[1.12.4] Kerbin Side Remastered GAP - Flight contract pack [v2.1.7] [2022-12-19]

[DeadJohn]

@Caerfinon This contract pack is fun and gave me a refreshing revisit of 1x scale (after playing 2.7x JNSQ and KSRSS for years). Thanks for making it.

I have some questions about the interaction between this pack and stock rescue and recovery contracts. Normally, contracts like "Rescue Billybob Kerman from orbit" are a great way to gain astronauts because they don't require paying the usual Astronaut Complex hiring fee which gets very expensive as the roster grows. With this contract pack, though, stock rescue contracts seem to be giving non-functioning citizens instead of useful pilots/scientists/engineers.

1. Is the behavior I described simply the way this pack works, or do I have an install problem?
2. Other than filling seats, can a "citizen" do anything special as they gain experience?
3. If I want to restore the usefulness of stock rescue contracts, do you think it's safe to uninstall your contract pack mid-game?

[Caerfinon]

The stock rescue contracts use any kerbal type (not tourist) to populate their craft. I always used the MKS package in my games (which also allowed for additional kerbal types) and it had a configuration option that prevented all but the original pilots, engineers  and scientists from being rescue candidates. If you don't already use MKS, it's a pretty big ask for you to install that in your game to fix this issue. Alternatively, you could use a crew management mod to modify a citizen/civil-servant/servicekerbal rescued kerbal into one of the three main professions as required. Civil-Servants and Citizens have no capability of performing any activities except filling a seat in a vessel. The Servicekerbals have the ability to use a parachute pack for the KSIS agent missions.

Ship Manifest and  Roster Manager are examples of mods you could use for this purpose.  Or you could edit the persistent.sfs file for you save and make changes to the roster section as required.  

If you want to completely remove  Kerbin Side Remastered GAP from you game, I would recommend cancelling all contracts offered by the pack prior to deleting it. Also all of the Kerbal Konstruct items added by the mod will be removed. 

• Additional taxiways at Baikerbaunur airport
• The Trans Kerbin Airlines buildings at the KSC
• The United Knations complex at the Dununda airport
• The water launch sites at all Naval Air Stations
• The Air Terminal signs at each airport.

No objects provided by the Kerbin Side Remastered pack will be altered in any way. 

Edited February 27 by Caerfinon

[DeadJohn]

5 hours ago, Caerfinon said:

snip Ship Manifest snip

Thanks, that's a great solution. I already had the mod but only used it in flight. I forgot it could change professions so easily.

[Superawesome4141]

Hi, after some years, I've returned to the game for some good old carreer fun, I've been trying to complete the "Let's start an airline" mission for the KSC, however I cannot seem to complete the contract, it doesn't want to recognize that I've landed at the KSC, so I can't complete the next steps either (taxi to the terminal, stop your aircraft, wait for ramp), is this a bug or am I doing something wrong?

[DeadJohn]

3 hours ago, Superawesome4141 said:

Hi, after some years, I've returned to the game for some good old carreer fun, I've been trying to complete the "Let's start an airline" mission for the KSC, however I cannot seem to complete the contract, it doesn't want to recognize that I've landed at the KSC, so I can't complete the next steps either (taxi to the terminal, stop your aircraft, wait for ramp), is this a bug or am I doing something wrong?

I just started using this mod a few weeks ago and I think that contract worked for me without cheating it complete. I installed it via CKAN.

Reading through the contract cfg, here are some things to check. If any of these things don't happen you likely have an installation error:

• Accepting the contract should have added Mortimer Kerman to your crew. Do you see him in the Astronaut Complex?
• Launch from SPH with only a pilot. You should get a message asking whether you want Mortimer to board. Does that happen?
• Wait 5 seconds. Do you get message saying you have clearance for takeoff?

 

[Caerfinon]

most of the airline flights begin with a  clearance for take off pop up dialog giving you clearance to take off. Wait on the runway after loading passengers until it occurs before take off. If you take off before this happens the all the parameters of the mission can't be completed in order. 

[Atsushi Y.]

Hello. I have an question.

Regarding airline contracts, the maximum number of contracts that can be concluded at the same time decreases with each increase in the number of contracts (especially when airline contracts fail due to an aircraft crash), is this a specification?

Initially, 5 contracts of ★1, 3 contracts of ★2, and 2 contracts of ★3 could be concluded at the same time, but after 3~4 failed contracts due to aircraft crash, now I can conclude 2 contracts of ★1, only 1 contract of ★2, and none of the contracts of ★3 (The number of contracts in below photo is backup data. Even this photo shows a decrease in the number of contracts.).

As for the playing environment, it is KSP (1.12.5) for OS X. I had installed MODs such as Airplane Plus and used an aircraft that is used its parts.

If Above phenomenon is a bug, please let me know how to fix it.

