FusTek Station Parts Dev Thread (continuation of fusty's original work)

[sumghai]

I'm not opposed to having them late in the tech tree, but I don't like the all or nothing aspect of having everything in the same tech node. Stations are launched in parts and evolve over time, so it makes sense to start with something like a basic habitat, and then you unlock more functionality for your station later.

Compare this to your Service Module System (which I'm also playing with and enjoy) that have the parts spread across a lot of nodes, even though they're designed to be used together on a single launch.

All of the FusTek parts are in the same tech node because they all share the same end-stage Whipple Shield fuselage construction technology, so it makes no sense to make some parts available earlier and the rest later. It sounds like you're very eager to use these parts as soon as possible, but the intention is to reward players for wisely investing in their tech tree progression by unlock these "premium" station components at the end.

I'm aware that real-life space station modules evolve over time, but in the case of the ISS, the modules were manufactured by different companies from different countries, using different technologies and different designed philosophy.

The SDHI Service Module System's tech nodes are spread out because each component requires significantly different technologies (aerodynamics parts, fuel tanks etc).

Speaking of KIS, have you thought about making a module with a large volume container with EVA access? Considering the volume limits on the containers, just sticking a bunch of the small containers into the warehouse module isn't very practical.

Since KIS can do containers with internal-only access, the logistics module should probably be one. That way kerbals can go there to pick up parts to bring along on a spacewalk. This is of course limited to parts that's small enough to fit in a kerbal's own inventory.

I do believe it was stated before that the warehouse module will have this capability. It makes no sense for a kerbal to automatically be able to pull parts through the Whipple shield, aluminium, and not depressurize the whole station.

I had similar plans as far back as July 2013, albeit based on the (now defunct) KAS-powered FLEXrack container system nothke was working on at the time.

Right now, I'm waiting on the KIS/KAS folks to finalize the features of both plugins, because some of KAS's features are getting moved over to KIS. I also need to play around with KIS and KAS a bit more before I decide what features to implement in which modules and how - as I've said before numerous times, I can't run KSP on my outdated laptop, and so I'm modding with (metaphorically speaking) one eye blind and one arm broken.

They're currently in the composites node, but ultimately, if and when tech tree modding becomes a possibility, I'd like to create my own node called "Whipple Shielding"

Take a peek at Squad/Resources/TechTree.cfg. Module Manager can edit it since 2.6.2.

Aye, I figured that out already after I wrote that initial post.

[zyp]

All of the FusTek parts are in the same tech node because they all share the same end-stage Whipple Shield fuselage construction technology, so it makes no sense to make some parts available earlier and the rest later. It sounds like you're very eager to use these parts as soon as possible, but the intention is to reward players for wisely investing in their tech tree progression by unlock these "premium" station components at the end.

It's not a matter of getting access to the parts sooner, my whole point is that I think I get access to the entire part selection too soon. 300 science points is really cheap for the range of functionality across these parts. Even if the fuselage technology is the same, the contents and capabilities of each module is still different. Consider that by not unlocking the 160 point node containing the stock science lab, you've already covered over half of the cost of the composites node for only a small fraction of the functionality.

If you're going to edit the tree, I suggest not just adding a single node but an entire branch of nodes that starts out with Whipple Shielding containing a few basic core parts and then lead to nodes containing modules with more functionality.

Then there's the IACBMs. It doesn't make sense that you get access to the parachute version of the 1.25m IACBM from SDHI SMS before the standard version, and getting access to the 2.5m IACBM before the stock 2.5m docking port is also unbalanced.

It makes no sense for a kerbal to automatically be able to pull parts through the Whipple shield, aluminium, and not depressurize the whole station.

I have not suggested this either, I also want to keep it realistic. KIS distinguishes between internal access and external access to a container, making it possible to make both pressurized storages that's only available from inside a vessel and unpressurized storages that's only available from outside a vessel.

On the topic of pressurized KIS storage, I've considered the idea of a life support mod that has food as a KIS item rather than a normal resource. Food can then be consumed from each internal-accessible KIS storage in the same CLS space. This way we avoid the unrealistic pumping of food, while still allowing resupply runs.

