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

[Padishar]

You should put the whole Engineer folder into the GameData folder not the main folder. If you have and it isn't working then the only other thing I can think of is to try installing the Toolbar mod (from here). I may have accidentally broken something when I fixed the horrible flickering toolbar icon and it may only work with that installed at the moment.

[abpahl]

Oh. Well that'd be it. I put it in the wrong folder. I had an old version of this mod in GameData, which is why it was only sort of working. Thank you for you help!

[Zyglrox]

Hi!

If my craft has any SRBs in it, it looks like the Engineer spams the following lines non-stop:

[ERR 01:53:21.525] Cannot find module 'ModuleEngineConfigs' (-1249380957)
[ERR 01:53:21.526] Cannot find module 'ModuleHybridEngine' (-2131079158)
[ERR 01:53:21.528] Cannot find module 'ModuleEngineConfigs' (-1249380957)
[ERR 01:53:21.529] Cannot find module 'ModuleHybridEngine' (-2131079158)
[ERR 01:53:21.531] Cannot find module 'ModuleEngineConfigs' (-1249380957)
[ERR 01:53:21.532] Cannot find module 'ModuleHybridEngine' (-2131079158)
[ERR 01:53:21.697] Cannot find module 'ModuleEngineConfigs' (-1249380957)
[ERR 01:53:21.698] Cannot find module 'ModuleHybridEngine' (-2131079158)
[ERR 01:53:21.700] Cannot find module 'ModuleEngineConfigs' (-1249380957)
[ERR 01:53:21.701] Cannot find module 'ModuleHybridEngine' (-2131079158)
[ERR 01:53:21.703] Cannot find module 'ModuleEngineConfigs' (-1249380957)
[ERR 01:53:21.704] Cannot find module 'ModuleHybridEngine' (-2131079158)
[ERR 01:53:21.860] Cannot find module 'ModuleEngineConfigs' (-1249380957)
[ERR 01:53:21.864] Cannot find module 'ModuleHybridEngine' (-2131079158)
[ERR 01:53:21.865] Cannot find module 'ModuleEngineConfigs' (-1249380957)
[ERR 01:53:21.866] Cannot find module 'ModuleHybridEngine' (-2131079158)
[ERR 01:53:21.868] Cannot find module 'ModuleEngineConfigs' (-1249380957)
[ERR 01:53:21.869] Cannot find module 'ModuleHybridEngine' (-2131079158)

And if the craft has a lot of SRBs (i.e. separtrons), the game can take a noticeable performance hit. Took me a while to realise what was causing it. Even worse, the VOID plugin uses Engineer.Extensions and does the same.

However, aside from error spamming, KER works just fine: all parameters are shown correctly. (VOID too, not that it matters here).

Is it possible to maybe not report "Cannot find module" as errors?

[Padishar]

I will need more information to diagnose the problem here but if I had to guess, I would say that you have the RealFuels mod incorrectly installed. That message isn't output by the KER simulation code but it does use a standard KSP function in the PartModuleList class to try to find the RealFuels engine modules by name. The code in question is only called if you have RealFuels installed and I assumed that the call would just return NULL if the module wasn't present in the part and wouldn't spam the log with useless error messages. In fact, the function in question looks for two different modules and I believe only one should ever be present on an engine so I would expect to see one or the other of these message for many more engines.

Can you let me know what mods you have installed (including which engine pack you have installed for RealFuels), their versions, the version of KSP and also upload a simple craft file that triggers these messages?

[Zyglrox]

Can you let me know what mods you have installed (including which engine pack you have installed for RealFuels), their versions, the version of KSP and also upload a simple craft file that triggers these messages?

The minimum configuration to replicate it:

KSP 0.23.5

Real Fuels 5.3 (with MM 2.1.0)

KER 0.6.2.4

I use Realism Overhaul with SFJBRealEngines pack and all available engines and tons of other stuff, but the messages appear even without it (just with "naked" RF).

As for the craft: MK1 pod, Sepratron-I and Engineering chip are enough to produce the errors.

