Firespitter propeller plane and helicopter parts v7.1 (May 5th) for KSP 1.0

[Snjo]

holy cow that's a beautiful plane, and if KSP could have water landing aircraft like the one depicted here, it'd be amazing, i'm assuming it would have to have a very high crash tolerance though.

i've found it possible to drive into water at about 30m/s but thats via driving into the water so i didnt have a vertical velocity included into my horizontal. maybe we'd have to just try and land slower than we normally do, or find the way to have parts accept a 70m/s impact horizontally with a probable 10m/s vertical though, 50m/s horizontal 5m/s vertical would be more realistic (yes i know heavy craft dont produce great lift at low speeds, but hey, it's KSP, so anything can happen haha)

All of that is taken care of in my buoyancy module. The stock water impact resistance is identical to the ground impact resistance, which doesn't really work out. So any part with FSbuoyancy has custom and separate water and ground impact tolerance. There's nothing to stop you from throwing that on any part, but it's better to make parts designed with that in mind which will impact the water, since you can then do a multi-point float where the hull will remain level in the water and not just roll around.

Of course, if the float section is just an add on to the bottom of the round parts, they should also resist some water impact since they might clip into the water when landing.

If you use the existing floats with just the nose attached to both sides of a strut, and place one on each wing tip, you don't have to worry about the wings breaking off on landing. Just try not to dip them into the ground.

If you want to apply the buoyancy code to any part, from stock or an add on, just add this in the part.cfg:

MODULE

{

name = FSbuoyancy

}

There are more values you can set up, like float power, described here

Edited January 8, 2014 by Snjo

[Kaethorin]

All of that is taken care of in my buoyancy module. The stock water impact resistance is identical to the ground impact resistance, which doesn't really work out. So any part with FSbuoyancy has custom and separate water and ground impact tolerance. There's nothing to stop you from throwing that on any part, but it's better to make parts designed with that in mind which will impact the water, since you can then do a multi-point float where the hull will remain level in the water and not just roll around.

Of course, if the float section is just an add on to the bottom of the round parts, they should also resist some water impact since they might clip into the water when landing.

If you use the existing floats with just the nose attached to both sides of a strut, and place one on each wing tip, you don't have to worry about the wings breaking off on landing. Just try not to dip them into the ground.

If you want to apply the buoyancy code to any part, from stock or an add on, just add this in the part.cfg:

MODULE

{

name = FSbuoyancy

}

There are more values you can set up, like float power, described here

Ahh, I've never looked into how KSP does impact tolerance. I'm sure it may be something that is not needed but would be cool to see is maybe a higher IVA head height for the biplane cockpit, its a bit low I feel, or maybe what way could I adjust it just for myself? I am sure its at an almost realistic height, but i've never been in a biplane seat to tell

[Kenobi McCormick]

Ahh, I've never looked into how KSP does impact tolerance. I'm sure it may be something that is not needed but would be cool to see is maybe a higher IVA head height for the biplane cockpit, its a bit low I feel, or maybe what way could I adjust it just for myself? I am sure its at an almost realistic height, but i've never been in a biplane seat to tell

It's at a realistic height for someone with the body proportions of a Kerbal, and indeed, the exterior model correlates nicely with that. I would like a bit more visiblity in it, though, something 90-95% of the IVA views in KSP seem to lack. Even the stock MkI cockpit's IVA view has the same problem.

[Snjo]

I'll add a seat adjustment lever to my list

[Madrias]

Any chances of a little 'bolt on' windscreen for the biplane cockpit for those of us making stunt planes out of it?

[Snjo]

Any chances of a little 'bolt on' windscreen for the biplane cockpit for those of us making stunt planes out of it?

Wouldn't that just make the stunt that much less impressive? What, you want seat belts too?

Kerbals these days!

