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

[Screaming Candle]

Hey all.  Long time player who has been away for a while.  I have a fairly open ended question.  It's also liable to elicit some eye rolling, but I'll go there.

First off, the USI constellation is just great and the KIS/KAS is also great and adds tons to gameplay.  BUT the updates and the updates to the core game and the interaction between the two periodically nerfs my long term game.  I develop code myself so I'm aware that updates have to happen.  I'm just wondering if there is a current state or a short term future state at which I can just freeze the configuration and play that.  Are people settling in to 1.5.1 or is 1.6 the hotness and people are still shaking off the hollidays to update their mods?  And is there any way to keep Steam from automatically upgrading KSP?  

This is what I'd like to play with:

USI constellation (I don't use everything but it's easier than piecemeal)

KIS/KAS

Kerbal Alarm Clock

Extraplanetary Launch Pads (to allow for ship factories on other planets) 

I'm doing my own research on this question, but I thought I'd also pose it to the group.  I'm trying to avoid the issue that's gotten me literally three times in the past in that I've worked through gathering the science, balancing the budget, all that goo to finally get to the point where I'm off to other planets and then boom! - update time and things are broken and start over.  I'm now planning on playing sandbox so I'm more resilient to just throwing away ships, but still...

Any comments on this open question are welcome.  Thanks for the great work Roverdude and community.

 

[Aodhan]

2 hours ago, Screaming Candle said:

And is there any way to keep Steam from automatically upgrading KSP?  

You could use the method that allow you to play with former version. I’m using it to stay in 1.5.1.

steam library -> right click on KSP -> properties -> beta tab -> 1.5.1 (or whatever version you wanna play)

Steam won’t bother you with updates anymore and will stick to the chosen version

[Brigadier]

3 hours ago, Screaming Candle said:

 And is there any way to keep Steam from automatically upgrading KSP?  .

Yes, there is but it means that you won't be playing the game through Steam.

Rename your current KSP directory.  Play only that game.  Meanwhile, redownload a clean version of KSP from Steam to its default directory (with a folder name of Kerbal Space Program, I think), copy that folder so you always have a pristine (unmoded) version not affected by Steam, and let Steam update the download version.  You can also go to your Steam game library, right-click on KSP and select Properties. On the Updates tab, you can select "Only update this game when I launch it", and, optionally, don't play through Steam.

If you must play KSP from Steam (which I don't do) I don't think there's a way to do this.  However, you can go to your Steam game library, right-click on KSP and select Properties.  Go to the Betas tab and select "NONE - Opt out of all beta programs" or select the older version of KSP that you want to play.  This way might not solve your problem because it appears you can't opt out of updates, but it might.

I'm sure there are others who might have a more definitive answer.  My experience doesn't extend too far into Steam and I just don't care about playtime stats.

Quote

I'm trying to avoid the issue that's gotten me literally three times in the past in that I've worked through gathering the science, balancing the budget, all that goo to finally get to the point where I'm off to other planets and then boom! - update time and things are broken and start over.  I'm now planning on playing sandbox so I'm more resilient to just throwing away ships, but still... 

Playing the game from another folder than the default Steam download solves this problem.  You have complete control over which mods you install and when.  You can use your pristine copy to experiment with mod compatibility with your career game without affect either the Steam download or your main game.

Quote

Are people settling in to 1.5.1 or is 1.6 the hotness and people are still shaking off the hollidays to update their mods?

I've only just updated to v1.5.1.  I'm waiting for my mod list to get closer to 1.6 compatibility before I update to that version.

Edited January 9, 2019 by Brigadier

[DStaal]

3 hours ago, Screaming Candle said:

And is there any way to keep Steam from automatically upgrading KSP?  

As an alternate idea to the above (and somewhat tongue-in-cheek): Wait until there's a sale at GOG, then buy and play that version.  While they have an automatic game-downloader tool, you aren't required to use it for any of the games bought through them.

3 hours ago, Screaming Candle said:

Are people settling in to 1.5.1 or is 1.6 the hotness and people are still shaking off the hollidays to update their mods?

I'm playing in 1.6 - I've had minimal issues running using the 1.5.1 versions of mods.

[mcortez]

3 hours ago, Screaming Candle said:

  And is there any way to keep Steam from automatically upgrading KSP?  

Yes, steam specifically supports pinning KSP to certain specific milestone versions. For example I belive I have mine pinned to 1.4.5

Right click on KSP in your Steam Library, select properties and then I think Betas tab.

