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[1.4.2] Almost Free Launch Clamps [0.2.2]

Galileo

By Galileo
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Galileo

Galileo

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Posted (edited)

Almost Free Launch Clamps (AFLC)

Recently, I have heard a few people grumbling about how launch clamps add to your total mass and cost of your vessel in the VAB, sometimes resulting in not having enough funds, or being overweight. "Their mass ony equals 0.1, so how can it make you overwieght?" I've seent it! Dont question me. After discussing with many experts, colleagues and kerbals, we have come to the conclusion that launch clamps should be free and not count toward your total mass or launch costs. Some mass is required to avoid physics issues and game crashes, so a mass of 0.1 has been given to all launch clamps. Anyway,  ALFC makes launch clamps free. Kinda. Its up to how you play really. If you play with "entry purchases required", you will only pay the entry fee. Guys old enough to go to the club should be used to this by now. Entry prices have been raised to balance out the "free" effect with this mod. If you don't play with "no entry purchases" It's free. ALWAYS. Pretty lame. Its not hard to imagine that the launch clamps are reusable, and should technically be a part of the launch pad. We shouldn't have to continuously pay for a new set each time we launch!

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Functionality:

Launch clamps capable of transfering fuel to the vessel can do so on the launch pad. Right click on the clamp and select "Fuel On" to begin fueling your vessel.

This can be considered cheaty, but I'll tell you anyway. Draining the tanks in the VAB results in huge launch cost savings and fueling up on the launch pad is free, but its immersive in the fact that you have to sit and wait for you tanks to fill up.

This mod is compatible with:

  • Stock launch clamps (duh)
  • FASA Launch Clamps: HERE
  • Bluedog Design Bureau
  • SpaceY Lifter Pack
  • Community Resource Pack

If there are others that you want patched, you will have to let me know

 

To install:

  • Just drop the AFLC folder and ModuleManager.dll into your GameData folder

 

DOWNLOAD

 

Public Domain

 

 

Edited by Galileo
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MaverickSawyer

MaverickSawyer

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1 hour ago, jpkerman said:

Dang.  Link is 404.  Looks like it got nuked.  Should have been quicker on the DL.  Wanted to give it a try.

Can confirm. 404'd.

57 minutes ago, Galileo said:

Works fine for me.

Of course it would. You are the one who posted it, and it could be a private link or something similar.

EDIT: A browse through your public github page doesn't have it available. Check your settings?

Edited by MaverickSawyer
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Galileo

Galileo

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1 hour ago, MaverickSawyer said:

Can confirm. 404'd.

Of course it would. You are the one who posted it, and it could be a private link or something similar.

EDIT: A browse through your public github page doesn't have it available. Check your settings?

turns out I made it private in the desktop app. its public now

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jpkerman

jpkerman

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OK.  Got it.  Like it.  I always double check my staging before launch so now I can fill the tanks and listen to the chatter (mod) as I make my Go/No Go checks.

  Users be aware.  The clamp seems to follow crossfeed settings.  it only fill the tank/tanks it is connected to.  So if you build a design that has tank/tanks isolated by a part that cannot be crossfeed enabled then you will need a clamp adhered to those tanks.

  It also seems to keep feeding  the tanks if you start your engines before releasing launch clamps unless you stop the fill-up.   I have been making a set of fueling clamps in addition to stability clamps so I 'release fuel clamps' before starting the countdown (mod) and releasing all remaining clamps at launch.

  If there was a way to 'attach clamp', the reverse of 'release clamp' then a player could make a refuel station.

Edited by jpkerman
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strudo76

strudo76

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Posted (edited)
On 8/24/2017 at 7:56 AM, Galileo said:

Almost Free Launch Clamps (ALFC)

Is the acronym for Almost Free Launch Clamps supposed to be ALFC? Should it be AFLC?

Any way to make the launch clamps not add to the part count? It's usually the part count I generally hit upon in my early launches, opposed to the mass or cost.

A less cheaty way of doing the on pad refuelling might be to set the maximum fuel capacities of the tanks to be the amount of fuel the have in the VAB when launched, then removing the fuel before placing it on the pad. That would require players to pay for the amount of fuel they want in the craft at launch, but still require the time to fill the tanks on the pad. Would then just need to reset the fuel tank capacities once the craft has left the pad (so they can be refuelled in space or whatever)

Edited by strudo76
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Galileo

Galileo

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7 minutes ago, strudo76 said:

Is the acronym for Almost Free Launch Clamps supposed to be ALFC? Should it be AFLC?