[Kaethorin]

It's at a realistic height for someone with the body proportions of a Kerbal, and indeed, the exterior model correlates nicely with that. I would like a bit more visiblity in it, though, something 90-95% of the IVA views in KSP seem to lack. Even the stock MkI cockpit's IVA view has the same problem.

I did notice that though the Mk1 cockpit is reasonable to see with beside the cut off peripherals, the rest are a bit lack luster, most being for space though so i guess being in IVA means more details than the open beauty of being in atmosphere with the top off and the prop(s) spinning, flying about in IVA

[ultrasquid]

holy cow that's a beautiful plane, and if KSP could have water landing aircraft like the one depicted here, it'd be amazing, i'm assuming it would have to have a very high crash tolerance though.

i've found it possible to drive into water at about 30m/s but thats via driving into the water so i didnt have a vertical velocity included into my horizontal. maybe we'd have to just try and land slower than we normally do, or find the way to have parts accept a 70m/s impact horizontally with a probable 10m/s vertical though, 50m/s horizontal 5m/s vertical would be more realistic (yes i know heavy craft dont produce great lift at low speeds, but hey, it's KSP, so anything can happen haha)

I tried building an approximation using stock, Firespitter, and B9 parts, and I was able to cobble together something that looks a little bit like the Catalina, but it wouldn't fly, even when powered by 2 huge Lancaster engines. Any time it started to lift it took a tumble to either side of the runway. Finding a part for that wing attachment mast proved difficult. I settled on a 4m railing from B9, but I don't think that is good enough.

[NoMrBond]

If I could make a suggestion

A lot of mods use the Firespitter.dll to expand their functionality (seriously, great work) so it would be nice if mod authors bundling Firespitter.dll as a dependency all used the same ...\GameData\Firespitter\Plugins\Firespitter.dll address for the file, instead of nesting a copy of the DLL inside their own mod directory

Just so users shouldn't get multiple copies of the .dll

[Snjo]

If I could make a suggestion

A lot of mods use the Firespitter.dll to expand their functionality (seriously, great work) so it would be nice if mod authors bundling Firespitter.dll as a dependency all used the same ...\GameData\Firespitter\Plugins\Firespitter.dll address for the file, instead of nesting a copy of the DLL inside their own mod directory

Just so users shouldn't get multiple copies of the .dll

I agree, and that is why I require any modders re-using my dll to do so (or recompile with new class names). If they do not, they have either never talked to me or they have not registered my explanation of the way that stuff works.

I'll make sure the readme is clearer on that.

[Madrias]

Wouldn't that just make the stunt that much less impressive? What, you want seat belts too?

Kerbals these days!

Ah, it's just purely aesthetic. Seat belts are a safety feature and thereby are banned from Kerbal aircraft, I believe.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Madrias
Whoops, hit reply instead of reply with quote. Had to manually add quote.

[Snjo]

It never hurts to recap some important points, so I added some basic info to the readme. I assume no one reads that every update, so...

Installation:

Check out Scott Manleys video on installing mods

Make sure you put the Firespitter files in the GameData folder the way it is presented in the zip file. This mod relies on many assets that have to be in the right folder, like sounds and textures. If you get creative with the file and folder names, stuff will break!

Troubleshooting:

Q: I have no engine sounds, but the propellers spin

A: You placed the folder in the wrong place or renamed it.

Q: The propellers don't spin, but they provide thrust

A: You somehow installed without the dll file, so only stock code is running.

Q: I get sent to outer space when I launch a plane with an electrical engine

A: You are using and old version KSP Interstellar or some other mod that is conflicting with my code.

Firespitter code does not interfere with anything outside its own parts, so the fault here is usually with the other mod reaching into all parts and doing crazy stuff.

Q: Everything is broken and I am sad

A: Make sure you use the latest version of KSP and Firespitter. Do not post support questions on the spaceport, no one reads it. Use the forum if installing correctly didn't work. Keep in mind that lots of people are using the mod successfully, so unless it's a new bug introduced in the latest FS version, you probably messed up the install.

