[0.21] OrbitalConstruction Redux 4.2 (Kethane + EL Compatibility Update)

[sumghai]

If you're going to be integrating it into an existing module, the utilities module is perhaps the most sensible choice.

I'm not too sure about that - the Utilities is intended for resource monitoring and waste processing.

By the looks of things, I'll probably do a stealth patch just to lower the SpareParts count, and let people attach Spacedock identifiers to whichever Docking Modules they'd like.

[Montieth]

Bit of a problem here.

Munar Construction task...

1. "Launch" out of the SPF or VAB.

2. Select the Munar Dock/Parts warehouse.

3. Build at Dock, Land at Dock.

Result: my craft is 200,000 meters up and 1/4" of the Mun away. Time acceleration drops you down to ~5000 meters and then you float down at 1.1m/s.....

Edited July 24, 2013 by Montieth

[Kimberly]

Bit of a problem here.

Munar Construction task...

1. "Launch" out of the SPF or VAB.

2. Select the Munar Dock/Parts warehouse.

3. Build at Dock, Land at Dock.

Result: my craft is 200,000 meters up and 1/4" of the Mun away. Time acceleration drops you down to ~5000 meters and then you float down at 1.1m/s.....

Would you prefer to smash into the ground? But yeah, the way the system works could do with an update. Extraplanetary Launchpads puts you right on the launchpad.

[Montieth]

I rather figured it would spawn your craft ~50 meters above the surface. ~1000 meters away from the "dock" module (used as a reference point). That was my expected behavior. 200,000 Meters is awfully far away. On Kerbin or Eve that could put you in an ocean too.

I had begun to think that one could do a small container of parts that would then be able to be constructed like the lunar rover was for Apollo (though that was more unfolded and assembled but still). Obviously if my unmanned rover is going to spawn far half a planet away, that's not going to work.

[Montieth]

Would it be conceivable for the these two functions?

Feature 1.

Surface construction in a specific location based on orientation and distance from a surface construction module. Even perhaps 10 meters away or under it or perhaps above it?

[Interfect]

Hello everyone! I've released a new version! It's built against 0.21, and fixes the bugs people were having with mass not updating for new ships and with performance tanking when a spacedock was selected.

It also switches the mod over to "RocketParts", and includes a 3D Printer part for making RocketParts from Kethane by unspecified, sciency processes.

Download here!

There's still no support for Extraplanetary Launchpads' fancy spawning behavior because I don't really understand it and couldn't get it to work in orbit at all.

Please let me know if you encounter more bugs.

[Majiir]

Hi Interfect,

First, let me say I'm very happy you're still maintaining OC. This and Extraplanetary Launchpads have the potential to provide the demand for a larger mod-based resource tree.

However, I must ask that you remove the reference to the heavy Kethane converter model. The Kethane license should probably make things a little more obvious in this regard, but I think this qualifies as "use [of] models, animations, textures or other assets from Kethane", even though the model is not being distributed directly. You're free to make use of the KethaneConverter part module to power your own converter part, but please do this with other part assets (e.g. a stock model).

Cheers,

Majiir

[Interfect]

Hi Interfect,

First, let me say I'm very happy you're still maintaining OC. This and Extraplanetary Launchpads have the potential to provide the demand for a larger mod-based resource tree.

However, I must ask that you remove the reference to the heavy Kethane converter model. The Kethane license should probably make things a little more obvious in this regard, but I think this qualifies as "use [of] models, animations, textures or other assets from Kethane", even though the model is not being distributed directly. You're free to make use of the KethaneConverter part module to power your own converter part, but please do this with other part assets (e.g. a stock model).

Cheers,

Majiir

Hello,

I'm fairly certain that you can't actually prevent people from including Kethane models by reference just by writing it into a license. However, I've put my own placeholder model in instead in version 4.1.

[taniwha]

Would you mind putting the download someplace a little more... usable? Mega gives me a (fake?) downloading progress which reaches 100%, but I get no option to save the file. I really don't want to install their plugin.

