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[1..x, 1.9.x, 1.10.x] Kerbal Research & Development

linuxgurugamer

By linuxgurugamer
in KSP1 Mod Releases

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linuxgurugamer

linuxgurugamer

Posted
Posted (edited)

Forum user @-MM- wrote this nice mod several years ago.  He has retired from modding and gave me permission to adopt it.  Original thread is here: https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/128204-142-kerbal-research-development/

I always thought that science-points lose a lot of their value in the endgame once you have unlocked the entire tech-tree, which is why I made this mod. With Kerbal R&D you can spend science points to improve the stats of the parts you have already unlocked in a career game. At first the investment will be rather small, but the cost goes up exponentially so you will always have a good reason to bring back every last bit of science from your missions.

IFZ3Tvn.png

More images: http://imgur.com/a/2J020

License:  CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0

At the moment you can improve the following stats:

  • Dry mass of all parts (reduced mass of a part when empty)
  • Atmospheric and vacuum ISP of Engines (improving their fuel efficiency)
  • Fuel flow of Engines and RCS-Thrusters (increasing their maximum thrust)
  • Torque of reaction wheels
  • Charge rate of solar panels
  • Crash tolerance of landing legs
  • Battery capacity
  • Efficiency of Generators (eg RTGs)
  • Efficiency of Resource Converters
  • Safe deployment-speed of Parachutes
  • Maximum internal- and skin-temperature of all parts
  • Fuel pressure (capacity of fuel tanks)

The upgrades are tracked separately for each part and vessel, which means any research you do doesn't affect your ships and stations already in orbit. The cost of each upgrade and the improvement it will bring can be tweaked for each part via simple configuration files.

Dependencies

Availability

Reviewed by Kottobas Games:

Available on CKAN

You can download the [previous versions of this mod from GitHub

This mod requires the mod Module Manager to work.

Please note that this mod is not 100% compatible with other mods which modify parts at runtime (eg TweakScale,  InterstellarFuelSwitch, Firespitter, B9PartSwitch).

Edited by linuxgurugamer
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linuxgurugamer

linuxgurugamer

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  • Author
Posted
1 hour ago, Commodoregamer118 said:

First! Congrats on adopting this mod.

Question 1: The not 100% compatibility is an issue or can i use it as normal?

Question 2: This will be on CKAN?

The compatibility issue is still a thing, I'm going to have to code for each part switcher 

And it should be on CKAN now

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caipi

caipi

Posted
Posted (edited)

Awesome job. :)

This really is just perfect for late carreer games where you don't know what to do with your science. Thank you so much for bringing it back!

I do have a small issue with the window height, as you can see in the images:

Spoiler

screenshot7etkmn.pngscreenshot8rrk5c.png

Mod Version 1.16.0.1 with KSP 1.8.1

As you can see, if a part has a lot of improvable modules, than the last or last few get snipped off.

Would it be possible to make the window size dynamic, so that we can in- or decrease the size? If not, could you increase the height a little bit, so that all options are always possible?

Edited by caipi
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Probus

Probus

Posted
Posted (edited)

Great idea!  I feel the same way @linuxgurugamer.  Looking forward to trying this out.

Some more ideas for the future (forgive me if its already in there):

  • Better ablators
  • More gimbal range
  • Solids with takeoff and altitude thrust forces (may be out of scope)
  • Efficiency of Solar Panels

This would have done wonders for my last campaign game end run.

 

Edited by Probus
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Daniel Prates

Daniel Prates

Posted
Posted

OH DAMN, what a great idea. I have always thought this should be built in stock game, since when you eventually exhaust all research there is still lots of science to be gathered all over the Kerbol System, and you always end up not having anything to spend them on, except for the strategies (which I never particularly liked as a game mechanic). 

 

On 1/15/2020 at 9:22 AM, Probus said:
  • Better ablators
  • Efficiency of Solar Panels

Exactly. Better materials generating better efficiency. 

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JeffreyCor

JeffreyCor

Posted
Posted
On 1/13/2020 at 7:42 PM, linuxgurugamer said:

The compatibility issue is still a thing, I'm going to have to code for each part switcher 

And it should be on CKAN now

Is that something you're actually considering? That sounds like a LOT of work! I'm sure would be appreciated by many, and incredibly impressive if even possible.

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JadeOfMaar

JadeOfMaar

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 1/14/2020 at 1:18 AM, Beetlecat said:

Does this use the game's part upgrade functionality? Did Squad ever do anything with it? :D

I never used this mod but I've seen it in action (on YouTube or Twitch) and I'm very sure it does not use the stock feature. B9 Part Switch has a method for upgrades now, which builds upon the stock feature. I've created and confirmed a good number of use cases with it already. (But you would know. You're an OPT user. :D)

Some demonstrations in spoiler, to not be obvious and possibly derail thread:

Spoiler

B9PS allows for progressively unlocking new features within a given module and defaulting to the highest available feature the next time you choose a part. I think this still requires writing and placing part upgrade nodes within a tech tree node like stock. Otherwise, you only need to specify a tech node and then reach that. (I don't remember which at the moment.) It's a whole new dimension to upgrades that would pair fabulously with KRnD.

