[1.5.x] Engine Tweaks for Making History [Deprecated]

[Tyko]

NOTE: With the changes made in 1.6 I don't think this mod is necessary any more. I'll leave it up to support players on legacy builds and may revisit this in the future if there's interest.

What it does

This mod adjusts the specs on Making History engines and 3 stock engines to balance them and ensure every engine has a unique niche. The changes are balanced against other engines. If the thrust is changed, weight is also adjusted accordingly.

For full list of changes please refer to this spreadsheet: Google Sheets link 

Highlights-

• Mastodon: Thrust increase to 1425 - this enable 5 of them to lift a full Apollo / Saturn V analog stack.
• Skiff: Thrust increase to 475 - enables 5 to lift a Saturn V stage 2 stack and 1 to lift stage 3
• Wolfhound: replaced with stats from Poodle - The Poodle is an amazingly useful engine, but the Wolfhound model looks a lot better. The Poodle stats bring the thrust down to something more reasonable for pushing an Apollo SM/CM/LEM around. It's still overpowered, but the RL engine was also overpowered. 
• Poodle: Hidden, you won't see it in the Engines tab anymore, but existing .craft files using the Poodle will still load properly.
• Kodiak: increased power to 280 - to differentiate it from the Reliant

NOTE: I made every attempt to keep these balanced with stock. I'm open to making adjustments based on feedback.

Requires Module Manager

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How to install

Install from CKAN or:

Download from SpaceDock

Download from GitHub

Unzip the contents of "GameData" to your GameData folder, same as with most mods. (Note, requires ModuleManager.)

 

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License info

MIT License

Edited January 11, 2019 by Tyko

[CaptRobau]

Good idea, immediately felt that the new engines were off when building replica Saturns.

[tmdart]

I like the idea of what you are doing here by making the Saturn V engines actually lift the rocket, but the total removal of the poodle just kills it for me.

[Tyko]

3 hours ago, tmdart said:

I like the idea of what you are doing here by making the Saturn V engines actually lift the rocket, but the total removal of the poodle just kills it for me.

Thanks for the feedback!

I basically replaced the Poodle model with the Wolfhound model. The Wolfhound now has the exact specs of the Poodle but just looks a lot better. So you're not losing the Poodle - "A Poodle by any other name...."   

That said, it's easy enough to fix it if you want to keep the Wolfhound and Poodle as is. 

Delete these two sections from the config file and those 2 engines will be back to normal:

This changes the Wolfhound's stats:

Spoiler

@PART[LiquidEngineRE-J10] // Wolfhound - replace stats with Poodle.It's a tested and proven engine but the Wolfhound model is so much better

{ 
    @mass = 1.75
    
    !MODULE[ModuleEngines] {}
    
    MODULE
    {
        name = ModuleEngines
        thrustVectorTransformName = thrustTransform
        exhaustDamage = True
        ignitionThreshold = 0.1
        minThrust = 0
        maxThrust = 250
        heatProduction = 83
        fxOffset = 0, 0, 0.4
        EngineType = LiquidFuel
        exhaustDamageDistanceOffset = 1.75
        PROPELLANT
        {
            name = LiquidFuel
            ratio = 0.9
            DrawGauge = True
        }
        PROPELLANT
        {
            name = Oxidizer
            ratio = 1.1
        }
        atmosphereCurve
        {
            key = 0 350
            key = 1 90
            key = 3 0.001
        }
    }
}

And this hides the Poodle:

Spoiler

-PART[liquidEngine2-2]:FINAL {} // Remove Poodle. The engine bell is the wrong shape for a highly efficient vacuum engine.    Wolfhound now replaces this.

If you're having problems with it I'll happily PM you a config that's been edited already.

Enjoy   

Edited April 27, 2018 by Tyko

[EatVacuum]

To be fair he didn't remove the poodle, he put the Wolfhound model on the poodle stats. I've always thought the Poodle engine model was the worse in Squads line up. The engine was good, it was just ugly and wrong. High efficiency vacuum engines have large engine bells for a reason.

This thing looks like the PAM-D, a solid propellant engine used to boost satellites when it should look like the SPS engine on the Apollo service module. Put onto an Apollo analogue in KSP it just looks wrong. Butt ugly in fact. It's just one of many reasons to go with KW Rocketry to get a more realistic equivalent. Or Ven's Stock Revamp to replace it and other unsatisfactory Squad models with better looks.