Edit: never mind, I just thought to look at the front page, and the new version is there, too (and on the filesmelt mirror). Sorry.

Edited July 28, 2013 by taniwha

[Kimberly]

I think the ideal spawning behavior would be to specify an offset from the Spacedock part. That way, you have a degree of control over where you end up, but you don't need to have a movable launchpad (as with Extraplanetary Launchpads) if e.g. you want to construct a base. I also don't like EL's approach with ore mining, because it's done without regard for the overall flow of gameplay and makes things too easy; I like the fact that OrbitalConstruction makes you ship from Kerbin.

[Weatherman159]

Well, the landing code is somewhat broken. I mean, it works about half the time, and I can't pinpoint what causes it not to work, but what happens is this: about half the times, the landing works as it should (appear about a thousand meters from the spacedock, some 150 meters above the ground and slowly land). The other half, it teleports under the ground and explodes.

EDIT: Well I can't seem to replicate this on purpose, so I guess disregard this for now...

Edited July 28, 2013 by Weatherman159

[TomatoSoup]

Hi Interfect,

First, let me say I'm very happy you're still maintaining OC. This and Extraplanetary Launchpads have the potential to provide the demand for a larger mod-based resource tree.

However, I must ask that you remove the reference to the heavy Kethane converter model. The Kethane license should probably make things a little more obvious in this regard, but I think this qualifies as "use [of] models, animations, textures or other assets from Kethane", even though the model is not being distributed directly. You're free to make use of the KethaneConverter part module to power your own converter part, but please do this with other part assets (e.g. a stock model).

Cheers,

Majiir

Hey Majiir, do you mind if I, personally, roll back the 3D printer to referencing your model and help my friends do the same?

[Majiir]

Hey Majiir, do you mind if I, personally, roll back the 3D printer to referencing your model and help my friends do the same?

The license allows you to do whatever you want for personal use. (As long as "my friends" doesn't mean the whole forum, I don't need to know or care.) That said, why don't you just edit the Kethane heavy converter config to include the rocket parts conversion? If you use ModuleManager, it's very clean since you don't have to directly modify the Kethane files. (Technically using ModuleManager like this violates the Kethane license, but I think Modular Fuel System is the only one actively doing it, and they're using it quite responsibly. I don't really care unless it does something disruptive like modify the original conversion stats.)

Interfect, on the legality of referencing: GPL prohibits linking to non-GPL code, and videos on YouTube can be embed-restricted. Just because I distribute the models freely (as in beer) doesn't mean anyone else can pick them up and use them. (There's also the bit where HeatSinkAnimator is a restricted module.) But all that aside, you didn't make the model, and tagging yourself as the author is really in poor taste. I appreciate your swift response, and I'm glad we didn't have to involve moderators, but let's be clear that it's not kindness on either of our parts that leads us to this conclusion.

[Tark]

Download: Version 4.1 from MEGA.co.nz

I would recommend NOT pulling it from this site. I just went there to get it and the site tried to dump the trojan Dropper.Generic8.BJKN on my system along with 50 meg of unwanted stuff.

[magnemoe]

I think the ideal spawning behavior would be to specify an offset from the Spacedock part. That way, you have a degree of control over where you end up, but you don't need to have a movable launchpad (as with Extraplanetary Launchpads) if e.g. you want to construct a base. I also don't like EL's approach with ore mining, because it's done without regard for the overall flow of gameplay and makes things too easy; I like the fact that OrbitalConstruction makes you ship from Kerbin.

Well with the new kethane 3d printer you can convert kethane directly to rocket parts who is even easier.

I tend to use orbital construction mostly for smaller parts, an mothership who spawns probes and similar. One exception in 0.202 I sent 800 ton spareparts to Jool with an orion

Tested this now and it looks well, however I have one request. Had it been possible to update the current weight then scanning for docks? You might want to burn off some of the fuel and refuel in orbit?

[TomatoSoup]

The license allows you to do whatever you want for personal use. (As long as "my friends" doesn't mean the whole forum, I don't need to know or care.) That said, why don't you just edit the Kethane heavy converter config to include the rocket parts conversion?

