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[0.20] v0.0.4: RAD ALT and VSI update

mediumchris

By mediumchris
in KSP1 Mod Releases

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mediumchris

mediumchris

Posted
Posted (edited)

Instruments_v0_0_3.png

Bucky's Instruments is a fledgling package of instruments for the budding space craft pilot

who wants to know more about the situation of their vessel, yet isn't necessarily that

interested in numbers.

Main features:

  • Quite shiny
  • Diverse set of two instruments
  • Low cost
  • Calming regions of colour intuitively convey critical information at the speed of light
  • Very precise while it matters

Download

Instruments-v0.0.4-KSP_0.20.zip

Thanks for all the feedback, keep it coming.

Installation

Unzip into the GameData directory inside your Kerbal Space Program installation.

It is a good idea to remove a previous version of the plugin first by deleting the

contents of the "Bucky" directory, keeping "Bucky/PluginData" if you want to retain

your current settings.

Change Log

Version 0.0.4

  • Fixed VSI behaviour around zero

  • Added smoothing to both gauges

    The altimeter still jumps occasionally but I'm guessing this is due to seams

    or changes in geometry on the surface

Version 0.0.3

  • Added manual instrument visiblity toggle

Version 0.0.2

  • Fixed UI hiding issue

  • Window positions are now saved when game state is saved

Version 0.0.1

  • Added radio altimeter

Version 0.0.0

  • Initial implementation with VSI

Planned Features

  • Automatic instrument visibility

Potential Features

  • Part to be used as reference point (if accuracy from centre of mass is an issue)
  • Resource gauges
  • Drag/thrust/gravity gauges
  • Science part readouts
  • 2D surface velocity and speed
  • Altitude warnings/alarms (lights and sounds)
  • AP/PE time and altitude
  • Numeric displays
  • Trim indicator (reset button/controls?)
  • Magnified navball region of interest
  • Situation lights (atmosphere specifically)

Known Issues

  • Texture artifacting
    Artifacting appears to be due to DXT 5 compression being applied to textures. Since
    this might be trivial to fix in future versions of KSP a workaround is low priority.

Edited by mediumchris
Updated for v0.0.4
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Lurven

Lurven

Posted
Posted
The game already has a VSI--it's next to the altimeter. Still, yours looks really nice and is probably easier to read. One thing that I (and I'm sure MANY others) would like to have is a radar altimeter outside of IVA.

Aggreed, would make landings much easier :)

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mediumchris

mediumchris

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Haha, thanks dudes :)

I know about the existing VSI and in general I wouldn't want to be creating redundant stuff unless it held some obvious benefit. Here the idea is that you can see whether you're "in the zone" just by looking for the colour under the needle.

By radar altimeter you mean height above terrain? That's exactly the kind of thing I want to put in there.

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KhaosCorp

KhaosCorp

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+1 for non-IVA radar altimeter. I'm a decent pilot when it comes to flying...not so much landing. And I do the whole space industry bit, so some of my landers are crazy big or odd shaped, and landing can get perty hairy. Certainly no time to go IVA and keep lookin at RA read out....that's how green dudes die.

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mediumchris

mediumchris

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Cool, I'll take a look at the altimeter.

Any recommendations on calibration, i.e. red, orange, green zones type of thing? Say < 10m, < 100m, < 1000m?

Also, for these types of numbers I like the linear style gauge so it won't necessarily be conventional.

If you could make a radio altimeter that shows up on the bottom of the navball, I'll love you forever give you cookies.

Unfortunately I'm going to stick with little floating windows for now, hacking the builtin stuff is far beyond the scope of this exercise. Whether that means you need to get baking or not is up to you :P

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Floki

Floki

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I like the idea of grouping all the readouts in one spot on the screen in a tidy fashion so I wouldn't have to look all around to see what is going on. I don't like making requests, so consider it to be an interesting paper airplane that flew by you.

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Azivegu

Azivegu

Posted
Posted
Dude, I'd settle for a RALT that started screaming at me to slow the F down when i got close to the ground. I'd let Ivan kiss you for an actual scale!

I would love it too if all of a sudden the comp started screaming at you: "OH SNAP, SLOW DOWN!!! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!! MERCY!!!........ hey we landed, good job!"

It would be very motivating to land carefully.

PS: It should be named mervin

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Conarr

Conarr

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I would love it too if all of a sudden the comp started screaming at you: "OH SNAP, SLOW DOWN!!! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!! MERCY!!!........ hey we landed, good job!"

It would be very motivating to land carefully.

PS: It should be named mervin

It's got to be a girly name. Ships are female. I'm sure it's an official rule written down somewhere.

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MOARdV

MOARdV

Posted
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It's got to be a girly name. Ships are female. I'm sure it's an official rule written down somewhere.

So, like "Mervina"? :D

Having a radar altimeter would be really cool. If there were a horizontal speed indicator to go with the VSI, those three together would be really helpful for landing.

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evilC

evilC

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What I would love to see is a navball for VTOL craft.

eg when you land a rocket, you keep the heading (-w-) indicator inside the retrograde indicator to balance on your thrust.

When you are flying a horizontal (plane style) VTOL craft, the retrograde indicator is not visible on the navball. Sure you can have a pod on the top of the craft and switch control to there, but then the controls are logically wrong (roll is yaw and vice versa) for a VTOL craft.

Ideally the solution would involve either injecting a duplicate prograde indicator offset at 90deg to the real one, or some kind of window / overlay.

If you could address this issue, I would love you long time.

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HoneyFox

HoneyFox

Posted
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I do want a VS indicator...

but i actually want a zoomed nav-ball more. The stock one is quite small and doesn't allow me to do accurate angle adjustment sometimes... I do hope that there could be a mod that can provide with a bigger nav ball.

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KhaosCorp

KhaosCorp

Posted
Posted
I do want a VS indicator...

but i actually want a zoomed nav-ball more. The stock one is quite small and doesn't allow me to do accurate angle adjustment sometimes... I do hope that there could be a mod that can provide with a bigger nav ball.

Im guessing your gonna say yes, but have to throw it out there anyway. Have you tried adjusting the UI size in the games settings menu?

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mediumchris

mediumchris

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Ok, so you guys want a shouty female altimeter called Mervina that is prone to panicking? Coming right up.

Seriously though, I will start with the altimeter and move on to a surface velocity instrument. I'm processing an idea for one that should address some of the issues mentioned. If you're all serious about warnings maybe I'll do some warning sounds and lights that are some compromise between ridiculous and useful.

If things are still looking good after that I'll take some rough edges off (remembering window positions, configuration options etc.).

Anyways, I definitely got the constructive feedback I came for, which is motivating. Thanks all.

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KhaosCorp

KhaosCorp

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Seriously though, I will start with the altimeter and move on to a surface velocity instrument. I'm processing an idea for one that should address some of the issues mentioned. If you're all serious about warnings maybe I'll do some warning sounds and lights that are some compromise between ridiculous and useful.

Reading this actualy gave me an idea for the radar altimeter. Think of a high-performance tac, like whats used for drag racing. There is a timing light that the user will set to a certain RPM. Upon approaching that RPM the light flashes 4 times, twice red, once yellow, once green. With a little timing and tuning a racer can use this cue to set up perfect shifts between gears.

A radar altimeter could have a timing light that operates in same manner, but the users sets an altitude. This way you have nice visual reference to start a braking burn.

Im no modder so no clue if that would be possible, or how hard it would be....but it sure would be useful =P

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