Question about the Breaking Ground DLC

[SpacedInvader]

I'm returning to KSP after a long absence (2-3 years) and I'm debating whether or not to purchase the Breaking Ground DLC. In the past this might have been a no-brainer as its primary functions could only be found in Infernal Robotics and that mod had apparently been abandoned for a long time. Now however, it seems like IR has been updated quite a bit (though it still seems sporadic at best) and is functional with current versions of the game, so I find myself wondering if the other features available in BG are worth buying into. I'm hoping some here with experience on both sides would be willing to give me guidance on whether or not its worthwhile.

Thanks

[theJesuit]

2 hours ago, SpacedInvader said:

I'm returning to KSP after a long absence (2-3 years) and I'm debating whether or not to purchase the Breaking Ground DLC. In the past this might have been a no-brainer as its primary functions could only be found in Infernal Robotics and that mod had apparently been abandoned for a long time. Now however, it seems like IR has been updated quite a bit (though it still seems sporadic at best) and is functional with current versions of the game, so I find myself wondering if the other features available in BG are worth buying into. I'm hoping some here with experience on both sides would be willing to give me guidance on whether or not its worthwhile.

Thanks

I would say yes.  Aside from supporting Squad and showing TakeTwo that there is still enough interest in ongoing support to 2022-3 financial year for Squad to keep going... the 'stock' propellors and engines for planes make it worthwhile. 

Making History is a different pod of goo.

[The Aziz]

There's a bit more to it than just robotics.

[vv3k70r]

7 hours ago, SpacedInvader said:

and I'm debating whether or not to purchase the Breaking Ground DLC

Buy - I recomend. Lot of extra fun. Robotic is funny but because of weak conection phy there is not much use of it for longer period and is quite stupid even if You compare it to toy controlers like arduino on simple C.

 

 

 

 

[Le Lynx]

Can someone give me a simple tutorial on KAL-100?

[jimmymcgoochie]

BG is a lot more than just the robotics parts:

• Propellers and rotors to make planes, helicopters, drones etc. which can be particularly useful for getting off Eve or for making electric aircraft which have nearly infinite range;
• Deployable science experiments that gather science over time and can be expanded when you unlock the new experiments, it’s something else to do after landing and planting a flag which is good;
• Surface features and scanning arms which can give you more science in stages as you unlock the better parts, or get a Kerbal to grab a sample and return it;
• Cool spacesuits with coloured lights- who wouldn’t want underglow neon on their spacesuit?
• Additional launch sites, the Des(s)ert launchpad and runway are good for reaching different biomes than you can easily reach from KSC.

Plus you’re supporting the developers by giving them money to keep them employed and updating the game with new features and bug fixes.

[RealKerbal3x]

1 hour ago, jimmymcgoochie said:

Additional launch sites, the Des(s)ert launchpad and runway are good for reaching different biomes than you can easily reach from KSC.

The additional launch sites are from Making History, not BG.

[jimmymcgoochie]

1 hour ago, RealKerbal3x said:

The additional launch sites are from Making History, not BG.

Really? I though Woomerang was MH and Dessert was BG 

[GuessingEveryDay]

Well, BG came out in 2019, and back in 2018, you can see @hazard-ish puttering around with a paraglider in 2018. Therefore MH has both launchpads.

 

[SpacedInvader]

2 hours ago, jimmymcgoochie said:

BG is a lot more than just the robotics parts:

• Propellers and rotors to make planes, helicopters, drones etc. which can be particularly useful for getting off Eve or for making electric aircraft which have nearly infinite range;
• Deployable science experiments that gather science over time and can be expanded when you unlock the new experiments, it’s something else to do after landing and planting a flag which is good;
• Surface features and scanning arms which can give you more science in stages as you unlock the better parts, or get a Kerbal to grab a sample and return it;
• Cool spacesuits with coloured lights- who wouldn’t want underglow neon on their spacesuit?
• Additional launch sites, the Des(s)ert launchpad and runway are good for reaching different biomes than you can easily reach from KSC.

Plus you’re supporting the developers by giving them money to keep them employed and updating the game with new features and bug fixes.

I did go ahead an purchase it, but the real selling point for me ended up being the points of interest that give science. I've always loved making rovers, but for the most part there's literally no reason to do it and this finally fills that gap.

[RealKerbal3x]

13 minutes ago, jimmymcgoochie said:

Really? I though Woomerang was MH and Dessert was BG 

Woomerang was in the initial release of MH and then Dessert was released in one of the patches, if memory serves me it was 1.4.3.

[Corona688]

On 1/6/2021 at 4:39 AM, Le Lynx said:

Can someone give me a simple tutorial on KAL-100?

"Simple" might be a stretch if this is the first time you've used action groups.  If you know a little about action groups, well:

At basics, the KAL-1000 amounts to a tape player which plays back motions or triggers.  Plunk a KAL onto your rocket, go into action groups, select the KAL, and it should appear at the bottom.  Then select a decoupler, click 'decouple' in the action groups, and it will be controllable by the KAL.

Return to normal editing, right-click on the KAL, edit.  Open the graph for the decoupler, double-click at the end of the graph, and a little circle should appear.

Launch your rocket, hit play on the KAL, and the decoupler should fire at 5 seconds.

That's it!  That's what a KAL does.  Play back events.

Also, motion.  Add a deploy angle to the KAL, from a fin or something, and it'll be an analog graph from -180 to 180 degrees.  You get to drag points around and make splines like a paint program.  (Unless they fixed it, you can trick throttles into going over 100% and under 0%, which despite all logic actually works.)

You can also "trick" it into translating one axis to another, by connecting, say, the throttle into the KAL's "time" input.  Throttle 0 becomes the beginning of the tape, and throttle 100% becomes the end.

There's a few things in particular the KAL cannot do, however:

• Output to a control axis.  You can't set the big master throttle to 100%, for example.  You can set the individual engine ones.
• Control the gimbal of a motor.  It can turn a gimbal on or off, but can't tell a gimbal, "aim 30 degrees right"
• Accept "time" input from anything that's not an axis.  Things which aren't an axis include:
  • Stability assist.
  • Heading, etc.
  • Sensors like temperature, pressure, gravity,

Now, priority.  You can assign more than one controller to the same output, and have the game take the average;  or have a higher priority controller take over to override some behavior or something;  but the rules are a little strange.  So my advice is to not mess with priority unless you really need to.

The highest priority on any playing controller wins.  That's an important distinction when they hit the end of the tape.  If they're not playing, anything else which is wins, no matter what their relative priorities.

Edited January 7, 2021 by Corona688