You got me! I was tempted to be a bit of a smartass and start with "Hey friend," cause I did intend to help anybody who asked (on the basis of anybody being friendly and asking is a friend). But yeah. I used to just put the SpareParts into your code directly because updates were infrequent enough that I didn't feel like futzing about with ModuleManager.

At any rate, having come from the Minecraft modding community, I'm really glad to see modders resolving problems quickly and amicably.

[Itsdavyjones]

With the converter, i find that it converts WAY to fast. I mean, converting 4 tons of kethane into parts in only a few seconds is way to fast and unrealistic. The conversion efficiency i can live with (high, but whatever), but when four tons gets converted just like that screams fixes required.

[DancingOnTheAshes]

I just had a thought; the converter uses kethane to make rocket parts... and when you build a ship at the space dock, crew is apparently created as well... and if kethane can be likened to a type of oil-like surrogate... and is therefor biological... are we making cylons?

[p1t1o]

I just had a thought; the converter uses kethane to make rocket parts... and when you build a ship at the space dock, crew is apparently created as well... and if kethane can be likened to a type of oil-like surrogate... and is therefor biological... are we making cylons?

I dunno, but IIRC, the Kethane pack comes with a piece of machinery that converts Kerbals directly [back?] into Kethane...perhaps this is an unintended insight into kerborigins...

[danjro]

I installed this from the zip file on github, but I can't get it to work.

I created a station with the large orbital warehouse and the space dock identifier. Then I made a tiny probe with the space built identifier, and sent it to the launch pad. But now, there is supposed to be a "Orbital Construction" window and I can't find it anywhere. I looked at the probe, at the base, and I tried right clicking on the identifiers on each ship, but there just isn't an orbital construction window.

Does anyone know what might have gone wrong?

[slay_mithos]

This mod seems really cool, but I think I am missing something.

I mean, how am I supposed to get the parts up to my station when I have to do it with containers of 25 at a time?

Why can't I take a full warehouse up from the launchpad?

Do I need to mine Kethane from a moon in order to be able to build anything at all?

It is a bit confusing right now, but I am building a station around Kerbal for my future launches, and I would love to know how I can send parts up in less than 100 flights per ship.

[Swifty]

Iirc parts are measured in tones so shipping 25 parts is saying your shipping 25tns worth of parts and could potentially get 100's of parts out of it. Also a full orbital warehouse would be very heavy.

[slay_mithos]

Oh, that would be a very good explanation indeed.

I'll try to make something with the 5 parts that are in the warehouse and to ship 25 or more then, it should be enough for building a Kethane satelite to scan the Mun or Minmus.

Thanks for the fast answer.

[kodemunkey]

Is there a nack to getting the Auger to work? i have it underneat my drilling platform but it's not moving?...wait, wrong mod

[slay_mithos]

I am not sure what to post about this problem, so let's start with a description.

I put a satellite around Kerbin with parts (55 tons for now) and the module to launch from it (as well as the usual power supply).

I then designed a small probe with the "space launched" part, and wanted to launch it.

A window asks me to scan, finds my satellite, and offers me two buttons and a checkbox.

Not knowing what to do, I first click the bottom one (build it at the satellite), and as nothing happens, I try the other one (launch at current). The probe is on the normal launch pad, with no way to get to space, so I cancel it.

I then try again, and wait after clicking the build button, and the game starts lagging badly, with nothing happening except a vague animation on the button.

Thinking it might be a case of first use initialization or something similar, I mind my own business (the game is windowed) and do other stuffs on the side.

After more than 5 minutes of nothing happening, the game suddenly closes, but no crash dialog or crash log.

I have no clue on what informations I have to give you in order to have a chance of figuring out what went wrong (list of mods, mods used on the probe, on the satellite, a copy of the game's log on pastebin, screenshots), so please tell me what I should provide, and I'll do my best to help.

It sucks, because I was looking forward to launching my small and medium ships directly from space, but it might very well be my fault for not doing something properly.