[1.12.x] The Maritime Pack v0.1.19

[Fengist]

17 hours ago, PDelta41 said:

It doesn't redistribute any of your code, or parts. It just creates a CTT branch and nodes for them. Everything it touches, it does through module manager. 
Its only utility is in career mode, in sandbox, the changes aren't even accessible. 

Ok, here's the reason I ask.  I loathe career mode.  I have tried it, didn't like it.  But, I know many do.  For this reason I have not spent any time working on the TechRequired fields and making sure they're accurate.  

[PDelta41]

1 hour ago, Fengist said:

Ok, here's the reason I ask.  I loathe career mode.  I have tried it, didn't like it.  But, I know many do.  For this reason I have not spent any time working on the TechRequired fields and making sure they're accurate.  

Oh sure. I think you mentioned this when I started work on this little project. Career mode really doesn't have any appropriate nodes anyways. Even the Community Tech Tree doesn't make any that are really appropriate. The ones I've added should be decently balanced. In the coming months, I'll add a node for the hovercraft, too. I know a lot of mod-makers (especially the ones that do really neat parts) find career mode to be tedious at best; I enjoy career mode, and felt it was appropriate for naval stuff to have it's own branch. I suppose I could go in and MM part costs, but at this point, I think they're reasonable enough. 

 

[Fengist]

18 hours ago, PDelta41 said:

Oh sure. I think you mentioned this when I started work on this little project. Career mode really doesn't have any appropriate nodes anyways. Even the Community Tech Tree doesn't make any that are really appropriate. The ones I've added should be decently balanced. In the coming months, I'll add a node for the hovercraft, too. I know a lot of mod-makers (especially the ones that do really neat parts) find career mode to be tedious at best; I enjoy career mode, and felt it was appropriate for naval stuff to have it's own branch. I suppose I could go in and MM part costs, but at this point, I think they're reasonable enough. 

 

Feel free to change any costs you deem appropriate.  Like you said, career mode is tedious.  If you find any changes you think the original .cfg files should need regarding career mode (price or requirements, etc.)  Note them and when you have them all, send me a pm and I'll make the changes to the original .cfg files and put it out with the next update.  Right now, I don't have a lot of time to work on the hover but it's definitely not abandoned.

I've also acquired the code from Whitecat's work and his permission to use it.  Those not familiar with it, he wrote a plugin that allowed ships to continue a voyage even while you were doing other things.  When I get time, I'll look over his code and see if it can't be incorporated into MP's current plugin.

Thanks for your work here. 

[BennyB606]

Hay just checking before i start looking into it but any problems with the animated parts are most probably a problem on my end correct? Also great mod dude.

[AcinonyxJubatus]

Hi all.

I wanted to try this mod, but it made my Linux install crash, apparently during the loading of 1869. Are there known similar issue? Or known incompatibilities with other mods that could cause a crash at startup?

Thanks in advance.

[Hektos]

2 hours ago, AcinonyxJubatus said:

Hi all.

I wanted to try this mod, but it made my Linux install crash, apparently during the loading of 1869. Are there known similar issue? Or known incompatibilities with other mods that could cause a crash at startup?

Thanks in advance.

I believe there is a bug in the 1869 mod, and the author said they were looking into it.

Though it has been a while, @Fengist

[AcinonyxJubatus]

9 minutes ago, Hektos said:

I believe there is a bug in the 1869 mod, and the author said they were looking into it.

Though it has been a while, @Fengist

OK, thanks a bunch (don't count on me to throw stones at mod developers :-P)

Does it break The Maritime Pack completely for me and for the time being? I.e., is it a strong dependency, or is it possible to have The Maritime Pack without 1869?

[Hektos]

2 hours ago, AcinonyxJubatus said:

OK, thanks a bunch (don't count on me to throw stones at mod developers :-P)

Does it break The Maritime Pack completely for me and for the time being? I.e., is it a strong dependency, or is it possible to have The Maritime Pack without 1869?

Unfortunately I am at work and unable to test this.  I know installing it through CKAN requires 1869, but the main page of Maritime Pack does not appear list that as a dependency.  I will try installing manually when I get home, perhaps try that (if you haven't already).

[AcinonyxJubatus]

25 minutes ago, Hektos said:

Unfortunately I am at work and unable to test this.  I know installing it through CKAN requires 1869, but the main page of Maritime Pack does not appear list that as a dependency.  I will try installing manually when I get home, perhaps try that (if you haven't already).

