Request MechJeb for KSP2

[Scarecrow71]

1 hour ago, LameLefty said:

So, I'm of two minds about this. I don't want (nor have I ever used) a lot of the stuff some people LOVE about MJ (like Smart A.S.S., or automated docking for instance). But the stuff I do miss the most is the stuff that I REALLY miss - Ascent Guidance, Rendezvous Planner, and Maneuver Planner. I was also quite fond - especially in late-game situations - of the Transfer Window planner.  Landing Guidance (especially for vacuum bodies or bodies with really thin atmospheres) was also pretty darn handy for my Mun and Minmus bases. 

After the first few thousand LKO launches and Duna transfers, there's only so much gravity-turn wrangling and manual maneuver node twiddling I find bearable. 

The only thing I cannot do that i need MJ for is docking.  I can perform all other tasks manually, but docking...ugh.

[Silvia Dragoness]

+1 hoping for something akin to MechJeb for KSP2 as soon as practically possible, for essentially the same reasons as LameLefty two posts ago.

[LameLefty]

42 minutes ago, Scarecrow71 said:

The only thing I cannot do that i need MJ for is docking.  I can perform all other tasks manually, but docking...ugh.

In KSP1, I used MJ for docking exactly once, I think. It was terrible - spamming RCS all over the place, using up almost all my monoprop. As soon as @NavyFishcreated his amazing Docking Port Alignment Indicator, I adopted it right away and never, ever used anything else. But since we don't have that in KSP2, it's back to the old-fashioned method of getting a close intercept, then "pushing" and "pulling" the navball velocity vector markers onto the Target indicator (with the docking port of the passive vessel set as the "Target" once you get close enough). It works, but it requires a lot more patience than a nice close rendezvous setup with MJ's Rendezvous Planner and DPAI for the final 200m or so. 

[Scarecrow71]

2 minutes ago, LameLefty said:

In KSP1, I used MJ for docking exactly once, I think. It was terrible - spamming RCS all over the place, using up almost all my monoprop. As soon as @NavyFishcreated his amazing Docking Port Alignment Indicator, I adopted it right away and never, ever used anything else. But since we don't have that in KSP2, it's back to the old-fashioned method of getting a close intercept, then "pushing" and "pulling" the navball velocity vector markers onto the Target indicator (with the docking port of the passive vessel set as the "Target" once you get close enough). It works, but it requires a lot more patience than a nice close rendezvous setup with MJ's Rendezvous Planner and DPAI for the final 200m or so. 

See, I never had issues with monoprop when using MJ's docking thing.  I always set the intercept and matching velocity at like 10 meters from the target, and then when I was ready I'd switch between both vessels and set the other as the target.  Then I'd use SAS (or Smart A.S.S.) to point the docking port at the other ship.  Then just a straight line of 1.0 m/s of movement.

I really should learn how to do all that manually, though.  Time for some tutorial action!

[LameLefty]

14 hours ago, Scarecrow71 said:

really should learn how to do all that manually, though.  Time for some tutorial action!

Waaaay back in late March 2013, I found a tutorial video from someone that taught me how to do it.  In KSP1 it was easier because when you create an intercept, you can see numerically how close you are going to pass, not just with big blobby UI icons. Aim for an intercept of about 5km or less for best results.  Quick save after you make the burn just in case, lol.

Then time warp until you’re a couple minutes from intercept. Take control of the active vessel and be sure you have the nav all speed set to Target velocity (again easier in KSP1 because the velocity is positive or negative to indicate departure or closing rate intuitively. In KSP2 it’s just a number with no sign - BAD UI, KSP2 DEVS!).

Anyway, as you close on the target be sure to to set Control from Here for your docking port, and then point your engines generally toward the target. You should see your prograde marker somewhere near the target marker on the navball.  Depending on how close your initial orbit was, your approach speed and closure rate will vary, but you will thrusting backwards to both slow your closure rate AND to nudge your velocity vector marker toward the target marker. You are effectively making your own current orbit match the target’s orbit.

In practical nuts-and-bolt terms, you “pull” your prograde marker toward the target when you add thrust pointing at the target, and you are “pushing” the retrograde marker when you are facing backwards and adding thrust. The tricky part is, when you are “pulling” the maker by adding thrust, you’re speeding up your closure rate. So you have to flip back around and slow again while pushing the retrograde marker. 

