[1.12.x] Konstruction! Weldable ports, servos, cranes, and magnets!

[RoverDude]

Should have a release at some point this week,  Just avoiding slamming too many updates at once

[gary.townsend]

Having an odd error and it has to do with a station i built using the construction ports. I seem to not be able to dock station parts made with different versions of the ports. It sounds odd to me but i can't dock anyything to the ports at all my station has about 8 of them and none of them will recieve the incoming part. I looked at the log file and instead it's spammed with NREs. I figure ill try just scrapping the station and starting over or do a quick test in orbit of a simple station connection see if ports from the same version cn join or if I need to do a reinstall. Will post results back here.

[

EXC 22:13:38.570] NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
    ModuleDockingNode.<SetupFSM>m__2B7 ()
    KerbalFSM.FixedUpdateFSM ()
    ModuleDockingNode.FixedUpdate ()
[EXC 22:13:38.577] NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
    ModuleDockingNode.<SetupFSM>m__2C6 (.KFSMState st)
    KerbalFSM.updateFSM (KFSMUpdateMode mode)
    KerbalFSM.UpdateFSM ()
    ModuleDockingNode.Update ()
[EXC 22:13:38.589] NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
    ModuleDockingNode.<SetupFSM>m__2B7 ()
    KerbalFSM.FixedUpdateFSM ()
    ModuleDockingNode.FixedUpdate ()
[EXC 22:13:38.595] NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
    ModuleDockingNode.<SetupFSM>m__2C6 (.KFSMState st)
    KerbalFSM.updateFSM (KFSMUpdateMode mode)
    KerbalFSM.UpdateFSM ()
    ModuleDockingNode.Update ()
[EXC 22:13:38.607] NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
    ModuleDockingNode.<SetupFSM>m__2B7 ()
    KerbalFSM.FixedUpdateFSM ()
    ModuleDockingNode.FixedUpdate ()

 

[Dakota Whitemane]

Loving the Akita, combined with the 1.25 kontainers using KAS/KIS to line them up on two Akita beds. It makes a nice little transport truck for running around my mun base. You can even attach the small MEU-100 pulse drill to the back of the kontainer and turn them into little mining rovers. Only downside is that they do like to roll over.

 

Spoiler

 

[RoverDude]

I like it!

[Mikki]

11 hours ago, gary.townsend said:

Having an odd error and it has to do with a station i built using the construction ports. I seem to not be able to dock station parts made with different versions of the ports. It sounds odd to me but i can't dock anyything to the ports at all my station has about 8 of them and none of them will recieve the incoming part. I looked at the log file and instead it's spammed with NREs. I figure ill try just scrapping the station and starting over or do a quick test in orbit of a simple station connection see if ports from the same version cn join or if I need to do a reinstall. Will post results back here.

 

@gary.townsend
I like this design decision that Konstruction ports don`t connect to stock. First i wondered about it too...

[gary.townsend]

2 hours ago, Mikki said:

@gary.townsend
I like this design decision that Konstruction ports don`t connect to stock. First i wondered about it too...

i would agree except they are both construction ports on both sides just one was put in orbit with using the version that came out right after the 1.2 dropped and the ones last night were the latest update. 

Edited October 18, 2016 by gary.townsend

[RoverDude]

Odd.. they should work as the docking mechanic is stock

[gary.townsend]

1 minute ago, RoverDude said:

Odd.. they should work as the docking mechanic is stock

Like i said i don't have enough to go with for all i know i may not have paid my dues to the gaming gods. I'll run some more tests try and get more data out of this. 

[plonk]

Man, I really ike those moving parts!

But can't help of the UI reminding me very much of Infernal Robotics Which made me think of having to address two different UIs in two menus, screens, context-menus, kOS etc. for more or less the same thing when also using IR parts. Maybe it is possible and feasable to merge some efforts into a common lib / module (don't know unity-speak) for those moving parts?

I think it would be a quite unpleasant experience to control a ships' robot parts of all parties (i.e. Konstruction! and Infernal Robotics :P) in one separate screen/window per party. That'd be a pretty UI clutter (provided you try some robotic contraptions using Konstruction! and IR).

[I did not try both in conjunction yet, since Infernal Robotics has not been updated to 1.2 yet (afaik)]

just some thoughts, great add-on!!

Edited October 18, 2016 by plonk
typos and typos...

[Stikkychaos]

Question: When will we see the mod featured on Umbra Space Industries?

 

[goldenpsp]

33 minutes ago, Stikkychaos said:

Question: When will we see the mod featured on Umbra Space Industries?

 

Probably after...

@RoverDude squashes all the bugs in all of his mods.
and
Has some time to play and enjoy his mods.
and
Takes some time to enjoy the family.
and
has nothing else to work on.

 

[Jovus]

Out of curiosity, has anyone tested this mod with any of the flexible docking port solutions?

[RoverDude]

4 hours ago, plonk said:

Man, I really ike those moving parts!

But can't help of the UI reminding me very much of Infernal Robotics Which made me think of having to address two different UIs in two menus, screens, context-menus, kOS etc. for more or less the same thing when also using IR parts. Maybe it is possible and feasable to merge some efforts into a common lib / module (don't know unity-speak) for those moving parts?

I think it would be a quite unpleasant experience to control a ships' robot parts of all parties (i.e. Konstruction! and Infernal Robotics :P) in one separate screen/window per party. That'd be a pretty UI clutter (provided you try some robotic contraptions using Konstruction! and IR).

