KSP Interstellar Extended Support Thread

[TiktaalikDreaming]

A quick example of what I mean as troublesome, http:// kspmods [.] net/  (after editing this a couple of times I've realised the forum is auto mangling my links, awesome. If it's still mangled, kspmods dot net is the offending site)

Don't bother complaining, a bunch of us tried some time ago. That's when I started including text in the readme with stuff telling people where to get the latest versions.

Edited November 16, 2017 by TiktaalikDreaming

[FreeThinker]

1 hour ago, TiktaalikDreaming said:

A quick example of what I mean as troublesome, http:// kspmods [.] net/  (after editing this a couple of times I've realised the forum is auto mangling my links, awesome. If it's still mangled, kspmods dot net is the offending site)

Don't bother complaining, a bunch of us tried some time ago. That's when I started including text in the readme with stuff telling people where to get the latest versions.

Its not all bad, they might offer some backup functionality, giving access to mods that would otherwise have been lost. Like the the time Kerbal stuff got wiped out unexpectedly

Edited November 16, 2017 by FreeThinker

[TiktaalikDreaming]

2 minutes ago, FreeThinker said:

Its not all bad, they might offer some backup functionality, giving access to mods that would otherwise have been lost. Like the the time Kerbal stuff got wiped out unexpectedly

True. I hadn't thought of that.

Although it would be nice if there were at least links to the forum thread. That's implied as a requirement in the modding guidelines.

[enewmen]

I was concerned the thread for such as awesome mod will be closed permanently - happy it's back.

Beam power receivers are  losing efficiency over time meaning they need to be replaced over time.  This wasn't confirmed or denied if there is 'power capacity efficiency' degrading , so I plan my power network as if it's expected.   For long term power use, I'll rely more on solar power and high energy density batteries.  Nothing is free or lasts forever.  Spending too much time on this.

[Mandella]

Er, checking the front page I still get a bunch of "LINKS REMOVED BY MODERATOR" notices instead of the download links. Is this some sort of caching issue on my part or a mistake?

I assumed because the thread was reopened any license issues had been resolved.

 

[Mine_Turtle]

On 11/15/2017 at 12:29 AM, TheRag said:

Magnetic nozzles are a thrust augmentation device, their purpose is to convert plasma thermal energy into directed kinetic energy, by using it's magnetic field to direct the plasma flow. The efficiency, therefore Isp and thrust of the magnetic nozzle is dependent on the Electron temperature, high electron temperatures are more efficient. That which depends on what plasma engine it is attached to. 

Additionally magnetic nozzles can suffer from what is known as radial losses as plasma diverges in radial or azimuthal directions which is useless for thrust performace. This is why magnetic nozzles have to be long and need power to keep a strong magnetic field keep the plasma jet in line. If any of those conditions were not met, you incur major radial losses. Because the larger the plasma stream the longer your nozzle has to be and the stronger your magnetic field needs to be, static plasma flow rate needs to be imposed for engine safety and performance circumstances.

Unless I am horribly mistaken, then no, magnetic engines do not have throttling capabilities, beyond changing the temperature of the electrons. We aren't dealing with a normal nozzle that can control it's flow rate.because there's no internal mechanism that can. The example would be two ice sheets constricting the flow a river, the ice stays put, and the river maintains a steady flow rate.

I think I found the problem people are having with magnetic engines and AM reactors. Magnetic nozzle uses all available charged particle it can get regardless of throttle setting(similar to how old Vista engine worked). And AM reactor is more than happy to produce 1TW of energy to power the nozzle. However, only 95% of that energy is converted to CP and consumed by the engine. The other 5% = 50GW are in the form of thermal energy, that needs to be radiated somehow. Considering that even the largest radiators radiate a couple of GW vessel needs a whole lot of them to get rid of that much power.

However, reactors can be throttled down. So, if radiators on the vessel are not capable to radiate 50GW, AM reactor's power output can be reduced down to 10%.

 

11 hours ago, DuskFall said:

Hello guys!