It’s a lot harder to explain than to do after a time or two, and it’s VASTLY easier if you have slower relative velocities to work with. For practice, I’d suggest launching your target into something like a 200km circular obit, and your active vessel into a starting orbit of something like 170km or so. That way, you have plenty of time for each orbital period and the closure rate won’t be too high as you approach intercept. 

[Luckey]

I think it is VERY important to set proper expectations for everyone asking for MechJeb for KSP2.  MechJeb is a very complex mod that took many years to develope and test for it to be what you see in KSP today.  It will not be a quick thing to get the same for KSP2.  And remember, MechJeb is a volunteer project done during the spare time of the developer(s).

Please understand that this may take many months (at a minimum) to get an intial release out and it will not be a fully functioning version.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Luckey

[kithylin]

3 hours ago, Luckey said:

I think it is VERY important to set proper expectations for everyone asking for MechJeb for KSP2.  MechJeb is a very complex mod that took many years to develope and test for it to be what you see in KSP today.  It will not be a quick thing to get the same for KSP2.  And remember, MechJeb is a volunteer project done during the spare time of the developer(s).

Please understand that this may take many months (at a minimum) to get an intial release out and it will not be a fully functioning version.

Except unlike with KSP 1 they at least have something to start with now. So surely it shouldn't take any where near as long as it did for KSP 1. Certainly not "Multiple years" as you claimed.

[stephensmat]

On 3/14/2023 at 11:12 AM, Scarecrow71 said:

The only thing I cannot do that i need MJ for is docking.  I can perform all other tasks manually, but docking...ugh.

Yeah. The only thing I used MJ for after a while was rendezvous. I handled the docking on my own. Orbital transfers...

I used it for take off and landing, but really that was just to save time. Rendezvous were the bane of my existence, but without assembling orbital craft, there's a limit to how far you can go.

I'd be willing to take a mod that handles 'get to 200m and match speed'. 

[Fadamor]

For me, launches were handled quite ably by kOS. MechJeb was a godsend when I found out about it. As my dad likes to say when he sees me struggling with KSP, "REAL space programs have hundreds, if not thousands, of engineers working on the flight. It's unreasonable to expect one person to handle all the minutiae involved with putting a vehicle into space.

The first patch for KSP2 has been distributed and while I'm not experiencing the Rapid Unplanned Disassembly I was running into prior to the patch, I find the lack of even manual maneuver tools to be discouraging.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Fadamor
Added the second paragraph.

[schlosrat]

On 3/27/2023 at 11:11 PM, Fadamor said:

For me, launches were handled quite ably by kOS. MechJeb was a godsend when I found out about it. As my dad likes to say when he sees me struggling with KSP, "REAL space programs have hundreds, if not thousands, of engineers working on the flight. It's unreasonable to expect one person to handle all the minutiae involved with putting a vehicle into space.

The first patch for KSP2 has been distributed and while I'm not experiencing the Rapid Unplanned Disassembly I was running into prior to the patch, I find the lack of even manual maneuver tools to be discouraging.

What lack? Have you looked at Maneuver Node Controller? I’ve got a fork of the original that adds some nice features. https://github.com/schlosrat/ManeuverNodeController

Also, I’m working on a new mod I call Flight Plan that incorporates some of the MJ maneuver planning capabilities. Coming Soon!

[kithylin]

38 minutes ago, schlosrat said:

What lack? Have you looked at Maneuver Node Controller? I’ve got a fork of the original that adds some nice features. https://github.com/schlosrat/ManeuverNodeController

Also, I’m working on a new mod I call Flight Plan that incorporates some of the MJ maneuver planning capabilities. Coming Soon!

Is that mod for KSP 2? Or KSP1?

[cfloutier]

From my point of view, it's too soon to expect such a tool like Mech jeb for the moment. there will be little mods that will to simple tasks to start and progressively they will be merged to a thing like mechjeb. 
I'm working on K2D2 and landing is closed to be released. my next step will be ascending and then docking. I'm more interesting in direct speed changes rather than orbit node. @schlosrat started a port of mechjeb :  for many maneuver node creation. very cool point. @Mole is helping me adding node creation but starts froml scratch. 
I'll be glad to merge my work with any big project that will emerge. for the moment we only have  small projects. 

