[0.20] RemoteTech: Relay Network – V 0.5.0.1

[Duke-49th]

Thanks a lot!

[Zephiris]

Awesome work! Thanks JDP and thanks community!

[kk0425]

Thanks so much! Also a huge thanks to the rest of of the community that helped with this!

[CAPFlyer]

Great to see the official update so soon! I hope this means you did well on your exams?

[Space ghöst]

RemoteTech 0,35 released.

With this done, I think I shall spend the rest of my Sunday establishing my first interplanetary relay network .

This is definitely what I'm going to do! Thanks for this spectacular plugin!

Also, if you're interested. I'd like to try and make some custom icons for this plugin. Here's a couple rough-draft examples (alpha channels still need work, etc), probably won't use these anyways. Don't mind the contrasting backgrounds.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]33958[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]33959[/ATTACH]

In the upcoming 0.17.1 hotfix, you'll be able to put all the png's in the PluginData\remotetech folder.

If you think this is something you'd like for your mod, let me know. If not, no worries. Just want to help.

Edited September 30, 2012 by Spaceghöst

[Meathook]

Great work, the throttle bug isn't there anymore, everything is working smoothly. Makes this plug-in even more amazing. Also had the first working decoupled-manned-lander test a few minutes ago, so the preparations for my Apollo-style mission can finally begin. Thank you very much!

[JDP]

...Also, if you're interested. I'd like to try and make some custom icons for this plugin. Here's a couple rough-draft examples (alpha channels still need work, etc), probably won't use these anyways. Don't mind the contrasting backgrounds.

...

In the upcoming 0.17.1 hotfix, you'll be able to put all the png's in the PluginData\remotetech folder.

If you think this is something you'd like for your mod, let me know. If not, no worries. Just want to help.

You practically read my mind. I actually implemented it in 0,35 (see attachment for my rendition of the needed icons) but had to remove the feature again. For reasons beyond me, using custom stackIcons would create vessel-sundering Exceptions in remote controlled debris, once you shift focus to- and from it. I lost a lot of test sattelites to sudden space cthulhu attacks.

Please feel free to play around with it though. I think I'll be waiting for the hotfix until I dabble in icons again. Hopefully the code will be a bit more robust by then.

[Space ghöst]

Oh, wow. Those are cool icons man! Guess I better not quit my day job. lol

For reasons beyond me, using custom stackIcons would create vessel-sundering Exceptions in remote controlled debris, once you shift focus to- and from it.

Ahhh, I see. Thought it was something that I did, but it looks like there <i>is</i> an issue. Hopefully the new hotfix will solve it, that or perhaps do some testing myself. *crosses fingers*

[JDP]

...Hopefully the new hotfix will solve it, that or perhaps do some testing myself. *crosses fingers*

Hopefully it will. Or maybe it would be possible to reinitialize the icons on load somehow. I experimented with it a bit, but without luck.

Please feel free to tinker as much as you want. RT is very much a community-driven plugin, so extra developers and modelers are always welcome .

I just flew my very first completely unmanned interplanetary mission, without using localControl or any autopilots. Dang that was exciting!

Here's how I did it:

step 0:

fix you patched conics to show you multiple encounters.

set it to something like (in the ksp settings.cfg):

CONIC_PATCH_LIMIT = 10

step 1:

Establish a relay network around Kerbin.

step 2:

Send a command station to your target planet. (your command station needs to have a crew of at least 3, and a RemoteCommand part, and antennae/dishes of course).

step 2b:

Establish a relay network around your target planet. (remember to add interplanetary class satellite dishes).

(Step 2 and 2b can be combined in one mission by attaching decoupleable relay satellites to your command station composed of; RemoteControl, antennae/dishes and whatever propulsion you see fit. When you decouple the satellites, they will be activated by the RemoteControl and will become controllable Vessels in themselves)

step 3:

build your unmanned interplanetary probe as you wish (remember the interplanetary class dish), and let it sit on the launchpad for a bit while you set up your relay networks. Both your Kerbin relay satellites and those in orbit around your target planet should have an interplanetary dish pointed at your probe.

step 4:

Wait for Kerbin to be in the correct orbital position for you to be able to get a trajectory with an encounter with your target planet (in the case of Duna, Kerbin should be a little "behind" it).

Launch into a low orbit and burn prograde until your trajectory leaves Kerbins SOI, keep burning until your trajectory around the sun intersects with your target planet and you see an encounter in the patched conics (this will only be possible if you've fixed your patched conics in step 0).

step 5:

while in orbit around the sun, point your interplanetary class dish at whatever planet is nearest to you. At the beginning this will be Kerbin, but when you get near to your encounter with your target planet, that will be nearer.

When you get close enough to your target planet, the signal delay should drop to a couple of seconds, small enough to allow for careful course corrections.

step 6:

Once captured by your target planet, your signal delay should be very short, allowing you to maneuver more freely and attain an orbit through whatever means you wish (e.g. either a retrograde burn at periapsis or aerobraking)

step 7:

Rejoice in your first completely unmanned interplanetary mission

[Britich]

JDP, you just saved my bacon.

I still crashed on Duna though..

My Duna Launch record is worse than the Russians with Mars.

[katateochi]

RemoteTech 0,35 released.