All in all I think this is a good simple  solution.

Edited April 27, 2018 by EatVacuum

[tmdart]

4 hours ago, EatVacuum said:

To be fair he didn't remove the poodle, he put the Wolfhound model on the poodle stats. I've always thought the Poodle engine model was the worse in Squads line up. The engine was good, it was just ugly and wrong. High efficiency vacuum engines have large engine bells for a reason.

I completely understand why it was done and I am totally fine with the wolfhound having the poodle stats. I am just one of those people that doesn't like loosing the stock parts because it might break a craft file or lord knows what. IMHO just because the two parts are the same doesn't mean a stock part should just be removed, but that's just my opinion. I am perfectly fine with it just sitting in the parts list not doing anything.

For me a good compromise would be to flip the stats of the two engines just so the model is still there. I will most likely edit things to reflect this on my end to try out your changes.

Edited April 27, 2018 by tmdart
Added extra statement.

[todi]

There seems to be a problem with Google Sheets link and with the Homepage link in CKAN.

[Tyko]

4 hours ago, tmdart said:

For me a good compromise would be to flip the stats of the two engines just so the model is still there. I will most likely edit things to reflect this on my end to try out your changes.

Cool..thanks for the feedback.

Anyone know how Squad is hiding legacy parts with MH installed - like the old Rockomax tanks? I could use the same trick and just deprecate the Poodle but not delete it.

[UnanimousCoward]

2 hours ago, Tyko said:

Cool..thanks for the feedback.

Anyone know how Squad is hiding legacy parts with MH installed - like the old Rockomax tanks? I could use the same trick and just deprecate the Poodle but not delete it.

I don't know about the Rockomax tanks, but for the Mk1-2 Command Pod, I believe they use a combination of

TechHidden = True
category = none
subcategory = 0

The first hides it in the tech tree and the other two in the VAB/SPH parts list, I believe.

[Tyko]

 

 

@UnanimousCoward Cool! Thanks for the suggestion! I'll look at implementing this and rolling out an update over the weekend

3 hours ago, todi said:

There seems to be a problem with Google Sheets link and with the Homepage link in CKAN.

I'll take a look

Edited April 27, 2018 by Tyko

[Tyko]

v1.1 Released

ChangeLog:

• Poodle is no longer removed from game. It's now only hidden. This means that you can still load .craft files that include the Poodle.

Thanks to @tmdart for the suggestion and @UnanimousCoward  for help on fixing it!

Edited April 28, 2018 by Tyko

[theonegalen]

Hey, I did the same with the Apollo engines (except Wolfhound) in UBM Extended. But I actually nerfed the Kodiak to make Vostok and Sputnik replicas doable, then had it upgrade throughout the tech tree to become a very good 1.25 m engine.

All that to say, I like your mod.

[Mark Kerbin]

I.. could get used to this. Well done.

[JAFO]

Many thanks for this, @Tyko!

 

One minor note: There's something not quite right with the CKAN config for this mod.

Even though it's marked as compatible with "All versions", it won't show up for 1.4.3 if the filter is set to "Compatible". The same filter works correctly for your MSP-3000 Material Science Pod mod, which is also marked "All versions", so there's clearly some small difference between them where there shouldn't be..

Unfortunately, this also makes it so that the mod can't be selected for installation.

Edited May 28, 2018 by JAFO

[Tyko]

1 hour ago, JAFO said:

Many thanks for this, @Tyko!

 

One minor note: There's something not quite right with the CKAN config for this mod.

Even though it's marked as compatible with "All versions", it won't show up for 1.4.3 if the filter is set to "Compatible". The same filter works correctly for your MSP-3000 Material Science Pod mod, which is also marked "All versions", so there's clearly some small difference between them where there shouldn't be..

Unfortunately, this also makes it so that the mod can't be selected for installation.

Sorry you're having a problem. I'm unable to replicate it though. i just did a clean install of 1.4.3 + MH and was able to see and download EngineTweaks without a problem.

[m4v]

More than a vacuum engine, the  Poddle is an engine for landers, that's why the bell is so small (same reason with the terrier), so you can have some clearance while landing. It shouldn't be hidden by default, you are limiting options for landers.

