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Kethane Pack 0.9.2 - New cinematic trailer! - 1.0 compatibility update

Majiir

By Majiir
in KSP1 Mod Releases

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Majiir

Majiir

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In your save folder (not game data) you'll find a kethane.cfg file.

Erm, no, you won't. Kethane stores data in the persistence file now.

Just use the debugger. (Add "Debug = True" to GameData/Kethane/settings.cfg.)

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Galane

Galane

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Here's an issue with the mod. The Kethane converters can refill monopropellant tanks wherever they're attached but fuel tanks only if they're directly in line with the converter in the rocket stack. (Verified by taking all the mono tanks off that are directly on the kethane tank and stuck one on one of the stretchies.)

I tried connecting the side tanks on this rover with pipes to the converter and pipes to the Kethane tank. Doesn't work. The configuration pictured has a small fuel tank under the converter, which it will fill, but then it stops. The fuel won't go though the pipes to the side tanks.

Could repeatedly fill the small tank then manually do alt+right click transfers but that would get old real fast.

Can the same crossfeed rules the Kethane converters use for monopropellant be applied to fuel and oxidizer? I've never used an ion engine so I haven't tested if this is also an issue with xenon.

Something else that doesn't work (at least not in a usable fashion) with this rover is running the engines and the converter at the same time. It generates enough fuel to keep the far side tank steady at the level it is, while the near side one drains and unbalances the fuel load.

10287687694_a323ac85e3_z.jpg

I want to be able to take this thing to the Mun and be able to refill its fuel tanks so it can get back up off the Mun.

Note: This is a static test mockup, thus the lack of any struts supporting the stuff piled on the top. However, it can be driven around. Shortly after confirmation of the failure to transfer converted fuel to the side tanks and discovering the fuel imbalance issue with running the engines while converting Kethane, someone on the staff took it out for a remote joyride, got it up to nearly 30M/sec several times (with nearly full kethane and fuel tanks!) until the inner rear left wheel failed. The datalogger showed the driver (who will soon be out of a job!) swerved hard, the rover rolled and was severely damaged*. He also extended the solar panels at speeds over 10M/sec, resulting in their instant destruction. (Makes a note not use that brand of PV panels for my house...)

*Meaning everything exploded except for the girder units and the 7 wheels still attached to them.

Edited by Galane
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ThirdHorseman

ThirdHorseman

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I'm trying to use rovers with scanners to find the exact spot where a kethane and ore deposit starts. I have it all mapped out from orbit, but because the map stands off a good distance from the surface in the map view, and you only get coordinates for the center of the hex not the edges, I'm using the rovers. I figure I can activate the scanner, drive towards the hex, and then once the tone changes I know I'm over the deposit.

However I am not getting any scanner tone. I'm also not getting any tone from the satellite in orbit. I'm running .7.7 and both audio files in GameData\Kethane\Sounds play fine in my audio app. Is there any known bug as to why the tones won't play? I have all the audio settings at 100% except for music, which is off. But even when I have music at 100% I still don't hear any tone.

Thanks! If I can't get this to work I'll just have to send out drill units and test until I see the drills working.

EDIT: More info. I built a quick little rocket with a scanner on it and launched it. As soon as I activate the scanner I get the little chirp tone. But then I don't get the tone again, even if I disable/enable the scanner and/or tone. Is that the expected behavior? Is there a way to increase the frequency of the tone? I don't see anything in the CFG files. I know the scanner is working because the head moves when I rotate the rocket...

Edited by ThirdHorseman
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Cyphas_Cain

Cyphas_Cain

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EDIT: More info. I built a quick little rocket with a scanner on it and launched it. As soon as I activate the scanner I get the little chirp tone. But then I don't get the tone again, even if I disable/enable the scanner and/or tone. Is that the expected behavior? Is there a way to increase the frequency of the tone? I don't see anything in the CFG files. I know the scanner is working because the head moves when I rotate the rocket...

