[RELEASED][1.9.x-1.12.x] Precursors Planet Pack (OLD THREAD)

[wpetula]

Welcome to the development thread for the Precursors Planet Pack!
This thread is very old and outdated. See the new one here: 

PRECURSORS IS OUT! DOWNLOAD AT https://spacedock.info/mod/2869/Precursors Planet Pack#info
Mod Overview

The discovery of mysterious SSTV signals originating from Duna was a monumental leap in the search for intelligent life. Deciphering the signals revealed The Ignotum System, a previously undiscovered solar system 3 light years from Kerbin. Having recently mastered interstellar travel and hibernation technologies, the Kerbals were quick to launch an expedition to this new system. The trip ran smoothly, but upon arrival....

...

Alone among the stars, you are the future of the expedition. Rediscover ancient rocketry and flight technologies as you explore a vast, handcrafted solar system. Uncover the secrets behind the SSTV signals and the alien race that created them. 

Precursors is a planet pack designed to provide a fresh and exciting experience to players. Stranded on a barren but habitable world, traverse highly detailed celestial bodies and never-before-seen environments. Each planet and moon has a distinct challenge and appearance; hike across scalding volcanic mountains, maneuver through massive forests, and battle against relentless gravity on your journey across The Ignotum System.  Collect custom science reports and unearth extensive lore in this continuation of the KSP story.

Dependencies

This mod is compatible with KSP 1.9.x-1.12.x. Precursors uses Scatterer to enhance the player experience. While Scatterer is not necessary, I highly recommend you download it for the full experience.

Updates

I will frequently discuss new content and post in-game screenshots of my progress. Most of these screenshots are taken from orbit and shouldn't be huge spoilers.

Mod plan (SPOILERS)

Spoiler

Green = essentially complete, blue = in-progress, red = unimplemented

Quick reminder that nothing here is set in stone. This is just the plan so far!

Solus (Sun)

Planets (in no particular order):

• Fracture
• Echo
• Windswept
• Scourge
• Frontier
• Rage

Moons (in no particular order):

• Vista
• Abyss
• Icebound
• Silence
• Night
• Scar
• Tension
• Maar
• Siren
• Hydra
• Cetus

Screenshots (SPOILERS)

Spoiler

Screenshots here are very outdated.

 

RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Screenshots here are not up to date.

Edited July 13, 2022 by wpetula
Updated mod page

[Stone Blue]

Sounds like a nice premise

Just wanted to note, you say Kopernicus for 1.8.1 support.
Just an FYI, there *is* a stable fork of Kopernicus, now, that supports KSP 1.8.1-1.11.1, available here: (its an "official" continued/adopted fork)

Also, if you want this 2nd post in your thread reserved for you, you can lmk or forum moderators, and we can have it deleted

Edited March 4, 2021 by Stone Blue

[wpetula]

1 minute ago, Stone Blue said:

Sounds like a nice premise

Just wanted to note, you say Kopernicus for 1.8.1 support.
Just an FYI, there *is* a stable fork of Kopernicus, now, that supports KSP 1.8.1-1.11.1, available here: (its an "official" continued/adopted fork)

 

Thanks! This is the first mod I've ever made, so I am new to the Kopernicus forks. I've been using Kopernicus 1.8.1 because KittopiaTech (last I checked) hasn't updated past 1.8.1. 

After I finish the mod, I'll check out the more recent Kopernicus updates 

[wpetula]

Here's an idea for what the crash site planet and its moon might look like (outdated).

Edited April 28, 2021 by wpetula
Outdated

[wpetula]

PROGRESS UPDATE #1:

Tonight, I was able to add another planet into the mod! It's not somewhere you would want to explore, though. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by wpetula
Removed spoiler box

[wpetula]

PROGRESS UPDATE #2:

I added a new moon to the mod! It doesn't have a biome map or custom science reports yet, and the textures are almost complete (the normal map is super buggy at the moment).  The view from this new moon  is absolutely amazing.

Because of lighting issues, I will not be including a screenshot. Sorry, everyone.

Edited August 24, 2021 by wpetula
Editing

[Souptime]

On 3/4/2021 at 9:11 AM, wpetula said:

Precursors is a mod that reenvisions NovaSilisko’s unused storyline for KSP

oooh so its our own solar system im guessing?

[wpetula]

4 hours ago, Souptime said:

oooh so its our own solar system im guessing?

In NovaSilisko's original storyline, the player would have discovered a frozen planet on a distant orbit around Kerbol. To avoid the limitations of a single planet "planet pack", I am replacing the distant planet with a distant solar system. 

This distant solar system is not similar to the Kerbol System or our real life solar system. Hopefully it will provide players with an exciting new experience. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by wpetula
Small change

[Souptime]

iirc it being earth, after a failiure in the interstellar tech that got them there

[wpetula]

2 minutes ago, Souptime said:

after a failiure in the interstellar tech that got them there

They were messing around with the technology and messed up big-time. 

