[KSP 1.12.3] Astronomer's Visual Pack - Beyond (v4.13 - July 17th, 2022)

[themaster401]

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing one of the greatest mods to ever exist in this game

Astronomer's Visual Pack is a comprehensive visual overhaul for Kerbal Space Program originally developed by Astronomer. 

I have been a huge fan of Astronomer's work since my first steps into Kerbal Space Program, during 2014. 2015 would see the hiatus of EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements development, along with the unfortunate demise of Astronomer's Visual Pack, as the version of EVE it ran on, a version made for alpha KSP, deprecated. Even as the development of EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements gained traction once more, Astronomer ceased to appear in the KSP community. Since 2016, I have been attempting to restore and expand the gorgeous visual overhaul that was Astronomer's Visual Pack, through rewriting, remaking, and repackaging. This is the product of that work.

Through adapting stock KSP canon and sci-fi imagination, Astronomer's Visual Pack aims to turn Kerbal Space Program into the most immersive, beautiful experience a player can get.

Downloads

Stock + OPM

                

 

JNSQ

                                                                                                                  

Installation

CKAN
Check the "Astronomer's Visual Pack" mod. You will be prompted to choose a texture resolution. Install and enjoy!

GitHub

1. Acquire the latest release of "Astronomer's Visual Pack" from GitHub. Drop the "GameData" folder inside the archive into your KSP installation, merging the two folders if prompted.
2. Download a texture resolution of your choice (2k, 4k, and 8k downloads are currently available). Drop the "GameData" folder inside the archive into your KSP installation, merging the two folders if prompted.
3. Download and install the latest versions of the dependencies necessary for the mod to function. This includes:
   EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements
   Scatterer
   ModuleManager
   
   It is highly recommended you also download TUFX to enable AVP's color-grading and post-processing configurations. Once you have installed TUFX, click on the toolbar button while ingame and select the Astronomer's Visual Pack profile.
4. (Optional) Download the 43k Kerbin cloud enhancement:
   1. Download and install the 43k Kerbin clouds. These are quite intensive on the GPU and RAM!
   2. You will now have much finer unique detail on Kerbin's main cloud layer. Great for cinematics.
5. (Optional) Download the recommended mods:
   Audio
   Chatterer (immersive audio enhancements)
   Visual
   Parallax (terrain shader for realistic planetary surfaces)
   DistantObjectEnhancement (distant planets and ships will be visible from afar)
   PlanetShine (planet shine effect on your ships)
   Sunflares of Maar (a sunflare pack)
   RealPlume (realistic engine plume spread)
   TexturesUnlimited (reflection and texture effects for parts)
   EngineLighting (lighting effects for engines and decouplers)
   Gameplay
   ReStock (stock part overhaul)
   OR
   Ven's Stock Part Revamp (stock part overhaul)

Disclaimer:
Astronomer's Visual Pack is a visual pack for the stock planetary system, as well as the bodies in the Outer Planets Mod. It is best played with the optional enhancements. AVP is not compatible with other atmospheric enhancements for the stock and OPM systems, such as Stock Visual Enhancements, Spectra, stock EVE (BoulderCo), Sci-Fi-VE, Graphics Enhancements Assembly, OPM-VO, etc. Do not install a combination of AVP + conflicting visual mods. Installs with this issue visible will likely not receive support.

Features

• Up to 43k Kerbin clouds
• High-res volumetric clouds
• Bioluminescent clouds for Laythe
• 7 cloud layers for Jool at up to 8k
• Glow for all non-atmospheric bodies where relevant
• Up to 8k auroras
• Sandstorms and surface dust
• Lightning on Eve, Kerbin, Duna, and Laythe
• Moho ablation effect
• 8k Milky Way skybox
• Geysers on Minmus and Eeloo
• Visuals for the Outer Planets Mod
• Custom loading screens and tips
• Modular file structure, to tinker with and remove specific effects with ease
• More I likely forgot to list...

Featuring the mods (must install dependencies):

• Environmental Visual Enhancements - rbray89, WazWaz
  Used for clouds, dust, auroras, and numerous other atmospheric and non-atmospheric enhancements.

• ModuleManager - sarbian
  Used to ensure compatibility and functionality.

• Scatterer - blackrack
  Used for atmospheric scattering and oceanic enhancement.

Performance & Hardware

Astronomer's Visual Pack is the most intensive visual mod for Kerbal Space Program, but has been tuned and optimized such that even mid-end hardware will bring an enjoyable experience.
With 8k textures, the minimum specifications required for a smooth experience (60+ FPS) is a GTX 1060 6GB, paired with 16GB of RAM. A CPU with strong single-core performance is also recommended..