Sorry if the  meaning of this questions are not clear due to machine translation from Japanese. Best regards.

Edited March 23 by Atsushi Y.
To fix mistake of Translation

[Aelfhe1m]

@Atsushi Y. Yes, that is expected behaviour. Part of the contract system, both in stock and with Contract Configurator mod packs is to offer contracts based on whether you have enough reputation for the contractors to think you can complete them.

Your current reputation is shown in the middle gauge at the top of your screen, you gain reputation for completing milestones (like orbiting new worlds or landing on them) and by completing contracts. You lose reputation for failing contracts, crashing vessels and especially for killing kerbals.

The less reputation you have the less variety of contracts will be shown and some contracts may not show up at all unless your reputation is high enough.

Not all contracts offer reputation for completing them. Contract Configurator shows any reputation gain being offered in the rewards section at the bottom of the contract details screen marked with a star *

Picture showing where reputation is displayed (red boxes):

Spoiler

Reputation is also shown on the pop up screen when you recover a vessel:

And on the load save dialog:

Edited March 23 by Aelfhe1m
added screenshots

[Caerfinon]

@Atsushi Y. @Aelfhe1m The reputation penalties for crashing a mission are rather severe and are increased for every passenger on the flight as well. The rational is that the more crashes an airline has, the less people will want to fly with them.

Edited March 24 by Caerfinon

[Atsushi Y.]

Quote

 

Quote

 

@Caerfinon @Aelfhe1m Thank you for your reply! I understand the system. I’ll try harder to increase reputation.

[Itares]

I think it doesn't work for me there is no extra airbases or something

[Caerfinon]

5 hours ago, Itares said:

I think it doesn't work for me there is no extra airbases or something

@Itares This mod only supplies the Contracts for the flights. For it to work correctly you need to have the following mods installed as well. 

• Required Mods:
  - Eskandare - Kerbin Side Remastered - https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/174336-kerbin-side-remastered-101-173/
  - AlphaAsh,ozraven,Ger_space - Kerbal Konstructs - https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/151818-181-kerbal-konstructs-18115-15dec2019/
  - nightingale - Contract Configurator - https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/91625-1101-contract-configurator-v1305-2020-10-05/

[Ellian]

is because of the cap of 16 passengers, the maximum amount of funds you can get per airline mission 100k?

[Caerfinon]

@Ellian rewards are calculated by a number of values : number of passengers, the distance of the flight, the popularity of the destination pulse a random bonus between 0% and 15%. It's a lot of fiddly numbers. 

However, if you feel the rewards are too low or too high  you can change it very easily in the Groups.cfg file in the mod folder. Look for a value that looks like this

	DATA
	{
		type = double	
		rewardBaseValue = 10000
	}

and change the base reward rate to something more to your liking.  

[Ellian]

@Caerfinon  Thank you for the information. i've also found this: "siteValueModifier = [4,1,1.25,2,1,4,1,2,1,1,2,3,1,3,2,1,2,1,3,2,1,1]"  piece of code on line 48 which may help, by for example giving airport further away more site value. The issue im facing with the rewards for airline missions was that "The Island Airport" (the closest airport to the ksc) mission which only required me to take 5 passengers. was giving more funds than flying to "cape kerman space center" with 16 passengers, and cape kerman space center is much, much further.

(edit: i have modified the site value of airports to be consistant with the first site value in the piece of code, 4 divided by 33, 33 being the distance in km from the ksc according to an other line of code near it, the product of the equation is an infinite loop of 0.1212121212. which i then multiplied to the distance of all airports, giving a balanced and accurate amount of funds that i should get from each airline mission)

Edited May 30 by Ellian
Did some testing, and things are working as i want them too.

[Infinite Aerospace]

Hello folks, does this mod have known conflicts with any others? I'm assuming it's for stock Kerbin?

[Caerfinon]

@Ellian good to hear. Fly Safe.

@Infinite Aerospace The only mods that cause problems are life support mods that treat Kerbals on Kerbin as if they are a mission in space. The passenger kerbals that spawn from this mod do not have any resources so you might find that they've died before you get to their location to pick them up.  The mod is intended for the stock Kerbin mod Kerbin Side Remastered.

[Infinite Aerospace]

12 hours ago, Caerfinon said:

@Ellian good to hear. Fly Safe.

@Infinite Aerospace The only mods that cause problems are life support mods that treat Kerbals on Kerbin as if they are a mission in space. The passenger kerbals that spawn from this mod do not have any resources so you might find that they've died before you get to their location to pick them up.  The mod is intended for the stock Kerbin mod Kerbin Side Remastered.

Kerbalism isn't one of those aforementioned life support mods is it?

