Recommended mods for colonization gameplay? MKS, Pathfinder, Civilian Population?

[juanml82]

I've just "finished" (ie, went to all bodies and back) a save with OPM, KSPI-E and other mods and I was thinking about starting a new save based around colonizing the Kerbol system instead of merely harvesting as much science as possible (Hey, had about 120,000 science points left by the "end" of my last save), so I was looking at the different bases, life support and colonization mods, but I'm also looking at recommendations. Basically, impressions and experiences of other people who played with these mods so I don't find, mid-game, that I would have rather used a different set of mods but removing them means either starting over or destroying dozens of vessels.

The first thing I'm thinking about is how the different mods work together (or not). The other is that I'd rather find some balance between "nothing" and "too complex": One of the things I disliked about KSPI-E is that it has so many fuels, so many reactors operating mods, so many beamed power options, so many combinations, that at the end, I didn't even know what I was doing, and at times I had to put my gameplay on hold while waiting for answers about how to proceed in the forum.

So while my first option for colonization and life support would be the combination of MKS and USI-LS, but how does it compare with KSPI-E in terms of up to date documentation and easy of use? As far as I see, it also has a lot of resources (but not several resources to do the same thing) + several production chains + a habitation logic I don't finish to understand. So, in a way, it looks like setting myself an objective of creating self supporting bases on Mun and Minmus would be a good enough objective. But would I end up banging my head against the desk instead?

How about using Pathfinder instead? Or both? I first thought Pathfinder would be simpler, then I went to the wiki and saw there is a 17 step process in setting up a base.

As for life support, the one thing I want is to be able to know how long can kerbals last in a give ship while I'm building it (and a cheat guide of travel times to and back from celestial bodies would be welcomed too). Snacks! has a calculator in the VAB/SPH. Does USI-LS or TAC-LS have them too? And if I choose to mix MKS with Snacks! instead of USI-LS for simplicity, do they work well together?

And about Civilian Population, does it work well in combination with MKS, life support mods and EPL? How well is it working, considering it still looks a bit like a WIP?

Finally, does Kerbal Health works well in combination with either MKS or Pathfinder (AFAIK, I'd have to switch off MKS habitation thing to use Kerbal Health. Given how complex MKS habitation stuff looks, that may be better). I'm a bit worried about the permanent radiation exposure limiting permanent bases, but fiddling with the excel spreadsheet it looks like it would still take centuries for kerbals to die of radiation.

[Oiff]

A basic pathfinder base is a lump of concrete that you clag inflatable domes to, the idea is an engineer can build it EVA.  Other bases tend to need to be built with docking ports to clamp them together.

 

I’m using USI with pathfinder, MKS, EL and Kerbal Planetary Base Systems.

I have disabled a lot of the MKS stuff though as it was just driving me nuts with the complexity of it.

So I’m using the simpler supply chains from the other mods but also parts from MKS.

 

USI takes a bit of getting used to but it is fairly easy to build in the life support considerations and it has screens that show you how your life support is when you build as well as overview of life support for all ships.

I must admit though I have turned the no EC effect off as it says it has expired when it hasn’t.