[1.3.0] Kerbal Engineer Redux 1.1.3.0 (2017-05-28)

[Alshain]

What about a text color option. The white/green hud text is hard to see over the white horizon, or if a cloud mod is installed. Any other color would have the same problem elsewhere in the solar system so it would be nice to have it customizable. It doesn't have to be a full color picker or anything like that, but even similar to the GUI Size selector where it would rotate through a handful of pre-selected colors. For example, I would like a burgundy red over Kerbin, but of course that wouldn't work at Duna.

Edited October 12, 2015 by Alshain

[BudgetHedgehog]

IIRC, can't you set them to have a slight grey background? It's not exactly what you want, but the HUDs do stand out then.

[Red Iron Crown]

IIRC, can't you set them to have a slight grey background? It's not exactly what you want, but the HUDs do stand out then.

You can, I do this as the HUDs are difficult to read against light backgrounds. I don't know if a single font color could be good for all situations.

[Alshain]

Yeah, I saw that. However, if I were going to use that background, I could just use the full engineer window. It's just as intrusive and defeats the purpose of having the HUD, at least IMO.

- - - Updated - - -

You can, I do this as the HUDs are difficult to read against light backgrounds. I don't know if a single font color could be good for all situations.

That's why I'm not suggesting a single color. In the miscellaneous section you can currently add a GUI size to any HUD window. I think something similar that cycles between anywhere from 5 to 10 preset color schemes would do the job. Or instead of 'schemes' you could just have 2 buttons and raw colors. One for changing the numbers and the other for the descriptors. All that is needed is a basic set of colors, not every color known to man. I would however avoid primary colors. Instead of Red and Blue, use Burgundy and Navy Blue for example. It's generally easier to read text that way.

Edited October 12, 2015 by Alshain

[BudgetHedgehog]

Yeah, I saw that. However, if I were going to use that background, I could just use the full engineer window. It's just as intrusive and defeats the purpose of having the HUD, at least IMO.

Really? I find it perfect - it's not opaque like the main KER window, it's way more minimalistic, I don't find it intrusive (no more so than the HUD itself, anyway).. but each to their own, I guess.

[ebigunso]

I dont have a solution for this but I can confirm it happens to me as well.

Here is a quick album of it.

The first pic is of my craft attached to the supports. No throttle and KER reads the delta V correctly.

The second pic I have started the engines and they are firing but the supports are still attached and KER is giving me correct data still.

The third pic is when I have released the clamps and now KER has gone to 0 for the delta V readout.

I am using a new install with KER v1.0.18.0

http://imgur.com/a/vwyra

I have the same problem in stock size Kerbin with RF. So I assume this is a compatibility issue with RF and KER, and maybe even MJ looking at what the first guy said.

I'd love it if somebody could go check if this actually is the case, and find out which mod and where needs a fix.

[Kobymaru]

Hi! I just noticed that Kerbal Engineer causes a massive framerate drop (to about 0.2 fps), when the ship is on escape Trajectory out of the sun, while showing time to apoapsis/periapsis data.

Disabling the all sections with the time to Periapsis/Apoapsis readout fixes the Framerate, enabling it causes it to drop again.

I would post my log, but there is nothing in there at all.

Edit: this is now GitHub Issue #55

Edited October 13, 2015 by Kobymaru

[Padishar]

Thanks for that. It sounds like those readouts aren't being as careful about orbits without an Ap as they should be. I'm on holiday at the moment and only have my phone so I'll take a look at it once I get back.

[Red Iron Crown]

Suggestion/request: An "Aero" tab for the Flight Engineer with drag, lift, and other aerodynamic-related numbers. I've been using NathanKell's excellent AeroGUI for these data, but I really miss being able to pick and choose from those numbers to add to KER displays. (Or are these data somewhere in KER I haven't found yet?)

[SaintWacko]

Is there any way to get the "Resources" panel from the VAB/SPH during flight? I'd rather use a nice clean HUD to see my remaining fuel than a big opaque panel.

[Padishar]

Suggestion/request: An "Aero" tab for the Flight Engineer with drag, lift, and other aerodynamic-related numbers. I've been using NathanKell's excellent AeroGUI for these data, but I really miss being able to pick and choose from those numbers to add to KER displays. (Or are these data somewhere in KER I haven't found yet?)

