KSP Interstellar Extended Continued Development Thread

[Noromier]

So I've looked through this forum, the older one and all over google. Can't seem to find anyone with the same issue as me so i'm hoping its ok to ask about it here. While loading ksp it gets stuck loading tweakable anitmatter reactor from the warp plugin folder which seems to be from this mod. Does it just take a really long time to load or have I done something wrong? The game doesn't lock up or crash it just sits there when the module manager part of the loading screen gets to this one spot. So when loading the bar reads as "WarpPlugin/Parts/Electrical/AntimatterReactors/AntimatterReactor/TweakableAntimatterReactor". I also installed the mod using CKAN if that helps.

 

Edit* Just found some info about it on page 282... guess i didn't look hard enough. Gonna read through that now

Edited December 4, 2016 by Noromier

[FreeThinker]

 

On 4-12-2016 at 0:52 AM, juanml82 said:

Mmm... I'm starting to use this mod for real and I'm trying to build a generator (first on the ground, to check if it's working) for a microwave network. It's not working, but I don't know if it's because I'm doing something wrong or it's somehow bugged. I had a setup in a clean install and I got it to work (with a different design).

The Microwave transceiver currently needs to be connected directly to a Gyrotron to be able to transmit power. This might change in the future

Edited December 6, 2016 by FreeThinker

[juanml82]

20 minutes ago, FreeThinker said:

 

The Microwave transceiver currently needs to be conceded directly to a Gyrotron to be able to transmit power. This might change in the future

Thanks, I put the gyrotron beneath the transceiver and it's now working

[Thompson64]

Hi, druing my career playthrough I've noticed my thermal electric generators were not upgraded after researching "Experimental electronics" node. There is bug in SmallElectricGenerator part definition file, its upgrade node is incorectly set to largeNuclearPower or something like that, when it should be set to upgradeTechReq = experimentalElectrics. My apalogy if this issue has been already fixed.

[juanml82]

Quick question, what happens to engines once "soot accumulation" turns too high?

 

In other words, is that something I need to plan about during long duration missions?

Edited December 5, 2016 by juanml82

[FreeThinker]

9 hours ago, juanml82 said:

Quick question, what happens to engines once "soot accumulation" turns too high?

 

In other words, is that something I need to plan about during long duration missions?

What effectivly happens is your engine becomes less powerfull and efficient, creates more (stock) heat and wasteheat. Once in orbit, reduced power i'sn't a huge problem, but it you would attemp a retro burn or land, it can bite you.

The heat problem can be compensated with radiators, and using any clean propellant (without carbon) will gradualy reduce it but if you can use some cleaning propellant like CO  and flow it gently over the heat exchanges, it can be cleaned a lot faster.

Edited December 5, 2016 by FreeThinker

[juanml82]

5 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

What effectivly happens is your engine becomes less powerfull and efficient, creates more (stock) heat and wasteheat. Once in orbit, reduced power i'sn't a huge problem, but it you would attemp a retro burn or land, it can bite you.

The heat problem can be compensated with radiators, and using any clean propellant (without carbon) will gradualy reduce it but if you can use some cleaning propellant like CO  and flow it gently over the heat exchanges, it can be cleaned a lot faster.

So, for instance, I was using methane, which is a lot less bulky than hydrogen and seemed like a good trade off. But it accumulates plenty of soot. By using CO, do you mean I can use some sort of secondary tank with CO, switch engines and tanks to that mid-flight and burn a bit of CO to clean the engine? Or do I need to account of soot from the get go and choose fuels accordingly?

[FreeThinker]

Just now, juanml82 said:

So, for instance, I was using methane, which is a lot less bulky than hydrogen and seemed like a good trade off. But it accumulates plenty of soot. By using CO, do you mean I can use some sort of secondary tank with CO, switch engines and tanks to that mid-flight and burn a bit of CO to clean the engine? Or do I need to account of soot from the get go and choose fuels accordingly?

Methane is indeed the highest performing propellant for launch, but the trade off is indeed  soothing of the heat exchanger., effectivly reduce engine power. To get rid of the soothing, you could switch to CO propellant in low thrust (high thrust will make it worse) or use water. There resources can be either taken with you or produced from atmosphere/orcean mining

[FreeThinker]

The future is bright:

50 GW Solar Power satellite station, using Dielectric Mirror Thermal Receiver brought in low Kerbol orbit using a Plasma Wakefield Accelerator Engine @100000s using continuous acceleration under time warp

Edited December 5, 2016 by FreeThinker

[ss8913]

So... this has become.. I suppose *more* of a problem in 1.2.x than it was in 1.1.3, but it was always *kind of* an issue.. it's now severe enough that I'm willing to post about it though.

