Interesting Uses of KIS/KAS

[Constan7ine]

Hello all,

Everyone keeps saying the KAS/KIS mod combo are excellent and add so much, but I've never used it and have always struggled to see how it's so useful/cool.

Do you have any stories of cool uses of these two mods that would help me see why people like them so much? Have you done anything/built anything you couldn't have without KIS/KAS and how? Aside from the usual example of build a rover or something?

On a slightly related note, is there a size limit to the things you can carry in containers, and attach in EVA?

[Mecripp]

Yes the containers have a limit and if the part is to heavy you meed more kerbals standing around to move it and you can build ground towers or let you mind go crazy with it and there are some mods that use them so you can change things out or build them.

[Constan7ine]

What is the size limit then? Assuming one kerbal?

[Brofessional]

It's pretty old, but I used KAS for this.

 

 

[DStaal]

6 hours ago, Constan7ine said:

What is the size limit then? Assuming one kerbal?

The mass limit is 1 ton, for one Kerbal.  There's no direct size limit - however you can only manipulate parts you can get close to, and 'close' is defined from the center of the part.  Yes, this has limited me on occasion. 

As for interesting uses... How about something like this:

Admittedly that's using parts specifically designed for KIS, but that base was assembled out of parts stored in those containers on the left.

I'll admit the more common to me is being able to do small reconfigures on the fly.  Like sending up a set of parachutes that I forgot to attach to a ship. 

[Superfluous J]

I used KAS (back when it was the only mod) to put the chair for Jeb to sit on right on the asteroid in the pic in my signature. In case you can't see signatures:

[micha]

One of my first ever trips to the Mun (back in 0.90 iirc) took along a coms satellite which failed to deploy properly (it had run out of power before ditching its fairing and deploying solar panels). Bill managed to reboot it using a ship battery (via KIS/KAS).

KSP - Munshot 1 https://imgur.com/gallery/Rzvbe

[Constan7ine]

4 hours ago, DStaal said:

As for interesting uses... How about something like this:

Admittedly that's using parts specifically designed for KIS, but that base was assembled out of parts stored in those containers on the left.

I'll admit the more common to me is being able to do small reconfigures on the fly.  Like sending up a set of parachutes that I forgot to attach to a ship. 

That whole thing was built on site? Woah! I didn't expect the mass limit to be a ton, seems there's lots you can do with that.

I can see someone replacing parts of a permanent satellite or station once they've unlocked better things in career mode. That might be a fun mission.

 

Edited October 16, 2016 by Constan7ine

[DStaal]

6 hours ago, Constan7ine said:

That whole thing was built on site? Woah! I didn't expect the mass limit to be a ton, seems there's lots you can do with that.

I can see someone replacing parts of a permanent satellite or station once they've unlocked better things in career mode. That might be a fun mission.

As I said: Those parts are designed to be used via KIS, so that helps.  Basically, all of them (aside from the rover - which I used to land the crew - and the central hub) are inflatables; in their non-inflated configuration they mass around 1 ton and 'stow' in the backpack slot in KIS.  (While you can maneuver any size object if it's light enough, you can only stow up to a certain size in any container.  Kerbals have 300 liters of pocket space, but also have a backpack slot which can hold items designed for it that might be larger than that.  KIS containers also stow to the backpack slot, and hold 1000 liters themselves.)  You then attach them to a hub of some sort (either the center hub which I launched, or the the ones designed for KIS deployment to the left and right above) and supply them with Equipment - a resource from the mod - and inflate them, which increases their size and mass.  The tubes connecting things are a common mod on the normal KAS pipe, upsizing it so Kerbals can fit through them.  You attach an endpoint on either end, then connect them together by making the appropriate selections in right-click, walking across, and repeating the process.  This connects two ships into one. 

My current large project is to try to build a couple of space stations using KIS - out of discarded final launch stage tanks.  This runs into the limits of the size engine, but I have some ideas...

[Tex_NL]

6 hours ago, Constan7ine said:

That whole thing was built on site? Woah! I didn't expect the mass limit to be a ton, seems there's lots you can do with that.

I can see someone replacing parts of a permanent satellite or station once they've unlocked better things in career mode. That might be a fun mission.

 

That's nothing. In 1.0.5 I build a KPBS base on Minmus at least double the size of what @DStaal is showing. Mining facilities, labs, habitation, storage, solar park. The whole kit and caboodle. All shipped inside KIS containers and assembled on site with KAS.

Once you get to know KIS/KAS you can do amazing things with it.

[DStaal]

I'll admit even that image is of a half-built base.  It's just the image I happened to have easy to find on-hand. 

[Tex_NL]

40 minutes ago, DStaal said:

I'll admit even that image is of a half-built base.  It's just the image I happened to have easy to find on-hand. 

Found one too. It's a pretty poor night time shot and it shows only part of the base.
The total surface area is probably smaller but is has a lot more sections.

Edited October 16, 2016 by Tex_NL

[Constan7ine]

26 minutes ago, Tex_NL said:

Found one too. It's a pretty poor night time shot and it shows only part of the base.
The total surface area is probably smaller but is has a lot more sections.

Not sure the photo is working... :/

[Tex_NL]

8 minutes ago, Constan7ine said:

Not sure the photo is working... :/

Should be working. It is showing for me and it always does when I post images.
But I edited my post and inserted the image in a different way. It should be visible now.

Apart from building awesome surface bases there is a more mundane but not less useful use for KIS/KAS. I currently have a reusable lander in Mun orbit. I rendezvous with it, refuel it and send my Kerbals down to the surface. All very efficient but my lander is getting outdated. It is not outfitted with the latest science equipment available. I could of course scuttle it and replace it with a nearly identical lander with just a single additional experiment. But with KIS/KAS I only need to bring an engineer and bolt the new experiment to the lander. I guess I don't have to tell you what is cheaper, easier and more efficient.

[Constan7ine]

I see a reusable space program playthrough coming on