KSP Interstellar Extended Continued Development Thread

[Aloriel]

Hi guys,

I've been trying to get a space shuttle type system up and running using Direct Cycle Nuclear Turbojets (Basic) as engines for atmospheric flight.

In my initial flight tests, something forces my throttle to zero sometimes. I can only think that this must be related to the KSP Interstellar tech on board, since I have nothing else other than stock. Why does this happen?

It seems to happen when I fly at a steep angle, but I haven't been able to verify this yet.

[Nansuchao]

Can you post a picture of your ship with a list of your mods?

[Aloriel]

List of mods:

Action Group Manager

Aviation Lights

Cetera's Suit Pack

Community Resource Pack

Community Tech Tree

Connected Living Space

Contract Configurator

Contract Packs (various)

Contract Window +

Crossfeed Enabler

CxAerospace: Station Parks Pack

Diverse Kerbal Heads

DMagic Orbital Science

EVA Enhancements

EVA Parachutes

EVA Parachutes by default

Extraplanetary Launchpads

Field Experience

Final Frontier

Firespitter (core & resources config only)

Glass Panes and Enclosures

Gregrox's Colored EVA Suits

Inline Ballutes

Interstellar Fuel Switch

Interstellar Fuel Switch (core)

Karbonite

Karibou Expedition Rover

KashCorp Shared Assets

Kerbal Alarm Clock

KAS

KIS

KSP Interstellar Extended

Infernal Robotics

MechJeb 2

MechJeb and Engineer for All

Modular Fuel Tanks

Mod Manager

Planet Shine

Portrait Stats

Procedural Fairings

RealChute

RemoteTech (with 1.0.5 community fix)

Resource Details in Tracking Center

Roadsters and Rovers

SCANSat

Science Alert (with 1.0.5 community fix)

Ship Manifest

SpaceTux Shared Assets (required by something else)

Surface Mounted Lights

SXT

Tarsier Space Technologies

Texture Replacer

Toolbar

Tweakscale

Universal Storage

USI Colonization, MKS/OKS, LS, Tools

Vanguard Technologies Core (required by something else)

Waypoint Manager

[Profit-]

10 hours ago, Aloriel said:

Hi guys,

I've been trying to get a space shuttle type system up and running using Direct Cycle Nuclear Turbojets (Basic) as engines for atmospheric flight.

In my initial flight tests, something forces my throttle to zero sometimes. I can only think that this must be related to the KSP Interstellar tech on board, since I have nothing else other than stock. Why does this happen?

It seems to happen when I fly at a steep angle, but I haven't been able to verify this yet.

Try it without a mechjeb attachment (just without the part) and see if it still goes down.  

 

(If you have that one thing that adds mechjeb to everything disable that mod)

If it works but it blows up, there are a bunch of safety's in mechjeb that protect craft by throttling down when things are about to explode. 

 

Edited December 7, 2015 by Profit-

[Aloriel]

I can shut off the MechJeb without altering the mod. There is a toggle on the cockpit in the VAB. I'll try that.

The question is, can I duplicate the circumstances? I've flown it several times since I posted and haven't gotten the throttle down effect. It turns out that the craft is horribly unstable regardless of the throttle down issue, and so I've had to modify it substantially.

Now I'm really curious as to what precisely triggered it. Perhaps the craft was about to spontaneously deconstruct... And so MechJeb went into preservation mode. LOL

[Profit-]

1 hour ago, Aloriel said:

I can shut off the MechJeb without altering the mod. There is a toggle on the cockpit in the VAB. I'll try that.

The question is, can I duplicate the circumstances? I've flown it several times since I posted and haven't gotten the throttle down effect. It turns out that the craft is horribly unstable regardless of the throttle down issue, and so I've had to modify it substantially.

Now I'm really curious as to what precisely triggered it. Perhaps the craft was about to spontaneously deconstruct... And so MechJeb went into preservation mode. LOL

LOL.  It is only a hypothesis as well, I don't know what else it can be, but in KSP there are many many things that interact so, we are starting with the one guess I have.  Hopefully that is it. 

[nezumi]

Mechjeb likes to throttle down for a lot of reasons; terminal velocity in the atmosphere, jet engine flame-outs... actually, that's all I can think of. You can change those specific settings in, I believe, Utilities, by unselecting those two.

I've never seen any Interstellar pieces move the throttle notch next to the NavBall.

Edited December 7, 2015 by nezumi
Added line

[Aloriel]

Now that you mention it, I do have both of those settings set in MechJeb. However, the craft was at only about 4000m altitude and running at maybe 200-300m/s. I suppose it is possible that the sudden climb caused some sort of oxygen deprivation stall, but I doubt that since my IntakeAtm meter was registering very high throughout.