 

[DerkyJerkyWreaksHavoc]

On 2/25/2023 at 5:29 AM, sarbian said:

Denied.

 give me some time to point my engines retrograde facing towards you. Lighting them up, there. Sarbian has just been ejected  (nah im jk)

[schlosrat]

@kithylinThe mod I linked is a KSP2 mod, as is my Flight Plan mod and @cfloutier’s K2-D2 mod. I’ve got a Resonant Orbit Calculator mod out for KSP2 as well. Head on over to SpaceDock and have a look for what’s out there! The KSP2 modding community is very active with some really good stuff out there considering how little time we’ve had and the complete lack of modding documentation from IG.

13 hours ago, cfloutier said:

From my point of view, it's too soon to expect such a tool like Mech jeb for the moment. there will be little mods that will to simple tasks to start and progressively they will be merged to a thing like mechjeb. 
I'm working on K2D2 and landing is closed to be released. my next step will be ascending and then docking. I'm more interesting in direct speed changes rather than orbit node. @schlosrat started a port of mechjeb :  for many maneuver node creation. very cool point. @Mole is helping me adding node creation but starts froml scratch. 
I'll be glad to merge my work with any big project that will emerge. for the moment we only have  small projects. 

 

I agree, it’s far too soon to expect a full-up mechjeb. I suspect I’m days away from having Flight Plan in a sufficiently useful state to release, and when I do put the first version out it will be a long way from the full-up functionality of MJ! That said, it can be a platform for developing further functionality.

I agree, there’s some real synergy out there with the KSP2 mods. I really like where you’re taking K2-D2! We’ll get the capabilities we want and need initially across multiple mods before we start integrating things into anything like MJ. That said, there’s also KS2 out there with some pretty cool scripting capabilities.

[cfloutier]

I'm really touched on how your consider my little works . I'll be so pleased if part of my work would be integrated into MechJeb 2. 
And you are a great help for the whole Mod community. I know FlightPlan will be fully functionnal one day. keep the faith. converting MechJeb is not the easiest way to start 

For the moment we are fighting agains ksp weird behavior. we are pioneers 
 

Edited April 13, 2023 by cfloutier

[schlosrat]

I’ve released my Flight Plan mod. You can find info here: 

It’s a long way from a MechJeb replacement, but it does bring at least some core MechJeb capabilities to KSP2. Before you get too excited, it doesn’t do ascent or landing - there are other mods that do, though. It also doesn’t execute maneuver nodes for you. For that you can do it easily enough manually, or if you prefer there are also other mods for that. Nevertheless there are a number of things it can help with. Check out the release page for lots of pics Flight Plan in action.

[kithylin]

5 hours ago, schlosrat said:

I’ve released my Flight Plan mod. You can find info here: 

It’s a long way from a MechJeb replacement, but it does bring at least some core MechJeb capabilities to KSP2. Before you get too excited, it doesn’t do ascent or landing - there are other mods that do, though. It also doesn’t execute maneuver nodes for you. For that you can do it easily enough manually, or if you prefer there are also other mods for that. Nevertheless there are a number of things it can help with. Check out the release page for lots of pics Flight Plan in action.

Ah this is amazing! This is one of the things I was missing to get to the other planets as I was really struggling to figure out the connections manually even after watching instructional videos. I might can actually play the game properly later. Thank you for making this. 

[schlosrat]

2 hours ago, kithylin said:

Ah this is amazing! This is one of the things I was missing to get to the other planets as I was really struggling to figure out the connections manually even after watching instructional videos. I might can actually play the game properly later. Thank you for making this. 

I hope you find it helpful! Right now, the Interplanetary Transfer feature is not working well at all. It will generate a maneuver node, but not one that departs at the right time or with the right delta V. This is high on my priority list to fix as I think it will help a lot of folks. For sure it can help you navigate around a local SOI like when you're at Kerbin or Jool or wherever. I'll post updates as I move more features out of experimental status and into primary functionality.

[Kenobi McCormick]

KSP feels wierd without MechJeb at this point. I've been using it since back when the only way to put it on our ships was to use a discrete command pod or control ring. It's an immense help for me. I'll grant a lot of things are a bit wonky with it, but I genuinely can't play KSP1 without it these days.