[sumghai]

zyp, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but Tech Tree balancing and KAS/KIS functionality is fairly low on my list of priorities right now, considering my current focus on IVAs and my currently gimped modding environment.

[sumghai]

Progress Report, 15 May 2015

Number of days without a KSP-runnable laptop: 107

Made some storage lockers:

Fig 86 - (WIP) FusTek Internals (10)

I'll push these models to GitHub tonight, but it'll take me a week or so to generate instances with different labels via JSIPropTextureShift, and then populate the IVAs with them.

[sharpspoonful]

Checked out the latest GitHub release, and all panels are in place and labelled. I'll have to take some time to see wheter or not everything is in the correct place and what not, but it seems to me that you've done a fantastic job so far.

Here are the screens of the JSI debug flags I told you about, Sumghai:

NOTED: All IVA did show after loading on the launch pad or runway.

[sumghai]

Here are the screens of the JSI debug flags I told you about, Sumghai:

http://i.imgur.com/7RVJtu3.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/G4VrwDN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/L6YIVqU.jpg

NOTED: All IVA did show after loading on the launch pad or runway.

Hmm, this is peculiar...

We'll need to see the ModuleManager output for those modules, since the cumulative result of various patches may be the cause of the issue.

[sharpspoonful]

Blikenlight Error Report #1

Blinkenlights and switches loaded the models but were not blinking, regardless of whether the parts had EC. I messaged MOARdv, and he said he'd take a look at the JSI errors when he returns home from business.

Javascript is disabled. View full album

EDIT: Can't remember how to embed Imgur albums...

Edited May 20, 2015 by sumghai
Fixed Imgur album

[sumghai]

Blinkenlights and switches loaded the models but were not blinking, regardless of whether the parts had EC. I messaged MOARdv, and he said he'd take a look at the JSI errors when he returns home from business.

Roger that. I suspect I've broken/missed something >.<

By the way:

- The locker labels look like they're being applied/texture-shifted properly; that's something that can be crossed off my TODO list

- I'm not happy with those air vents (lousy bump mapping on my part), so I'll have to fix those with meshes instead.

[plausse]

Just wanted to share a word of awe. Followed this since the beginning and tried to decide if it's a uniquely thoroughly made mod or a case study in off world habitation (for tiny green men [and women]).

Im still not sure, but following your attention to detail and workflow is both fascinating and a good learning opportunity..

[ev0]

I by no means have a beast computer, so if it's just me then let me know.

I love the models and IVAs of this mod, but perhaps things are being taken a bit too far? Using the current dev build, when I use any of these parts my frame rate just plummets. This is mainly due to the transparent windows, but even deleting that JSI module from the part config files still leaves me with a bit of a bigger frame rate drop than any other mod or stock part. I also cannot spend any time in IVA, because my frame rate drops to single digits depending where I look around. It's a shame, because everything LOOKS soooo good, but it does not play well at all on my computer.

So if it's just me then press on, but if it's not then maybe it's a good idea to take a step back and make something simpler and more friendly towards KPS's many limitations?

[sharpspoonful]

I have a nVidia GeForce GTX 760, i5 4670K, 8 gigs of RAM, and a MSI Z87-G43 mobo. An upper midgrade rig. I've been running roughly 70 mods, all on high settings, with few performance issues. 200 parts in a single area I start to see lag. So, I'd argue it might just be your rig.

Edited May 27, 2015 by sharpspoonful
Fixed stuff.

[ev0]

I have a nVidia GeForce GTX 760, i5 4670K, 8 gigs of RAM, and a MSI Z87-G43 mobo. An upper midgrade rig. I've been running roughly 70 mods, all on high settings, with few performance issues. 200 parts in a single area I start to see lag. So, I'd argue it might just be your rig.

Fair enough. My "rig" is just a laptop with an i5-3230m. I'm just getting performance issues that are nowhere near those from other mods. But if FusTek is meant for higher level computers, I could understand that well enough.

[Gunslinger1]

Is there an update for the nothke textures? The old download keeps crashing.

[sumghai]

Is there an update for the nothke textures? The old download keeps crashing.

Have you tried this one? It's the latest version nothke made, although technically still outdated given recent changes to the UV mapping on my GitHub repo.