There should be a drop-down menu that normally has something like "NONE - Opt out of all beta programs"

If you click on that drop down you should be presented with various milestone versions of KSP to pick from. Doing so will lock down your version nof KSP to that version.

Make sure that you then install matching versions of any mods you use.

 

[JadeOfMaar]

7 hours ago, Puckpuck said:

Ive noticed habitation and Lifesupport (greenhouses) seem  to no longer be compatible with the habitation/supply recycling parts in the Stockalike Station Parts Redux mods? (V1.6)

7 hours ago, Friznit said:

There's a MM patch for Station Parts Redux floating around already.  It's in one or the other threads.

The existing USI configs already in Station Parts Redux .....no longer work? The USI updates lately have made them invalid?

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by JadeOfMaar

[kellven]

I just have steam set to only update ksp on launch, and never launch through steam directly, so it stays on 1.5.

The particular way squad went about obfuscating code and locking down their content was truly unfortunate.

I'm sure it made sense to them back in the early panic about pirate distribution, but it also made it all but impossible to create a real, effective mod api that would avoid constantly breaking mods.

 

Btw, I was gently prodding at getting some kind of very basic, stipped down version of MKS into stock, not just welding on the whole mod array as is.

I mean deconstructing the mod to it's most basic gameplay elemets, ie:

-Some kind of arbitrary location launch site infrastructure. Proper ground connection baked in also.

-At least an optional framework for crew resource usage/requirement, with overrideable failure handling. I love extremely detailed survival everything, but I recently heard someone bemoan the lack of ability to switch it off, and I have to agree a simple settings screen toggle option is ++good for everyone.

-Better support for meta resource tracking/processing.

Just having some of that stuff baked into ksp stock code base itself, even if at only a rudimentary, mod overrideable level seems a good idea to me. At the very least, it would put the onus of breaking changes back on the code monkey doing the breaking.

I realized later however, that most of what would really need to get added first to make an appreciable quantum improvement in stock gameplay is a functional KIS/KAS system, then arbitrary launchpads, basic life support thrown in somewhere, and finally the array of parts to make at least a basic version work. The whole stock ISRU system is precedent for this kind of thing, no where near as what the mods at the time did, but got the basic idea in stock.

Development recently seems to be handfuls of parts with new models, etc, not really budgeted for complex structural additions. Just an idea, but if not-squad could get KIS/KAS, Rover, maybe pull in a couple other moders and make say a collaborative second expansion, might start to make some business sense, give the community what they manifestly want.

P.S.  I really miss my now ancient usage of the KIS tag, but it went to a good cause.

P.P.S. One of these decades, I'm going to have to learn how to write comments, instead of books.

[voicey99]

15 hours ago, JadeOfMaar said:

The existing USI configs already in Station Parts Redux .....no longer work? The USI updates lately have made them invalid?

Yeah, it broke everything, and modders will have to update their configs unless someone uses some MM wizardry to automatically convert obsolete part modules. Someone in this thread wrote an updated SSPXR patch a while back here (not tested myself).

[TackleMcClean]

I've used the patch mentioned above and from what I can tell it works.

[Puckpuck]

50 minutes ago, voicey99 said:

Yeah, it broke everything, and modders will have to update their configs unless someone uses some MM wizardry to automatically convert obsolete part modules. Someone in this thread wrote an updated SSPXR patch a while back here (not tested myself).

Fantastic, thanks for this!  Will give it a try this evening...

[dlrk]

Which KSP versions does the USI suite work with now? I have it working for me on 1.4.5 , but does it work on 1.5.1?

[goldenpsp]

32 minutes ago, dlrk said:

Which KSP versions does the USI suite work with now? I have it working for me on 1.4.5 , but does it work on 1.5.1?

Ah cmon @dlrk.  I'll probably catch mod heck for this (as I usually do) but you've been around here longer than I have.  You should know the drill by now.  It's not like version talk isn't plastered all over the last 3-5 pages of the thread. 

But I'll tell you anyway.  The constellation release works for 1.5.1 and while it will give version errors at launch seems to work fine in 1.6.

[jzroth]

On 3/20/2018 at 4:07 PM, DStaal said:

Ground Construction is fully integrated - and currently requires DIY kits.  Off-Kerbin building of DIY kits is still a work in progress.

Anyone know how off-kerbin building of DIY kits is going to be implemented? Will it require RoverDude to make a whole new module or something?