Any way to make the launch clamps not add to the part count? It's usually the part count I generally hit upon in my early launches, opposed to the mass or cost.

A less cheaty way of doing the on pad refuelling might be to set the maximum fuel capacities of the tanks to be the amount of fuel the have in the VAB when launched, then removing the fuel before placing it on the pad. That would require players to pay for the amount of fuel they want in the craft at launch, but still require the time to fill the tanks on the pad. Would then just need to reset the fuel tank capacities once the craft has left the pad (so they can be refuelled in space or whatever)

You are the umpteenth person to bring that up recently about part count. Launch clamps not counting towards the part count was my original idea, and i talked to @linuxgurugamer regarding a way to implement this. Unfortunately, the part count is hard coded in KSP and cant be touched. There are some other options being looked at. I don't have a time table for anything like that though. It certainly is something i wish could be changed about ksp :/ 

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Hotaru

Hotaru

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25 minutes ago, Galileo said:

You are the umpteenth person to bring that up recently about part count. Launch clamps not counting towards the part count was my original idea, and i talked to @linuxgurugamer regarding a way to implement this. Unfortunately, the part count is hard coded in KSP and cant be touched. There are some other options being looked at. I don't have a time table for anything like that though. It certainly is something i wish could be changed about ksp :/ 

Could you work around this by increasing the part count limit by the number of launch clamps? So if a level 1 VAB has a default limit of 30 parts and you have 5 clamps, the limit is raised to 35?

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Galileo

Galileo

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6 minutes ago, Hotaru said:

Could you work around this by increasing the part count limit by the number of launch clamps? So if a level 1 VAB has a default limit of 30 parts and you have 5 clamps, the limit is raised to 35?

That's not a bad idea!

One of the ideas still floating around my head was to keep part counts, but allow the player to exceed them by charging the player a configurable amount  x the value of each part after the cap had been reached

Edited by Galileo
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Hotaru

Hotaru

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1 minute ago, Galileo said:

That's not a bad idea!

my original idea was to keep part counts, but with each part added after the cap was reached, charge the player a configurable amount  x the value of each part.

So more of a "soft" rather than "hard" cap--that could be good. I've always thought it was a little strange that a rocket with 30 parts was no problem, but stick one more thermometer on the thing and it's suddenly completely impossible.

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Galileo

Galileo

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Just now, Hotaru said:

So more of a "soft" rather than "hard" cap--that could be good. I've always thought it was a little strange that a rocket with 30 parts was no problem, but stick one more thermometer on the thing and it's suddenly completely impossible.

Yeah, exactly. 

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Galileo

Galileo

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15 minutes ago, Bombaatu said:

Will it only refuel LFO, or does it fill monoprop as well?

The stock clamps do monopropellant. The umbilical towers in FASA launch clamps also do monopropellant.

The first screenshot in the OP shows what the stock clamps can refuel.

Edited by Galileo
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Galileo

Galileo

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I can add nearly all fuel types, I just haven't sat down and made a list. There are so many mods out there that add fuel types. I just don't get enough time to play and see what all is available.

If anyone wants to see specific fuel types in the launch clamps, let me know. 

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Bombaatu

Bombaatu

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Hrm - I have both this and the stand-alone FASA LaunchClamps Continued. The 'regular' launch clamp can pump fuel, but the FASA ones don't. Doesn't show they produce any resources except EC in the VAB, no fuel on button on the launchpad. These were installed via CKAN - I'm assuming I should remove them & install manually to retest?

 

EDIT: It was the Redstone clamp; I haven't tested the umbilical yet. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the redstone clamp shouldn't pump fuel... ?

 

EDIT 2: disregard question; I saw the launch umbilical in the R&D center and it does indeed provide the fuel. 

Edited by Bombaatu
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Galileo

Galileo

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38 minutes ago, Bombaatu said:

EDIT: It was the Redstone clamp; I haven't tested the umbilical yet. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the redstone clamp shouldn't pump fuel... ?

Correct, the redstone clamp only provides electric charge

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