[Caerfinon]

@Infinite Aerospace When I played, only USI Life Support was really compatible because it didn't take effect on kerbals until they were 25000 km away from Kerbin. It assumed kerbals could find a donut shop nearby if they were hungry. 

All of the others required that the kerbals had access to food and other supplies that couldn't be spawned via contract configurator so those kerbals that couldn't be "collected" in a timely manner didn't make it.  If there were a way to make Kerbalism ignore activities on Kerbin, then it would be OK.  

 

[RunaDacino]

Is desert airfield a Breaking ground or kerbinside airfield? I am asking as I had a contract to estabilish landing rights there and I found only sand. I do not have any DLC, but I have kerbinside.

 

Every base worked in progression, incl kojave sands.

Edited June 1 by RunaDacino

[Caerfinon]

@RunaDacino The Desert Airfield was added in version 1.2 of the Making History expansion.  You can ignore missions to that location, Or for extra fun you use Kerbal Konstructs to place an airfield there if you're inclined to try out some light construction.  

Edited June 2 by Caerfinon

[RunaDacino]

Is there a way to swap focus on the kerbal without swapping to tracking station? (edit: not even tracking station works)

I had ladders and tried to hover and swap but game prevented me. So I went to splash down and still cannot.

 

"Cannot focus vessel we do not own."
I'm using easy vessel switch.

Edited June 3 by RunaDacino

[Caerfinon]

@RunaDacino you should be able to swap to the kerbal in the water using the [ or ] keys  (Cycle through ships next and previous) 

Make sure your rescue craft is in stable flight or splashed down  when you do so otherwise it might crash. 

[RunaDacino]

Heya, I wonder for the cargo plane missions. From what I've understood in my one short flight, the plane's mass does not really change even after cargo loading. This makes the whole short runway take off/landings much easier/removes need for the big jet engines. Also, balancing the plane is a biiit harder if you do want to recreate sth like the C17.

 

Having played MKS/WOLF, I cannot help but wonder: could we get a difficulty setting that uses a similar system as WOLF cargo rather than the current payload system? What I mean is, if you havn't played WOLF:

In WOLF, you get multiple kontainers - shipping containers, nothing special - in various sizes corresponding to different rocket diameters and set masses. You put these kontainers onto your rocket, plane etc and activate the transport computer which tracks fuel used between origin and destination to produce a cost/payload. 
Now, obviously the complex transport computer thingy is not needed. What I am specifically thinking is maybe a kontainer part (could even be sth cloned from stock with modified mass) that are checked instead for your payload capacity. You stack these parts inside your cargo bay before a flight according to contract requirements and do your flight.

One thing I'm not sure how to solve is the fact that the payload mass would be there even before you load it up. 

[Caerfinon]

@RunaDacino The cargo flights are an abstraction designed to create planes of a certain size based on the number of payload category parts installed on the craft. This is typically handled by the contract's VesselParameterGroup that defines what a craft needs to qualify to start the mission.  See Spoiler

Spoiler

   //Craft definition
	PARAMETER
	{
		name = VesselParameterGroup
		type = VesselParameterGroup
		title = Your aircraft must meet mission requirements and goals
		
		define = @/craft
		dissassociateVesselsOnContractCompletion = true

		PARAMETER
		{
			name = HasCrew
			type = HasCrew
			title = have a certified pilot
			
			trait = Pilot
			minCrew = 1
		
			disableOnStateChange = false
			hideChildren = true

		}
		
		PARAMETER
		{
			name = HasCrewCapacity
			type = HasCrewCapacity
			title = have seating for crew and @/agentKerbalName
			minCapacity = 2
			disableOnStateChange = false
			
		}
		
		PARAMETER
		{
			title = Have @/agentKerbalName on board
			name = HasPassengers
			type = HasPassengers
			kerbal = @/kerbalAgent.ElementAt(0)
		}

		PARAMETER
		{
			name = PartValidation
			type = PartValidation
			title = have @/payloadParts part(s) from the payload category 
			minCount = @/payloadParts
			category = Payload
			disableOnStateChange = false
		}
		
	}

 

This adds no extra mass to the aircraft.  In game play you can add extra mass to the aircraft if you want for the flight. There are some very clever aircraft designs on KerbalX that have cargo planes that can load and offload cargo when landed.  

You can modify the contract  to validate any category of part that Contract Configurator recognizes to include in your aircraft.  

You could also change it to use CC's  HasResourceCapacity Parameter  to be capable of carrying a set number of the resource you want to move or  HasResource Parameter to state how much of a particular resource the flight must carry.  I chose not to use these methods because my interest was in creating airplanes of a specific size. 

My work on developing or changing the mod has ended, but as I've mentioned previously in the forum , anyone who wants to build on what I've made is welcome to do so. All the sources to my projects are in GitHub and people are free to modify it as they wish. I drop buy the forums frequently and am always available for answering questions on how the mod works.