The KSPIE Resistojet RCS thrusters.  These things are great, especially for heavier craft.  However... hm. where to begin.  I almost posted this on the MJ2 forums until I noticed the same behavior with TCA and even with stock SAS+RCS enabled... these RCS thrusters do not play well with anything other than manual input.  For example when you ask either MJ2 or stock to turn prograde (for example), it'll only use a fraction of the thruster power available.. you can "help" it with manual control input but .. it won't automatically use all the thrust.  This problem gets worse with weight.  heavy craft *require* manual help.

Also, if the craft is *below* a certain weight, you get a lot of wasteful wobble even when holding a heading; ie, it keeps over-correcting.

This may all be a function of "these thrusters are more powerful than what any of the mods/stock KSP are expecting and that's just the way it is" but I'm not sure.

With TCA the whole thing goes sideways very quickly.  TCA will freak out and not hold an attitude at all if RCS is turned on and you're using these.  No idea why; older versions of TCA didn't do that, the author says he doesn't use KSPIE, so I'm a little bit at a dead end there.  I'm mostly posting all of this *here* because the KSPIE RCS thrusters are the only common thread linking these problems and I'm wondering if they do something fundamentally different, apart from having higher power from stock, that makes this behavior happen?

[FreeThinker]

Well besides beeing more powerfull, the KSPI-E also have their own controller to allow for propellant switching

the KSPIE Risistojet have a lot of option, have you tried any of them, do they make any difference?

[SirJorgeMervin]

Hey FreeThinker,

I was wondering if you could shed some light on the development of the mk2 expansion compatability pack, or who was working on it.

[FreeThinker]

1 hour ago, SirJorgeMervin said:

Hey FreeThinker,

I was wondering if you could shed some light on the development of the mk2 expansion compatability pack, or who was working on it.

ABZB was the original developer, but he went AWOL. I asked someone else to update them but he never did. Basicly it is up for graps for anyone that wishes to help. I would prefer if it was integrated in KSPI so I can maintain it.

What we need is someone with a good understanding of Modula Manager, or willing to learn it intimatly. The problem with Module Manager (from my perspective) it can be quite time consuming to develop anything complex in it. But it is surprizing what you can do with it. ABZB was good at it, but failed to appoint an succesor, which is a shame.

But the same happened with many KSP Mod projects, including KSPI. I just hapened to be in the position to gradualy take it over and make it my own.

Edited December 6, 2016 by FreeThinker

[Nansuchao]

6 hours ago, SirJorgeMervin said:

Hey FreeThinker,

I was wondering if you could shed some light on the development of the mk2 expansion compatability pack, or who was working on it.

I tried to take it, but for lack of time and bothering RL, failed to take more than a couple of look at it. It's quite a complex mod, being just a bunch of MM patches.

The main part, the one that adds IFS and all related propellants to every fuel tank works, I have to find the time and the energy to work on the MK3 integration. 

If you want to help me, maybe I can find some spare time in the next few days to make a working release soon.

[FreeThinker]

@Nansuchao Well if you ever need some detailed knowledge regarding KSPIE partmodules, you are free to ask

[Nansuchao]

36 minutes ago, FreeThinker said:

@Nansuchao Well if you ever need some detailed knowledge regarding KSPIE partmodules, you are free to ask

Thanks, I probably need some advice on the engine's controller. I saw there is the electric one, the vista one and the thermal one, but I'm not sure about the values I have to specify for each of them or how to set them in a way they works. A few days ago I tried a dirty and quick test with the Vista trying to swap it with the Vasimir with the results that it didn't work at all. 

Why? Just to test if I can swap the controller and leave the other values unchanged.

[Jumberlack]

hi @FreeThinker! I wanna say I really like the direction the mod is going, you've done some really good work! I have a few questions mainly about beamed microwave energy, as that seems to be poorly documented (if it's actually well written about and there's a secret stash of knowledge please do tell!) . so I guess I'll just get started and feel free to answer as much or as little of it as you want.

 I can't get the relay function of the phased array thing to work, does it just not? do I need a gyrotron or something to make it transmit power? do I have to be really tricky with the angle it is put at, or is it easier to just have a receiver pointed at the previous relay/ powerstation and a separate transmitter transmitting?

      part 2, if it is easier to have a separate receiver and transmitter, is there a good way to keep a satellite pointed at, say, whatever they're targeting with sas, even during time warp or being unloaded? 

are the spherical dual mode receivers broke or something? I noticed the max wavelength was zero for them.

the fold able rectennas seem to like to fold up and hide(at least visually). are they supposed to do that? are they supposed to pivot to track the most powerful incoming transmission, or is the pivot function just for the sun track?

      -is there a better way to receive microwave power on small/atmosphere going craft?

 is there an amount of power that is too much for a single receiver that would warrant having multiple on the same craft?

is there an aerodynamic solution to heat dissipation/ EMR receivers? one day I would very much like to have a powerful enough network to get a solely EM drive propelled craft to orbit, but I have some problems in the way of that currently lol.