Performance Tips

• Lower the settings of any recommended mods you have, or remove them entirely.
• If your game resolution is greater than 1920x1080, turn it down to this and use either NVIDIA or AMD Image Sharpening to restore the visual difference.
• Try a lower texture resolution.
• Try a lower scatterer preset. You can change this by clicking on the blue globe in the toolbar in Space Center.
• Navigate to <KSP>/GameData/AstronomersVisualPack/AVP_Configs/Stock/ and remove the configuration files for effects you do not desire.
• If your GPU frequently hits 100% usage, set a frame limit that will reduce the load.
• Depending on your GPU model, you may be able to either undervolt or overclock in order to achieve lower temperatures or higher performance respectively.

Support

I'm commonly active on the r/KerbalSpaceProgram Discord, go ahead and ping me there if you need help. You can also just reply below with your KSP.log and perhaps a screenshot.

Donations
If you like Astronomer's Visual Pack, thank @Astronomer for his years of work on this mod. Feel free to pitch in to my student survival fund. You will have my eternal gratitude

License

THIS MOD IS LICENSED UNDER Creative Commons - Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
WHAT THIS MEANS:

• You may create derivations of this mod and its contents.
• You may utilize and adapt this mod and its contents in your own works.
• You may NOT use this mod or any of its contents for commercial purposes.
• You may NOT gain royalties from work containing any of this mod's contents.
• You must give credit to me (themaster401, current developer) and Astronomer (original creator of Astronomer's Visual Pack) if adapting this mod and indicate changes made if applicable.
• All derivations must also be licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA.

Screenshots

I LOVE SCREENSHOTS! The most magnificent of shots taken with AVP and submitted in replies may find their way into the loading screens!

Spoiler

 

 

 

...but that's just a glimpse into the worlds of Astronomer.

 

 

Edited July 17, 2022 by themaster401

[Goody1981]

Pics look amazing! Nice work..

 

I currently play with Stock Visual Enhancements (which I believe is EVE and Scatterer bundled together), plus a different skybox implemented through Texture Replacer. I'm guessing these are similar things to what your mod does, and it's a sort of "one or the other" type deal?

[themaster401]

1 minute ago, Goody1981 said:

Pics look amazing! Nice work..

 

I currently play with Stock Visual Enhancements (which I believe is EVE and Scatterer bundled together), plus a different skybox implemented through Texture Replacer. I'm guessing these are similar things to what your mod does, and it's a sort of "one or the other" type deal?

Pretty much sums it up. I'd say the two mods have quite different feels and would satisfy two different types of people, in fact. (Notice that a lot of the atmospheres are quite bright and happy here.)

[Nansuchao]

I had a small issue with Gilly. It doesn't show up the terrain until very close. As far as I remember  this was a old EVE issue. Can you confirm it?

[themaster401]

Just now, Nansuchao said:

I had a small issue with Gilly. It doesn't show up the terrain until very close. As far as I remember  this was a old EVE issue. Can you confirm it?

I'm not quite sure of what you mean. Gilly seems to be working fine for me, perhaps send a screenshot?

[Nansuchao]

12 hours ago, themaster401 said:

I'm not quite sure of what you mean. Gilly seems to be working fine for me, perhaps send a screenshot?

Much better, I have a short video:

 

[themaster401]

7 hours ago, Nansuchao said:

Much better, I have a short video:

 

Wow, that is odd... never encountered something like that in-game. (Went through all bodies with the mod in the trailer).

Could you send your KSP.log?

[Nansuchao]

19 minutes ago, themaster401 said:

Wow, that is odd... never encountered something like that in-game. (Went through all bodies with the mod in the trailer).

Could you send your KSP.log?

Sure, give me some minutes.

 

EDIT: Here you have. https://www.dropbox.com/s/cu6kw25m8s61943/KSP.log?dl=0

 

However I remember I saw something simlar in the past, around KSP 0.25/0.90 with the old EVE.

Edited May 21, 2017 by Nansuchao

[themaster401]

50 minutes ago, Nansuchao said:

Sure, give me some minutes.

 

EDIT: Here you have. https://www.dropbox.com/s/cu6kw25m8s61943/KSP.log?dl=0

 

However I remember I saw something simlar in the past, around KSP 0.25/0.90 with the old EVE.

There seem to be quite a few factors. One, Konstruction seems to error upon launch, might want to check out if it's working properly.. Two, you have a lot of MiniAVCs present in your installation. Try going into your GameData, search "MiniAVC.dll" and delete all results (the normal full-featured AVC is better than MiniAVC). Three, you have SVT installed beside AVP. I know I said compatibility should be fine, but just to double check, try playing without SVT. Four, you seem to be using the "old download" of AVP Repackaged (which uses a port of the old EVE), which I do still support but is a bit obsolete now that there's the new download that runs on the newer version of EVE. Try the new download.