Actually, considering that MechJeb never activates those features when I would prefer them to be activated (like how it did in before v0.90 style atmosphere), I may just shut them off anyway.

The whole issue probably wouldn't have bothered me at all if the craft hadn't gone completely and utterly out of control due to the sudden loss of throttle.

[Profit-]

There is one bug in mechjeb as well, when you accelerate in the atmosphere it triggers the xx m/sec acceleration one when it shouldn't.   I really do not understand the mechanism, but sometimes it will cut my engines for no good reason when I have that one on. 

 

[nezumi]

Are you running 1.0.5? Last I heard, MechJeb hadn't formally been released for that yet, and has plenty of bugs. (Not that it didn't have a few odd behaviors in 1.0.4. I generally avoided any automation except prevent flame-outs while in atmosphere.)

[Aloriel]

I am indeed running 1.0.5. However, CKAN has MechJeb listed as "Compatible" now. Once they resolved a couple major issues (such as MechJeb being nearly non-functional except for data display), they released a new 1.0.5 version for it. It is mostly functional and handles launching and airless landing without issue. I haven't tried an atmospheric landing yet. Also, don't trust the ILS guidance on the spaceplane guidance system. It doesn't have the coordinates correct anymore.

That being said, it seems like we have traced my problem to another mod. As such, we should probably stop hogging the KSP Interstellar thread for MechJeb issues.

Also, thanks guys!

[Profit-]

 

31 minutes ago, Aloriel said:

I am indeed running 1.0.5. However, CKAN has MechJeb listed as "Compatible" now. Once they resolved a couple major issues (such as MechJeb being nearly non-functional except for data display), they released a new 1.0.5 version for it. It is mostly functional and handles launching and airless landing without issue. I haven't tried an atmospheric landing yet. Also, don't trust the ILS guidance on the spaceplane guidance system. It doesn't have the coordinates correct anymore.

That being said, it seems like we have traced my problem to another mod. As such, we should probably stop hogging the KSP Interstellar thread for MechJeb issues.

Also, thanks guys!

Most welcome, and hope that you have smooth sailing (flying?)

[Sahadara]

On 12/1/2015, 2:30:24, Profit- said:

It is a long standing issue.  Not really a bug, just there are different fuels for reactors currently.   It will be streamlined in the future if I understood correctly the things FreeThinker said. 

 

So as it stands, is it possible to use ISRU to refuel the UF4 and Uranium Nitride reactors from resources collected off of Kerbin?

[Profit-]

I do not believe so. You will have to use thorium. 

34 minutes ago, Sahadara said:

So as it stands, is it possible to use ISRU to refuel the UF4 and Uranium Nitride reactors from resources collected off of Kerbin?

 

Edited December 8, 2015 by Profit-

[ss8913]

I'm not usually playing in Science mode; I've done most of my work with KSPI in sandbox, so this is the first time I've used the dusty plasma reactor.  When dragging it around in VAB, it's.. well it kills the framerate.  After it's been attached, it can't be unattached, and nothing can be surface-attached to it.  Once launched, framerate is about 1... and the log is spewing this:

(Filename: ..\..\Cooking\src\ConvexMeshBuilder.cpp Line: 547)

The hull has more than 255 polygons. This is invalid.

Only happens with the dusty plasma.  pebble bed is fine (for example).  Known bug?  Known conflict with <certain mod>?  Something I'm doing wrong perhaps?...?

[Nansuchao]

1 hour ago, ss8913 said:

I'm not usually playing in Science mode; I've done most of my work with KSPI in sandbox, so this is the first time I've used the dusty plasma reactor.  When dragging it around in VAB, it's.. well it kills the framerate.  After it's been attached, it can't be unattached, and nothing can be surface-attached to it.  Once launched, framerate is about 1... and the log is spewing this:

(Filename: ..\..\Cooking\src\ConvexMeshBuilder.cpp Line: 547)

The hull has more than 255 polygons. This is invalid.

Only happens with the dusty plasma.  pebble bed is fine (for example).  Known bug?  Known conflict with <certain mod>?  Something I'm doing wrong perhaps?...?

It's just an issue with the 1.0.5 patch, related to the next 1.1.

Unity5 doesn't support parts with more than 255 polygons, so that reactor will be replaced. Until then, avoid to use it.

[NeverEnoughFuel!!]

