totm may 2024 [1.12.x] - Modular Kolonization System (MKS)

[Wiseman]

Neat. I've been struggling with funds and doing contracts I'm not psyched about, but the idea of a kolonist/tourist hub sounds pretty fun as a way just to earn cash. If you're not trying to do the whole resource chain, agroponics is a pretty low-maintenance thing to set up. 

[RoverDude]

Yup, just hab and ag and you have an early-days money maker.  That's by design to fund the rest of your colony.

 

Oh... and you get to make babby Kerbals in today's release

 

[ExavierMacbeth]

Hey Rover, I am of the opinion that the Tundra modules need windows. My base is too dark at night which is why I used so many ranger parts in the image i posted on a previous page

Finally got all the modules unlocked and expanded the place to be self sufficient. Just need to set up a Urananite mine somewhere within the next 8 years, which is when I will run out of power lol

[voicey99]

48 minutes ago, Agustin said:

Question for anyone to answer. Is there a compatible contract mission pack to help gain funds building MKS bases? Is this included already in the download? I just can't manage to fund my missions (At least in not cheaty ways). Bases are difficult and costly to do...

45 minutes ago, ExavierMacbeth said:

I actually used the Stations & Bases contract pack to set up my base on minmus. The only side effect of it is that the Karabou Rover parts get flagged as base so can sometimes be picked up by the "expand your base" contracts if its parked too close to the original base location. But you can usually just skip those and it will update to the correct base.

The default B&S contract rewards are extremely low, but Engineer Focus from Strategia massively increases the rewards from them when you have an engineer on board. As it fully supports USI-LS and MKS, it helps pay for base construction and maintenence missions, as well as giving you more reason to go and do them (e.g. it might ask you to scout for and then build a new base or deliver Supplies to a station or bring some crew members back home).

@RoverDude Babies, you say? Maybe call them "Kids" to go with the K-erbal theme?

[RoverDude]

There are plenty of windows in the form of the USI-LS doodads   A lack of windows and hatches on the Tundra modules is by design

[LatiMacciato]

I personally prefer digging for uranium on Kerbin and procedurally recover enriched uranium for funds to boost at a very new career game.

Is that cheaty?

[RoverDude]

Yeah

[ExavierMacbeth]

3 minutes ago, RoverDude said:

There are plenty of windows in the form of the USI-LS doodads   A lack of windows and hatches on the Tundra modules is by design

Oh well will just spam some more inflatables lol. My base still looks pretty neat during the day. Took me almost 6 years to fully construct so far.

Quick question, To produce organics you need a seed crop. Is that just to start the process? Or if I burn through the organics down to zero by leaving the Colony Supply production on will it completely shut down organics production?

I didn't realize setting all 3 bays in the Assembly Plant didn't give me a button for each bay if they are all the same resource (I had nothing better to set on that module atm) so turning it on outstrips my current organics production massively lol

[Captain Daeftan]

RoverDude,

For each complaint I've seen posted about various things related to your work, I know there are hundreds of people like me that think what you've contributed with USI is just amazing and just never get around to saying so.  As a game dev myself, I just wanted to drop you a note and tell you how fantastic both your vision and execution is to the world of KSP.   It makes it the game I want to play.

Thanks,

CD

 

[RoverDude]

Organics are a required resource (like machinery) so you're going to start getting diminished returns as you eat through your feed stock.  Having resources pulled from converter parts is sorted in the next release, so you would just have colony supplies shut down.

[Terwin]

30 minutes ago, RoverDude said:

There are plenty of windows in the form of the USI-LS doodads   A lack of windows and hatches on the Tundra modules is by design

That explains why they are so much happier when I spam the observation modules.

Too bad they do not have a light that can turn on like windows in the hitch-hiker can.(The one with hab-time might, I mostly use the one with a 0.7 multiplier)

[RoverDude]

Log a github issue if you want lights on windowed parts

[Terwin]

5 minutes ago, RoverDude said:

Organics are a required resource (like machinery) so you're going to start getting diminished returns as you eat through your feed stock.  Having resources pulled from converter parts is sorted in the next release, so you would just have colony supplies shut down.

