[1.3.1] Ferram Aerospace Research: v0.15.9.1 "Liepmann" 4/2/18

[Jacke]

There's also 3 common mods used to switch vehicles.  I don't currently have FAR installed, but someone else might want to test those 3 to see if they can recreate the bug with them.  Or if one or more of them would act as a workaround.

 

[Freds]

I just tested with stock installation - only FAR and its dependencies (ModuleManager and Modular Flight Integrator ) and the bug happens.
I recorded all in a video to show what happens.

https://youtu.be/nERq4PSVO10

 

I just opened an issue in Github 

https://github.com/ferram4/Ferram-Aerospace-Research/issues/162

Edited December 24, 2016 by Freds

[kcs123]

13 minutes ago, Freds said:

I just tested with stock installation - only FAR and its dependencies (ModuleManager and Modular Flight Integrator ) and the bug happens.
I recorded all in a video to show what happens.

https://youtu.be/nERq4PSVO10

Unfortunately, video is set as private. Can't be played.

[Freds]

Its not private - the video is still uploading.... try again in a few minutes and the link will work.
 

@kcs123 - its just uploaded! The link works now.

[Nansuchao]

3 hours ago, Freds said:

Its not private - the video is still uploading.... try again in a few minutes and the link will work.
 

@kcs123 - its just uploaded! The link works now.

Beautiful aim!!! It's the first time I see someone accidentally crash against the monolith! 

[palker]

I am using the update version of FAR with 1.2.1 KSP and EVA Kerbals have no drag. I will test this tomorrow with a only FAR and MFI + MM to see if it is a mod conflict. 

Steps to reproduce are build a simple rocket and launch. Jump out and watch the poor kerbonaut slam into the ground at supersonic speed.

[FunnelVortex]

34 minutes ago, palker said:

I am using the update version of FAR with 1.2.1 KSP and EVA Kerbals have no drag. I will test this tomorrow with a only FAR and MFI + MM to see if it is a mod conflict. 

Steps to reproduce are build a simple rocket and launch. Jump out and watch the poor kerbonaut slam into the ground at supersonic speed.

It's still a dev build so some bugs need to be worked out. The EVA parachutes mod should be handy for this in the meantime.

Edited December 24, 2016 by FunnelVortex

[ss8913]

45 minutes ago, FunnelVortex said:

It's still a dev build so some bugs need to be worked out. The EVA parachutes mod should be handy for this in the meantime.

It's not... last I checked, Eva chutes was specifically incompatible with far and the author said he can't do anything about it.  I tested it about a week ago and this still appears to be true.  Chutes have no effect at all.  You see the visual but they don't slow the kerbal down.

 

Which is weird because back in 0.90, those 2 mods worked together just fine.

[palker]

12 hours ago, ss8913 said:

It's not... last I checked, Eva chutes was specifically incompatible with far and the author said he can't do anything about it.  I tested it about a week ago and this still appears to be true.  Chutes have no effect at all.  You see the visual but they don't slow the kerbal down.

 

Which is weird because back in 0.90, those 2 mods worked together just fine.

yeah that is how i found out so i checked what will happen without the parachute and it was the same. Oh well i guess i will have to live without the EVA parachutes and just use revert flight to save my pilots. Also build better planes.

Anyway EVA kerbals have no drag in the FAR MM and MFI only install 

[kcs123]

13 hours ago, ss8913 said:

Which is weird because back in 0.90, those 2 mods worked together just fine.

Now, that you mentioned it, I recall somewhere from SQUAD changelog that they were removed some coliders to fix issue with crafts/kerbals jumping in air whenever you get near extended landing gear.

That probably breaked FAR voxelization and because of it there is no drag. Tehnicaly, kerbals in EVA were threated in game like any other craft, except that they use some hacks to workaround noticed issues trough development. It might be needed additional hack from FAR side, to add some collider back, but only for voxelization, not for interaction with envirioment. Triggering collider only if EVA is at certain altitude above ground and no other craft nearby, for example.

[sarbian]

The kerbals still have colliders or they would go thru anything. What most likely changed is their layers

[ferram4]

And technically, the layer of Kerbal EVA colliders doesn't matter, because FAR has never used those.  It always defines its own simplified bounding box to voxelize instead.

The problem is simply that something is wrong with the EVA chutes or need they need to be set up so that RealChuteLite can replace them automatically like it does for all other stock chutes.  Otherwise, nothing I can do; it's out of my hands.

[Manimal]

I found something which might be the same as the EVA parachute bug, only I'm not using EVA parachute. It happens on a clean install of KSP 1.2.2 with only sounding rockets 0.5.5.0 (for KSP 1.2) and the recent version of FAR (0.15.7.2) installed. The parachute inflates in the VAB and  does not behave at all like a parachute, i.e. it's not stageable and it neither disturbs the skyward acceleration nor the downward plunge to death.

