[1.4.3] WarpCoreUnit1 V1.2 A Star Trek inspired warp core for Kerbal Space Program.

[TheKurgan]

WarpCoreUnit1

A Star Trek Trek inspired warp core for Kerbal Space Program.

Dependencies: Alcubierre Warp Drive (Stand-alone) By RoverDude. https://github.com/BobPalmer/WarpDrive/releases

At my request, SpannerMonkey created this model for me based on a warpcore model I found on blendswap, and derived a config for it following the configs for Alcubierre Warp Drive (Stand-alone) By RoverDude. which is a dependency for this mod.

He has given me permission to modify it as I see fit, and release it.

I have heavily modified the config to:

1) The reactor uses Dilithium Crystal (of course) to create LqdDeuterium which the Warp engine runs on.

2) Provide it's own power (850 ec/s) and power storage (1000 ElectricCharge)

3) Provide a way to replenish the Dilithium Crystal from processing ore at a rate of 1 Dilithium Crystal per every 10 ore, every 10 sec.

 

This warp core is a little cheaty compared to the other warp drives out there, mainly because of it's size... and yes, I know... no warp nacelles.

I was fed up building warp capable ships and having to use enormous (but very awesome!) warp drives, I wanted something I could fit inside a large cargo bay, and well, here it is!

*This Warp Core is a fully self contained warp drive, reactor and ore processor. In order to make use of the reactor and ore processing, first you must "Deploy the Converter" wait for it to be ready (it takes a little while), start the reactor, Initialize the Dilithium Chamber, and if you are converting ore into Dilithium Crystal, Start Crystal Extraction.

The ore processing requires exactly 99% of the reactors power output, leaving you with a very small output of 8.5 ec/s to maintain minimal ship functions. Do not attempt to run the ore processor and the engine at the same time unless you have a rather large secondary power source.

In order to create a "Warp Bubble", you must be a minimum of 90km above the surface... then buckle up and engage!

 

Change log: 

Spoiler

V1.2 for KSP 1.4.3

• Converted the Warp engine to run on LqdLqdDeuterium, This is the exact same resource that is in CRP, but don't worry, if you do not use CRP, the resource definition is also included in the mod.
• Dilithium Crystal is now consumed for the creation of LqdLqdDeuterium at a rate of 36/hr at 100% load AND the generation of EC at a rate of 36/hr at 100% load. Combined load on the Dilithium Chamber (once the LqdLqdDeuterium tanks are full) with the warp engine running at max is 28.45%. So in reality, Dilithium Crystal is being used at aprox 20.5 per hour. With 2000 Dilithium Crystal, that equals about 100 hours of travel at full Warp before you need to refill the Dilithium Crystal!!
• Tidied up the cfg, and added some lines that were missing, but not essential.

• Changes to the instructions:

  This Warp Core is a fully self contained warp drive, reactor and ore processor. In order to make use of the reactor and ore processing, first you must "Deploy the Converter" wait for it to be ready (it takes a little while), start the reactor, Initialize the Dilithium Chamber, and if you are converting ore into Dilithium Crystal, Start Crystal Extraction.

V1.1.1 for KSP 1.4.3

• Fixed error in fuel ratios and ISP that was causing the engines to not consume any Dilithium Crystal

V1.1 for KSP 1.4.3

• New sounds
• New drag cube created by @SpannerMonkey(smce) This new drag cube eliminates 99% of the drag caused by the invisible warp bubble model! Now you can have your warp core on your SSTO again!!
• updated to use Warp Drive v0.10.0.0

V1.0

• Updated to be compatible with the newest version of Alcubierre Warp Drive (Stand-alone)

V0.90

• Initial Release

 

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. 

Download links: 

Github

SpaceDock

Dropbox

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2018 by TheKurgan

[JadeOfMaar]

 !

I've had a plan for a discrete Warp Core part and a means to keep Warp Nacelles relevant too. I'm happy for you, dude. Congrats!

[TheKurgan]

Thanks!

A separate warp nacelle, the part that actually creates the bubble, would be great.