[JadeOfMaar]

@jzroth The whole DIY kit thing is in the territory of its own mod which is all about off-world building, and should not be up to RoverDude to deliver. Ask around in its thread first.

 

[Kerbinidiel]

installing MKS i've noticed one thing: when mining one asteroid, the Drill-O-Matic estracts not only Ore, but water too...

i not need and not want estract water from the asteroid... and it always happen because my ship docked on the asteroid has water tank for the life support... but from asteroid i want estract only Ore, not water

there is one way to not estract water with the Drill-O-Matic? or make the asteroid resource only Ore?

[Terwin]

8 hours ago, jzroth said:

Anyone know how off-kerbin building of DIY kits is going to be implemented? Will it require RoverDude to make a whole new module or something?

Last time I checked, if you have GC installed you will have a part that can be used to create off-world kits.  Not sure if it is included in the GC core that comes with USI mods, but the full GC mod has it.

[Puckpuck]

29 minutes ago, Terwin said:

Last time I checked, if you have GC installed you will have a part that can be used to create off-world kits.  Not sure if it is included in the GC core that comes with USI mods, but the full GC mod has it.

Its included in the GC core thats packaged with USI.  Parts for constructing DIY kits on the surface or in orbit using, i think, specialised parts.  Orbital construction also requires the orbital assembly space part, not sure if an assembly space is needed surface construction too

[bdole92]

Hello all, I'm playing on 1.6 with the latest USI constellation and have noticed that none of my Kontainers can store any resources.

Picture evidence

 

I'm using the Community Resource pack provided with the constellation download, as well as the USI tools and the USI main files. Presumably i'm missing some file or using incompatible versions of different files? Does anyone have any suggestions, as it is i can't really go about Kolonizing anything if i can't store resources

[RoverDude]

@bdole92 - show me a screenshot of your GameData folder, you're probably missing something important (like Firespitter).

[heli]

Hello,

First of all, I would like to thank you very much for this mod !!!!

Since my English is not so good, I found it difficult with all the mods and also with USI, but I found it so fascinating that I just wanted to try it out.

I've looked through many pages here to give my answers, and I think and hope I'm on the right track.

My biggest problem was the fact that EC was not working properly or not at higher speeds. And I am afraid that there are more problems to be found here.

Too bad this is not mentioned in the wiki, that would have saved me a lot of time (or I have overlooked it)

In tests, I noticed that normal kerbonauten sitting in the same vehicle as vets protected from the dead can be?

• in the USI mods are no integrated backgroundprocessing for EC or?  (> 100 time warb)
• Rescores are processed in the background, that is in USI or not?

I use 1.5.1 with CKAN - 94 mods

[goldenpsp]

1 hour ago, heli said:

Hello,

First of all, I would like to thank you very much for this mod !!!!

Since my English is not so good, I found it difficult with all the mods and also with USI, but I found it so fascinating that I just wanted to try it out.

I've looked through many pages here to give my answers, and I think and hope I'm on the right track.

My biggest problem was the fact that EC was not working properly or not at higher speeds. And I am afraid that there are more problems to be found here.

Too bad this is not mentioned in the wiki, that would have saved me a lot of time (or I have overlooked it)

In tests, I noticed that normal kerbonauten sitting in the same vehicle as vets protected from the dead can be?

• in the USI mods are no integrated backgroundprocessing for EC or?  (> 100 time warb)
• Rescores are processed in the background, that is in USI or not?

I use 1.5.1 with CKAN - 94 mods

you missed it.  One page back

 

[bdole92]

@RoverDude I looked in my gamedata folder and saw i didn't have firespitter, so i added that back and everything works normally now. Guess i missed it when i moved the constellation over. Thanks for the help!

 

[infinite_monkey]

I seem to have a (understanding?) problem with the Scout Landing Module. It has a workshop, I can open the workshop window, but when I want to start manufacturing, it says "No workers in the workshop". Where does my engineer have to be in order to make it work? Is there a minimum star-rating the engineer needs?

[Planefan 08]

Hmm...I really hope that some day they'd make USI compatible with 1.6.1. None of the other mods have it either, but man the stock parts revamp and built-in dV indicators are very very tempting

[Brigadier]

5 hours ago, Planefan 08 said:

Hmm...I really hope that some day they'd make USI compatible with 1.6.1. None of the other mods have it either, but man the stock parts revamp and built-in dV indicators are very very tempting

Patience.  It will happen but remember that mod authors have other things to do, like real jobs and life.  The "...they..." you're referring to is RoverDude and he's already a dev with Squad.