KSP Interstellar Extended Continued Development Thread

[singlet]

Possible bug report:
radius and exit area of the thermal ramjet nozzle become inconsistent with the values shown by TweakScale when the nozzle is rescaled.

For example, its radius becomes 1.40625m when it is first rescaled from 2.5m to 1.875m. Note that the ratio (2.5:1.40625) is exactly the square of the correct ratio (2.5:1.875): it looks like the values are rescaled twice.

[SpaceMouse]

@FreeThinker, I think there may be a issue with the circular PV cells. In the VAB it says they should be making 200ec (and whatever KSPi equivalent and in space there only making 2ec. Misplaced decimal?

Also, i asked this before and never got a response. Is there a way i can run something like the EMdrive off of batteries? It seems to be limited to whatever the solar panels are outputting, without a reactor.

[markinturamb]

5 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

That is correct behavior, it only shows it there is at least one megajoule  power producing part (generator connected to reactor or receiver or solar panel).

 That's where my doubt was, because the description says that the molten salt has an "integrated thermal electric generator"..So I expected to see a few MJ even without an external generator attached. Assuming the behaviour of recharging the EletricCharge is correct, I should remake the sheet and separate the Electric node into EC and MJ to avoid confusions like this.

[FreeThinker]

1 hour ago, SpaceMouse said:

Also, i asked this before and never got a response. Is there a way i can run something like the EMdrive off of batteries? It seems to be limited to whatever the solar panels are outputting, without a reactor.

Well I want to look into if its possible to use the supercapacitator for this, that what it was intended for. Still the problem is that it cannot last that long

Edited November 25, 2016 by FreeThinker

[Nansuchao]

3 hours ago, markinturamb said:

 That's where my doubt was, because the description says that the molten salt has an "integrated thermal electric generator"..So I expected to see a few MJ even without an external generator attached. Assuming the behaviour of recharging the EletricCharge is correct, I should remake the sheet and separate the Electric node into EC and MJ to avoid confusions like this.

That description comes from versions before KSP 1.2. Back in 1.1.x the Molten Salt had a different model with an integrated generator, now not anymore.

[DrScarlett]

Dear @FreeThinker,

I have a question that I did not think to ask, but is fairly important to my current game  

Does KSPI-E come with actual other Star Systems to go to? 

• If yes, how can I find them? Are they procedural?
• If no, what additional mods would you advise to add star systems if my intent is to go set up a self sustaining colony (using USI) in another star system? I tend to gravitate towards a procedural solution (so my newfound star systems are unique). However also I'd be looking for nice beautiful sites, space oddities if possible, which are more probable in a designed system. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me  

[FreeThinker]

21 minutes ago, DrScarlett said:

Dear @FreeThinker,

I have a question that I did not think to ask, but is fairly important to my current game  

Does KSPI-E come with actual other Star Systems to go to? 

• If yes, how can I find them? Are they procedural?
• If no, what additional mods would you advise to add star systems if my intent is to go set up a self sustaining colony (using USI) in another star system? I tend to gravitate towards a procedural solution (so my newfound star systems are unique). However also I'd be looking for nice beautiful sites, space oddities if possible, which are more probable in a designed system. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me  

Nope I explicitly do not ship with any Star system / Galaxy expansion. In the OP I do several recommendations for Star systems, you have to make up your own mind what to use. My goal is to be compatible with all types of star systems.

Edited November 25, 2016 by FreeThinker

[DrScarlett]

2 minutes ago, FreeThinker said:

In the OP I do several recommendations for Star systems

Darn, missed that. Thank you!

[FreeThinker]

1 hour ago, Nansuchao said:

That description comes from versions before KSP 1.2. Back in 1.1.x the Molten Salt had a different model with an integrated generator, now not anymore.

Indeed, I had forgotten to update the description, which I fixed now. By the way, your tutorials might also need an updated (specificly regarding the magnnetic nozzle which is split into plasma nozzle and magnetic nozzle)

To help clarify things I started with a new reactor/engine table. The idea of the table is to give the player a good overview of all the aviable reactors, helping players make a concious dissision. The problem is that I'm realy bad in creating good descriptions. Perhaps someone with more talent can help me.

Edited November 25, 2016 by FreeThinker

[FreeThinker]

@SpaceMouse @Blackline  As mentioned, the big problem is energy storage density.

I have done some new calculations for a graphine based super capacitator assuming a volume of 1.6 m^2 and  graphine density of 1 kg / L and a graphite capacitator specific energy denisty of  308 kJ/kg , I get about 462 MJ with a mass of 1.5 ton, (which is 308 MJ / ton) . Which compared to the current 40 MJ with a mass of 0.2 ton (200 MJ / ton) is 54% better 

Can anyone do better?.