So it looks like it's really a RF problem and not Engineer's. Sorry for bothering.

[Padishar]

Actually the problem may lie with MM. 2.1.0 is known to have various issues. They were advising going back to 2.0.7 until it was fixed but check the relevant thread...

[Zyglrox]

Already checked 2.0.7 and 2.1.0 - all the same.

I better ask in the RF thread then.

[Padishar]

You could also try my experimental version in this thread (it has some specific RealFuels tweaks) though I don't see how it could affect your issue...

[Zyglrox]

Sadly, no difference.

As a temporary solution, I just set a read-only flag to ksp.log - not a real fix, but deals with performance issues.

Thanks for your help!

[Padishar]

I had a closer look and it turns out that KER is causing this log spam but only when using non-RF engines when RF is installed. I had the RftS engine pack and the solid boosters and sepratrons are configured for RF but in the SFJB pack they aren't. My dev version in the other thread now includes a fix for this and also removes the logging of the simulation time.

[Zyglrox]

Thank you! Works great, no more errors.

[Padishar]

I have now implemented velocity thrust correction for jet engines in my dev version. The flight engineer uses the craft's current surface speed and the build engineer has a new tweakable slider to set the speed from 0-2500 m/s.

Edit: I have also now implemented optional correction for engine thrust vectors controlled by a toggle in the build and flight engineer tweakables.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Padishar

[youwitdaface]

I have an issue/bug to report/ask for help with:

Whenever I add the Engineer part to a vessel, the Engineer UI doesn't appear and the vessel name field at the top of the screen will go blank and won't allow me to save any vessel. What gives?

[Padishar]

Whenever I add the Engineer part to a vessel, the Engineer UI doesn't appear and the vessel name field at the top of the screen will go blank and won't allow me to save any vessel. What gives?

Which versions of KSP and KER are you using? The most likely cause of this sort of problem is having multiple versions of KER installed or having it installed in the wrong place. I suggest you first have a good look through your KSP folder for all files that look like KER and get rid of them. Then install KER by copying the Engineer folder from the zip into the KSP GameData folder. If it still doesn't work then you will need to upload your output_log.txt (in the KSP_Data folder) for us to look at...

[Kerbelaus]

I will need to check this at home later today but I've had the same issue crop up in my career mode. I have blizzy's toolbar app and in the VAB I can add one of the Engineer components, click the blizzy button and the box for the name of the my spacecraft at the top centre of the screen disappears. I can click it off again and it reappears. Oddly, when I launch I sometimes get the engineer panel and sometimes I get a two tone grey box, almost as though the whole of the readout display has shrunk to the location of its header. Sometimes it all "pops" back into view again although I've noticed that the vessel panel is not correctly updating the dV as I burn fuel.

Sorry, sounds weird, I may take a screenshot later to evidence it.

I will also check my version of KER. I am running KSP23.5.

I will also remove KER and reinstall in case there is some issue, but its in the right place (GameData) and has worked perfectly right up to the point where I opened a new tech node to obtain the Skipper engine and as soon as I tried building rockets with the new node open I've had this issue.

Don't want to sound like a complainer at all. its bound to be user error or a mod conflict, but I do love the utility this mod provides and the fact I like it so much means I posted here rather than just uninstalling and walking away from it.

[youwitdaface]

Which versions of KSP and KER are you using? The most likely cause of this sort of problem is having multiple versions of KER installed or having it installed in the wrong place. I suggest you first have a good look through your KSP folder for all files that look like KER and get rid of them. Then install KER by copying the Engineer folder from the zip into the KSP GameData folder. If it still doesn't work then you will need to upload your output_log.txt (in the KSP_Data folder) for us to look at...

Ihave KSP 23.5 and KER 0.6.2.4. I just checked my KSP folder and didn't find any extra copies of KER... I also deleted and reinstalled KER and that didn't work. Here is the output_log.txt file:

http://www./view/toqttgn8fw22rm1/output_log.txt

[KerbMav]

As long as a decoupler - fresh or used - is in the current stage, KER does not display dV/TWR.

