to see if my orbital station will still be intact.

So far from what I can tell I'm missing one type of ship. Unfortunately it's the raptors, and all 4 of them are gone. But best I can remember everything else is where it should be.

[Buzz light fear]

8 hours ago, Just Jim said:

Oh no...  Houston, we have a really bad problem...  

I just fired up the game to get some new screenshots, and I realized to my dismay that the Emiko Station career game isn't working right. Specifically, I have no KerbNet, or little green lines. And the RCS and SAS on all my ships isn't working.  So I started a new career game to compare, and sure enough, it has the Kerbnet stuff, and works fine. 

Here's a new screenshot, and as you can see, the Kerbnet icon thingie isn't even showing up.

I'm definitely open to suggestions, but having been thru a few updates before, I'm not sure something like this can be fixed. If not, then I may have to start over and reproduce the game as best possible. It may take a couple weeks, but I'm not sure what else to do, except quit, and that's not an acceptable option.

Houston has never lost a man and we are not about to start now(gene cernan)

so keep it up I had issues with 1.2 but I lost no ships I was just having a hard time flying with kerbnet and also getting th game full screen but all issues can be resolved with persistence.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Buzz light fear

[0111narwhalz]

I was talking about copying the data in the persistence over, not just ships, then relaunch everything. That should preserve orbits, asteroids, contracts, and crew.

[Just Jim]

Hey everyone, great news, Emiko is back in action!  Well, more or less... but close enough.

What happened is I read this morning Kopernicus has updated to 1.2, and OPM works again. But I had a thought late last night, and before I downloaded it, I uninstalled and deleted the whole game, and did a brand new, clean 1.2 installation. Not sure if it would make a difference, but why not? Then I added the newest versions of only the most essential mods.

Then I started backtracking. I have a huge archive of saved games, and when I jumped back a bit, I found one that works! In game time it's right when Harfield and Emiko get back to the KSC, maybe 100 or so days from where it should be, which isn't bad. And so far it appears everything is where it should be... again, more or less. The Diamondback and Raptor headed back from Duna aren't on intercepts anymore, but that should be easy enough to fix.

The only strange thing I've found so far is for some reason my red magic boulder is now green. I'm not sure how that happened. So I either have to find a new red one, or add a slight plot twist to explain it. But other than that everything looks OK, and I just need to play catch-up.

[Just Jim]

Hey everyone, another good day. I spent the day checking through all my ships, and so far they all look good. The only real issue is my action groups for antennas don't work anymore, but that's not a big surprise given the changes to the antennas, nor is it a big deal to fix.

And I fixed The Diamondback and Raptor heading back from Duna, both took just a very minor course adjustment.

Most of the day I spent hunting for a new red magic boulder. Even using HyperEdit and massively cheating to find one, it look quite a while until I found another red one. It's not quite exactly the same...  .... but I can make it work.

The best part is while I was magic boulder hunting I thought of a fun way to spin the 1.2 changes into the next chapter that I'm hoping y'all will like.  

Edited October 23, 2016 by Just Jim

[Draconiator]

Jim, Kopernicus is updated to 1.2, and OPM works with 1.2 as long as you have the former.

[Just Jim]

13 hours ago, Draconiator said:

Jim, Kopernicus is updated to 1.2, and OPM works with 1.2 as long as you have the former.

Downloaded it, thanks!  

[Draconiator]

the only problem I have so far is porting over my saves...too much work in those to just throw out :/

[Just Jim]

7 hours ago, Draconiator said:

the only problem I have so far is porting over my saves...too much work in those to just throw out :/

Understood. I had to go back about 100 days (gametime) to find a save that worked OK. Now I'm slowly going thru each ship and satellite checking everything. So far they're looking OK, but I have along to-do list of little things I have to correct.

[adsii1970]

8 hours ago, Draconiator said:

the only problem I have so far is porting over my saves...too much work in those to just throw out :/

I am having a problem with my space plane hangar. I am hoping to have it worked out within a couple of weeks.

23 hours ago, Draconiator said:

Jim, Kopernicus is updated to 1.2, and OPM works with 1.2 as long as you have the former.