[Nansuchao]

Thanks a lot, I'll try the new version as soon as possible. 

[DragonRoco]

Just installed your pack (new version) and it looks great but my atmosphere seems to be bugging out. I did have SVE installed previously, but deleted that folder and overwrote everything from your zip. I do have quite a few mods installed and planet packs (OPM, Gameslinx and Planet Cerillion) and an EVE error in the log but have no idea how to fix that or this problem. Thanks for any help.

Logs: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0bbunq57luvea0x/AVP Atmo Glitch.zip?dl=0

 

Edited May 22, 2017 by DragonRoco
Additional Information

[DJ Reonic]

I've switched back from SVE/SVT. Once I installed AVP everything worked great. I have also installed Arkas, Cyran, Cerillion and Kargantua. Once I installed them, my clouds all disappeared. Any ideas?

[themaster401]

38 minutes ago, DJ Reonic said:

I've switched back from SVE/SVT. Once I installed AVP everything worked great. I have also installed Arkas, Cyran, Cerillion and Kargantua. Once I installed them, my clouds all disappeared. Any ideas?

Kargantua has a very dumb thing with it, where it has premade visual enhancements for the stock system, presumably because the dev needed to use some of the assets for his planets. You'll have to install Kargantua in a way that AVP doesn't get overwritten.

11 hours ago, DragonRoco said:

Just installed your pack (new version) and it looks great but my atmosphere seems to be bugging out. I did have SVE installed previously, but deleted that folder and overwrote everything from your zip. I do have quite a few mods installed and planet packs (OPM, Gameslinx and Planet Cerillion) and an EVE error in the log but have no idea how to fix that or this problem. Thanks for any help.

Logs: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0bbunq57luvea0x/AVP Atmo Glitch.zip?dl=0

 

Gameslinx may cause compatibility issues, as it has its own set of visual enhancements. Try removing it from your installation, and I'll get back to you on how you can use AVP with it, if you can. It also seems that you're using an older version of ModuleManager.

Edited May 22, 2017 by themaster401

[Snark]

Download links have been removed from the OP due to licensing issues.

To be able to redistribute, either you need to show that the original mod had a license that allows you to do that, or else that you have permission in writing from the original author.

Our understanding is that the original mods from Astronomer were ARR (all rights reserved), i.e. the most restrictive license, which basically doesn't allow doing anything at all (including re-hosting on another site).  This prevents being able to publish this mod, unless you have written permission from Astronomer.

Thank you for your understanding.

[themaster401]

15 minutes ago, Snark said:

Download links have been removed from the OP due to licensing issues.

To be able to redistribute, either you need to show that the original mod had a license that allows you to do that, or else that you have permission in writing from the original author.

Our understanding is that the original mods from Astronomer were ARR (all rights reserved), i.e. the most restrictive license, which basically doesn't allow doing anything at all (including re-hosting on another site).  This prevents being able to publish this mod, unless you have written permission from Astronomer.

Thank you for your understanding.

The oroginal Astronomer's Visual Pack states in the license.txt that comes with it:

"The licensor permits other to create and distribute derivative works, but only under the same or a compatible license. The licensor permits others to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work for non-commercial purposes only."

A couple others have also created their own derivatives of AVP, and those derivatives have been up for quite some time with no issues.

Edited May 23, 2017 by themaster401

[Red Iron Crown]

26 minutes ago, themaster401 said:

The oroginal Astronomer's Visual Pack states in the license.txt that comes with it:

"The licensor permits other to create and distribute derivative works, but only under the same or a compatible license. The licensor permits others to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work for non-commercial purposes only."

A couple others have also created their own derivatives of AVP, and those derivatives have been up for quite some time with no issues.

Forgive us for erring on the side of caution here, we take modder's rights very seriously. From looking at the Curse page for Beyond Kerbal it lists it as "License: All Rights Reserved" but the download does contain a license.txt that contains the license you mention. In such cases, the packaged license trumps the host-listed license, so you're free to restore your links. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Edited May 23, 2017 by Red Iron Crown

[Gameslinx]

10 hours ago, themaster401 said:

Gameslinx may cause compatibility issues, as it has its own set of visual enhancements. Try removing it from your installation, and I'll get back to you on how you can use AVP with it, if you can. It also seems that you're using an older version of ModuleManager.

I have my very own dumb thing where i also provide my own visuals (I have to because of the new atmospheric planets)

@DragonRoco go into your Scatterer folder, remove Kerbin from planetslist.cfg and delete the kerbin folder.

If you have an EVE mod which isn't provided by my own configs, delete the entries for Kerbin as well.