Edited June 3, 2018 by m4v

[Tyko]

18 hours ago, m4v said:

More than a vacuum engine, the  Poddle is an engine for landers, that's why the bell is so small (same reason with the terrier), so you can have some clearance while landing. It shouldn't be hidden by default, you are limiting options for landers.

You make a really good point! Let me look at the best way of making the lander version available again...I think I'll just have to unhide it and give it a new name.

Any suggestions for a good dog name for a muscly lander engine?

Also, should I adjust the specs at all to customize it for that role and reflect the really short engine bell?

[mike5brown]

I could be very wrong but wasn’t one of the biggest problems physicis wise with the poodle is that it was to efficient for the size of the bell?  

 

I have a very tenuous grasp of how it all works. So I could easily be very wrong. 

[Tyko]

19 hours ago, mike5brown said:

I could be very wrong but wasn’t one of the biggest problems physicis wise with the poodle is that it was to efficient for the size of the bell?  

 

I have a very tenuous grasp of how it all works. So I could easily be very wrong. 

Yep, a bell that short wouldn't be that efficient in a vacuum. That's one of the reasons I pulled it out. That said, @m4v raises a good point about using it in landers. 

I'm trying to decide if I should just unhide it or if i should just give @m4v a quick patch to fix his game. Anyone else want to offer an opinion?

[mike5brown]

I would lean towards nerfing the Poodle’s ISP as a short term fix. In the long term make it a purpose built landing/ascent rocket. The Appolo rockets didn’t use the LEM’s rocket to get to the Moon. In KSP the Poodle is basically my do everything once I’m in orbit (I could very well be wrong in my play style). 

[Delbrutis]

On 6/5/2018 at 6:54 AM, Tyko said:

Anyone else want to offer an opinion?

Like what you have done with the balance this patch makes the game much better with the new engines. I would vote for leaving the poodle named as is but making it the missing heavy monoprop engine Squad never gave us. Leave its good ISP but cut the thrust in half that should keep it viable as a lander engine. 

[Tyko]

21 hours ago, Delbrutis said:

Like what you have done with the balance this patch makes the game much better with the new engines. I would vote for leaving the poodle named as is but making it the missing heavy monoprop engine Squad never gave us. Leave its good ISP but cut the thrust in half that should keep it viable as a lander engine. 

Thanks! It's a cool idea. I'm not going to make any changes to parts I've already included because it could break other players' ongoing games. I'll take a look at adding another engine in. In the meantime it would be fairly easy for you to make the change to the Poodle for your own game. If you need help PM me and we can throw a quick config together.

[Delbrutis]

Thanks I was just throwing the idea out there for making the mod more balanced by itself. I have been using the Ven's service engine as a drop in poodle model replacement for a long time. It looks just as good as the Wolfhound  has a working heat emissive  and the thrust is aligned straight. I haven’t tested 1.4.5 yet but the thrust of the wolfhound was still off centre in 1.4.4 . I am good with tweaking my MM configs myself but thanks I really appreciate the offer. I will be setting up a new careerer play thru in 1.4.5 and will be using these engine configs  for sure.    

[Rocketology]

Kill the Poodle. Period. Then shoot it again until all available ammunition has been depleted, just to be sure. Then quarter it and and bury the corpse parts at the 4 corners of Kerbin to prevent resurrection.

Seriously, the Poodle model is so bad, that the very first mod I looked for when playing KSP was something that fixed it, a la Ven's Stock Part Revamp. 

@Tyko Awesome work on this! As someone that tested MH, this is more inline with some of the suggestions I made to Squad.

 

[Tyko]

10 hours ago, RocketPCGaming said:

Kill the Poodle. Period. Then shoot it again until all available ammunition has been depleted, just to be sure. Then quarter it and and bury the corpse parts at the 4 corners of Kerbin to prevent resurrection.

Seriously, the Poodle model is so bad, that the very first mod I looked for when playing KSP was something that fixed it, a la Ven's Stock Part Revamp. 

@Tyko Awesome work on this! As someone that tested MH, this is more inline with some of the suggestions I made to Squad.

 

Thanks! I agree 100%. I initially killed it entirely, but others asked that I only hide it so as not to break existing games and to allow people to use it for landers if they really wanted to...