I have it, but I do not have it installed. Should I install the version for 1.1.3 before the update? I had to uninstall it before because of memory issues...

54 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Understood. I had to go back about 100 days (gametime) to find a save that worked OK. Now I'm slowly going thru each ship and satellite checking everything. So far they're looking OK, but I have along to-do list of little things I have to correct.

Luckily, I made a backup of the save before I updated. I didn't lose any game play time, but lost all the craft in my SPH. I think I might have isolated the problem and will be experimenting with it this evening.

 

[Just Jim]

Well, I got a lot more catching up done today. Most of it was going from satellite to satellite and manually extending all the antennas. Other than the antennas they seem to be working OK, but eventually I'll replace them with updated ones. I also played around with Kerbnet and found some new anomalies to check out. 

One thing I hadn't noticed until today was none of the chariot rovers survived the upgrade. All of them are MIA, but luckily they didn't have anyone on board, so it's not a huge loss. And they're may be a silver lining. I loaded up one in the VAB, and not only did it load OK, whatever changes they made to the wheels really helped, and it's driving a lot better on Kerbin. I can use HyperEdit to put replacements back where they were tomorrow. 

I already started getting screenshots for the next chapter, and I just need to iron out a couple details to explain the 1.2 update, so it shouldn't be too long.
In the meantime I'm also launching bobble-head rockets again... lol... 

Edited October 25, 2016 by Just Jim

[The solid fuel chemist]

@Just JimHmm, I sense a connection between kerbnet, spy sats, and the zaltronic space program 

[Just Jim]

On 10/25/2016 at 0:34 AM, The solid fuel chemist said:

@Just JimHmm, I sense a connection between kerbnet, spy sats, and the zaltronic space program 

Actually, there is a connection, but not quite what you're thinking. Still, you're warm.  

I was busy all last night and this morning... stupid reality... but I got some more done this evening, including scouting out a couple new anomalies. Those are going to fit into the story line nicely. 

I also got a chance to play with an asteroid and klaw, and it worked great! Whatever was making the klaws a little wonky in 1.1.3 seems to be fixed.

And I had a chance to think more about a couple of the details to explain 1.2.... and the goo is about to hit the fan in a really serious way. 

Edited October 27, 2016 by Just Jim

[Just Jim]

Hey everyone. There is no easy way to say this, but I need to take a break from Emiko Station for a while. It has nothing to do with the forum or KSP or squad. Nothing like that.

I'm sure y'all have noticed lately it's taking me longer and longer to post new chapters, and while I've made excuses, I haven't been entirely honest about the reason. The real truth is I'm just too stressed out over things happening here at home. Recent events (hurricanes and hospitals and such) have me really worried and scared. One more emergency and we could lose everything. So I have to make some really hard decisions about the future. I don't want to be rich, or famous, or any of that junk. I just want to keep a roof over my head. And if I can write something... anything... that comes even close to the response Emiko Station has, and can get it published, or on Kindle or Amazon, then I have to at least try. I have no other option. I thought about maybe putting up a paypal link on here and asking for donations, like some of the modders do. But Emiko wasn't never supposed to be like that, and I feel weird doing it. So I won't.

I'm not giving up... but I need to take some time off and get my life back together.

 

[Cydonian Monk]

No worries chief. This is a hobby, it's supposed to be enjoyable. If it's not then take a break. Relax, get your life straight, your mind clear, and come back and see us when you're ready. (If I had any good advise for stress relief that worked I'd pass it on....)

Cheers and best wishes. 

[KAL 9000]

23 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Hey everyone. There is no easy way to say this, but I need to take a break from Emiko Station for a while. It has nothing to do with the forum or KSP or squad. Nothing like that.

I'm sure y'all have noticed lately it's taking me longer and longer to post new chapters, and while I've made excuses, I haven't been entirely honest about the reason. The real truth is I'm just too stressed out over things happening here at home. Recent events (hurricanes and hospitals and such) have me really worried and scared. One more emergency and we could lose everything. So I have to make some really hard decisions about the future. I don't want to be rich, or famous, or any of that junk. I just want to keep a roof over my head. And if I can write something... anything... that comes even close to the response Emiko Station has, and can get it published, or on Kindle or Amazon, then I have to at least try. I have no other option. I thought about maybe putting up a paypal link on here and asking for donations, like some of the modders do. But Emiko wasn't never supposed to be like that, and I feel weird doing it. So I won't.