This happens with my crew pods which I edited to be self-decoupling as well as with decouplers on top of orbital stages that I want to deorbit.

I have to move the decoupler into an extra stage to fix this - I gather this is the only way to handle this anyway?

[KerbMav]

I will need to check this at home later today but I've had the same issue crop up in my career mode.

Does this also happen if you add KER to the command pods via ModuleManager?

I never use the parts and do not have this issue.

[Padishar]

As long as a decoupler - fresh or used - is in the current stage, KER does not display dV/TWR.

This happens with my crew pods which I edited to be self-decoupling as well as with decouplers on top of orbital stages that I want to deorbit.

I have to move the decoupler into an extra stage to fix this - I gather this is the only way to handle this anyway?

Have you tried my development version in this thread?

[KerbMav]

Have you tried my development version in this thread?

I am fairly certain I am using the newest version (from your OP in the other thread), but I will check this afternoon.

Edit: Yes, version from 18/5.

It is not a bug/problem really, more an inconvenience, but a logical one actually.

Edited May 27, 2014 by KerbMav

[cvod]

I've found that the TWR calculations are wrong for parts that display two max thrust values. This applies to the rapier engine for stock installs. It also applies to the B9 sabre engines and the linear aerospike in the shuttle engines pack. Any chance KER can be updated to account for this?

Edit: nevermind. It was another mod interfering that caused the problem.

Edited June 5, 2014 by cvod

[Padishar]

I've found that the TWR calculations are wrong for parts that display two max thrust values. This applies to the rapier engine for stock installs. It also applies to the B9 sabre engines and the linear aerospike in the shuttle engines pack. Any chance KER can be updated to account for this?

In what way is it wrong? Do you mean during flight or in the VAB/SPH? The code "should" be using the thrust of the relevant engine module so it should be correct during flight and in the VAB/SPH it should show the rocket stats normally and the jet stats when the "Atmospheric Stats" button is pressed. The tweakable options in the VAB/SPH should also include sliders for setting the atmospheric pressure and craft velocity used to correct the thrust/ISP (defaulting to sea level and 0 m/s).

[Kerbelaus]

Does this also happen if you add KER to the command pods via ModuleManager?

I never use the parts and do not have this issue.

Fresh install of KSP and the Mod with the new (I think 2.1.5 Module Manager has eradicated the problem.)

Thank you for the suggestion.

[MrOnak]

I'm not sure whether this is a bug related to KER, KSP itself, or I'm just confused:

On reentry my crafts are routinely a bit faster than the terminal velocity displayed by KER. This is true for any body with an atmosphere not just Kerbin. To isolate the problem I made a clean KSP install with only KER installed but it persists. Obviously with FAR the atmosphere would change completely but thats not the case here. Its hard to tell how much faster than terminal velocity my crafts are on average due to the fast changing numbers but I'm estimating around 10%.

Has anyone else noticed that?

At the moment I believe KERs calculations are actually correct since my formulas which I calculate in-game using kOS show exactly the same numbers as KER. Nevertheless I'd like to understand whats going on here since I need those numbers to match my actual terminal velocity as experienced in game for a lander script. All parts of my craft have an actual drag of 0.2, hence the overall drag is indeed 0.2, just to rule out that error.

Thanks in advance

[Padishar]

You seem to be misunderstanding the concept of terminal velocity. The terminal velocity isn't any sort of hard limit, it simply tells you at what velocity the gravitational pull on your craft is balanced by the atmospheric drag on your craft (assuming vertical motion). So, when you are at terminal velocity straight down, the drag is balanced by your weight and you will not be accelerating or decelerating. As you descend the atmospheric drag increases due to the higher pressure and hence the drag becomes higher than you weight and you slow down a bit more but this doesn't happen instantaneously.

When you are moving at an angle to the vertical the situation is more complex. The drag force acts directly opposite to the direction of motion but gravity still acts directly downwards so you will need more drag to balance gravity. As the drag force is the only force acting non-vertically, this causes your horizontal speed to drop and only a part of the drag force is working against gravity.

Does this clear up your confusion?