Protractor - Rendezvous Plugin - Under New Management!

[Roxette]

Is it possible to make the plugin work without needing to attach a part to your ship...

Yes, quite simply, using Module Manager - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55219-Module-Manager-1-5-%28Nov-11%29

and this in a something.cfg file :

@PART[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleCommand]] {

MODULE {

name = ProtractorModule

}

}

... would add protractor to any command module.

[Bobe]

Yes, quite simply, using Module Manager - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/55219-Module-Manager-1-5-%28Nov-11%29

and this in a something.cfg file :

@PART[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleCommand]] {

MODULE {

name = ProtractorModule

}

}

... would add protractor to any command module.

Wouldn't it just be much simpler if the mod did this by default? Does anyone prefer using a part rather than just having it always on (and optionally disabled of course)?

[AncientAstronaut]

Problem is, it's not a rendezvous plugin. It doesn't support spacecraft rendezvous. The title of this thread should be changed accordingly.

[Bobe]

Problem is, it's not a rendezvous plugin. It doesn't support spacecraft rendezvous. The title of this thread should be changed accordingly.

What difference does that make?

[AncientAstronaut]

What difference does that make?

The fact that it's misleading and might confuse people who are looking to download a plugin with rendezvous instrumentation. You wouldn't label MechJeb a rocketry parts pack in the title description. But by the "what difference does it make" logic, there's no reason not to.

[Bobe]

The fact that it's misleading and might confuse people who are looking to download a plugin with rendezvous instrumentation. You wouldn't label MechJeb a rocketry parts pack in the title description. But by the "what difference does it make" logic, there's no reason not to.

Sorry, I meant what difference does that make to having it enabled by default without the need for a part. I assume you were referring to that.

[Oinker]

Please remove protractor's icon and go solely with an icon in the common toolbar to switch it on/off.

As far as using a part or defaulting to add the protractor module to all modules using modulemanager, it's easy enough to create a cfg file to add protractor to all modules on your own just as was written above and then delete the parts folder. That's the config I've used since modulemanager came out months ago. The old parts are required for people who have existing ship builds and many people just like the fact that it's a Ti-35 taped to your rocket.

[THobson]

I have the protractor in my list of items available to build a ship but it is greyed out and it says I need to unlock them in Research but when I go into Research I own all the items in the areas I have researched. What particular area do I need to research to make them available? I am a bit of newbie here to apologies if this seems a silly question.

I am using 023 on a Mac with OSX Mavericks if that is of any relevance.

Many thanks

[Awaras]

I have the protractor in my list of items available to build a ship but it is greyed out and it says I need to unlock them in Research but when I go into Research I own all the items in the areas I have researched. What particular area do I need to research to make them available? I am a bit of newbie here to apologies if this seems a silly question.

I am using 023 on a Mac with OSX Mavericks if that is of any relevance.

Many thanks

If you added the protractor mod AFTER you unlocked the science node that contains it (no idea which one it is), you need to find it in the tech tree, click on the protractor part itself in the node description and you will get a prompt to unlock the part.

[THobson]

Got it. Thanks. I thought I had checked that but clearly I hadn't. By the way it is Advanced Electrics where the Protractor is unlocked.

Thanks again

[Nereid]

Useful mod, but I still have a few major complaints:

1. Why parts are needed? An integration in the toolbar plugin will just do it.

2. The parts are mediocre and won't fit well to the stock parts.

3. The GUI is visible on launch and shows up every other launch. This is annoying! If I want to use protractor I will open the GUI myself on my decision.

4. Why another button? Why not just integrate in the toolbar plugin (see above).

3/5 stars so far because of the complaints about it.

Perhaps 5/5 if it get rid of the parts, uses the toolbar plugin api and at least remembers my decision to hide the GUI on launch (or stays hidden until I open it).

Edited January 5, 2014 by Nereid

[lincourtl]

Why parts are needed? An integration in the toolbar plugin will just do it.

You can add Protractor to all pods and probes with a simple ModuleManager config. Assuming you already have the latest ModuleManager installed, just drop this as MyProtractorConfig.cfg (or whatever you want to call it) somewhere in your GameData. I have my own folder in GameData for things like MM configs, flags, welded parts, etc.