I just did, it loads fine on Windows. I'm not really interested in the steampunk parts, so all good for me. Thanks!

[Fengist]

Ok, guys, sorry for my absence but I did promise to keep these packs updated.  RL has prevented me from specifying when.

The main problem with 1869 was me uploading the wrong Firespitter DLL.  There's a version on Curse, it's just awaiting approval.  Click the sig button to get to the download.

On 8/21/2017 at 4:21 PM, BennyB606 said:

Hay just checking before i start looking into it but any problems with the animated parts are most probably a problem on my end correct? Also great mod dude.

Animated parts should work.  Though I do use my own code to run most of my animations, Maritime mostly uses Firespitter.  It depends on which animation.

On 8/28/2017 at 8:28 AM, AcinonyxJubatus said:

Hi all.

I wanted to try this mod, but it made my Linux install crash, apparently during the loading of 1869. Are there known similar issue? Or known incompatibilities with other mods that could cause a crash at startup?

Thanks in advance.

Yes, it was me getting old.  Alzheimer's and all that. I don't run Linux so if 1869 doesn't work now, let me know.

and... WHY THE HELL IS MY MOD ON CKAN... I NEVER gave them permission to put it there.... 

Thanks for letting me know, I have some yelling to do.

[Hektos]

6 hours ago, Fengist said:

and... WHY THE HELL IS MY MOD ON CKAN... I NEVER gave them permission to put it there.... 

Thanks for letting me know, I have some yelling to do.

Uh oh, someone's got some splainin' to do xD

Thanks for swift update

[Fengist]

On 8/29/2017 at 4:14 PM, Hektos said:

Uh oh, someone's got some splainin' to do xD

Thanks for swift update

Maritime Pack and 1869 are no longer on CKAN.  Their 'director' said someone else submitted my mods to CKAN a couple of months ago and nobody bothered to ask if they had permission.  I personally have nothing against CKAN, it's a good idea for many modders.  In my case, I prefer to limit the distribution of my mods to one channel, Curse.  This allows me to perform updates and not spend an entire day trying to remember where I need to upload and what I need to update.  Furthermore, Curse does give me a slight benefit in that after 46,000+ downloads, I'm qualified for a whopping $20.00 Amazon gift card.

[Fengist]

Btw, I was wrong.  MP now has over 55,000 downloads.  And over the weekend it hit a new record.  KSP was started with MP installed amost 1,900 times in one day.

Not sure why, but the numbers and the graph in the OP aren't getting updated.

Edited August 31, 2017 by Fengist

[Fengist]

So, a quick update on hovercraft technologies in KSP.

It's bogged down.

With a real hovercraft, lift is generated via air pressure inside the cushion.  When the hovercraft reaches optimal height the cushion decompresses to the point that it generates an optimal balance of lift vs air pressure.

Unfortunately, KSP doesn't work that way and trying to duplicate that is becoming... tedious.

In KSP I have to apply downward force and constantly check the height from the ground at the spots where force is being applied.  The theory there is to balance the thrust against the height in order to achieve that optimal balance of height vs lift.  Unfortunately, the way Unity works is kinda like reality.  You incrementally increase the force until the craft starts to lift.  Sounds logical right? The problem is, once the craft actually lifts off the ground, it doesn't need that much force to stay aloft.  So you end up applying too much force and it goes above the desired height.  So then, you try try to balance that out by reducing the force and, before you know it you've taken too much force off and it slams back into the ground.

The goal I'm trying to achieve is one that doesn't use cheaty methods like wheels or any wheel collider.  A true hovercraft.  And, one that automatically adjusts the forces applied based on changing mass.  Keeping with the KSP theory of build it your way, I'm attempting to make a craft that you can build the way you want and, the hover automatically adjusts to keep it at an optimal height and will adapt as say... fuel gets used up.

And that's where things are bogged down.  Trying to find the right formula to get each of the lifting points (transforms) to have exactly the right amount of force to balance the load.

So, that's the current status.

[adsii1970]

@Fengist:

Sorry about the previous post. I just updated to the latest version of the mod. Did you remove the tug and barge parts?

[Fengist]

Just now, adsii1970 said:

@Fengist:

Sorry about the previous post. I just updated to the latest version of the mod. Did you remove the tug and barge parts?