It would probably be fairly easy to detect AeroGUI and add corresponding readouts to KER. I'll add it to the list of things that might be nice...

[eddiew]

Suggestion/request: An "Aero" tab for the Flight Engineer with drag, lift, and other aerodynamic-related numbers. I've been using NathanKell's excellent AeroGUI for these data, but I really miss being able to pick and choose from those numbers to add to KER displays. (Or are these data somewhere in KER I haven't found yet?)

Seconded! I also would love to see a real time drag readout for the whole ship. Would really help with optimising spaceplanes Would this vary with AoA, speed and altitude so's to display the actual drag during flight, vs the theoretical drag when in the SPH?

[baldamundo]

Does anyone have like a tweakscale config or something for KER? Having a lot of trouble fitting it onto smaller probes without looking really wonky

[ebigunso]

Does anyone have like a tweakscale config or something for KER? Having a lot of trouble fitting it onto smaller probes without looking really wonky

You can go on and enable partless mode, then you don't have to worry about it.

[baldamundo]

You can go on and enable partless mode, then you don't have to worry about it.

Yeah, but I still want the trade-off of having to pay to install it on each vessel. Plus I like having these sorts of parts handy whenever a probe needs a bit of greebling

[gonzo98x]

I haven't seen any response to the issue a few of us are having with KER and Real Fuels. Is there a solution that we missed? Is this a known bug that hasn't been resolved yet?

[Joco223]

I'm using the 6.4x mod and the KER isn't showing right values for TWR and dV. It's probably due the 6.4x mod changing the size of the planets and moons. On the surface of Kerbin i'ts coreect for the dV and TWR, but its way off on the Mun, and other planets and moons. For example it shows me that i have 4000dV and 2.3TWR on the Mun but when i get there with the same rocket it only shows me that i have 500dV and 1.1TWR? Any idea to fix this problem? Great mod btw

[paul23]

Is this mod still being developed?

If so, may I request the inclusion of the "specific orbital energy" in the orbit parameters? This is when testing and designing a very important orbital parameter. Where the periapsis, apoapsis and the other orbital parameters describe an orbits position in space, the oribital specific energy describes the kind and allows orbits to be compared.

The formula is really easy:

E = E_kin + E_pot = v^2 / 2 + Mu/r

For elliptical/hyperbolic (and circular):

E = - Mu / (2 * a)

With Mu the standard gravitational parameter, and a the semi major axis. In case of an hyperbolic orbit "a" is negative (so the specific energy is positive).

Now for paroblic orbits it is defined to be "0". (And this coincides with both limits when "a" approaches infinity).

Now an negative orbital energy means you haven't "left" the object you're in the SOI. The closer you are to "zero" the more energy is in your orbit. So when you make two rocket designs (same costs) the design that provides a higher specific orbital energy is "more efficient".

[Vorg]

Is there a way to get KER to include stages that are mono powered?

[ebigunso]

Hey, maybe someone of you has the solution to my problem I came across. ( I searched for similar entries here but didn't find any)

When using KER in Realism Overhaul / RSS everything works fine in the VAB regarding staging listing with deltaV readout.

As soon as I hit launch a few seconds after the delta V of the current stage sets to 0 and KER only recognizes the remaining ones. Staging these also deletes the readout to 0.

In MechJeb there is kind of a "ghost" stage created with the correct TWR but 0 deltaV under the actual stage with the depleting delta V readout which I think KER then uses too to output the current stage.

This happens regardless of Launch Clamps or without.

Is there maybe an explanation for this? Is it due to procedural parts being used in combination with RO? (I don't get this bug in stock with Procedural Parts)

As this also happens to other info mods I think it might be based on some game mechanics though

Thanks in advance

I dont have a solution for this but I can confirm it happens to me as well.

Here is a quick album of it.

The first pic is of my craft attached to the supports. No throttle and KER reads the delta V correctly.

The second pic I have started the engines and they are firing but the supports are still attached and KER is giving me correct data still.

The third pic is when I have released the clamps and now KER has gone to 0 for the delta V readout.

I am using a new install with KER v1.0.18.0

http://imgur.com/a/vwyra

I have the same problem in stock size Kerbin with RF. So I assume this is a compatibility issue with RF and KER, and maybe even MJ looking at what the first guy said.

I'd love it if somebody could go check if this actually is the case, and find out which mod and where needs a fix.