Can we get more info? Velocity, dist from planetary body, inclination, maybe a pic for review?

I thought along the same lines at first, but i found out it depends on a few things as to how frequent the tone is. Velocity, dist from the planetary body ur scanning, inclination etc.

Here's my setup with Mechjeb for info.

2nyu.png

the basics:

- Orbit: 245 000 km

- Inclination: 88 degrees

- Velocity: 300 to 400 ms

- 1 med scanner & 4 sml scanners (basically can scan the surface no matter its orientation)

My scanner is based on the concept of self sustaining vessel without need for continual watching.

Others may have a better, more effective setup than me.

Cyphas_Cain

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Galane

Galane

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When in doubt, just run fuel lines both ways. :)

Tried that once with a booster that had quad tanks in parallel, with an action group to shut two engines off. It only drained two on one side then went spinning around. If it'd drain opposite corners it would have worked.

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Crater

Crater

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I'm trying to use rovers with scanners to find the exact spot where a kethane and ore deposit starts. I have it all mapped out from orbit, but because the map stands off a good distance from the surface in the map view, and you only get coordinates for the center of the hex not the edges, I'm using the rovers. I figure I can activate the scanner, drive towards the hex, and then once the tone changes I know I'm over the deposit.

However I am not getting any scanner tone. I'm also not getting any tone from the satellite in orbit. I'm running .7.7 and both audio files in GameData\Kethane\Sounds play fine in my audio app. Is there any known bug as to why the tones won't play? I have all the audio settings at 100% except for music, which is off. But even when I have music at 100% I still don't hear any tone.

Thanks! If I can't get this to work I'll just have to send out drill units and test until I see the drills working.

EDIT: More info. I built a quick little rocket with a scanner on it and launched it. As soon as I activate the scanner I get the little chirp tone. But then I don't get the tone again, even if I disable/enable the scanner and/or tone. Is that the expected behavior? Is there a way to increase the frequency of the tone? I don't see anything in the CFG files. I know the scanner is working because the head moves when I rotate the rocket...

This is the expected behaviour - it only pings when it enters a new hex. This is a real pain, especially on rough surfaced bodies, such as the smaller moons, since it can be very hard to tell what hex you are in on the surface from the current orbital grid map, and I can't find any way of reporting on the Kethane content of the current cell.

I actually managed a base on Bop where there was Kethane and (EL) Ore in adjacent cells, and I straddled the border with my two drilling systems, but it was a PIG of a job to find the right place, had to keep driving, drilling, driving, drilling, until I hit the magic green goop.

It would help if the current scan amount could be seen via the right-click menu.... hmmmm, off to github to put in a feature request :)

Fuel pipes backwards from tank to converter. Got it.
When in doubt, just run fuel lines both ways.

Having fuel pipes both ways is rarely a wise plan, sadly. It creates a closed loop, and the current stack traversal code for fuel routing (which determines what tanks to drain in what order) really doesn't cope well with loops. If there is any symmetry involved then you are very likely to get asymmetric draining, and a rapidly imbalanced ship, often followed by an unscheduled lithobraking event.

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ThirdHorseman

ThirdHorseman

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Can we get more info? Velocity, dist from planetary body, inclination, maybe a pic for review?

It wasn't anything special. Probe core, fuel tank, engine, some fins and a compact scanner plopped on top. Got it up to 20-30k and activated the scanner. Heard the "empty" ping sound, and then nothing. It just went up and came down, never even left the hex, which makes what Crater says make sense and why you would see your scenario as well. If it only pings when entering a cell then the ping frequency would depend on your orbit, because you'll be entering cells at varying rates...

This is the expected behaviour - it only pings when it enters a new hex. This is a real pain, especially on rough surfaced bodies, such as the smaller moons, since it can be very hard to tell what hex you are in on the surface from the current orbital grid map, and I can't find any way of reporting on the Kethane content of the current cell.