[themaster401]

New updates are coming out.

v3.11 changes

- Added KSPRC instructions because I'm dumb and forgot to in 3.1.

v3.11E changes

- The less intensive branch of AVP is back, running on KerbalVisualEnhancements (which is surprisingly more stable than the latest E.V.E.)

- Added KSPRC instructions to this release too.

- Modularity is included in this branch.

- Edge of Oblivion and Interstellar are merged now.

[ManuxKerb]

Hi themaster401

Thanks for the update!

Great to see the pack alive again its really the best!

However, i try to combine it with KSPRC and i get this:

 

I followed the instructions and deleted the folders inside of KSPRC....

I do not use OPM, also Kopernicus Expansion is not installed. AFAIK KSPRC needs it but it is outdated...

With the KerbalVisualEnhancements must i delete EVE ?

Any ideas ?

Thanks a lot!

 

Edited May 25, 2017 by ManuxKerb

[Galileo]

1 hour ago, ManuxKerb said:

Hi themaster401

Thanks for the update!

Great to see the pack alive again its really the best!

However, i try to combine it with KSPRC and i get this:

 

I followed the instructions and deleted the folders inside of KSPRC....

I do not use OPM, also Kopernicus Expansion is not installed. AFAIK KSPRC needs it but it is outdated...

With the KerbalVisualEnhancements must i delete EVE ?

Any ideas ?

Thanks a lot!

 

That's not a compatibility issue with any mod. That is an issue with OpenGL systems (Mac and Linux), and how KSPRC is structured. OpenGL systems do not like textures being in a "PluginData" folder. To fix this, you have to move the textures out of the "PluginData" folder and in to a new location. I would just create a new folder an call it "textures" to keep it simple. Then you must change all of the directories in the cfgs to match the new location of the textures. 

Also KSPRC doesn't need  Kopernicus expansions, it was just a cool mod that added more visual stuff. Doesn't hurt to not have it.

Edited May 25, 2017 by Galileo

[ManuxKerb]

On 5/25/2017 at 0:17 PM, Galileo said:

That's not a compatibility issue with any mod. That is an issue with OpenGL systems (Mac and Linux), and how KSPRC is structured. OpenGL systems do not like textures being in a "PluginData" folder. To fix this, you have to move the textures out of the "PluginData" folder and in to a new location. I would just create a new folder an call it "textures" to keep it simple. Then you must change all of the directories in the cfgs to match the new location of the textures. 

Also KSPRC doesn't need  Kopernicus expansions, it was just a cool mod that added more visual stuff. Doesn't hurt to not have it.

Hi Galileo,

Thanks for posting this.

I did rename the PluginData folder in KSPRC folder to Tex and changed the paths in the KSPRC.cfg in the KSPRC and the TextureReplacer Folder. In other config files it was not present.

However, it did not work.

Any other ideas/ Places i did forget  ? Can Linux load the dds files ?

Thanks!

Edited May 26, 2017 by ManuxKerb

[themaster401]

1.2.2 EVE reportedly still works in 1.3, so the intensive version of the new download will continue to function. Enjoy!

[Galileo]

10 hours ago, ManuxKerb said:

Hi Galileo,

Thanks for posting this.

I did rename the PluginData folder in KSPRC folder to Tex and changed the paths in the KSPRC.cfg in the KSPRC and the TextureReplacer Folder. In other config files it was not present.

However, it did not work.

Any other ideas/ Places i did forget  ? Can Linux load the dds files ?

Thanks!

No linux is also an OpenGL system and does not like textures in PluginData folders. I assume you did something wrong when you attempted to move the textures around. I have studied and tested this extensively and I guarantee that just moving the textures out of the PluginData folder works for Mac and Linux.

Also, @themaster401, to get rid of the white planets when using scatterer and kopernicus, add this cfg to your mod:

Spoiler

@Kopernicus:FINAL
{
    useOnDemand = false
    onDemandLoadOnMissing = true
    onDemandLogOnMissing = false
    onDemandForceCollect = false    
}
@Kopernicus:NEEDS[!scatterer]:FINAL
{
    %useOnDemand = true
}

 

Edited May 26, 2017 by Galileo

[themaster401]

New updates coming out.

3.12

Mandatory Compatibility Update (not really just making SpaceDock say it's compatible with 1.3)

- Added white planet fix configuration (Thanks Galileo!)

- Updated ModuleManager

 

3.12E

Mandatory Compatibility Update (not really just making SpaceDock say it's compatible with 1.3)

- Added white planet fix configuration (Thanks Galileo!)

- Updated ModuleManager

Edited May 29, 2017 by themaster401

[tomeaton17]

Hello, I am getting a crash to desktop when I try to go on EVA. The crash logs can be found here.