[I did not try both in conjunction yet, since Infernal Robotics has not been updated to 1.2 yet (afaik)]

just some thoughts, great add-on!!

TBH, I just don't see that happening.  They work in completely different ways.

4 hours ago, Jovus said:

Out of curiosity, has anyone tested this mod with any of the flexible docking port solutions?

I expect you'd see a comparable offset upon collapse.

[Jovus]

14 minutes ago, RoverDude said:

I expect you'd see a comparable offset upon collapse.

If/when I get around to testing it, I'll drop a line here with pictures so the outcome is known.

[gary.townsend]

8 hours ago, RoverDude said:

Odd.. they should work as the docking mechanic is stock

I didn't change anything all i did was wait a day came back launched same piece and everything worked. 

So the beat goes on. 

 

Edited October 19, 2016 by gary.townsend

[Druaga]

12 hours ago, gary.townsend said:

i would agree except they are both construction ports on both sides just one was put in orbit with using the version that came out right after the 1.2 dropped and the ones last night were the latest update. 

I am experiencing the same issue.  I have an orbital Kerbin base with the version of Konstruction  just after 1.2 dropped. Updated to Konstruction 0.1.4.0 tonight and now the docking ports won't attach.

http://imgur.com/cj3wCK4

Update: Tried re-installing the old version and it is still not wanting to dock.  It almost seems that there is a slight force pushing them apart.  As a move towards the dock, the craft slows and eventually starts moving away from the docking port even if I haven't touched.

Edited October 19, 2016 by Druaga

[Malich]

There was an old docking issue where sometimes ports would lock up as though something was attached to them already. 

 

Check your logs to see if the ports are incorrectly set as in use? 

[Druaga]

2 hours ago, Druaga said:

I am experiencing the same issue.  I have an orbital Kerbin base with the version of Konstruction  just after 1.2 dropped. Updated to Konstruction 0.1.4.0 tonight and now the docking ports won't attach.

http://imgur.com/cj3wCK4

Update: Tried re-installing the old version and it is still not wanting to dock.  It almost seems that there is a slight force pushing them apart.  As a move towards the dock, the craft slows and eventually starts moving away from the docking port even if I haven't touched.

 

1 hour ago, Malich said:

There was an old docking issue where sometimes ports would lock up as though something was attached to them already. 

 

Check your logs to see if the ports are incorrectly set as in use? 

Ok, so I checked the logs and didn't see anything - although I'm not exactly sure what I would see in the log.  But thinking along those same lines, I removed the docking port (using KIS) on the station (original 1.2 version) and reattached.  Ship would then dock.  Wondering if it would work the other way, I re-loaded and removed the docking port from the ship (version 1.4) and it also worked...

Edited October 19, 2016 by Druaga

[Ruedii]

Finally, a more practical replacement for infernal robotics!

Something designed to be more industrial and less experimental!

Love your mods Roverdude!

[Druaga]

I noticed something a little peculiar - Can the force from the docks actually cause a ship/station to move?

I have a station in orbit with several of the Konstruction ports on it and I noticed that the station was losing altitude (both Periapsis and Apoapsis were reducing).  I set all the port settings (Force, Torque, Roll, Range) to 0 and the ship stopped losing altitude.  I went back and turned a few of them on and after about 3 or 4 the periapsis and apoapsis started to drop again.  I then set all of the settings on all ports at maximum EXCEPT the port range and the station remained in its position.  I started turning on different ports' ranges and some of them caused the station to move and some did not.  I think the port force is acting on the station causing it to move.  In the image, the port on the right (highlighted green) causes the station to move when the range is increased but the port on the left doesn't.  They are symetrical, but the one on the right actually has a ship attached to the station and that ship is slightly higher than the docking port.  I removed the small ship and the station didn't move anymore when the port range was increased.

http://imgur.com/4Z84jeG

 

[Alewx]

These ports, are the absolutely best things ever done.

[Rokmonkey]

I've got a very strange issue going on.  I've tried docking a pair of solar-truss nodes to a station with a few construction ports on it.  Now, I've had no problems connecting other items to the construction ports, however in the case of my solar nodes, the vessel is a little different and I'm not sure if it will be an issue or not.  The vessel is a probe, with two solar nodes attached via decouplers (the nodes do not have a probe attached, only construction ports)  When I approach close enough the magnetic pull occurs and the ship will twist and turn to get aligned but it will never fully dock.

Since I'm new to debugging this sort of issue, in this case what would be useful information to supply?

I can also confirm that I have not been able to dock a stock docking port to a USI Weldable Construction Port.

[Superfluous J]

These docking issues eerily match problems I had a while ago adding the angle snap to stock docking ports. I never figured out the issue and could never replicate it in stock (plus modulemanager and the change) so assumed it was a mod.

It was very frustrating because it seemed to happen more to ships that were longer in the field, so building bases became more and more troublesome.

I know this is exactly the sort of non-bug-report that is completely not actionable, which is why I never said anything before about it. I only bring it up because it sounds SO FAMILIAR reading this thread right now.

[RoverDude]

The new version will allow more options in the PAW to sort this.

[cy-one]

This might have been asked before, but how does Konstruction handle "multiple docking ports"?

like, for example, one wants to build a huge ring-station and uses two half-ring-modules (so the two docking ports an either ends are aligned on the same axis)?