[JadeOfMaar]

@TheKurgan Given the limitations of the alcubierre mod I devised a different approach to a warp core, warp nacelle pairing. The warp core would be the actual warp drive but the nacelles would be the harvesters and converters and which are explicitly set to only produce and store a fraction of the demands of the core for 1 second of a burn at full throttle. This would enable the player to simulate having the usable region of their throttle capped to the number of nacelles, and like in Star Trek, if you lose a nacelle, you can limp away if at all but you can't sprint.

Alternatively, or maybe in addition, I'd rather that adding nacelles affects the bubble size in-flight. My considerations attempt to avoid the point of asking @helaeon to code the ability for multiple warp drives on the same ship to function at once. I'm sure he has a very good reason (or a few) why he did not Make it so™

[TheKurgan]

@JadeOfMaar ah, ok so a totally different approach, but very interesting!

So sustained warp would still be possible, BUT if you only have 1 nacelle, your speed would be very limited?

A ship with 4 could go much faster.

Different sizes of nacelles for different sizes of ships? or 1 fits all?

I have so many questions lol!

Sounds very intriguing!

Edited January 10, 2018 by TheKurgan

[JadeOfMaar]

12 minutes ago, TheKurgan said:

@JadeOfMaar ah, ok so a totally different approach, but very interesting!

So sustained warp would still be possible, BUT if you only have 1 nacelle, your speed would be very limited?

A ship with 4 could go much faster.

Different sizes of nacelles for different sizes of ships? or 1 fits all?

I have so many questions lol!

Sounds very intriguing!

• Yes. One nacelle = most limited of top speeds.
• No. The warp drive mod now has turbo features, making this pointless to put into practice. If anything, the extra nacelles ( > 2) can only show their worth while in turbo.
• Different sizes would be nice.

This whole warp nacelle thing can easily get complicated with how many sizes of warp drive are available now. This may be a bad thing but I'm starting to think of Elite:Dangerous.  

[helaeon]

@TheKurgan In the soon to be released version (currently the dev version. latest of which is on my github https://github.com/helaeon/WarpDrive )... I made a few things configurable in the part.cfg for people wanting different behaviors from their Warp Drives. All of the maximum parameters of the warp drive would have to be based on the core part that uses USI_ModuleWarpEngine. However you could take @JadeOfMaar's advice and use converters and harvesters after altering the ISP of the engines so that you need the converters to not thrust limit. Though remember... if you run out of resources while warping bad things happen.
This warp drive totally works more like the Frame Shift Drive in Elite Dangerous now - that's all for gameplay reasons rather than some theoretical thing about warping space that's already been warped by a gravitational body. Though that's what I'm saying for the physical reasoning it behaves this way.

I have where the turbo kicks in and how much it multiplies WarpFactor user configurable in flight and the VAB. I did that because everyone plays a bit differently and I wanted flexibility. However, if mod authors that also use the USI Warp Module would like me to change that so it adds some differentiation between warp parts, I'm open to that.
Code snippet below of USI_ModuleWarpEngine with some commenting

MODULE
{
	name = USI_ModuleWarpEngine
	WarpFactor = 6 // maximum warp - this sets your absolute top speed before turbo
	GravFactor = .95 // Gravity Strength (multiple of planetary radius where speed trends to zero.) Severity of Gravity Brake, this is the main factor that prevents blowing past/through planets between physics ticks. This and BrakeFalloff are the two levers that let you tune the behavior of the warp drive.
	BrakeFalloff = .85 // orbit radii to this power (smaller is stronger braking further away) Also helps stop from blowing past/through bodies between physics ticks. Note this has a big effect to limit maximum warp while in interplanetary space (go much slower near Eve's orbit than Jool's orbit)
	TurboMult = 1 // Increases overall turbo top speed, careful to not make it too large. (For re-scaled systems)
	minMaxSpeed = 0.001 //c no slower top speed than this (To prevent Laythe issues where reasonable gravity well, in a big gravity well. A Hot Jupiter would have the same problem.)
	deployAnimationName = Engage
	warpAnimationName = WarpField
	MinThrottle = 0.05
	DisruptRange = 2000
	BubbleSize = 20
	MinAltitude = .5 // planetary radius * this. (Failsafe Altitude)
	//MaxAccelleration = 6
}

 

[JadeOfMaar]

@helaeon I didn't think to recognize the resemblance to an FSD's operation...mainly due to my not yet having a copy of Elite, and stepping away from tinkering with warp drives just before getting a copy. Those features all sound great now that I've played that game. I assume in your comment about warping near Eve vs near Jool the main factor is proximity to Sun?