 

Edited December 7, 2016 by Jumberlack
forgot a word

[FreeThinker]

2 hours ago, Jumberlack said:

hi @FreeThinker! I wanna say I really like the direction the mod is going, you've done some really good work! I have a few questions mainly about beamed microwave energy, as that seems to be poorly documented (if it's actually well written about and there's a secret stash of knowledge please do tell!) . so I guess I'll just get started and feel free to answer as much or as little of it as you want.

 

Glad you like the direction I'm taking, but I couldn't realize without help of all artists that create the great new models

 

 

[FreeThinker]

2 hours ago, Jumberlack said:

I can't get the relay function of the phased array thing to work, does it just not? do I need a gyrotron or something to make it transmit power? do I have to be really tricky with the angle it is put at, or is it easier to just have a receiver pointed at the previous relay/ powerstation and a separate transmitter transmitting?

 

Yes, the phased array needs to be connected (directly) to a Gyrotron in order to transmit. Note that it will only be able to do this in space, (because it lacks any fine ability to target)

You don't have to point the transmitter towards the receiving vessel, it is assumed this is done while you have focused the receiver vessel.  The Phased Array can be configured for for transmitting, receiving or relaying. Only when receiving, part needs to be directed at the receiving signal Part that are able to pivot have a much larger angle at which can receive power. Receiver like the circular and wrapped panel receivers are ideal for this.

Edited December 7, 2016 by FreeThinker

[FreeThinker]

New Open Cycle Gas core reactor with Plasma nozzle for optimum Isp performance

[ss8913]

On 12/5/2016 at 11:02 PM, FreeThinker said:

Well besides beeing more powerfull, the KSPI-E also have their own controller to allow for propellant switching

the KSPIE Risistojet have a lot of option, have you tried any of them, do they make any difference?

Can you explain real quick what those options are supposed to do?  What I notice is that all 3 mentioned autopilots keep overcorrecting.. if you look at the control inputs thing in the lower left, they all three keep oscillating back and forth.. which is wasteful on propellant and can induce a significant wobble in lighter craft.  And there's the issue that they'll never go full deflection to make a turn unless I manually "help" them.

Couple of questions/observations:

1. large folding radiators - sometimes the animation and the actual state get out of sync.  I have 'toggle radiator' hotkeyed, but sometimes when retracting them, they will show retracted but still be "deployed" as per the right click menu.  Was trying to figure out why they sometimes fell off in the atmosphere when retracted and sometimes not, and this is why.  still technically deployed.  When this happens I have to manually cycle each via mouse-click to sync them up again.  Not sure if the small/medium have the same issue.  The partially folding and the big disk looking one don't seem to do it.

2. VASIMR... ok, i have a hydrazine tank => reactor (think i had a pebble bed for this test) => thermoelectric generator => VASIMR .. on a test craft with launch clamps.  I throttle it up and.. nothing happens.  Radiators are active.  Reactor is active.  Generator is active.  Engine says active and 100% fuel demand met... just 0.0kN of thrust.  The electric window shows that it is drawing power, albeit not much.  This is in career mode and I do not have high energy physics unlocked yet.  Is this normal?  If the VASIMR is simply not getting enough power.. should it be at a higher tech level?  Or is there a different reactor/generator combo I should be using?  What exactly does the VASIMR want?  Haven't tried in sandbox yet.

[FreeThinker]

Version 1.11.4 for Kerbal Space Program 1.2.1

Released on 2016-12-07

• Added Huge Solar Thermal Receiver by Raknark
• Added Wrapped Thermal Receiver by Raknark
• Added Wrapped Photovoltalic Receiver Panel
• Added Plasma Wakefield Accelerator Engine
• Added Modular Open Cycle Gas Core reactor by Eleusis La Arwall
• Added acceleration under time warp to Electric engines
• Added first Interstellar KSPedia entrances by markinturamb
• Balanced: Moved Microwave Transciever to Large Electronic and integrated a microwave beam generator
• Balanced: Moved Mk1 and Mk2 Thermal Receivers to Large Electronics
• Fixed Stability thermal turbojet thrust by Dunclaw
• Fixed Stability electric engines
• Fixed Stability folding/unfolding radiator/receivers/transmitters

Edited December 7, 2016 by FreeThinker

[ss8913]

1.2.1?  not 1.2.2?

[WaYa]

"Duel Mode Thermal Sphere Receiver" does not appear to work.  So far all the other microwave receivers I have tried appear to work fine.

edit: this is with 1.11.4 (and 1.11.3), ksp 1.2.1 (and 1.2.2)

Edited December 8, 2016 by WaYa
indicating version of mod/game

[SpaceMouse]

I'll have to beta test it on 1.2.2