I actually managed a base on Bop where there was Kethane and (EL) Ore in adjacent cells, and I straddled the border with my two drilling systems, but it was a PIG of a job to find the right place, had to keep driving, drilling, driving, drilling, until I hit the magic green goop.

It would help if the current scan amount could be seen via the right-click menu.... hmmmm, off to github to put in a feature request :)

Ah that makes sense, and that does suck. I guess I'll resort to the drill-nope-move-drill-nope-move-drill-thereitis plan rather than using the scanners. That sucks. It would be nice if the scanner just pinged every few seconds. I'm trying to do something like your scenario, except my ore and kethane cells are one apart so I'm trying to set my base up right in the middle. Ah well, thanks for the info...

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Galane

Galane

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Having fuel pipes both ways is rarely a wise plan, sadly. It creates a closed loop, and the current stack traversal code for fuel routing (which determines what tanks to drain in what order) really doesn't cope well with loops. If there is any symmetry involved then you are very likely to get asymmetric draining, and a rapidly imbalanced ship, often followed by an unscheduled lithobraking event.

I've run them both ways on several rockets and been able to create complex boosters that keep all the engines lit AND drain the tanks without imbalance. The trick is to go in and out from the center, not around in a circle. Despite the outward pipes, the fuel will drain from the outer tanks first, same as asparagus staging, but without the staging.

That's how I built a huge SSTO. Just kept adding engines and fuel until it would make a 70KM orbit with just a whiff of fuel left in the first stage. Several hours worth of R&D and many launches into this one.

9913456815_d5d592a365_z.jpg

Now I need to design a bigger Kethane rover, with 8,000 unit capacity and the big drill, and of course a bigger launcher. Going to have to find some good aftermarket wheels too because the stock ones just won't cut it.

Edited by Galane
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Majiir

Majiir

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Kethane 0.8 has been released. The download link on the first post has been updated.

This update includes an art pass, an improved map overlay and major architectural changes. This update is only compatible with versions 0.6 through 0.7.7.

Important notes:

  • This update doesn't integrate with the Research and Development system added in KSP 0.22. R&D integration will come in a later update.
  • The KE-TM30 (1.25-meter tank) and KE-X130 (radial drill) art assets have been upgraded. Craft files from previous versions will still load the old models, but textures will be missing. The old textures may optionally be installed from the previous version. Note that the new KE-X130 drill is significantly shorter.
  • The new deposit generator architecture has been added, but the API is not yet public and no new generators have been added. These are still works in progress and will be released with a later update.
  • The architecture changes will perform a save format upgrade. If you're particularly attached to your deposit and scan data, make a backup of your persistence file before upgrading.
  • The file server may still be the subject of false positives from antivirus software. I recommend temporarily disabling your AV software and manually scanning the download if you're concerned about safety.
  • It's a good idea to erase any old versions of Kethane before installing the new one. User data is stored in persistence files so it's safe to perform a clean installation.

Changes in this version:

  • The grid overlay now conforms to terrain.
  • Created an extensible deposit generator architecture.
  • Added new parts with updated art assets for the KE-TM30 and KE-X130. The old parts will still load but their textures have been removed to save memory and they aren't accessible in the editor.
  • Updated art assets for the KE-X270.
  • Added a scanning tutorial. Open it from the Training menu.
  • Converter info text is now more compact.
  • Reverted an accidental change to the KE-C090 oxidizer conversion rate.
  • KethaneConverter supports optional input and output resources.
  • Added an AlwaysActive flag to KethaneConverter.
  • Added an API to KethaneConverter exposing resource conversion activity.
  • Embedded the geodesic grid shader into the plugin as an assembly resource.
  • Fixed an issue where parts using KethaneDetectorAnimatorUnity would deploy in the ship editor.

I realize this update delivers a bit less than expected. There are some exciting things still in the pipeline, so stay tuned.

Edited by Majiir
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