I'm not giving up... but I need to take some time off and get my life back together.

 

Don't worry @Just Jim, we understand. Keeping a roof over your and your family's head is more important than Emiko, and I wish all of you the best of luck! (By the way, if you are struggling for  for food and stuff, I think Utah (or some state in that area) has lower house/land prices than most states, so if you do decide to move any time I would recommend it to free up some . Thanks for listening.) But I do hope that you get back on your feet and can soon resume Emiko.

Edited October 28, 2016 by KAL 9000

[Commander Zoom]

What they said.  Priorities are important, and real life should always come first.

[Andem]

@Just Jim While we all love Emiko (and her station), you are far more important. So sort yourself (and the world around you) out! 

Edited October 29, 2016 by Andem

[KAL 9000]

And I do like your old profile picture better, @Just Jim.

[Just Jim]

Thanks everyone  

 

On 10/29/2016 at 10:47 AM, KAL 9000 said:

And I do like your old profile picture better, @Just Jim.

Wait, did you mean Invader Zim, or this one?

[adsii1970]

2 minutes ago, Just Jim said:

Thanks everyone  

 

Wait, did you mean Invader Zim, or this one?

While this may be the real you, we all know the other one, the sinister looking "Invader Zim" probably better fits your personality.

Keep in touch, my friend.

 

[Just Jim]

14 hours ago, adsii1970 said:

While this may be the real you, we all know the other one, the sinister looking "Invader Zim" probably better fits your personality.

Keep in touch, my friend.

So you're saying I'm actually a small, green, megalomaniac bent on world domination???  
Hmmm... you might have something at that... you just might...  
I'm switching the avatar back... 

And I've been doing a lot of thinking. First off, and before anything else, I need to finish Emiko Station. I can't leave something like this unfinished. Plus I miss and love my characters so much... they're like my family. I have to see this through.

As far as other stuff, I did some checking, and it turns out publishing something on Kindle or Amazon is quite simple... provided I have something written, that is. Again, I can't do Emiko Station itself, not without a nod of approval from @SQUAD. Honestly, I don't know if any of them have actually read it or not. But we've talked about this a hundred times already, and if they ever do decide to go for it, y'all will be the first to know!

But I do have a few things rolling around in my head that are not KSP related, and a couple might be interesting enough to attempt Kindle. But I have to be careful. I'm on limited SSI and disability, and if I do anything that earns an income, I could lose what little benefits I'm getting. Now don't misunderstand, I don't intend on letting this stop me. It just means if I write another book, and put it online, it has to do well enough to offset what little benefits I'm getting. Trust me, I'm not getting much, so that shouldn't be terribly hard. And I already have a small but loyal fanbase... all of you!  

I have three ideas right now that might work.
One is sort of a Victorian steampunk adventure. My take on the classic idea of going back in time and stepping on a bug, but with a twist.
Another idea is more realistic, and based loosely on something that happened to me when I was in the Army. But it deals with a very delicate subject, sort of like Tom Clancy meets Breaking Bad and Apocalypse Now, and it could potentially offend a lot of people. So I'm not sure if I want to do it or not, and if I do, I'd have to handle it with kid gloves, so to speak.
The third one... the third one.....  
This one has been rolling around my head for many, many years, and is the most complete. But it's very, very dark sci-fi horror. On the level of Brian Lumley. For those who don't recognize the name, Brian Lumley is my second favorite horror author, just under Lovecraft, and not for the faint of heart. If any of you check him out, I would recommend starting with the Necroscope series. But do so with extreme caution. Many of my friends have not gotten past the first few pages. My third idea is based a lot on Lumley's works.

So that's the deal. I'm going to finish Emiko Station, but also start working on something else. I just have to decide which one I want to do most. And then hopefully not get them too mixed up in my head.