Files:

In the VAB:https://www.dropbox.com/s/4o4sycwilf0w5wz/In the VAB.png?dl=0

Skyward: https://www.dropbox.com/s/daf4qdwm2b300r3/skyward.png?dl=0

Downward: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9vled95hfmh4dlt/downward.png?dl=0

output_log: https://www.dropbox.com/s/8ievcm4sqgwqxcb/output_log.txt?dl=0

 

[ferram4]

@Manimal: The error in the log indicates that you didn't use a version of FAR that is compatible with KSP 1.2.2 and so it didn't load.  The stable version of FAR is not compatible with KSP 1.2.2, only the dev builds are currently.

And for everyone else, I think the only currently important issues are a few bits of weirdness involving some particular mod parts not voxelizing properly and the FAR buttons sticking around when returning to the main menu (because the ApplicationLauncher system is borked compared to 1.1).  If you've been playing around with the dev build, make sure to update to make sure that you're running with the current fixes and please make sure I didn't introduce some horrible new bugs in the process.

[taniwha]

1 hour ago, ferram4 said:

because the ApplicationLauncher system is borked compared to 1.1

Actually, most mods implement their app-launcher buttons incorrectly. The correct method is to use a once-only KSPAddon that starts in the MainMenu with appropriate AppScenes. If the visibility of the button needs to be changed for some reason, then button.VisibleInScenes should be adjusted accordingly.

What I've seen in many mods is to add (and hopefully remove) the button on every scene change. This generally results in a mess, either on screen or in the code, because the mod is fighting the system rather than working with it.

This is EL's app-launcher code:

    [KSPAddon(KSPAddon.Startup.MainMenu, true)]
    public class ExAppButton : MonoBehaviour
    {
        const ApplicationLauncher.AppScenes buttonScenes = ApplicationLauncher.AppScenes.SPACECENTER | ApplicationLauncher.AppScenes.FLIGHT | ApplicationLauncher.AppScenes.VAB | ApplicationLauncher.AppScenes.SPH;
        private static ApplicationLauncherButton button = null;

        public static Callback Toggle = delegate {};

        static bool buttonVisible
        {
            get {
                if (ToolbarManager.Instance == null) {
                    return true;
                }
                return !ExSettings.PreferBlizzy;
            }
        }

        public static void UpdateVisibility ()
        {
            if (button != null) {
                button.VisibleInScenes = buttonVisible ? buttonScenes : 0;
            }
        }

        private void onToggle ()
        {
            Toggle();
        }

        public void Start()
        {
            GameObject.DontDestroyOnLoad(this);
            GameEvents.onGUIApplicationLauncherReady.Add(OnGUIAppLauncherReady);
        }

        void OnDestroy()
        {
            GameEvents.onGUIApplicationLauncherReady.Remove(OnGUIAppLauncherReady);
        }

        void OnGUIAppLauncherReady ()
        {
            if (ApplicationLauncher.Ready && button == null) {
                var tex = GameDatabase.Instance.GetTexture("ExtraplanetaryLaunchpads/Textures/icon_button", false);
                button = ApplicationLauncher.Instance.AddModApplication(onToggle, onToggle, null, null, null, null, buttonScenes, tex);
                UpdateVisibility ();
            }
        }
    }

Much of the complication is allowing the button to be turned off in favor of blizzy's toolbar.

The original patch I received for EL's app-launcher button suffered from multiple buttons appearing, too, because it was implemented the common way, and Kethane's button was royally messed up for the same reason.

[edit]I should add that even though both EL and FAR are GPL, I waive all copyright issues for the above.

Edited January 1, 2017 by taniwha

[Manimal]

17 hours ago, ferram4 said:

@Manimal: The error in the log indicates that you didn't use a version of FAR that is compatible with KSP 1.2.2 and so it didn't load.  The stable version of FAR is not compatible with KSP 1.2.2, only the dev builds are currently.

And for everyone else, I think the only currently important issues are a few bits of weirdness involving some particular mod parts not voxelizing properly and the FAR buttons sticking around when returning to the main menu (because the ApplicationLauncher system is borked compared to 1.1).  If you've been playing around with the dev build, make sure to update to make sure that you're running with the current fixes and please make sure I didn't introduce some horrible new bugs in the process.

That of course, make sme look like an idiot :-) But thats better than a favorite mod that would not work.

So, where to get the latest dev build? I found one Ferram....dll file but it dates from earlier 2016?

[Flashblade]

1 hour ago, Manimal said:

That of course, make sme look like an idiot :-) But thats better than a favorite mod that would not work.

So, where to get the latest dev build? I found one Ferram....dll file but it dates from earlier 2016?

