[1.4][1.7.7] GravityTurn continued - Automated Efficient Launches

[AndyMt]

1 hour ago, NeuroticGamer said:

Well that was hours of frustrating "randomly try stuff".  Root cause was likely files added to ConfigurableContainers (which I never directly installed and CKAN didn't know about).  After I cleaned up that problem, the test craft I posted works with GT 1.7 

I still have to see if I can replicate the sepratron problem.  Given that ConfigurableContainers can mess with fuels, the problem was likely making the next stage not look like it had fuel.

There indeed was an issue with the Sepratrons. It should be fixed now.

[AndyMt]

I had the forum mods move this thread into the "Add-on Releases" section. I consider to create a dev-thread again if the release thread gets too messy.

[billkerbinsky]

When using this mod to launch off of bodies other than Kerbin, it looks like the destination height is adjusted, but not the turn start velocity.    This is particularly obvious on minmus where if you don't adjust the turn start parameter you don't actually ever start the turn.

It might be better to use a "time to Ap" value to start the turn rather than a specific velocity.

 

[Nicias]

Thanks for the great mod!

I'm having intermittent success with the "improve guess" procedure. What is the correct procedure? "revert to launch" or "F9"?

 

[AndyMt]

5 minutes ago, Nicias said:

Thanks for the great mod!

I'm having intermittent success with the "improve guess" procedure. What is the correct procedure? "revert to launch" or "F9"?

 

Both does the same thing basically. It's still a guess, so not always perfect.

[CrashTestDanny]

12 hours ago, AndyMt said:

I've finally managed to get V 1.7.1 ready:

Download the mod here

Source on GitHub

License: GPL V3

V1.7.1:

• Storing default parameters for new crafts
• Locking parameters so they are not overwritten.
• Autostaging of top fairings and interstage fairings.
• Option to speedup of launches via timewarp
• Smother pitching maneuvers
• Bugfix: Detection of MechJeb assembly.
• Some more, see issue tracker

See opening thread for more details and what's next.

I'm still not sure if the staging problem is really fixed. I've fixed some situations, but the cases where 1st stage radial decouplers didn't stage a few seconds into the flight I was never able to reproduce.

Love all the changes and so far have not seen the failure to stage since getting the new version.  Thanks!

Danny

[AndyMt]

14 hours ago, billkerbinsky said:

When using this mod to launch off of bodies other than Kerbin, it looks like the destination height is adjusted, but not the turn start velocity.    This is particularly obvious on minmus where if you don't adjust the turn start parameter you don't actually ever start the turn.

It might be better to use a "time to Ap" value to start the turn rather than a specific velocity.

Yes, I'm aware of that problem. At least for now you can save your own defaults, because the defaults are stored on a per-planet/moon basis. So GT will use Minmus defaults if you've found some that worked well there.

A pure "time to Ap" start of the turn is possible, though it would usually result in a pretty high start velocity (depending on TWR) and then the turn angle would need to be pretty steep (with all the problems that would cause in the atmosphere).

I'm thinking more about using 10 times surface level gravity as a basis for the calculation. For Kerbin that's about 10x10m/s => 100m/s and then go from there. For Minmus that would be roughly 10x0.5m/s => 5m/s for Duna approx. 30m/s.

It's on the issue tracker now and part of the planning for the next release :).

[FlyingFalap]

Great job on the latest update @AndyMt!

GravityTurn is far and away my all time most preferred method of launching. I use it every time and it works great! I like the idea of using the 10x surface gravity value for the turn start. I have never tried using GT to lift off of another body yet but I will have to give it a go!

[Talos]

I have a big lifter which is basically designed to bring base parts to places like the Mun or Minmus. GravityTurn was able to launch it with minimal issues.

[TheGuyNamedAlan]

this is exactly what im looking for. the perfect accent autopilot whilst mechjeb is being updated to ksp 1.2!!!

[Crabman]

Thank you for this! I thought this mod was dead at 1.1.x 

[JAFO]

On 10/31/2016 at 9:03 AM, Nicias said:

I'm having intermittent success with the "improve guess" procedure. What is the correct procedure? "revert to launch" or "F9"?