  • I've made this engine into a dual-mode engine.Then in its secondary mode there are 4 operating sub-modes in the nature of a VASIMR engine. I add warnings in orange text according to the limitations I discover in my experiments. Each of these sub-modes can require a different tech node unlock but I chose to bunch them together for this case.
    imQ6Ugk.png
     
  • RCS thrusters and fuel cells are no longer bound to a particular fuel mix and no longer need to be cloned (adding to part count) to access other fuel mixes. Where appropriate, these upgrades can be switched in flight too. The same RCS thruster will get to blow air while in atmo, and still get to burn MonoPropellant in vacuum.
    VRwEls2.png_P8rFFZz.png_r9ifJZv.png
     
  • I could unlock new options for ablator resources or upgrade ablator efficiency, but due to limitaitons of B9, I can't have B9 upgrade configs for more than one aspect of the same module. (I can change the ablator resource, or I can change the efficiency value, but I can't do both in the same ablator module.)
  • Imagine upgrading the RAPIER into a complete next-gen form, having not only better specs but a different model and different fuel mixes for each engine mode too. That can happen.
  • Taking a very fragile part (concerning reentry fire) like this drop tank and upgrading it into a space-worthy form with not only high heat tolerance, but a different texture, and built-in ablator. I achieved this for OPT and for my tinkering project on the Duna Direct mod's return capsule. Note: there are 3 of this tank in the picture.
    SAF6OXL.png

 

On 1/13/2020 at 11:42 PM, linuxgurugamer said:

The compatibility issue is still a thing, I'm going to have to code for each part switcher

Heh. Now I'm really curious. Things may get a bit more interesting for you with my mention of B9PS above. :D

Edited by JadeOfMaar
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garoand_ran

garoand_ran

Posted
Posted

I think I found a bug.

The battery gauge not shown when using Universal Storage II Battery but available on Stock and Near Future mod battery.

Lastly I try uninstall KRnD mod then my saved vessel that I built when using this mod have an Unknown Part Modules with nothing change on the design and the electric charge available on the launch pad when using USII battery.

K0avRVr.png

Before I uninstall KRnD mod, I try to confirm this situation by checking the battery gauge on a vessel that using USII battery and electric charge on the battery. Unfortunately after I uninstall the mod, I try to confirm the electric charge on a same vessel but there is no electric charge on the USII battery.

4hUpnHT.png

KSP v.1.8.1.2694

USII v.1.7.0.10 (CKAN)

KRnD v.1.16.0.1 (CKAN)

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Skilobyte

Skilobyte

Posted
Posted

Super dope, thanks for saving another one Linux. A few dry mass investments got a single-launch station into orbit that I kept missing by about a couple hundred dV. A shame you can't R&D TweakScaleable parts, I see that as pretty much a must-have mod. Eagerly looking forward to that compatibility, but I see you have to write your own code for it. Wish I could help, but I'm useless - if you need a playtest I'm your guy ;)

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leatherneck6017

leatherneck6017

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, jeffQC1 said:

Just wondering how exactly i use this mod? I,ve installed the mod and the required dependencies, brought up the appropriate window in the VAB, but can't seem to pick any part.

You have to select a part in the VAB with the KRnD window open. Either a part already placed or a part from available parts. If the KRnD window doesn't populate with upgrades, it means that upgrades have been blocked by KRnD because of an incompatibility (TweakScale, etc).

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jeffQC1

jeffQC1

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, leatherneck6017 said:

You have to select a part in the VAB with the KRnD window open. Either a part already placed or a part from available parts. If the KRnD window doesn't populate with upgrades, it means that upgrades have been blocked by KRnD because of an incompatibility (TweakScale, etc).

Ah. That must be why. I run Tweakscale, which is pretty much a must for me at the moment. Welp, i will hope for compatibility somewhere in the future then, this mod looked very promising.

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DeadJohn

DeadJohn

Posted
Posted

I'm tempted to try this with a 1.7.3 save (Kopernicus dependency). I realize there's a risk either way, but do you suggest starting with your 1.8 adoption or the old 1.4.2 build?

I have no expectation of support if it doesn't work.

Thanks for adopting yet another mod.

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DeadJohn

DeadJohn

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 1/22/2020 at 7:35 PM, DeadJohn said:

I'm tempted to try this with a 1.7.3 save (Kopernicus dependency). I realize there's a risk either way, but do you suggest starting with your 1.8 adoption or the old 1.4.2 build?

I have no expectation of support if it doesn't work.

Thanks for adopting yet another mod.

Replying to my own post in case my test helps other people:

  • linuxgurugamer's 1.8 version unsurprisingly does not work in 1.7.3, my limited debugging skills say because of the Unity library upgrade Squad adopted during 1.8.
  • The prior 1.4.2 compile in the original KRnD thread sort of works in 1.7.3. It doesn't work for my use case, though, because my ongoing JNSQ 1.7.3 save relies on mods that in turn depend on B9PS and Interstellar Fuel Switch that are incompatible with KRnD.

I have 310,000 surplus science. I should stop building labs into bases and stations, but it's an addiction.

Edited by DeadJohn
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joaohm

joaohm

Posted
Posted

If you make it compatible with the most used mods first, it would suffice for a lot of time (tweakscale and interstellar fuelswitch). Of course, just code for the parts that use stock fuel (tanks with liquid, lf+o, or mono). I'm so happy that this mod got resurrected. I will gladly donate to help in your cause. Thanks

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