Awsome news. Can't wait to try this out later. Nice one for working these issues out, this has to be THE most inportant mod in my setup, even more than mechjeb!!

[Space ghöst]

I just flew my very first completely unmanned interplanetary mission, without using localControl or any autopilots.

Remote control a payload to Duna? Challenge accepted!

I've got my relays setup, going to send my mothership soon. Never tried this before. I mostly use RT for controlling debris and for multiple payloads. The idea of losing contact/control is scary, but it's interesting. I've noticed with my current relay setup, that I could send a payload to Mun, it will lose connection half-way there, but re-establish a new one as I make the approach. Just have to make sure my initial trajectory is correct!

Here's what I've been working on. Got two different (ISS-1 Mothership, ISS-2 Mothership) command ships that I haven't taken out into the solar system, yet. The smaller version will have two heavy miners (kethane) docked with it to help keep everything balanced during acceleration. The bigger ship has only one docking bay, so it travels solo (with up to 9 Kerbals). I'm still working on making detachable landers for my crew to EVA into, that and the remote probes I want to try out.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34016[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]34017[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]34018[/ATTACH]

After that I'll setup a relay and toss a few remote probes at Duna!

Edited October 1, 2012 by Spaceghöst

[gabmaia]

That, my good sir, is freaking awesome!! I wanna be like you when I grow up *-*

[Azivegu]

Is there a way to change the reference name from comsat to something else? Do I just go into the parts catalog and change the name there or do i also have to do it again in the plugin? I like the name Comsat, but I've been building up a hypothetical company called Kerbocom so i would like to use that name instead.

[JDP]

Is there a way to change the reference name from comsat to something else? Do I just go into the parts catalog and change the name there or do i also have to do it again in the plugin? I like the name Comsat, but I've been building up a hypothetical company called Kerbocom so i would like to use that name instead.

You may be thinking of The_Duck's plugin, maybe you're using the PowerTech PowerSat satellite? That satellite is not all that compatible with RemoteTech, just The_Duck's.

RemoteTech doesn't need your satellites to be named anything in particular, it just needs your satellites to have the right parts. You can change the name of your satellites in the same settings menu where you set up your satellite dishes.

If you where just thinking about changing the names/descriptions of the parts, you can do that without a problem in the config file in each part's folder.

[goldenpeach]

Is there a way to use mechjeb on this plugin?

[T_Rollinue]

Anybody know of a video that explains this a lot better?

[sgtblazing]

Would anyone happen to know a method to launch an unmanned but man-able vehicle. When I try to use a crew tank or an empty pod it states crew members are required even with sufficient remote tech parts on the craft and a clear signal... On the pad. I am working on simulating a constellation run and I need three of the seven stages to be left empty for a long duration including launch.

[Nemitis]

Sorry to add to the growing list of questions here, but I can't get my joystick throttle to work on unmanned vessels. Only the Shift and Ctrl keys can adjust it. It works with manned vessels and I've tried mapping the throttle to other axis on my joystick, but that doesn't work. The change log mentions that buggy throttle controls were fixed; maybe something else needs to be done for joystick controls as well?

[katateochi]

Would anyone happen to know a method to launch an unmanned but man-able vehicle. When I try to use a crew tank or an empty pod it states crew members are required even with sufficient remote tech parts on the craft and a clear signal... On the pad. I am working on simulating a constellation run and I need three of the seven stages to be left empty for a long duration including launch.

I also tried this, I wanted an RC rescue ship, but I think this isn't currently possible. As soon as you add a crewable pod the requirement for crew takes over. I just had one idea, not tried it thou. Make a main RC vessel and then dock (using Erkle64 docking mod) a smaller crewable vessel to it. The crewable vessel then piggy backs on the RC vessel to its destination.

[Kreuzung]

That's an issue with the game only recognizing a ship as unmanned if it has no crew capacity at all. It whould require the plugin to remove all crew capacity for the time the vessel is unmanned.

We discussed that months ago, dunno if JDP already implemented it.

[Aescwulf]

To make an unmanned rocket use the remote tech command capsule stick a dish on it and a RC antenna. From here you will have control over a rocket without messing with configs and doesn't require x amount of Kerbals because the command capsule is unmanned.

It is a bit slow and takes awhile for the throttle to move but it works

[sgtblazing]

Alright thanks for the reply. Hopefully one day I can emulate the constellation project!

[Locob]

this mod alow you control your ships like an RTS game?

[JDP]

RemoteTech V 0.3.5.1 released

For the first time in ages comes a release of RemoteTech that adds features. This one is a biggy

Changelog:

• Changed the version naming convention to comply with kerbal.net standards.
  
• Made it possible to remote control crewable vessels without any crew on board.
  Big thanks go out to Alchemist and Kreuzung for helping with this. It turned out to be a bit more complicated than the simple fix we theorized ages ago. Actually I'd relegated it back into the realm of the impossible, but reading the chatter in the thread motivated me to give it another try.
  Now you can remote control crewable vessels, even when they don't have any crew (for example an empty pod, crewtank or DEMV rover)
  
• Hopefully fixed compatability with axis controls for throttle.
  I Don't currently have a way to test this, but I wrote a bit of code that hopefully restores axis compatability to RemoteTech vessels. Please provide any feedback as to whether it actually works now.