[Gunslinger1]

Yeah I have that version and it still dies on me. Queue sad music.

[sumghai]

Yeah I have that version and it still dies on me. Queue sad music.

Perhaps you have hit Unity's 3.5 GB RAM ceiling

Try setting up a separate savegame with *only* FusTek, its dependencies and the nothke pack.

[sharpspoonful]

Fair enough. My "rig" is just a laptop with an i5-3230m. I'm just getting performance issues that are nowhere near those from other mods. But if FusTek is meant for higher level computers, I could understand that well enough.

I ran into similar issues attempting to run KSP on my MacBook from 2011. Maybe time to start investing in a desktop, methinks!

[wasmic]

Queue sad music.

[Gunslinger1]

You're right Sumghai. I was hitting the RAM ceiling. So the new textures work now. But with the logo texture doesn't change at all. Thanks for the help btw.

[sumghai]

You're right Sumghai. I was hitting the RAM ceiling. So the new textures work now. But with the logo texture doesn't change at all. Thanks for the help btw.

nothke's textures haven't been updated to use the new UV maps.

As nothke is no longer involved in the KSP community*, you'll have to wait for someone else to update those textures - last time I checked, Bitterkoekje was offering to maintain the nothke textures.

*His interests has shifted to working on his own game

[medicriley]

he used to have something called the K1Truss. I sill have it and use it till still make giant rovers. Eve think about adding that back in

[sumghai]

he used to have something called the K1Truss. I sill have it and use it till still make giant rovers. Eve think about adding that back in

The K1 truss was deprecated a long long time ago, as it was rather ugly (IMHO).

Future versions of FusTek Station Parts will come with better collection of truss parts.

[sumghai]

(What do you mean, this counts as a) Progress Report (!?), 11 June 2015

Number of days without a KSP-runnable laptop: 134

Apologies for being awfully quiet lately on the FusTek front - I had been busy getting SDHI Service Module System updated for 1.0.x. Here's the low-down on what's been happening:

- sharpspoonful reported that most of the modules with transparent windows weren't loading their internal spaces properly in the VAB/SPH editor scene, unless said module was a root part. After consulting with JSI RPM maintainer MOARdV, he's fixed the plugin to use a better method of iterating over part config nodes to extract the Internal model needed for the transparent pod effect.

- I haven't had a proper look at the non-functional Blinkenlights yet, but I'll do so sometime this weekend.

- I've stripped out the FAR definitions for the Warehouse and Payload Bays, as FAR now uses voxel-based aerodynamics with emergent drag occlusion behaviour for cargo / payload bays.

- I never heard back from Kanddak regarding his MODEL{} node switched plugin, so I'll probably drop plans to consolidate parts using that. (I wanted to make both tapers toggleable in one go, not individually)

- I added some handrails to the Hab, Sci and Util module IVAs

I've also revised the naming scheme for the upcoming and future versions of this parts pack.

You see, back when I first proposed my expansion pack to fusty (which incidentally was my very first post on these forums), I originally only planned to make variants on the standard Karmony modules he had. However, for the past couple of years, various new features, parts, functionality and optimizations have made the parts pack grown to be much more than the initial brief, and so up until now, I've been denoting my official stable releases in the R0.XXa format, denoting release candidate alphas.

Finishing off the IVAs for the modules would complete one of the major milestones for the project. Thus, I've decided that the upcoming R0.04a version will be renamed as the V1.0 release.

Rest assured, however, I still plan on continuing work on this parts pack long after the grand V1.0 release - things like external FLEXracks, trusses, solar panels, planetary outpost landing kits, airlock porches, a dedicated station manager plugin, compatibility with other-addons such as EPL and MKS/ORS, etc.

[sumghai]

(Quickie) Progress Report, 15 June 2015

Number of days without a KSP-runnable laptop: 138

MOARdV and I are still investigating the issue behind the non-functional rack blinkenlights, but here's a nice animated GIF preview from the Unity editor showing what they're supposed to look like:

Fig 87 - (WIP) FusTek Internals FLEXrack blinkenlights

[StEligius]

Between all the blinkenlights on telecom, network and various data acquisition systems I've been around I think your animation is wonderful! Lovely TX and RX back and forth.