Edited November 25, 2016 by FreeThinker

[SpaceMouse]

6 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

Well I want to look into if its possible to use the supercapacitator for this, that what it was intended for. Still the problem is that it cannot last that long

I realize in a mod with a focus on multi- gigawatt reactors, a lowly battery is probably not the focus, it doesn't have to be a crazy complex supercapacitor, though. If your looking for your own battery i can definitely make one. My mega- emdrive is in need of some serious electron storage too. @Blackline might also be interested.

[FreeThinker]

2 minutes ago, SpaceMouse said:

I realize in a mod with a focus on multi- gigawatt reactors, a lowly battery is probably not the focus, it doesn't have to be a crazy complex supercapacitor, though. If your looking for your own battery i can definitely make one. My mega- emdrive is in need of some serious electron storage too. @Blackline might also be interested.

Well it would be nice if you could create a better model for my current retextured Near Future capacitators part model. It has to be a capacitator based on a Graphene (which a 1 molecule thick sheets). I have no idea how this is supposed to look like, perhaps you could investigate

Edit: perhaps this can give some inspiration:

 

Edited November 25, 2016 by FreeThinker

[SpaceMouse]

24 minutes ago, FreeThinker said:

Well it would be nice if you could create a better model for my current retextured Near Future capacitators part model. It has to be a capacitator based on a Graphene (which a 1 molecule thick sheets). I have no idea how this is supposed to look like, perhaps you could investigate

Edit: perhaps this can give some inspiration:

 

Kinda more interested in dedicated energy storage, but I'll look at the video, i have a annoying time striking a balance between making something lol like it's supposed to, and the general glorified cylinder many things in KSP endup being.

[FreeThinker]

57 minutes ago, SpaceMouse said:

Kinda more interested in dedicated energy storage, but I'll look at the video, i have a annoying time striking a balance between making something lol like it's supposed to, and the general glorified cylinder many things in KSP endup being.

In that case you should make it look like these graphene capacitator banks

How is that for original design?

Edited November 25, 2016 by FreeThinker

[Eleusis La Arwall]

On 24/11/2016 at 11:28 AM, markinturamb said:

Not until now I wasn't  However I have no clue on how to do this, but @FreeThinker is free to do whatever he wants with it. I just did it trying to understand this mod myself, and thought I might as well share it

Made a quick'n dirty test with a clone of the KIS-guide:
Imgur-album
Config:

Spoiler

 

+PART[KIS_guide]
{
    @name = KSPIE_guide
    @title = Interstellar Guide
    @manufacturer = Interstellar Corp.
    @description = Overview
    @tags = book portable inventory
    @MODULE[ModuleKISItemBook]
    {
        @pageWidth = 1280
        @pageHeight = 2060
        @page = WarpPlugin/Parts/Utility/Guide/p01
    }
}

 

It works but there are a few possible problems. The image is shown in original size (2060 px height) and as far as I can tell, it can't be resized ingame only with the config. If I make it smaller it fits on normal screens but I fear it will not be readable anymore.

Haven't tested a KSPedia so far but I fear the same problem with readability. A different, wider layout would be better suited for a KSPedia page. Optimal resoulution for a KSPedia page would be 2048 width and 1536 height.

On 24/11/2016 at 11:28 AM, markinturamb said:

I could also make it all an excel file instead of an image, where the player edit variables like fuel and power input, but I don't think it would work ingame as @Eleusis La Arwall suggested

It would be very usefull to have a little ingame-calculator for this kind of stuff but that is not my realm

[Blackline]

@SpaceMouse

@FreeThinker

I did not read everything, but i think thats exactly what RealBattery could provide. Currently it only has 2 types (Lead-Acid and Li-Ion) and is using stock models, but its fully configurable (really easy to do!) and could use any model. I could recreate any sort of EC-Storage, supercaps included. Or flywheels, anything. The hard part (limiting the EC-flow) is done, now i can go broad.

So give me the specs, and ill give you the module. The Battery/Supercap is defined by:

• A name for the tech, like "Graphen ultracap"
• Energy density: Energy per mass, kWh per t, or Mj per kg, any combination
• Power density for maximum discharge rate: Power per mass, kW per t, W per kg...
• Charge Efficiency: how much of the maximum discharge rate shall be available for charging. If this value is 0.1 and max discharge rate is 20kW, maximum charge rate is 2kW
• Heat stuff: do you want to get your device hot if its charged/discharged? Whats the optimal temperature?

I can give you a prototype anytime.