I have may be stupid question but anyway. This mod includes two kerbstein fusion engines. One of them uses Lithium Hydride, the second uses Lithium Deuteride. In tech tree in career I can see only Lythium Hydride engine and unfortunately it's absolutely useless because I couldn't create craft with enough electrical charge. Even if I use Antimatter Reactor. It provides not enough electrical charge. Could you please help me to understand, what reactor I have to use to make this engine works

This engine requires electrical power, which you can not get directly from a reactor. Reactors produce power in the form of heat(thermal power) and charged particles. So, you need a generator, which will convert reactor's output to electrical power as megawatts. For AM reactor it is best to use charged particle generator as it produces most of it energy as charged particles.

 

On a related note:

On 11/15/2017 at 3:37 AM, Snark said:

On a related note:

I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you have to care.  A license is a legal document that controls how content may or may not be used.  If an author has released content under a certain license, you are legally required to abide by its requirements.  Please do not violate licenses, or encourage others to do so.  This is strictly against KSP forum rules, and will be dealt with accordingly.  Thank you.

Indeed, KSP forum rules prevent me from distributing free content without restrictions. But they do not prevent me from making backups. Neither they prevent me from helping people, whose crafts will no longer load due to microchannel radiators missing from KSPI.

[FreeThinker]

1 hour ago, Mandella said:

Er, checking the front page I still get a bunch of "LINKS REMOVED BY MODERATOR" notices instead of the download links. Is this some sort of caching issue on my part or a mistake?

I assumed because the thread was reopened any license issues had been resolved.

 

No there is no cashing problem, I simply hadn't restored them yet. They should all work now. But thank you for your concerns

[DuskFall]

3 hours ago, Mine_Turtle said:

This engine requires electrical power, which you can not get directly from a reactor. Reactors produce power in the form of heat(thermal power) and charged particles. So, you need a generator, which will convert reactor's output to electrical power as megawatts. For AM reactor it is best to use charged particle generator as it produces most of it energy as charged particles.

 

 

I'm sorry, forgot to clarify that of course I use generator. I know that with AM reactor is better to use charged particle generator, but even if I use combined generator kerbstein engine on Lithium Hydride refuses to work. I've tried to make craft with only engine, fuel tank, reactor, generator, radiators and control module and set it by hyperedit on high orbit, and even then engine doesn't work. In sandbox Lithium Deuteride engine works fine with any type of reactors and generators, but Lithium Hydride engine doesn't work with anything. I don't understand why

[Mine_Turtle]

40 minutes ago, DuskFall said:

I'm sorry, forgot to clarify that of course I use generator. I know that with AM reactor is better to use charged particle generator, but even if I use combined generator kerbstein engine on Lithium Hydride refuses to work. I've tried to make craft with only engine, fuel tank, reactor, generator, radiators and control module and set it by hyperedit on high orbit, and even then engine doesn't work. In sandbox Lithium Deuteride engine works fine with any type of reactors and generators, but Lithium Hydride engine doesn't work with anything. I don't understand why

That does sounds strange. Also, the version that uses Lithium Deuteride is not supposed to be usable. The problem might be with mod installation, so reinstalling latest version on a clean game might help.

I have just tried using that engine myself and have not found any problems with it:

https://imgur.com/aOj4Vlp

[FreeThinker]

13 hours ago, enewmen said:

Beam power receivers are  losing efficiency over time meaning they need to be replaced over time.  This wasn't confirmed or denied if there is 'power capacity efficiency' degrading , so I plan my power network as if it's expected.   For long term power use, I'll rely more on solar power and high energy density batteries.  Nothing is free or lasts forever.  Spending too much time on this.

3

Beamed power receiver themselves don't have degrading, what could be degrading are the reactors that power the beamed power network. In the case of fusion power reactors running on neutronic fusion fuels, make sure they filled with Lithium-6 which serve as the breeding bed for generating Tritium and thermal power. When your reactors are not fully filled up, the start to lose efficiency and start to embrittle the reactor and their environment. The effect is that the maximum power output is reduced, which will affect the amount of power transmitted

Edited November 17, 2017 by FreeThinker

[The Cuttlefish Empire]

9 hours ago, Mine_Turtle said:

Indeed, KSP forum rules prevent me from distributing free content without restrictions. But they do not prevent me from making backups. Neither they prevent me from helping people, whose crafts will no longer load due to microchannel radiators missing from KSPI.

technically, yes. but just because it isn't explicitly against the rules doesn't mean it's right.