@PART
[*]:HAS[@MODULE[ModuleCommand]]
{
    //enables Protractor on all pods and probes//
    MODULE
    {
        name = ProtractorModule
    }
}

[TBryson2]

JUST installed latest Protractor (uploads_2013_12_Protractor-v.2.4.4) and it appears that Kirbin is spinning WAY to fast! NONE of my Geosynchronous orbits are Geosynchronous!

ALL of my Geosynchronous orbits have been faithful until I installed latest Protractor.

With it removed, they all sync back up again.

TB

[marshall.tonellato]

Hey, i am at a total loss here as to why the icon doesn't want to show up! I've tried everything but i just cant figure it out. please help! I have also been noticing the same problem with other mods too

[Sethnizzle]

JUST installed latest Protractor (uploads_2013_12_Protractor-v.2.4.4) and it appears that Kirbin is spinning WAY to fast! NONE of my Geosynchronous orbits are Geosynchronous!

ALL of my Geosynchronous orbits have been faithful until I installed latest Protractor.

With it removed, they all sync back up again.

TB

I'm not saying Protractor isn't the problem, but I can confirm that Kerbin spins at the same speed with or without it. I tested my stock version of the game and my [heavily] modded version and in both, craft sitting on the launch pad have an orbital velocity of 174.6 m/s. It could be an interaction with either:

• MechJeb2-2.1.1.0-160
  
• Squad-Texture-Pack-0.1c
  
• TacFuelBalancer_2.3.0.2
  
• CrewManifest (latest)
  

Out of the mods you listed, those are the ones I am not using.

For completeness sake I am using:

• 6S Service Compartment Tubes v1.1
  
• Aviation Lights v3.5
  
• B9 Aerospace Pack R4.0c (with included texture reduction)
  
• Docking Port Alignment 3.01
  
• Editor Extensions v0.6
  
• Engineer Redux v0.6.2.2
  
• Enhanced Navball v1.2
  
• FASA v3.341
  
• FloorIt
  
• Kerbal Attachment System v0.4.5
  
• KDEX v101
  
• Kerbal Alarm Clock v2.7.0.0
  
• Kerbal Joint Reinforcement v1.6
  
• KSPX v0.2.5
  
• KW Rocketry v2.5.52
  
• KW Rocketry Texture Pack v0.1
  
• Panda Jager Laboratories Parts Pack v1.1
  
• Protractor v2.4.4
  
• RCS Build Aid v0.4.11
  
• RLA Electric Engines v0.6.1
  
• RLA MMRTG v0.3.1
  
• RLA Power Generation v0.1.1
  
• RLA Stockalike v0.9.4
  
• SCANsat b5
  
• Toolbar v1.4.1
  
• TTC7MK3 Expansion Pack v1.2
  
• TTMK3 Cockpit Internal v1.2
  
• Tweakable Everything v0.5.2
  

**I don't currently have anything in Geosynchronous orbit, but I can confirm the rotation speed of Kerbin. And my stations in LKO and LMO remain in stable orbits.

Edited January 6, 2014 by Sethnizzle

[TBryson2]

Thanks for the reply, perhaps I can convey myself a bit more appropriately. Also, the rotation speed of Kirbin is the only reference I have. I have no clue if it changed speeds or my satellites did, but here goes

With my "perfect" (I know I'll start something with that statement), Geosynchronous orbits, one placed exactly over KSC, and without Protractor, I can maintain my position over KSC through many months of "orbiting" Kirbin.

As soon as I install the latest Protractor, Kirbin spins MUCH faster than my Geosynchronous orbits! My "perfectly placed" Geosynchronous satellite over KSP orbits about 1/2 as fast as it did, thereby making it non-Geosynchronous . It is obvious on the first orbit in map mode.

I am running KSP .23, Windows 7 and (as mentioned before) the only "new" MODs added were added today when I noticed the issue.

By removing Protractor entirely from the GameData folder, my satellites are now Geosynchronous, BUT since their orbits got whacked, now they are no longer aligned as they were.

Clear as mud?

TB

Edited January 6, 2014 by TBryson2

[Nereid]

You can add Protractor to all pods and probes with a simple ModuleManager config. Assuming you already have the latest ModuleManager installed, just drop this as MyProtractorConfig.cfg (or whatever you want to call it) somewhere in your GameData. I have my own folder in GameData for things like MM configs, flags, welded parts, etc.