License:

You may reuse any part of this pack, as long as you give credit in the download file and on the download post/page. No reselling. No redistribution of the whole pack without permission.

UV map texture guides are included so you can re-skin to your liking.

AKA the Snjo/Attribution/Reuse/Benice/Nomoolah/Whocares license

For reuse of the plugin, please either direct people to download the dll from my official release on the spaceport, OR recompile the wanted partmodule/class with a new class name to avoid conflicts.

For modders re-using the dll directly, you MUST place it in the Firespitter folder in your zip file, so people don't end up with two copies of the dll.

The right path is: [KSP_OS]\GameData\Firespitter\Plugins\

If people tell me they don't have a folder with [ and ] in it, I will cry

Edited January 9, 2014 by Snjo

[Renousim]

i dont have a folder with [ and ] in it

[Snjo]

I've been chatting with InfiniteDice about extending the hangar for a long time, and we finally cracked it!

WIENERPLANE

[Madrias]

That... That can't possibly fly, can it?

[Mihara]

Installation:

Check out Scott Manleys video on installing mods

Make sure you put the Firespitter files in the GameData folder the way it is presented in the zip file. This mod relies on many assets that have to be in the right folder, like sounds and textures. If you get creative with the file and folder names, stuff will break!

Speaking of which. Here is how I deal with this problem. You need it even more than I do because Firespitter is much more widely used:

        public static class InstallationPathWarning
        {
                private static readonly List<string> warnedList = new List<string>();
                private const string gameData = "GameData";
                private static readonly string[] pathSep = { gameData };

                public static void Warn(string path = "JSI/RasterPropMonitor/Plugins")
                {
                        string assemblyPath = Assembly.GetCallingAssembly().Location;
                        string fileName = Path.GetFileName(assemblyPath);
                        if (!warnedList.Contains(fileName)) {
                                string installedLocation = Path.GetDirectoryName(assemblyPath).Split(pathSep, StringSplitOptions.None)[1].TrimStart('/').TrimStart('\\').EnforceSlashes();
                                if (installedLocation != path) {
                                        ScreenMessages.PostScreenMessage(string.Format("ERROR: {0} must be in GameData/{1} but it's in GameData/{2}", fileName, path, installedLocation),
                                                120, ScreenMessageStyle.UPPER_CENTER);
                                        Debug.LogError("RasterPropMonitor components are incorrectly installed. I should stop working and make you fix it, but KSP won't let me.");
                                }
                                warnedList.Add(fileName);
                        }
                }
        }

Calling this during module init has dramatically reduced the number of people complaining because they incorrectly installed it.

[Kenobi McCormick]

That... That can't possibly fly, can it?

If it had a wing on every segment it would become impossible to land due to infiniglide arising from fuse wobble. IT'd be a timewarp powered lancaster!

[likke_A_boss]

I've been chatting with InfiniteDice about extending the hangar for a long time, and we finally cracked it!

WIENERPLANE

http://i.imgur.com/W7d3uRl.png

http://i.imgur.com/LD77o7v.png

What? How? TEACH US YOUR WAYS!

[Hellbrand]

Yeah That would make carrier construction/impossibly large aircraft SO much easier

[likke_A_boss]

And if it worked for the VAB too......... On man, don't even get me started on how amazing that would be.

[InfiniteDice]

When they said there was a smog advisory for the KSC today... I didn't think they were serious!

[Snjo]

OK, it's done:

Hangar Extender Plugin

Forum Thread

Edited January 12, 2014 by Snjo

[Rivvik]

OK, it's done:

Hangar Extender Plugin

OMG YES!!!! Finally I can rebuild the Brazzers Class Carrier...except as a whole vehicle instead of chunks! Thank you so much!!!!

[RussianIvan]

Pls make bigger models for helicopter rotors. Thanks.

[Fatsheep]

can you add the sounds and tire effects to the stock wheels too? because it anoys me how silent they are!