[TheKurgan]

Ah nice, I really like the GravFactor and BrakeFalloff, that is awesome.

Seems the basic functionality will be the same though, that's good too.

Turbo for re-scaled systems. ok, with the speed these things go, I don't personally think it's needed, but a nice addition for those that want to go even faster lol.

My warp core as it is, should only require changes to the config to work with your upcoming release right? Or does the model itself need internal changes? (sorry I'm a newb when it comes to Blender and 3dsMax)

JadeOfMaar's ideas seem really cool too. Perhaps down the road, if he is interested my model could be made compatible.

[JadeOfMaar]

Turbo is for all scales of systems but is not to be confused with TurboMult which is a rescale factor for the Turbo. (Meanwhile some planet/galaxy modders whose names will not be called, may make or have made their stars incredibly far apart in stock scale.)

I have a lot of modding to catch up on but when I do, I'll come back to this.

Spoiler

I can't show you but I've taken a shot at modelling my own warp drive nacelles.

 

[TheKurgan]

1 minute ago, JadeOfMaar said:

I can't show you but I've taken a shot at modelling my own warp drive nacelles.

Seriously interested in seeing them sometime. 

I'm so spoiled by Spanner, Gomker, and DoctorDavinci, I get to see all their new stuff before it's released lol.

12 minutes ago, JadeOfMaar said:

Turbo is for all scales of systems but is not to be confused with TurboMult which is a rescale factor for the Turbo.

Ah ok, I see, that makes sense.

[helaeon]

@TheKurgan All you need to do is balance the cfg to your liking. The USI 2.5m drive I believe has the values of all the default parameters in the dll. So if you don't specify one, the game will fallback to the one in the plug-in.
Yes the TurboFactor is so if a speed of say 100c is too slow it can get cranked up to thousands of c so you're not sitting there for 45 minutes warping between stars (I was thinking about the 45 minute real time trek to Hutton Orbital at Alpha Centuri in Elite Dangerous). Turbo is also a way to deal with big systems but still have the speed be manageable. Neptune is a 90 minute trip at 1c in a real scale system. For scaled systems module manager multiplies the warpfactor and turbofactor by the scale of the system so that should be handled for you if you set your parameters up for a stock size system.

2 hours ago, JadeOfMaar said:

@helaeon I didn't think to recognize the resemblance to an FSD's operation...mainly due to my not yet having a copy of Elite, and stepping away from tinkering with warp drives just before getting a copy. Those features all sound great now that I've played that game. I assume in your comment about warping near Eve vs near Jool the main factor is proximity to Sun?

Correct.

Edited January 10, 2018 by helaeon

[TheKurgan]

18 minutes ago, helaeon said:

All you need to do is balance the cfg to your liking. The USI 2.5m drive I believe has the values of all the default parameters in the dll

Yeah, I saw that, thanks. I went ahead and downloaded your dev version. Testing it now with my Warp Core, using those values.

[TheKurgan]

Updated to Version 1.0.

Updated to be compatible with the newest version of Alcubierre Warp Drive (Stand-alone).

[ThePixeledFox]

if only the part was smaller and lighter , and didnt make that high pitched screetching noise, it also seems rather over powered (im using this in my builds)

https://imgur.com/qAFxGmo

[Capt. Hunt]

forgive me for being that guy, but warp cores don't run on just dilithium, the Dilithium Crystal regulates the Matter Antimatter reaction.  So, it should use deuterium and antideuterium as fuel.

[TheKurgan]

@ThePixeledFox and @Capt. Hunt Well... you see, a friend made this model for me and I configured it for myself... I like it the way it is... and then decided to share it.

If you two don't like it the way it is, you are allowed to modify it to suit yourself... but then please keep it for your own personal use.

If you lack the knowledge or the gumption to do so, then you have three choices. 1) take it as is.   2) leave it.    3) try to find another part even remotely like it.

Creating a tweakscale cfg for it isn't difficult at all, and WOULD make it smaller and lighter. 

Changing the fuel it runs on is equally easy...

I COULD care less about non-constructive criticism... but I'd have to put effort into it.