This has not been answered by anybody in this thread, and seems to be forgotten. Please take a look at this problem since this happens all the time, and the issue is obviously there.

I have brought this here again since there was a report from another person in the RF thread reporting the exact same issue with KER, and in that same thread Starwaster gave an answer saying it most likely is a KER issue and not RF's.

It would be great if this could be taken a look at.

The post I am talking about is here: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/64118-1-0-4-Real-Fuels-v10-6-1-Sep-9?p=2259532&viewfull=1#post2259532

[Padishar]

I haven't seen any response to the issue a few of us are having with KER and Real Fuels. Is there a solution that we missed? Is this a known bug that hasn't been resolved yet?

I haven't yet got around to looking at this. It sounds very much like there is an issue with the RF engines, either their stats are being modified once you activate them or their active state is not correct which can confuse the simulation code in KER (make it try to calculate stats for the currently active engines rather than what should be active but the UI still show the figures for the should be active ones). I'm still away from home and, while I do have my dev machine with me, I've not yet got it properly set up and don't currently have a lot of spare time.

I'm using the 6.4x mod and the KER isn't showing right values for TWR and dV. It's probably due the 6.4x mod changing the size of the planets and moons. On the surface of Kerbin i'ts coreect for the dV and TWR, but its way off on the Mun, and other planets and moons. For example it shows me that i have 4000dV and 2.3TWR on the Mun but when i get there with the same rocket it only shows me that i have 500dV and 1.1TWR? Any idea to fix this problem? Great mod btw

KER should be reading the properties of the celestial bodies from the core game structures so it sounds like the 6.4x mod doesn't correctly adjust these values. Does 6.4x use Kopernicus or is it a separate thing? KER works correctly with Kopernicus based planet packs so this is almost certainly the "fault" of the 6.4x mod in some way.

Is this mod still being developed?

Yes.

If so, may I request the inclusion of the "specific orbital energy" in the orbit parameters? This is when testing and designing a very important orbital parameter. Where the periapsis, apoapsis and the other orbital parameters describe an orbits position in space, the oribital specific energy describes the kind and allows orbits to be compared.

[snip]

Now an negative orbital energy means you haven't "left" the object you're in the SOI. The closer you are to "zero" the more energy is in your orbit. So when you make two rocket designs (same costs) the design that provides a higher specific orbital energy is "more efficient".

You may request anything you like. The likelihood of it being implemented basically depends on how difficult it would be and how useful it would be. This one wouldn't be difficult but I don't currently see it actually being of much use except for determining how to most efficiently transform deltaV into orbital energy (expending the same amount of deltaV at a higher initial velocity adds more orbital energy, this is the oberth effect). Someone may decide to implement it but, in my opinion, there are quite a few more important things that need work so I'm unlikely to do it any time soon.

Is there a way to get KER to include stages that are mono powered?

The deltaV calculation code only simulates the burning of ModuleEngines derived engines. This doesn't include normal monoprop RCS thrusters or the newer ones that use LF+O but it should include the monoprop using real engine (can't remember the name offhand, the one that throttles like a normal engine).

There are plans to include potential deltaV from RCS but it requires non-trivial changes to the UI and also to the underlying simulation code in order to be general enough to be truly useful.

[gonzo98x]

Thank you so much for responding Pad. I didnt realize you are away. If there's anything I can provide to make hunting down the issue easier please let me know and I'll get on it. The only insight I can provide so far is that if I use a clean install with real fuel and mech Jeb then mech Jeb can read delta V, isp, acceleration, etc. If I make the switch from mj to KER than I can't see those stats in flight.

I won't bring the issue up again as I didn't know you're away.

[Padishar]

I've had a bit of a look at the code and it looks like some changes were made to KER when KSP 1.0 changed how engines work that may have caused this problem. I'll try to take a closer look at the code in the next couple of days.

[ebigunso]

I've had a bit of a look at the code and it looks like some changes were made to KER when KSP 1.0 changed how engines work that may have caused this problem. I'll try to take a closer look at the code in the next couple of days.

Thanks a bunch XD

[Vorg]

RCS Build aid does seem to be able to treat RCS thrusters as engines and give you a TWR and dV for when they are used as main engines on very small craft. just would be handy if not too hard to have that option in KER. Roverdude's DERP pod uses RCS Engines that KER doesn't seem to reconize as engines.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Vorg