As AndyMt said, either is fine.. the important thing is to not abandon a launch attempt too soon, or GT will get confused.

Wait until the ship has either left the atmosphere, or crashed, before reverting/F9'ing. 

[Deimos Rast]

The latest update seems to have solved the staging issues, well done.

Is there a way I can keep it from ever staging my fairings? I'm currently trying a negative pressure value in hopes that'll work.

[AndyMt]

2 hours ago, Deimos Rast said:

The latest update seems to have solved the staging issues, well done.

Is there a way I can keep it from ever staging my fairings? I'm currently trying a negative pressure value in hopes that'll work.

Yes - set the staging limit parameter in the autostagin setup to 1 and move all fairings to the top of the stack.

[Deimos Rast]

4 hours ago, AndyMt said:

Yes - set the staging limit parameter in the autostagin setup to 1 and move all fairings to the top of the stack.

yeah, I thought of that, but it's not quite as elegant as I was hoping for. And I demand elegance! It shall suffice. I suppose.

[AndyMt]

2 hours ago, Deimos Rast said:

yeah, I thought of that, but it's not quite as elegant as I was hoping for. And I demand elegance! It shall suffice. I suppose.

Actually I just figured out that this is not always working as expected. Something I have to fix...

[AndyMt]

I've fixed a few things and implemented a first algorithm to adapt the start turn speed depending on surface gravity:

Download the mod here

V1.7.2:

• Calculation for start speed is based on current surface gravity
• bugfix: topmost fairings were always staging
• bugfix: "improve guess" didn't always improve because of duplicate launch db entries.

Have fun 

[JAFO]

1 hour ago, AndyMt said:

• bugfix: "improve guess" didn't always improve because of duplicate launch db entries.

So that's what was going wrong all this time..  nice to hear this is finally sorted!

[AndyMt]

6 hours ago, JAFO said:

So that's what was going wrong all this time..  nice to hear this is finally sorted!

Let's see about the finally ... The problem was that the comparison if an entry already existed really compared floating point numbers bit-by-bit. So even if the numbers were only different 10 digits after the comma => different and a duplicate entry was created...

So now the check allows a little difference.

[Sir_Robert]

I have a question about inclination launches. The way GT deals with inclined launches is to massively overcompensate in order to quickly get the right inclination, and then steer back (I think that's what it does).
The problem is that this causes massive aerodynamic stress and almost always flips my rockets that are perfectly stable at 0 degree inclined launches.

Is there a way to tell GT to just point in the right direction and launch, skipping the overcompensation? If I do that manually, it launches just fine at roughly the right inclination.

[AndyMt]

4 hours ago, Sir_Robert said:

I have a question about inclination launches. The way GT deals with inclined launches is to massively overcompensate in order to quickly get the right inclination, and then steer back (I think that's what it does).
The problem is that this causes massive aerodynamic stress and almost always flips my rockets that are perfectly stable at 0 degree inclined launches.

Is there a way to tell GT to just point in the right direction and launch, skipping the overcompensation? If I do that manually, it launches just fine at roughly the right inclination.

Yes, I'm aware of that problem. Fortunately @okder posted some recommendations including code changes a few pages back and its on the list of improvements for one of the next releases. And actually I was just starting to look into it today.

[Sir_Robert]

20 minutes ago, AndyMt said:

Yes, I'm aware of that problem. Fortunately @okder posted some recommendations including code changes a few pages back and its on the list of improvements for one of the next releases. And actually I was just starting to look into it today.

Great to hear. I look forward to it.
Love the mod, thanks for the work.
 

[SmashingKirby148]

One slight thing that bugs me is that the menu stays even when F2 was pressed. Besides that, I'm loving this mod.

[AndyMt]

15 hours ago, SmashingKirby148 said:

One slight thing that bugs me is that the menu stays even when F2 was pressed. Besides that, I'm loving this mod.

I wasn't aware that this is even possible, I expected Unity or KSP taken care of that. It's on the list now and will be in the next release.

[SmashingKirby148]

Just now, AndyMt said:

I wasn't aware that this is even possible, I expected Unity or KSP taken care of that. It's on the list now and will be in the next release.

Oh great! Thanks!