* Smart-ASS is basically mandatory for everything I fly. The only fly in the ointment? Flying wings. Smart-ASS does not know what to do with flying wings and will almost always crash them. It's also twitchy with canards. Generally, backwards pitch surfaces throw it for a loop and that's something present on both of these types of craft. It's probably not even an issue with MJ, either, because KSP1 itself gets confused with flying wings in particular. Having the elevons so close to CG makes the game's control surface logic lose its marbles and, 99% of the time, the pitch gets inverted because it thinks they are AHEAD of CG and thus acting as canards when in reality they're BEHIND and being asked to work as elevons. Even flying them manually I have to actively remember 'pitch down to pitch up' or I'll bin them as well. This can sometimes affect rockets, too, I've had some of my landers go through control inversion because of CG shift during a mission before.

* Maneuver planner is beyond useful. Those nodes are super fiddly to work with and, generally speaking, I can just tell MechJeb to plot a course and the course is good enough to get the job done.

* The informational panels are must-haves. The dV/TWR panel, velocities, distances, etc. Which ones I'm using vary based on what I'm doing but I almost always have a MechJeb info panel up at all times.

* Auto-Launch. Generally speaking, it does the job. I have a config that works 99.9% of the time, and that 0.1% can be attributed to me flying something stupid. Do I need it? Hell no. I'm more than capable of flying missions on my own from launchpad to landing. But do I use it? Hell yeah. Again I've been playing for yonks. 0.17.1 was my first KSP version. I've done thousands of launches. There's no reason for me to manually gravity turn every rocket I send up. NASA doesn't do that, ESA doesn't do that, SpaceX doesn't do that, so why should I? Hell it even stages for me, too, and I can configure it to stage exactly how I want to. I could see this possibly borking up for someone that's hardcore into asparagus, but I never asparagus and generally only have 2-4 stages, so auto-stage works mint. I set it with zero delays either, so it automatically drops the instant a stage runs dry.

* Auto-Land. I don't use this for fixed-wing because fixed-wing...Smart-ASS aside-ish...generally doesn't get along with MJ's automatic ontrol, but when I'm landing a vessel from orbit AutoLand makes the difference between me managing to hit the daylight side and me being able to put the thing down within 5 meters of where I want it.

* Manuver Node Executer. I can do these manually....but why? Just click one button and it handles the whole lot even time warp. No more missing burns, no more over or undershooting them. All I do is plot the node, align to the node(Unless the craft I'm flying is sufficiently maneuverable to align in just a second or two), click the execute button, sit back, and sip my Dr Pepper.


And that's just off the top of my head. MJ is a lifesaver. 'Course I'm patient enough to wait for when it or something like it comes out for KSP2, but ye, I friggin love MJ and it's one of my must-have KSP1 mods. Matter of fact MJ or something like it being available for KSP2 is a strong influence on whether I even buy KSP2 at all...

Edited April 15, 2023 by Kenobi McCormick

[claptonrulez]

Yes, we need this

[Scarecrow71]

1 hour ago, Kenobi McCormick said:

I could see this possibly borking up for someone that's hardcore into asparagus,

I use asparagus almost exclusively, and I have never had a problem with auto-stage that didn't trace back to my screwing up.

[Murdermittens]

I probably would not have purchased KSP2 if I would have known that MechJeb2 wasnt going to be available. Im super disappointed. 

Hopefully someday!

 

[stephensmat]

The power of Mechjeb has always been the options. For those who need help with ONE thing, as opposed to many things, there's nothing to force you to use it. Rendezvous and Docking has always been the bane of my KSP1 experience, and MJ made it fun. Everything else I can do myself.

I have no doubt that MJ or something like it will be made in the future. The game is very... elastic, at this point. It's all clay being molded into a final form. And as with most games that rely heavily on creatives, the style of play will be as variable as the players. Some of us will have no qualms about flying a mission off a checklist of modded commands, some of us will fly everything by hand. most, like me, will likely find one or two things frustrating enough that it's no fun to play without help.

The purists will rage, but we've entered the age where a lot of spaceflight is handled by the computer directly in Real Life, let alone the simulations.

[cfloutier]

Let the purists rage !

The k2-d2 has now a safe landing pilot. 

I'm working on ascent pilot !! And it's quite easy in fact. 

The docking pilot is in my to-do list. 

And the Flight Plan from @schlosratwill manage all node construction. 

There will be a mech Jeb like mod soon. 

[Safety84]

What mod do you speak of?! Where can I get it? I'm interested.