This is not being discussed here. You have to figure this out for yourself I am afraid. Look at the last paragraph from this posting. Not meaning to be a douche bag here. This is ferram4's own wish.

Gonna get to it and see if anything broke.

[Kurtvw]

1 hour ago, Manimal said:

So, where to get the latest dev build? I found one Ferram....dll file but it dates from earlier 2016?

In the simplest terms, if you're not able to find it, you probably shouldn't be using it anyhow, consider it something of a deliberate barrier to entry as it is a test version and you should not expect it to behave like a final version.

That having been said, it shouldn't be too hard for you to find it if you start looking.

Edited January 1, 2017 by Kurtvw

[Juncoph]

I made a high RPM spinny thingy which only works in FAR~

I noticed someone on Youtube built a fully stock turbofan, and I decided a proof of concept wasn't enough. Testing resulted in unreliable thrust with stock aero (when not in a fixed position, such as in the original turbofan PoC video), so I quickly made the jump to the latest version of FAR. To make the kraken even more interested in my project, I coupled this with 64-bit KSP. Yes, Ferram, you read that right. 64-bit KSP w/ outdated FAR. I'm only a little sorry.

The end result is an incredibly unstable helicopter which seems to energize the axle to the point of uncanny behavior. The RPM does decrease due to drag, but it's an incredibly gradual bleed-off.

This propeller is the same one that broke off in my video. As I type, it is still ascending(slowly).

Edited January 3, 2017 by Juncoph

[MisterFister]

On ‎12‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 0:27 AM, ferram4 said:

Those who know where to go to get the dev build, please go get it, get everything in the GameData directory, especially GameData/Shaders/farshaders.ksp, make sure you're running MM 1.7.5 and MFI 1.2.3 and please test it to see if it works.

Just to make sure I understand, the most recent version of MM I can see in any of my currently-running KSP modtesting installs is v2.7.5 (itself redistributed from one of any number of mods I'm currently runtesting with CKAN).  Is this reference to 1.7.5 a typo?

[MaxZhao]

Hi! I was just wondering if I want to one day start making mods (possibly starting without building 3d models for parts) like Ferram aerospace, where should I begin? Is there perhaps a guide or something like that?

I only have very basic knowledge about javascript but I'm eager to learn from scrach!

[tetryds]

33 minutes ago, MaxZhao said:

...like Ferram aerospace...

You should start by enrolling on an Aerospace Engineering undergrad course, lol.

Anyway, the best way to start with KSP modding is learning C#, then learning some Unity and Blender if you plan on making parts.

After that you should watch how other mods do things (documentation does not rime with KSP, you know...).

Then you can make some things by yourself, you will learn as you go.

But there are better places to discuss about this, I would recommend heading over to http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/forum/29-plugin-development-help-and-support/

[MaxZhao]

7 minutes ago, tetryds said:

You should start by enrolling on an Aerospace Engineering undergrad course, lol.

 

Haha, thanks for the suggestions, I was actually seriously thinking about doing undergrad in aerospace engineering (I'm applying to universities this year) but decided to persue a physics course instead. So I guess I went to the dark side   Thanks you very much again! I'm looking forward to start contributing to this awesome community ASAP!

[Akira_R]

7 minutes ago, MaxZhao said:

Haha, thanks for the suggestions, I was actually seriously thinking about doing undergrad in aerospace engineering (I'm applying to universities this year) but decided to persue a physics course instead. So I guess I went to the dark side   Thanks you very much again! I'm looking forward to start contributing to this awesome community ASAP!

Sorry for continuing the off topic but if you haven't already I highly suggest familiarizing yourself with KSPs cfg set up and MM syntax etc. there is actually a lot that can be done just with the configs themselves and no writing of additional plugins, or utilizing already made plugins. The only time you really need to write code is if there is some kind of specific functionality that is missing from the game.

[aluc24]

While risking to bend the forum rules a little, I would like to ask, if I may, with no pressure whatsoever, if FAR will be updated for KSP 1.2.2 in any foreseeable future? I have a lot of respect for @ferram4 , and it is completely understandable if there some reasons or problems, which is totally fine, it's just that I'm delaying my upgrade to 1.2.2 because FAR is just that good. And I'm just trying to make a decision whenever I should wait some more, or do the upgrade without FAR. Again, totally no pressure, and a lot of respect and gratitude for creating and maintaining this wonderful addon. Just wondering if the project is stuck, because sadly, a lot of mods were abandoned by their creators lately due to technical difficulties or real life problems. Since this update is taking a very long time for FAR, I'm begging to fear the worst. Hope I'm no overstepping my boundaries with this inquiry. Thank you...

*covers head in anticipation of a meteor storm from moderators*

Edited January 6, 2017 by aluc24