Hi, I have this strange bug... I think it has something to do with subassemblies or docking ports or root part of a subassemblie... I concluded that when I kicked out small Mun jumper and docking port out of the cargo bay of one other SSTO plane (not this one in the screen shot), suddenly thermal turbo jet worked like a charm... but this time that trick won't work... so engine is running, air flow is running, pretty strong reactor is there, but zero thrust...

 http://postimg.org/image/xv0me9sd1/

and here is list of modes http://postimg.org/image/pvw9j7d91/

Edited December 9, 2015 by NeverEnoughFuel!!
wrong screen shot

[Profit-]

31 minutes ago, NeverEnoughFuel!! said:

Hi, I have this strange bug... I think it has something to do with subassemblies or docking ports or root part of a subassemblie... I concluded that when I kicked out small Mun jumper and docking port out of the cargo bay of one other SSTO plane (not this one in the screen shot), suddenly thermal turbo jet worked like a charm... but this time that trick won't work... so engine is running, air flow is running, pretty strong reactor is there, but zero thrust...

 http://postimg.org/image/xv0me9sd1/

and here is list of modes http://postimg.org/image/pvw9j7d91/

There is some bug, think it is a NAN bug going on.   Your engine temp is 0K which does not seem right at all.. 

I will look at a ship like this when I get home.    I assume those are dumbo reactors?

Edited December 9, 2015 by Profit-

[ss8913]

12 hours ago, Nansuchao said:

It's just an issue with the 1.0.5 patch, related to the next 1.1.

Unity5 doesn't support parts with more than 255 polygons, so that reactor will be replaced. Until then, avoid to use it.

Seems like what needs to happen is a new model should be used.. perhaps if I just copy the model files from the pebble bed reactor..?  That seems like a decent workaround that I'd be happy with if it was officially implemented as a workaround.  I'll see if it works when I get home tonight.

[NeverEnoughFuel!!]

NAN... can you please be more specific... I'm in career mod (for the third time, thanks to KSP general instability, unintentional deleting, etc. etc. ... don't believe I have strength for onr more try... )?   No those are pebble bed reactors ... almost two tons lighter...

[Profit-]

5 hours ago, NeverEnoughFuel!! said:

NAN... can you please be more specific... I'm in career mod (for the third time, thanks to KSP general instability, unintentional deleting, etc. etc. ... don't believe I have strength for onr more try... )?   No those are pebble bed reactors ... almost two tons lighter...

NaN Stands for Not a number, and is usually a divide by zero exception that is caught.   Your temprature should be around 10 degrees C and instead it is negative 260ish.  This screams NaN bug.     See if you can find a message about it in your KSP log files. 

They definitely work for me, this here pushed 1300m/s until the crew cabin exploded from the heat of the atmosphere using a pebble bed reactor. 

(It was twitchy as hell though because it was not aerodynamically balanced)

A couple tweaks actually made it suprisingly flyable.. and a front ablator allowed me to breach the atmosphere and put it into orbit on atm alone. (170K AP 20K PE)  Still looking though as to why the NaN is attacking you..  Maybe try a different style ship?


And then I made this just to make sure it was not the reactor combinations (Goes into flat spins of death at a moments notice though!)


 

Edited December 10, 2015 by Profit-

[gary85]

With antimatter reactor i can take 98 tons craft to orbith without using liquid fuel , thermal turbojet is so op.

But ballance issues are great reentry is pure luck + ofc 3fps wont help.

 

Edited December 10, 2015 by gary85

[NeverEnoughFuel!!]

About log files... is that when I press F3... or somewhere else in folders? I need two seat, Mun capable ssto with wide enough cargo bay so it can carry Mun jumper weighting about 2,3 tones.... enough delta V for trip there and back including multiple docking with space labs in Mun orbit... and one more thing not too expensive ;-)... but its really frustrating when you spend hours designing it and get zero thrust in the end... and it should fly like a bullet...

[Profit-]

42 minutes ago, NeverEnoughFuel!! said:

About log files... is that when I press F3... or somewhere else in folders? I need two seat, Mun capable ssto with wide enough cargo bay so it can carry Mun jumper weighting about 2,3 tones.... enough delta V for trip there and back including multiple docking with space labs in Mun orbit... and one more thing not too expensive ;-)... but its really frustrating when you spend hours designing it and get zero thrust in the end... and it should fly like a bullet...

You will find it in the programs directory, called KSP.log.

 

[NeverEnoughFuel!!]

Well a little update, I tried different setup and at first the same problem  http://postimg.org/image/4a8ybibn7/

different tanks and command module (cabin) no cargo in cargo bay or docking ports etc. BUT When I removed " atomic light bulb" http://postimg.org/image/cr3v8oqyb/

they have a real mean sound... and everything starts to shake a bit even on clamps... it seems they don't like each other... or is it maybe a KER problem... KER does not "see" delta v so the game shuts engines down? Probably stupid hypothesis... but I'm not programmer...