Ya, I got to looking after you mentioned that and... they're not even in my working install.  Soo... it would appear so but not on purpose.

Guess that's what happens when you try to keep track of almost 100 parts.

I'll be sure to get them back out soon.  Got an update planned for the near future.

[adsii1970]

3 minutes ago, Fengist said:

Ya, I got to looking after you mentioned that and... they're not even in my working install.  Soo... it would appear so but not on purpose.

Guess that's what happens when you try to keep track of almost 100 parts.

I'll be sure to get them back out soon.  Got an update planned for the near future.

No problem, you're extra busy. I just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed an announcement about those parts being discontinued. BTW, are you discontinuing the SinkIt! mod?

[Fengist]

1 minute ago, adsii1970 said:

No problem, you're extra busy. I just wanted to make sure I hadn't missed an announcement about those parts being discontinued. BTW, are you discontinuing the SinkIt! mod?

Pretty much.  But here's something interesting.  @InfiniteDice (boat parts) and I were goofing off yesterday and he sunk some metal plates under the surface.  Now here's the interesting part.  He had a kerbal swimming down toward the plates and at 500m below the surface, when the kerbal touch the plate, he stood on them and started walking around.

Now the question is, would anyone even want something where you could walk on surfaces under the water... or... sinking parts for that matter?

 

[adsii1970]

4 minutes ago, Fengist said:

Pretty much.  But here's something interesting.  @InfiniteDice (boat parts) and I were goofing off yesterday and he sunk some metal plates under the surface.  Now here's the interesting part.  He had a kerbal swimming down toward the plates and at 500m below the surface, when the kerbal touch the plate, he stood on them and started walking around.

Now the question is, would anyone even want something where you could walk on surfaces under the water... or... sinking parts for that matter?

 

You better bet I would! I've been trying to seriously build underwater cities now since .90! This would make it really easy to do so!

[Fengist]

If anyone happens to be around at this ungodly hour of the morning, I'm doing some testing of hovercraft code and I'm attempting to live stream it on youtube.

Have a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwZozbk-Gos

[adsii1970]

Just now, Fengist said:

If anyone happens to be around at this ungodly hour of the morning, I'm doing some testing of hovercraft code and I'm attempting to live stream it on youtube.

Have a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwZozbk-Gos

Ungodly? It's 9:15 a.m. here... oh, that reminds me. Time for my third cup of coffee...

[Fengist]

Tests concluded, but you can watch repeats of the stream at that link.

And sorry but for some reason I couldn't see the chat in youtube.  The plans are to get the thing working properly and add it to MP.  But that's just a plan.

And yea, I've been experimenting with more reaction wheels but it doesn't seem to help a lot.  The controllability went down when I added drag to the hover sections.  Without the drag tho, I was hitting 200m/s with jet engines.

And it seems that live stream video quality wasn't that great.  That's what happens when you live in the boonies with sucky dsl.  So, here's a better look at what was in the video

Edited September 6, 2017 by Fengist

[Fengist]

Seeking beta testers:

In the coming days I'll have enough of the hovercraft plugin and parts working to start beta testing.

This will be a plugin functionality test and not a critique of my modelling or texturing skills which have always been dubious.

What you get:

Very early access to the plugin and parts.  
Instructions (if you wish) on how the parts work specifically and how to create your own.
Private access to my insanity.

Requirements:

You must have the latest Maritime Pack installed. These hovercraft will become part of that package.
Discord!  I've set up a discord server at this url: https://discord.gg/DYhKQmb    Join it and when I get everything ready for beta testing I'll post a download URL.  Only those on the Discord server will see it.

What I expect:

Feedback!

[Krahazik]

Just tried to build a submarine and whil the build was sucessfull, it was usless. None of the parts listed under command modules are actually flagged as such so my sub was not controllable. In adition it starte don the runway so it just sat there, and slightly tilted to one side slowly.

[Fengist]

On 9/15/2017 at 9:14 PM, Krahazik said:

Just tried to build a submarine and whil the build was sucessfull, it was usless. None of the parts listed under command modules are actually flagged as such so my sub was not controllable. In adition it starte don the runway so it just sat there, and slightly tilted to one side slowly.

There is a submarine bridge in the pods category.  But, like any ship, you start with hull parts first and then add the bridge.  And, did you expect a submarine to be drivable on land?  There are parts in MP that will allow you to attach wheels to boats and subs in order to get them to the water.