Contract Pack: Giving Aircraft a Purpose (GAP) 2.11 - Milestones, Air Flights, Coast Guard (Now Updated for KSP 1.12.5)

[inigma]

Contract Pack: Giving Aircraft a Purpose 2.11

For KSP 1.12.5+
Requires the latest release of Contract Configurator from https://github.com/KSP-RO/ContractConfigurator/releases/
Requires the latest release of Module Manager from https://ksp.sarbian.com/jenkins/job/ModuleManager/

 

Giving Aircraft a Purpose (GAP) is a contract pack for your aerospace program, providing aviation milestones to achieve, regular flights to service, and Coast Guard rescue . This contract pack is compatible with all stock and modded careers (except RSS).

Purpose:
To provide a useful purpose for the existence of aircraft in a Career game, and promote the use of stock runways, helipads, and DLC airfields.

Spiel:
Runways and helipads are meant to be used, not just sit there and look pretty. This pack provides a small set of repeatable contracts for early career aircraft, and thus provides the career player with a predictable source of income, science, or reputation return (depending on the type of contract) using a standard fleet of aircraft you design. It beats having to design a science car, or one-time use craft, or send a probe to nowhere, when all you need is just a little bit more cash, science, or reputation to advance your space program. Of course, you may have so much fun flying things around that you may forget you have a space program, but if so, then I've succeeded!

All contracts and vessels included in this pack are completely playable in stock KSP (except the BDArmory expansion), but I highly recommend these mods to enhance your gameplay with GAP:

• AirplanePlus (Propellers, Jets, Airplane parts) (GAP recognizes AirplanePlus parts)
• Kerbal Aircraft Expansion (KAX) (Minimalistic set of stock-alike propellers and helicopter parts) (GAP recognizes KAX parts)
• Kerbal Rotor Expansion (Additional rotors for contract completion)
• Waypoint Manager (For better waypoint management and navigation) (GAP uses a lot of waypoints)
• Wider Contracts App (Increases the width of the contract checklist for better readability)

To complete helicopter or part retrieval missions, I also suggest these mods:

• Kerbal Attachment System (KAS) (For attaching winches, fuel ports, and parts to parts on EVA)
• Kerbal Inventory System (KIS) (For carrying the above parts while on EVA)

I recommend that you consider taking the helmet off your Kerbals when flying in the open air in a command seat:

• TextureReplacer with Cetera's Suits (get both on CKAN!) (Non space suit Kerbals while on Kerbin, smell the fresh air from your Command Seat flying machine)

 

If You Stream or Record While Playing GAP:
You sir/madam are amazing. Please post a note in this thread or PM to let me know if you use this mod in a recorded play through or mod review as I and others would love to watch! If your recording and play is fairly decent and will help players get familiar with GAP, I would love to reference it in this OP!

Featured Reviews:

• Inter - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUe9-qPHLVs
• LupiDragon - Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/lupidragon/profile
• million_mights - Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/million_lights
• Allohmon - YouTube: GAP Episode 1

 

Contract Pack Goals:

• Missions to test aviation prototypes and achieve progressive aviation milestones.
• Regular repeatable stunt, tourist, and scheduled passenger flights.
• Rescue missions to retrieve mountain climbers, downed test pilots, and adrift sea crews.
• Fully compatible with new and existing stock and modded careers.

 

To Get Started:

The first immediate contracts are not contracts at all but rather GAP: Economy contracts that are originally intended to give starting players basic parts from which to fully enjoy playing GAP. Originally intended so that Wright Flyer type aircraft could be built, the part contracts were free in previous versions of GAP, but now require funds to purchase these prototype technologies. The economy contracts are designed to help bypass any need for GAP to recommend a tech tree for starter technologies.

There are three contract trees each with starting contracts:

• The Wright Aeronautical: Build and fly your first glider! contract will appear when you've acquired a Command Seat, and any flying control surfaces.
• The KSC Airclines: Flight 101 contract will appear when you flown to completed the 2500 meter altitude contract.
• The KSC Coast Guard: Coast Guard Rescue Certification contract will appear when you've completed the helipad mission.

Agencies:

These are the agencies in the pack that will offer regular or semi-regular contracts, and special missions:

• Prototype Marketplace - Offering loans, and part prototypes for aeronautical and utility parts for a fledgling aviation program.
• Giving Aircraft a Purpose - Aerospace milestones, and stunt goals for your aviation program.
• KSC Coast Guard - Our motto is Always Ready - Kemper Keratus! Providing air, land, and sea rescue. (Used for occasional rescue and recovery opportunities, mostly near KSC ocean)
• KSC Airlines - The official airline of the Kerbal Space Center.

 

 

Download & Installation:
 

SpaceDock

GitHub

 

Changelog: 

https://github.com/inigmatus/GAP/blob/master/CHANGELOG.txt

 

KNOWN ISSUES:

Please raise any and all issues or enhancement requests on the GAP GitHub issue tracker.