[Maple Kerman]

On 3/4/2021 at 9:44 AM, wpetula said:

I've been using Kopernicus 1.8.1 because KittopiaTech (last I checked) hasn't updated past 1.8.1. 

Just so you know, there is a "Bleeding Edge" version of KittopiaTech that works completely fine in versions up to 1.11.1.
I would recommend moving to the newer forks soon, since they're just as stable as the older releases and work in more recent versions of the game.

Kittopia can be found here.

[wpetula]

17 hours ago, Maple Kerman said:

Just so you know, there is a "Bleeding Edge" version of KittopiaTech that works completely fine in versions up to 1.11.1.

I've been searching for this! I'll test it out next time I get to work on the mod. Thanks for sharing the link.

[Maple Kerman]

4 hours ago, wpetula said:

Thanks for sharing the link.

No problem.

[wpetula]

PROGRESS UPDATE #3:

To avoid creating a boring Kerbin clone, I tweaked Soteria's color scheme and terrain to be more alien. Now, the planet has canyons, insane mountains, and some very interesting landforms near the equator. I was able to get some good screenshots detailing the changes. They aren't spoilers, so I'm posting them outside the spoiler box.

The KSC is now located inside an enormous canyon!

And Soteria is no longer green....

Edited April 28, 2021 by wpetula
Outdated

[wpetula]

IMPORTANT MESSAGE:

I have decided that, this being a development page, everything I post is technically spoilers. Therefore, I will no longer post screenshots inside a spoiler box. 

Note that I will never post MAJOR spoilers! 

 

PROGRESS UPDATE #4:

This is Tenebris, a gas giant with violent polar storms. I created the texture using Gaseous Giganticus.

Descending into the atmosphere....

Edited April 28, 2021 by wpetula
Revamped texture

[ssd21345]

On 3/9/2021 at 4:24 AM, Maple Kerman said:

Just so you know, there is a "Bleeding Edge" version of KittopiaTech that works completely fine in versions up to 1.11.1.
I would recommend moving to the newer forks soon, since they're just as stable as the older releases and work in more recent versions of the game.

Kittopia can be found here.

I guess bleeding edge kittopia works with stable branch koper, is it?

Edited March 13, 2021 by ssd21345

[Maple Kerman]

21 hours ago, ssd21345 said:

I guess bleeding edge kittopia works with stable branch koper, is it?

Why wouldn't it?

[wpetula]

On 3/11/2021 at 8:51 AM, wpetula said:

And Soteria is no longer green....

I'm completely overhauling the way Soteria looks once again. Soteria definitely isn't going to be green, but it won't be the orange/brown color seen in the image above. Hopefully I can post some pictures in the next several days!

[wpetula]

PROGRESS UPDATE #5:

I redid Soteria's texture for the final time, and I'm very happy with the result. I might make minor tweaks to the terrain, but otherwise, the planet is finished!

As a bonus, here's a teaser for an upcoming moon :

Please note that as of 4/28/2021, this teaser has been replaced by a different moon.

Edited April 28, 2021 by wpetula
Teaser clarification

[wpetula]

Real-life has been slowing down my progress on the mod. It's been a long time since I've posted an update for the mod, but I assure you, I am working on it!

I've been struggling to find inspiration for the "upcoming moon" seen in the bonus picture above. I'll probably start working on another celestial body soon, so expect some screenshots in the next couple of days.

[Starhelperdude]

6 minutes ago, wpetula said:

. It's been a long time since I've posted an update for the mod, but I assure you, I am working on it!

this could be a great meme with the palpatine speech template xD

[wpetula]

PROGRESS UPDATE #6:

I finally got a solid block of time to work on the mod (thank you, spring break)! 

Behold the latest addition to the Precursors system, Odin:

I'm far from finished with this planet, not to mention its expansive moon system. Hopefully I'll have some more updates in the coming days!

Edited April 3, 2021 by wpetula
Progress update

[wpetula]

PROGRESS UPDATE #7:

This was my first time making a ring texture, and I'm extremely pleased with how it turned out. 

It definitely needs some tweaking, but nothing drastic.

[wpetula]

PROGRESS UPDATE #8:

I've been running into some unusual problems that are slowing down development on the Odin system. As I try to fix the problem, screenshots will be less frequent. I did manage to get a picture of Odin's landscape, though!

The surface is far from complete (the PQS mods are identical to Soteria's), but this is a good start.

[wpetula]

PROGRESS UPDATE #9:

Good news, everyone: the aforementioned problem is fixed.

Now I can post more screenshots!

Edited April 17, 2021 by wpetula