 

Edited March 25, 2018 by TheKurgan

[ThePixeledFox]

dont get me wrong i love this mod and i was thinking the same thing about tweakscale i understand its a rather new mod im very interested in seeing it progress, could even go as far as scalable bubble config and different models for the different ships and so fourth.  Ive never even used a warp drive mod before this was very easy to use, i think its the new engine sounds from 1.4 causing the screetch but ill need to look some more, but i think jet engine sounds mod removed it. This mod would be fantastic for sombody like me who makes a lot of sci fy ships  and uses them with planet packs, sorry for my short previous reply i was rushing , i do hope this mod develops into somthing more , thank you for the work you put in for making this

[TheKurgan]

3 minutes ago, ThePixeledFox said:

new engine sounds from 1.4 causing the screetch

Agreed, and I will look into it as well... I might make a custom sound file for it.

Cheers!

There is more to come. Phaser turrets, an Impulse engine is in early early works... and WORKING Photon torpedoes are almost ready to release. (all require BDAc when it is released for 1.4.1)

Check my YouTube channel... link in my sig.

Edited March 25, 2018 by TheKurgan

[TheKurgan]

WarpCoreUnit1

V1.1 for KSP 1.4.3

• New sounds
• New drag cube created by @SpannerMonkey(smce) This new drag cube eliminates 99% of the drag caused by the invisible warp bubble model! Now you can have your warp core on your SSTO again!!
• updated to use Warp Drive v0.10.0.0

Github

SpaceDock

Dropbox

Feedback and constructive criticism welcomed.

 

Edited May 21, 2018 by TheKurgan

[JadeOfMaar]

oooooooooooooh, that's where the monster drag came from! nice!

[TheKurgan]

10 hours ago, JadeOfMaar said:

oooooooooooooh, that's where the monster drag came from! nice!

 

Yep  

It's a pretty cheaty drag cube, but... hey it's a warp core that is inside a cargo bay... there shouldn't be any drag right?

I don't think anyone will ever use my warp core as a nose cone.... so I guess it isn't really cheating LOL!

Edited May 21, 2018 by TheKurgan

[AlonzoTG]

=\ 

Why doesn't anyone understand this? 

All warp drives, ever, have always run on *ANTIMATER*. Normally you get a uselessly large bang when you let it collide with the mater. So the creators of Star Trek came up with the idea of a dilithium crystal that could contain and regulate the reaction and emit useful energy beams to power the engines (at the cost of slowly degrading over time and needing frequent replacement.) 

[SpannerMonkey(smce)]

1 hour ago, AlonzoTG said:

=\ 

Why doesn't anyone understand this? 

All warp drives, ever, have always run on *ANTIMATER*. Normally you get a uselessly large bang when you let it collide with the mater. So the creators of Star Trek came up with the idea of a dilithium crystal that could contain and regulate the reaction and emit useful energy beams to power the engines (at the cost of slowly degrading over time and needing frequent replacement.) 

Why does or should  it matter? How it functions is an irrelevance, all that matters here is that it does what it says it can, which in this case , is move craft great distances very quickly.
Note the thread title
A Star Trek Trek inspired warp core for Kerbal Space Program.
It doesn't say a perfect replica in form and function

Edited May 21, 2018 by SpannerMonkey(smce)

[JadeOfMaar]

1 hour ago, AlonzoTG said:

=\ 

Why doesn't anyone understand this? 

All warp drives, ever, have always run on *ANTIMATER*. Normally you get a uselessly large bang when you let it collide with the mater. So the creators of Star Trek came up with the idea of a dilithium crystal that could contain and regulate the reaction and emit useful energy beams to power the engines (at the cost of slowly degrading over time and needing frequent replacement.) 

The requirement for antimatter is a norm, otherwise the best reference point for how warp drives ought to work, but it is not a rule for how they should work. Not every species in Trek uses antimatter. The Romulans use excitable singularities to power their warp drives. Also, Alcubierre (the IRL scientist) proposed that we need as much energy as maybe several of Sun crammed into the space of a golf ball, but while a matter antimatter mix may be the best we can hope for as a power source, it doesn't need to be the only one we can hope for.  

Also the core functionality this mod depends on belongs to RoverDude. Good luck convincing him to change that.

Edited May 21, 2018 by JadeOfMaar