[1.2.1]Arkas: Development Edition

[The White Guardian]

Arkas: Development Edition

Back in September, this wonderful mod joined the KSP community

Unfortunately, the developer of the mod is away from KSP for a while. Unfortunately, bugs began to appear that needed fixing. So, I have been given permission to maintain Arkas in the absence of Arkas' creator, @CoriW.

Please know that I am by no means claiming his work of my own, I am simply maintaining Arkas and improving it wherever I can.

So, without further ado, meet Arkas: development edition! Why the name? Because these are only in-dev 'placeholder' versions until @CoriW returns. By that time the official Arkas thread will be used again, until then, check here for updates.

In-Game screenshot:

Screenshot taken with Scatterer + 8K clouds + 8K normals

Changelog

April 15th, 2016 [Version 1.0]
- Public release
- (Not included in current download) First steps have been made at moons
- E.V.E rebooted edition support
- Various little tweaks and bugfixes

March 17th, 2016 [Version 1.0.1]
- Updated config for 1.0.5
- Added terrain scatter
- Improved FogColorRamp
- Custom terrain textures
- Hand-made Normal map for better ScaledSpace
- Various other bugs fixed, such as a nasty bug in ScaledSpace-PQSTerrain transition

June 13th, 2016 [Version 2.0]
- 1.1.2 release
- Added 2 moons - Vin and Kras, can be removed by deleting the folder Arkas/Moons
- E.V.E support removed, will be re-added later.

June 13th, 2016 [Version 2.1]
- Remade the moons

June 29th, 2016 [Version 3.0]
- Updated to 1.1.3
- Fixed terrain-vanishing issue with the moons
- Fixed shininess on Arkas

December 6th, 2016 [Version 4.0]
- Temperature variations created by eccentricity
- Seasonal temperature variations
- Temperature changes based off latitude
- Temperature changes based off time of day
- Internal mod indexing (just compatibility stuff)
- 1.2 compatibility of course ;)
- Fixes for Kras and Vin
- Biomes for Kras and Vin (each of them having a biome named after who suggested the name for the moon)
- Scatterer support!
- EVE support!
- NEW 'Modular mod' system: add extra features using the Arkas/Expansions directory! Add moons if you want, and add clouds with three different resolutions!
- New original Arkas cloudmap in the style of SVE and AVP! Available in 2K, 4K or even 8K!

Download:

What will be added later:

- Trailer
- Custom ScienceDefs for the moons

More about Arkas?

I've filled in Arkas' category on the Kopernicus planets wiki.

Edited December 7, 2016 by The White Guardian
Fancy new download button!

[sDaZe]

3 hours ago, The White Guardian said:

 

March 17th, 2016
- Updated config for 1.0.5
- Added terrain scatter
- Improved FogColorRamp
- Custom terrain textures
- Hand-made Normal map for better ScaledSpace
- Various other bugs fixed, such as a nasty bug in ScaledSpace-PQSTerrain transition.

 

 

Added Terrain scatter.. Does that mean it has Scatterer support? If not do you plan on adding it

 

Edited March 17, 2016 by sDaZe

[The White Guardian]

Just now, sDaZe said:

Added Terrain scatter.. Does that mean it has Scatterer support? If not do you plan on adding it?

Terrian scatter = random rocks scattered across the terrain, like those red rocks on Duna and the trees on Kerbin.

As for scatterer, since I do not understand Scatterer's configs, it is unlikely that I will ever get scatterer support to work, sorry.

[sDaZe]

21 minutes ago, The White Guardian said:

Terrian scatter = random rocks scattered across the terrain, like those red rocks on Duna and the trees on Kerbin.

As for scatterer, since I do not understand Scatterer's configs, it is unlikely that I will ever get scatterer support to work, sorry.

Oh okay, thanks for remaking continuing this  

Edited March 17, 2016 by sDaZe

[Andem]

6 minutes ago, sDaZe said:

Oh okay, thanks for remaking this  

Continuation, not remake. 

[Red Shirt]

Thanks for keeping this awesome alien world alive until the return of CoriW. 

[ProtoJeb21]

Ah, Arkas. I felt like that mod had a lot of room for potential and growth, and now that room has been created! I can't wait to see how Arkas is continued.

[Lord Coriolis]

I know you're not the actual owner, but since you're in touch with him, a question for future development.  Has any thought been given to adding compatibility with Galactic Neighborhood once that mod matures a bit more?

[The White Guardian]

11 hours ago, Lord Coriolis said:

I know you're not the actual owner, but since you're in touch with him, a question for future development.  Has any thought been given to adding compatibility with Galactic Neighborhood once that mod matures a bit more?

Hasn't GN support been added already? Last time I checked GN came with a config for Arkas...

QUOTED FROM THE GALACTIC NEIGHBORHOOD THREAD:

On 16-7-2015 at 11:50 AM, Sigma88 said:

Arkas will load in orbit around an F-type main sequence star named Osmis.

So yes, Arkas already is compatible with GN. One thing you should know however, I cannot simply contact @CoriW because he/she is rarely online on the KSP forums. Even if I'd send a PM, it'd likely take weeks for me to get a reply, so for now, I'm on my own on this, so you can direct any question to me. So if there's anything you'd like to know, feel free to ask!

[Lord Coriolis]

Somehow I completely missed that.  My bad.  As for things I'd like to see, prominent features from the books (seitch tabr, the shield wall, etc.) and (if possible) for prominent mods that add new resources (i.e. kerbal interstellar extended) high resource concentrations on Arkas.  I mean, the spice must flow and such.