[DuskFall]

4 hours ago, Mine_Turtle said:

That does sounds strange. Also, the version that uses Lithium Deuteride is not supposed to be usable. The problem might be with mod installation, so reinstalling latest version on a clean game might help.

I have just tried using that engine myself and have not found any problems with it:

https://imgur.com/aOj4Vlp

I guess that I understood what's the problem. For now I'm interested in compatibility with near future mods. Because after adding near future electrical mod Lithium Hydride engine stops working. But, without this mode other near future mods became absolutely useless, beacuse electrical engines start to use MJ for thrust and use it with huge and heavy reactors and generators irrationally. Poorly thing

[FreeThinker]

5 hours ago, Mine_Turtle said:

 Also, the version that uses Lithium Deuteride is not supposed to be usable.

1

The LithiumDeuteride version was an early experiment, where I confused  LithiumHydrate with LithiumDeuteride, the former is aneutronic, the second one is not (because of D-D fusion) which would result in the reactor starting to embrittle itself the moment you use it.

Edited November 17, 2017 by FreeThinker

[TheRag]

@FreeThinker

You may want to list Heat Control as dependency now in the Original Post, as you did in the Curseforge changelog.

[FreeThinker]

22 minutes ago, TheRag said:

@FreeThinker

You may want to list Heat Control as dependency now in the Original Post, as you did in the Curseforge changelog.

Alright, I added it to the steps. Is this what you expected?

[Mine_Turtle]

7 hours ago, DuskFall said:

I guess that I understood what's the problem. For now I'm interested in compatibility with near future mods. Because after adding near future electrical mod Lithium Hydride engine stops working. But, without this mode other near future mods became absolutely useless, beacuse electrical engines start to use MJ for thrust and use it with huge and heavy reactors and generators irrationally. Poorly thing

I would advise against using mods with similar functionality. For the same reason you do not mix USI-LS, TAC-LS and Kerbalism in the same game, you do not want to use near future and KSPI together as it might affect game balance and stability. Near future is more lightweight and streamlined, while KSPI is more complex and speculative as it implements technologies, that exist only on paper. However, KSPI is self-contained and provides a uniform spectrum of engines and means to power them from nuclear and electric engines(like VASMIR) that are well understood to "magical" warp and fusion engines and antimatter reactors.

Note, that some parts of the near future mod pack are safe to use. For example, near future construction, that only adds new parts without custom dlls.

 

7 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

The LithiumDeuteride version was an early experiment, where I confused  LithiumHydrate with LithiumDeuteride, the former is aneutronic, the second one is not (because of D-D fusion) which would result in the reactor starting to embrittle itself the moment you use it.

This is not the only part that exists as cfg file but not present in the game. This is not a critical problem, but mod needs to be cleaned from temporary experiments. Eventually.

 

8 hours ago, The Cuttlefish Empire said:

technically, yes. but just because it isn't explicitly against the rules doesn't mean it's right.

Wrong and right are subjective terms, not universal constants. If you or anyone else wishes to continue discussion about this license nonsense, I will gladly join you in the offtopic subforum.

[minepagan]

2 hours ago, Mine_Turtle said:

I would advise against using mods with similar functionality. For the same reason you do not mix USI-LS, TAC-LS and Kerbalism in the same game, you do not want to use near future and KSPI together as it might affect game balance and stability. Near future is more lightweight and streamlined, while KSPI is more complex and speculative as it implements technologies, that exist only on paper. However, KSPI is self-contained and provides a uniform spectrum of engines and means to power them from nuclear and electric engines(like VASMIR) that are well understood to "magical" warp and fusion engines and antimatter reactors.

Note, that some parts of the near future mod pack are safe to use. For example, near future construction, that only adds new parts without custom dlls.

"Oh, stock KSP already has LFO rockets and tanks, better not install any other rocket packs...."