• Recovering a vessel via the Space Center View or Tracking Station will not complete a contract if it requires recovery of a vessel. Work around is to simply recover all vessels in flight mode view. https://github.com/inigmatus/GAP/issues/7
• Failing a contract may not always clean up any extra Kerbals used for the contract. If you can't revert, or don't wish to, then to clean up, simply recover the affected Kerbals, and then simply remove them from your roster. All failed contracts will reappear in Mission Control eventually. Use Alt F12 and access the Contract cheat menu to decline multiple contracts quickly and force regeneration of any contract that fails to appear, if necessary.

CREDITS:

Thanks goes to the following individuals for their contributions to this contract pack. Without them, none of this would have happened:

@nightingale - creator of Contract Configurator. tirelessly responsive and an amazing coder and modder without whom this mod would not exist.
@theonegalen - graciously donated funds for the KSP DLC Making History expansion and ongoing development, so I can continue developing GAP for DLC users.  Also an awesome tester of GAP contracts!
@ThunderofZeus - graciously donated funds for KSP DLC Making History expansion and ongoing development, so I can continue developing GAP for DLC users.  
@seanmcdougall - creator of Take Command mod
@keptin - creator of Kerbal Aircraft eXpansion
@maculator- creator of Kerbal Aircraft Builders, for inspiring me with his pioneering example into aircraft based contracts
@severedsolo - always a great resource for contract development
@pandoras kitten - designer of a number of craft seen in the series above
@RixKillian - designer of the KSS Rix aircraft carrier
@Speeding Mullet - designer of a number of props for GAP

and dozens more who have contributed their time and talent to make this pack one of the most useful for KSP.

 

Edited October 13 by inigma
new release

[inigma]

Ok, I hope I pushed all the right buttons to get this on CKAN... here's hoping I did something right.

[skykooler]

I replaced the old version with this one, but now I'm not getting any GAP contracts. If I repeatedly decline contracts in the contract building, often GAP contracts will appear, but then be instantly replaced by something else. Is there any way to use this without starting a new save? (I'm not particularly keen on throwing away all my progress so far.)

[inigma]

1 hour ago, skykooler said:

I replaced the old version with this one, but now I'm not getting any GAP contracts. If I repeatedly decline contracts in the contract building, often GAP contracts will appear, but then be instantly replaced by something else. Is there any way to use this without starting a new save? (I'm not particularly keen on throwing away all my progress so far.)

Cancel any active GAP contracts. Go to Tracking Center. Exit. See if contracts populate. If not go Alt+F12 then Contracts and decline contacts from there until GAP contracts start showing up.

1 hour ago, skykooler said:

I replaced the old version with this one, but now I'm not getting any GAP contracts. If I repeatedly decline contracts in the contract building, often GAP contracts will appear, but then be instantly replaced by something else. Is there any way to use this without starting a new save? (I'm not particularly keen on throwing away all my progress so far.)

Also do Alt+F10 to see if GAP contracts show loaded. Hit reload contracts if not.

Else check to make sure GAP is installed to your GameData\ContractPacks folder.

Edited January 4, 2016 by inigma

[pTrevTrevs]

Wow, ever since Career Mode came out, I've always avoided it because it just seemed too boring without the ability to do stuff like this. I can't wait to try this pack out!

[inigma]

57 minutes ago, pTrevTrevs said:

Wow, ever since Career Mode came out, I've always avoided it because it just seemed too boring without the ability to do stuff like this. I can't wait to try this pack out!

Great! Let me know what you think! Let me know if there are any improvements, or additional contract ideas you'd like to see. This is a beta so this is its first public run.

[Melfice]

I can't seem to get the "Join SSI Aerospace!" contract to finish.
It's not recognizing that I'm delivering the parts required to the R&D building. Everything else, it's picking up.

I'm using the yellow truck that's included with Lack's SXT (they're basically the same you see driving around in the VAB). Is it possible the vehicle is too low? The closest I've come to the navigation point is 1.6 metres.

[inigma]

14 minutes ago, Melfice said:

I can't seem to get the "Join SSI Aerospace!" contract to finish.
It's not recognizing that I'm delivering the parts required to the R&D building. Everything else, it's picking up.

I'm using the yellow truck that's included with Lack's SXT (they're basically the same you see driving around in the VAB). Is it possible the vehicle is too low? The closest I've come to the navigation point is 1.6 metres.

Distance to trip waypoint is 30m. Can you post a screenshot? Make sure all parts are attached, and that Inigma Kerman is on board with your driver.

[Melfice]

Just now, inigma said:

Distance to trip waypoint is 30m. Can you post a screenshot? Make sure all parts are attached, and that Inigma Kerman is on board with your driver.

It's probably complaining because Inigma is in the command seat, isn't it?
I'll have a go at that later, and see if that fixes things. Thanks.