 

General mod question.  With 1.1 moving the game engine from unity 4 to unity 5, do you anticipate existing mods needing some time to catch up, or is that an easy/transparent change for modders?

[Sigma88]

@The White Guardian could you give me a ping when this is ready so that I can check GN compatibility ?  thanks

[The White Guardian]

1 hour ago, Sigma88 said:

@The White Guardian could you give me a ping when this is ready so that I can check GN compatibility ?  thanks

I'll let you know. As far as I know GN is a relocation patch though, I doubt it'll become incompatible for stuff like Arkas' orbit and name haven't changed, just a change in PQSMods, PQSMaterials and normal map so far. I do plan on adding an optional moonpack though, but since those will orbit Arkas, I would GN have to be updated for that?

[Sigma88]

26 minutes ago, The White Guardian said:

I'll let you know. As far as I know GN is a relocation patch though, I doubt it'll become incompatible for stuff like Arkas' orbit and name haven't changed, just a change in PQSMods, PQSMaterials and normal map so far. I do plan on adding an optional moonpack though, but since those will orbit Arkas, I would GN have to be updated for that?

No you are right, it should be fine

I just want to check it just in case

 

[The White Guardian]

ARKAS IS BACK, KERBS!

Available on SpaceDock, Arkas is now officially back from the dead! Although there is still work for me to do, so expect updates!

[josephw71]

"Bless the maker and his water, bless the coming and going of him, may his passing cleanse the world" Kremen prayer. Sorry, had to do it

[Gatrnerd]

Nice to see that this little Dune tribute is still being maintained.

[The White Guardian]

Alright, I have news! The next update will be released soon, and will feature:

- Two (procedural) moons, Vin and Kras
- Reworked LandControl mod
- Support for Scatterer

Also, the E.V.E clouds broke, I'm still fixing those. A fix may or may not be included. Depends on if I can fix it easily, if it takes more time, then clouds will be re-added later, along with different configs for higher cloud densities.

[jpinard]

3 hours ago, The White Guardian said:

Alright, I have news! The next update will be released soon, and will feature:

- Two (procedural) moons, Vin and Kras
- Reworked LandControl mod
- Support for Scatterer

Also, the E.V.E clouds broke, I'm still fixing those. A fix may or may not be included. Depends on if I can fix it easily, if it takes more time, then clouds will be re-added later, along with different configs for higher cloud densities.

OK thank you.  You just described my exact problem.  I love this planet and to have more great stuff for it is awesome.  Will there be any issues if I use current version and then replace it with your awesome version when it's done?

[The White Guardian]

6 hours ago, jpinard said:

OK thank you.  You just described my exact problem.  I love this planet and to have more great stuff for it is awesome.  Will there be any issues if I use current version and then replace it with your awesome version when it's done?

I don't think so, although I recommend using this mod the way it is right now, and update it when I release an update, because I take 'career save file survival' into account when updating mods. Be careful with the moons though, crafts orbiting far from Arkas may find a nasty surprise waiting for them. I'd back up my saves if I were you. Career won't break though.

However, if you use the old version of Arkas from the old thread then stuff will break. The old version has many issues that I have fixed already, and since Kopernicus 1.1 version is still a bit wobbly I wouldn't risk it. My version works fine though, I've tested it.

[jpinard]

Using your version was of no question   I already yours downloaded!

[jpinard]

So when you said you broke Eve clouds, they seem to have broken everywhere not just on Arkas.  I was tinkering with a bunch of mods earlier, so I didn't realize it was Arkas that broke it until I went back to adding one planetary system at a time.

How can I fix clouds on all the other planets while you work on Arkas (so I can still keep Arkas)?

Edited April 25, 2016 by jpinard

[jpinard]

OK I fixed the problem with Arkas wiping out all weather in the entire solar system.  The first line of your clouds.cfg should not be EVE_CLOUDS.  ARKAS_CLOUDS does not disable weather on Kerbin (but of course this does not create clouds nor weather on Arkas) but at least it doesn't break anything else.

Edited April 26, 2016 by jpinard

[drtedastro]

Man, I have SAME problem / question.  What do we need to do so that Arkas play nice with other packs.

What do we have to edit / modify / change so that it does not wipe out all others.

This might need to be put on EVE site as well.

Cheers.

[The White Guardian]

14 hours ago, jpinard said:

So when you said you broke Eve clouds, they seem to have broken everywhere not just on Arkas.  I was tinkering with a bunch of mods earlier, so I didn't realize it was Arkas that broke it until I went back to adding one planetary system at a time.

 

6 hours ago, drtedastro said:

Man, I have SAME problem / question.  What do we need to do so that Arkas play nice with other packs.

What do we have to edit / modify / change so that it does not wipe out all others.

This might need to be put on EVE site as well.

Cheers.

Probably Arkas' cloud config conflicts with E.V.E's own config. I recommend deleting Arkas' cloud config until I release a fix. Arkas' cloud config can be found in GameData/Arkas/Atmosphere.

9 hours ago, jpinard said:

OK I fixed the problem with Arkas wiping out all weather in the entire solar system.  The first line of your clouds.cfg should not be EVE_CLOUDS.  ARKAS_CLOUDS does not disable weather on Kerbin (but of course this does not create clouds nor weather on Arkas) but at least it doesn't break anything else.

It should be named 'EVE_CLOUDS' because otherwise it won't load at all, hence why changing it to 'ARKAS_CLOUDS' doesn't add clouds to Arkas: it breaks the config before the broken config can break the other configs. (Wow, that line got confusing pretty quickly, huh?)

I'll take a look at Arkas' clouds right away, I should be able to fix them. Expect an update in a few hours.

[drtedastro]

Many thanks.

Cheers.