Way to complicated. The question is still valid: The parts add nothing to the functionality and they don't make any sense, so why not using the toolbar (at least as an option)? And the extra button in the most awkward place is a mediocre solution at best.

And if I add protractor to any module, then every launch the GUI pops up. Well, I will never ever do anything like this. It would be just way to annoying for me.

[Oinker]

GUI doesn't pop up unless that was its previous state. Just the unmovable icon we all want gone is there.

Protractor should have gone part-less long ago back when chatterer did. Next should be a dependency on the toolbar plugin and just a single on/off icon in the toolbar (like FAR, Kerbal Alarm Clock, or the 0.5.9.002 Chatterer). Also add the Unity Smoke skin as an option (more of us use that than the default KSP skin). Change icon color scheme to match nothke's toolbar icons http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/60066-0-23-0-Toolbar-Plugin-1-4-1-Common-API-for-draggable-resizable-buttons-toolbar/page15 or just have him tweak the icon.

Don't give me any grief about using modulemanager. I've been doing it that way since mm was released, long before Sarbian created the wildcard extension so I had to add it manually to each module by the part name (including every command module from every addon I used). And before mm was here, I placed it in the part.cfg's. Anyway, that's the old-school half-assed way of things. Make it partless. Make it dependent on toolbar. Make it skinned.

[Roxette]

Wow. Just... wow. The confrontational, demanding and arrogant nature of some people on here, towards others who have been prepared to expend time and effort freely producing enhancements for a game for the benefit of so many, and who often get little thanks for doing it, is truly amazing and saddening.

[malkuth]

Wow. Just... wow. The confrontational, demanding and arrogant nature of some people on here, towards others who have been prepared to expend time and effort freely producing enhancements for a game for the benefit of so many, and who often get little thanks for doing it, is truly amazing and saddening.

Yes it seems to be the case. As game gets more people things like this tend to happen. Don't demand ask nicely. Most of us are willing to listen to request but demanding is just rude.

Seen this in a lot of mod threads including my own. And it's getting disturbing. Don't push mod devs away.

[MildMicah]

I know this is probably a pointless question. But is there any way to use this mod to calculate orbital periods, and distance between them? Lets say that I'm using remotetech2 and I want to set up a tripoint connection with satellites that are in -1/2 geosynchronous orbit, (orbital period 3hours) but I do not want to launch just "guessing" to make appropriate distances? I guess you could do a sub orbit and then just circularize when the time is right but that seems, less... professional?

[Mecripp]

I know this is probably a pointless question. But is there any way to use this mod to calculate orbital periods, and distance between them? Lets say that I'm using remotetech2 and I want to set up a tripoint connection with satellites that are in -1/2 geosynchronous orbit, (orbital period 3hours) but I do not want to launch just "guessing" to make appropriate distances? I guess you could do a sub orbit and then just circularize when the time is right but that seems, less... professional?

Have you try'ed Void mod ?

[Mecripp]

I might not have got what you was asking but to use this mod to display the different orbital periods of your sats, I think he or she would have to add a tab for craft that would be nice.

[MildMicah]

Okay. Well, regardless of orbital periods really. Since the time of ALL geo'syncs -1/2 is 3 hours, all of them would be 3 hours. it's the distance between them in meters I need. Like a whole number. Or a window planner. However window planners don't exist in KSP yet...

[Mecripp]

The gps mod says its around 1,588,000 m but if you want to stay at the same spot at all times around kerbin it's around 2,868,400 m , I think

Edit and if you use mj or void or any mod that give orbit times when u get at what 1 u use hit cap lock to fine tune your time very handy

with your thrusters like in docking mode.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/54533-0-23-VOID-Vessel-Orbital-Informational-Display

Not sure if this 1 give you that info http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/18230-0-23-Kerbal-Engineer-Redux-v0-6-2-3

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/12384-PART-0-23-Anatid-Robotics-MuMech-MechJeb-Autopilot-v2-1-1

Just checked 1588 k is 6hrs orbit and 2868 k is 3 hrs

Edited January 14, 2014 by Mecripp2