[inigma]

12 minutes ago, Melfice said:

It's probably complaining because Inigma is in the command seat, isn't it?
I'll have a go at that later, and see if that fixes things. Thanks.

That's the issue. Make sure to install the highly recommended mod  Take Command (Launch and Spawn into Command Seats) - will make GAP much for fun for you.

[Melfice]

I do actually have Take Command installed.
Is the problem instead that I have a cockpit on my craft? Should I use the Command Seats exclusively? Here's a screenshot of my craft, incidentally.
As you can (maybe) see, it's got all the required parts attached.

Edited January 4, 2016 by Melfice

[Yemo]

That looks like a very sophisticated contract pack, I m really looking forward to trying it out!

[inigma]

10 minutes ago, Melfice said:

I do actually have Take Command installed.
Is the problem instead that I have a cockpit on my craft? Should I use the Command Seats exclusively? Here's a screenshot of my craft, incidentally.
As you can (maybe) see, it's got all the required parts attached.

are the other items above the contract list not shown above, checked green? i wonder if your driver is not being recognized.  if so, then its the parts not being recognized as attached to the vessel... make sure you are controlling the vehicle from the driver and not passenger then.

2 minutes ago, Yemo said:

That looks like a very sophisticated contract pack, I m really looking forward to trying it out!

I made this compatible with SETI in mind. Would love it if you included it in your list of compatible mods.

[Evanitis]

Started a new career for this mod, and having a blast.. by not even going near space. 

Will get back here once my initial amazement diminishes enough to comment in an unbiased and constructive way.

[Melfice]

2 minutes ago, inigma said:

are the other items above the contract list not shown above, checked green? i wonder if your driver is not being recognized.  if so, then its the parts not being recognized as attached to the vessel... make sure you are controlling the vehicle from the driver and not passenger then.

I'll have another go tomorrow and check back with you. See if it's throwing a hissyfit over modparts being used.

[ExplorerKlatt]

Hey congrats on the Modding Mondays feature.  Really looking forward to trying this out. 

[inigma]

Just now, Melfice said:

I'll have another go tomorrow and check back with you. See if it's throwing a hissyfit over modparts being used.

Great! Let me know what you find out in your testing. I might just try SXT myself tonight when I get a chance.

Just now, ExplorerKlatt said:

Hey congrats on the Modding Mondays feature.  Really looking forward to trying this out. 

i got modding mondays?

[kcs123]

I still have dynamic texture loader as featured mod on Modding Mondeys, but neverless, GAP deserved ro be featured on Modding Mondeys.

[ExplorerKlatt]

1 hour ago, kcs123 said:

I still have dynamic texture loader as featured mod on Modding Mondeys, but neverless, GAP deserved ro be featured on Modding Mondeys.

Check here: Modding Monday

[inigma]

1 hour ago, ExplorerKlatt said:

Check here: Modding Monday

Schweet!  was totally not expecting that.

[skykooler]

20 hours ago, inigma said:

Cancel any active GAP contracts. Go to Tracking Center. Exit. See if contracts populate. If not go Alt+F12 then Contracts and decline contacts from there until GAP contracts start showing up.

Also do Alt+F10 to see if GAP contracts show loaded. Hit reload contracts if not.

Else check to make sure GAP is installed to your GameData\ContractPacks folder.

Thanks. I had a few missions that weren't GAP contracts but were from GAP corporations:

I declined them via the debug menu and GAP contracts started showing up.

 

I should note that there is still a typo in the Shoreline Tour - it's listed as "Shorline Tour".

[nightingale]

35 minutes ago, skykooler said:

Thanks. I had a few missions that weren't GAP contracts but were from GAP corporations:

@inigma - there's a special attribute that Contract Configurator introduces that you can set on the agency to prevent those - I can't remember where it's documented, but you can just look at the Anomaly Surveyor agency (or any of my contract packs) as an example.

[inigma]

59 minutes ago, nightingale said:

@inigma - there's a special attribute that Contract Configurator introduces that you can set on the agency to prevent those - I can't remember where it's documented, but you can just look at the Anomaly Surveyor agency (or any of my contract packs) as an example.

oh awesome thanks. was just wondering about this a few days ago. I'll take a look at your agencies.

Edit:  mentality = NoRandomContractMentality

 

I added for gold release.

 

1 hour ago, skykooler said:

I should note that there is still a typo in the Shoreline Tour - it's listed as "Shorline Tour".

Thanks! I'll have this fixed in the gold release.  Just tryin' to figure out CKAN at the moment.

Edited January 5, 2016 by inigma

[inigma]

@linuxgurugamer @NathanKell Submitted to CKAN. https://github.com/KSP-CKAN/NetKAN/pull/2905 I hope I did it right. I tested the ckan meta install and it looks good.

Edited January 5, 2016 by inigma

[inigma]

For those wanting to see GAP before downloading, @DasValdez said on his stream tonight that he might look at some GAP play this Thursday. stay tuned.

Edited January 5, 2016 by inigma