 

2 hours ago, Mine_Turtle said:

Wrong and right are subjective terms, not universal constants. If you or anyone else wishes to continue discussion about this license nonsense, I will gladly join you in the offtopic subforum.

No, no, no. So much wrong in this statement. Where do I begin?

From Dictionary.com:

Law.

1. an invasion of another's right, to his damage.

You are suggesting/threatening license violations, and you have proven that you are more than aware of this. Not only is that morally wrong, as it is stealing an artist's work, but also legally wrong as there is a clear and explicit license, and clear and explicit terms of service on this forum, which you have agreed to as part of a legally binding contract.

[TheRag]

On 11/17/2017 at 11:18 AM, FreeThinker said:

Alright, I added it to the steps. Is this what you expected?

Yes, thank you, that should hopefully alleviate any future problems. 

[DuskFall]

19 hours ago, Mine_Turtle said:

I would advise against using mods with similar functionality. For the same reason you do not mix USI-LS, TAC-LS and Kerbalism in the same game, you do not want to use near future and KSPI together as it might affect game balance and stability. Near future is more lightweight and streamlined, while KSPI is more complex and speculative as it implements technologies, that exist only on paper. However, KSPI is self-contained and provides a uniform spectrum of engines and means to power them from nuclear and electric engines(like VASMIR) that are well understood to "magical" warp and fusion engines and antimatter reactors.

 

Thanks. Anyway I think kerbstein is rather cheating engine. High thrust with high ips with not much electrical power and fuel using

[TheRag]

2 minutes ago, DuskFall said:

Thanks. Anyway I think kerbstein is rather cheating engine. High thrust with high ips with not much electrical power and fuel using

It's great for with the Warp Drive, as it allows you make those massive burns once you insert yourself into the orbit of the targeted system in case your power relay cannot reach it, like another star or something.

It's basically a end-game reward and reference (The Expanse's Epstein drive) like with the Warp Drive, and maybe the QSR. You don't have to use it. Or as an alternative to the Warp Drive for interstellar travel.

[DuskFall]

28 minutes ago, TheRag said:

It's great for with the Warp Drive, as it allows you make those massive burns once you insert yourself into the orbit of the targeted system in case your power relay cannot reach it, like another star or something.

It's basically a end-game reward and reference (The Expanse's Epstein drive) like with the Warp Drive, and maybe the QSR. You don't have to use it. Or as an alternative to the Warp Drive for interstellar travel.

Daedalus drive in that case is more useful, I think. Creating fusionpellets needs less power and fuel. May be I'm wrong but that's more convenient for me. This game like a drug. Try it once and can't stop. Need more mods  

Edited November 18, 2017 by DuskFall

[Maelstrom Vortex]

I built a Gen 1 transformer shuttle known as Sky Lynx using KIS/KAS and Infernal Robotics based on an old toy model.

 

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/202799948

His shuttle mode is ssto-capable, dragon mode can fly at very low speeds in low kerbin orbit but is.. challenging to remain stable.

Edited November 20, 2017 by Maelstrom Vortex

[FreeThinker]

12 hours ago, Maelstrom Vortex said:

I built a Gen 1 transformer shuttle known as Sky Lynx using KIS/KAS and Infernal Robotics based on an old toy model.

 

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/202799948

His shuttle mode is ssto-capable, dragon mode can fly at very low speeds in low kerbin orbit but is.. challenging to remain stable.

Cool a real space dragon using Interstellar parts

[mr. engino]

while I like this mod, I seem to be having trouble with transmitting power; unfortunately the guides both in-game and in the wiki are delightfully vague to me, as I have little idea as what is needed for certain power types. Perhaps you could expand both the guide and the wiki by including some kind of parts list; that also includes requirements for both transmitting and receiving in different power types.

[Mine_Turtle]

Is it just me or is AM reactor stupidly powerful? 2.5m produces 1TW of power, more than QSR. Even though it is supposed to be balanced by the fact that AM is expensive and hard to come by, I feel that this reactor should be rebalanced for gameplay purposes as it makes every other reactor obsolete.