Is this just for productivity-affecting resources like Machinery and Organics, or will this mean that if one of my ag modules runs out of fertilizer it will shut-down instead of pull from another ag-module?

[ExavierMacbeth]

14 minutes ago, RoverDude said:

Organics are a required resource (like machinery) so you're going to start getting diminished returns as you eat through your feed stock.  Having resources pulled from converter parts is sorted in the next release, so you would just have colony supplies shut down.

Ahh ok, Then I will just have to run it in bursts (or go have bill switch 2 of the converters from colony supplies).

I don't actually worry about where resources are pulled from. I use GPO with a universal pump MM to manage most of my resources. I have an inflatable ranger storage bubble for each type set up with max GPO level and to pump resources to the rest of the base. Keeps everything at full before things start getting dumped into PL

 

EDIT: Or not. Organics apparently don't go into PL from the 1.25m Flat Storage I set up for that purpose. Ok Bill get out there and reconfigure the thing.

Edited February 24, 2017 by ExavierMacbeth

[RoverDude]

You have a logistics part attached to the craft correct?

[ExavierMacbeth]

1 hour ago, RoverDude said:

You have a logistics part attached to the craft correct?

Ok now its working. Maybe it just didn't initialize right until after I unloaded/loaded the craft when I went back to ship out more organics. I accidentally zeroed them out shortly after that post. I think i am going to have to lock a small container of organics so I don't do that again lol

 

Shouldn't be too hard. I just shipped out a 33 kontainer micro storage pod (3 Karibou flatbeds lined with 1.25m Kontainers & mini liquid spheres) to the base so I could disable PL on specific resources without losing all storage. Realized I have ended up with about 20mil dirt, 3mil fertilizer, and a few other things I probably really don't need to stockpile in PL. On the upside the base has 1.5mil supplies for the kerbals to burn through

 

Think my PC is hitting its limit with this Base, I am up to 430 parts. Need to sit down and strip off all the various landing & surface attach stuff that is redundant now that the base is assembled.

My Current Base: http://imgur.com/U2sv7ui

(minus the cargo pod I just landed which was out of screenshot range still. One of my crew return pads is disconnected and upside down. That was Vals fault while i was trying to learn how to land on them

Edited February 24, 2017 by ExavierMacbeth

[smokytehbear]

Hey RoverDude, might I suggest giving Scouts FullVesselControlSkill? I admit I have not yet actually tried using them on a solo-flight, but judging by the configs it doesn't seem like they have this. Especially considering they appear to be strictly worse than pilots in general, it would be nice to give them a boost, and I think this is in keeping with the lore aspect that they're self-sufficient and capable of holding their own. I don't think they need SAS per se, but I think they should be able to go without comms for a moment and keep their cool, not freak out and shut down.

[RoverDude]

Version 0.50.17 is up!
-------------------
New Features and Updates:

• Mechanics can now perform EVA maintenance
• Mechanics and Technicians can now work in Ground Construction workshops
• Machinery can be transferred again via Planetary Logistics    
• MKS now uses Ground Construction Core.  This means the only default GC part you will see is the (new) DIYKit.  GC Workshop functionality has been included in the Ranger Workshop, Tundra Assembly Plant, and a new Tundra-250 style Workshop.
• Buffed the Ranger OSE Workshop, added OSE capabilities to the Tundra 250
• Planetary logistics now defaults to OFF.  Local logistics still defaults to ON.
• Replaced the Astronaut Complex code with an implementation of TheReadPanda's Hiring mod (Thanks for letting me use this!)
• There are three new drills, one counterpart for each of the three existing MKS drills (with the added benefit of Ore drilling), optimized for remote operation.  They have been rebalanced to have the same mass, but will not have Kolony bonuses or specialty bonuses/penalties.
• All MKS parts that utilize core heat (PDU's, Drills) have had their max coolant capacity increased tenfold to account for issues with efficiency causing excessive overheating.
• There are three new automated refineries suitable for unattended operations.  These come in 1.25, 2.5, and 3.75 form factors, and may also be used as efficiency parts for the larger MKS refinery.  Note that these only handle refining for Tier-1 materials (Ore->LF,Ox,MP, Metals, Chemicals, Polymers, and Fertilizer via Gypsum or Minerals).  One thing to note is that these modules feature redundant systems in the form of extra machinery and reduced machinery draw, resulting in significantly longer run-times without maintenance. 
• The two docks created originally for EL are now marked Legacy.
• Agriculture modules now use the Botany bonus to their converters.
• Habitats, MedBays, and Kolonization Modules now use the Kolonization bonus to their converters.
• The Geology kolony reward has been renamed to Industry (since it encompasses everything from resource harvesting through refining and manufacturing) to avoid confusion.
• The three new automated refineries are Planetary Logistics capable for push operations only (i.e. even with a pilot present, they will not pull).  
• Kolonization Modules now have the option to enable Kolony Growth.  When enabled, new Kerabls will spawn provided that the Kolonization Module is active, it has space for the new crew, and you have at least one male and one female in your colony
• Alphabetize Planetary Logistics, and fixed a nullref in maintenance (thanks Gnurfos!)
• The larger resource lodes (the ones picked up by the orbital scanner) are now eight times larger!

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed an issue where resources were being double-consumed when converters were swapped
• Fixed a small hab issue with the Karibou cab
• Fixed an issue where efficiency parts were not respecting the efficiency part tag, also some other refactoring (Thanks Gnurfos!)
• Asteroids no longer return material kits when scrapped.
   

[sh1pman]

2 minutes ago, RoverDude said:

Kolonization Modules now have the option to enable Kolony Growth.  When enabled, new Kerabls will spawn provided that the Kolonization Module is active, it has space for the new crew, and you have at least one male and one female in your colony

Will their profession be random?

[WuphonsReach]

2 minutes ago, RoverDude said:

• Agriculture modules now use the Botany bonus to their converters.

Does this mean that the AgronomySkill is going to be deprecated?  (See this list over in the USI-LS thread.)

 

[RoverDude]

14 minutes ago, sh1pman said:

Will their profession be random?

Yes

13 minutes ago, WuphonsReach said:

Does this mean that the AgronomySkill is going to be deprecated?  (See this list over in the USI-LS thread.)

 

No, you're confusing the kolonization bonus with the experience trait.

[Gilph]

Hi, thanks for the release.

I copied fresh versions of MKS and LS.  I downloaded USI core, and it appears that all the directories are already included in MKS except FX. Can that also be rolled into MKS so we don't need to download USI Core separately?

Edited February 25, 2017 by Gilph

[gamerscircle]

As I was streaming tonight, it would seem that there is a heat absorption issue?  Having enough heat control, the reactor and drills shut down, as they can't [the cooling ] seem to keep up with the the heat rising vs cooling.

What do you need from me to help look into this?

I am using the new Automated Drills x 4 , the 1.25 Reactor, using a Ranger Thermal and Thermal Panels Medium X2

Edited February 25, 2017 by gamerscircle

[Wiseman]

Looks like Kolonist shows up twice in the Astronaut Complex Hiring menu:

Spoiler

 

[DStaal]

1 hour ago, Gilph said:

Hi, thanks for the release.

I copied fresh versions of MKS and LS.  I downloaded USI core, and it appears that all the directories are already included in MKS except FX. Can that also be rolled into MKS so we don't need to download USI Core separately?

USI Core's parts should be included in the MKS download - as you've discovered.  It's a separate thing because it's also required by USI-LS, and several other of RoverDude's mods, that don't require MKS, and that MKS doesn't require.  So they are abstracted out as a common dependency.

It's similar to the Configurable Containers 'core' and Configurable Containers thing that's been going on: Not everyone wants the full mod, but Alista was dependent on some of the base features of it for Ground Construction and some of his other mods.  So he's breaking out the 'core' into a separate piece that can be referred to on it's own.