[SpaceMouse]

I was always a bit confused why there isnt more talk of batteries to run electric thrusters, i get they might be impractical at large distances from a star and kspi's thruster power requirements but honestly, 99.9% of a time a ship in space isnt going to be using its thrusters and free to soak up power...

[SpaceMouse]

Eh. Nothing is terribly unique looking. All variations on cylinders and thin rectangular cells. Cylinders are done pretty commonly for batteries so maybe i'll do something in the flat sandwich style.

[FreeThinker]

Look again it is the weird contraption at the back

[SpaceMouse]

44 minutes ago, FreeThinker said:

Look again it is the weird contraption at the back

I was looking at pictures of various batteries and supercaps. Does the current supercapacitor actually do anything? It says it charges, but i see no resource indication or sign its doing anything but eating up megajoules, even hooked to a reactor..

[Blackline]

9 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

@SpaceMouse @Blackline  As mentioned, the big problem is energy storage density.

I have done some new calculations for a graphine based super capacitator assuming a volume of 1.6 m^2 and  graphine density of 1 kg / L and a graphite capacitator specific energy denisty of  308 kJ/kg , I get about 462 MJ with a mass of 1.5 ton, (which is 308 MJ / ton) . Which compared to the current 40 MJ with a mass of 0.2 ton (200 MJ / ton) is 54% better 

Can anyone do better?.

I think its stock 4MJ (=4000EC = 4000 KJ) per 200kg -> 20 MJ/t. So your 308 MJ/t is about 15 times more.

My Li-Ion RealBattery currently gives 180 kWh/t = 650 MJ/t and is more or less based on real stats. This at a power rate of 1.8 MW/t (plus 1.8MW required cooling :-) )

Edited November 25, 2016 by Blackline

[Nansuchao]

11 minutes ago, Blackline said:

I think its stock 4MJ (=4000EC = 4000 KJ) per 200kg -> 20 MJ/t. So your 308 MJ/t is about 15 times more.

My Li-Ion RealBattery currently gives 180 kWh/t = 650 MJ/t and is more or less based on real stats. This at a power rate of 1.8 MW/t (plus 1.8MW required cooling :-) )

I noticed using your mod that the capacity of the batteries is lower than the stock ones, that is very small per se. Is this temporary or not?

[ss8913]

OK.. I know this is not exactly the best of bug reports but I have very little information to go on... the logs have absolutely nothing in them.  Everything is fine until I start getting D3D errors followed by "KSP_x64.exe has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware".

 

Here's the thing though, it only happens in KSP, it only happens in the SPH (due to how I'm using the parts), and it only happens when I'm looking at/attempting to install certain bits from KSPIE; many of the radiators will start triggering it, etc.. basically what happens is the animation inside SPH starts stuttering, and it'll recover a few times, but if I don't get out of the SPH *right away*, I'll either get the aforementioned error message and/or a hard crash requiring me to powercycle the entire computer.

Anyone else see this?  I can run any other game for hours on end, even KSP, but as soon as I start building spaceplanes with KSPIE parts, this happens.  It seems very oddly specific and I'd appreciate some help as far as tracking it down.. are there any debug options I can pass on the command line which might help ferret it out?

[Blackline]

8 hours ago, Nansuchao said:

I noticed using your mod that the capacity of the batteries is lower than the stock ones, that is very small per se. Is this temporary or not?

Hmm, I can not understand that. How do you come to that conclusion? 

You need to know: 1SC = 3600EC = 1kWh

[markinturamb]

On 11/25/2016 at 9:14 AM, FreeThinker said:

Indeed, I had forgotten to update the description, which I fixed now. By the way, your tutorials might also need an updated (specificly regarding the magnnetic nozzle which is split into plasma nozzle and magnetic nozzle)

To help clarify things I started with a new reactor/engine table. The idea of the table is to give the player a good overview of all the aviable reactors, helping players make a concious dissision. The problem is that I'm realy bad in creating good descriptions. Perhaps someone with more talent can help me.

Ok, so I'll update the graph according to my tests and split electric power into MJ and EC, and change the resolution as @Eleusis La Arwall mentioned. I can try helping with the reactors if I ever get to them, but I'm still stuck trying to understand the engines

I've made this crude sketch using the table in the OP for ISP values, and the ingame info for thrust. If it seems like I'm on the right path, let me know and I'll tidy it  up visually and continue for the other engines, and try to test their upgrades to see how it affects them.

Edit: One idea, since you're messing with the tables, would be to separate the reactors that just generate power and the ones with built-in nozzles (the ones I called standalone engines) into two different tables for better understanding

Edited November 26, 2016 by markinturamb