[0.25]KSP Interstellar (Magnetic Nozzles, ISRU Revamp) Version 0.13

[Myrten]

The refinery attachment nodes are proving to be a nightmare, sorry about that. The stock game seems to only allow attachment nodes to work in pairs, so this is very much an issue I'm grappling with and trying to find a solution to.

Did you add Tritium tanks or Thorium tanks? You need Thorium tanks to mine ThF4. There isn't a very high abundance on the launchpad either so it won't fill up at all quickly, there is a good mining location not far west of KSC though, you should be able to find that with the Gamma Ray Spectrometer.

It was thorium with big TF4 label on tank and without these tanks refinery didn't displayed any production, sure there isn't much on launchpad but I warped for a few days and there wasn't even 0.01 increase in resources.

Does refinery have to touch the ground to mine resources?

Had you been using the reactor for a while? Basically, you can only swap fuels when the reactor is more or less empty of Actinides so if you've been running the reactor with Uranium for a while, you need to do some reprocessing before you can change fuel type. I know this isn't clear at the moment and I'll try to make this system more transparent.

Nope, it was on launchpad immediately after pressing launch in VAB and there was zero Actinides.

Also, does Microwave thermal receiver has to be facing satellite with transmitter straight to receive full power just like other receivers? I got like 20 GW on launch pad while during gravity turn it falls down to 8 GW.

TBH I'd suggest making receivers omnidirectional until you can make them like in RemoteTech where antenna direction is independent of ship orientation (or even better if it could auto adjust). Currently power I receive on my ships is very unstable and changes all the time.

Edited November 28, 2013 by Myrten

[Fractal_UK]

It was thorium with big TF4 label on tank and without these tanks refinery didn't displayed any production, sure there isn't much on launchpad but I warped for a few days and there wasn't even 0.01 increase in resources.

This is still not very surprising. If you aren't in a location that has at least a moderate amount of the resource then you're unlikely to see even a small increase for a very long time. There are some "moderate" areas, usually close to the marked high value resource areas that are quite viable to mine despite not being marked but if you just pick "any old spot," it's not going to work unless you're prepared to wait for months or years.

Does refinery have to touch the ground to mine resources?

The ship it is attached to has to be landed, yes.

Nope, it was on launchpad immediately after pressing launch in VAB and there was zero Actinides.

Then like the other person who asked about this, did you have some UF4 tank capacity to store the old UF4 from your reactors? If you can't put the UF4 somewhere, you can't swap the fuel.

Also, does Microwave thermal receiver has to be facing satellite with transmitter straight to receive full power just like other receivers? I got like 20 GW on launch pad while during gravity turn it falls down to 8 GW.

The thermal receiver functions best when it's side on a receiver. Imagine you're pointing a microwave beam at that receiver, if you're pointing at it from behind, you've got engines blocking your line of sight, from the front there is the rest of the vessel so you need to hit it side on.

TBH I'd suggest making receivers omnidirectional until you can make them like in RemoteTech where antenna direction is independent of ship orientation (or even better if it could auto adjust). Currently power I receive on my ships is very unstable and changes all the time.

RemoteTech functions the way it does because you are pointing one receiver at one transmitter, this system has the capacity to receive power from multiple receivers at the same time. You cannot point a receiver at transmitters that are in two different physical locations so using physical orientation is the only sensible solution - other than making it possible to receive power from both in front and behind the receiver at the same time, which isn't very sensible and I also don't really like.

Is there a way to view the microwave network in the map view like the remote tech net?

Not at present but I think adding this in the future could be viable.

I'm still not 100% if the tx/rx dishes need to be actually alligned between crafts or just open and have line of sight to work

Transmitter orientation does not matter but receiver orientation does, so you should try and point your receivers in the direction of transmitting vessels.

Edited November 28, 2013 by Fractal_UK

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

RemoteTech functions the way it does because you are pointing one receiver at one transmitter, this system has the capacity to receive power from multiple receivers at the same time. You cannot point a receiver at transmitters that are in two different physical locations so using physical orientation is the only sensible solution - other than making it possible to receive power from both in front and behind the receiver at the same time, which isn't very sensible and I also don't really like.

Remote Tech operates the way it does in this capacity because vessel orientation as a mechanic is extremely limited. Since both time warp as well as leaving the focus halts all rotation, orientation likewise collapses the moment you go to do anything else. Especially if you go do something else that involves time-warp, and then come back later with the ship in an entirely new position. Remote tech's dish lock-on feature is probably one of the best functions for getting around this. However, if you're worried about getting signals in from multiple sources, then perhaps the creative stroke needed is to create an orientation 'cone'.

RT's dishes have a field of view cone, likewise, the microwave receivers can have a field of view cone. Lock onto say, the sun, and all transmitters in the field of view cone in the direction of the sun can be picked up for power. It might not be as 'realistic' as physically rolling the ship to present the receiver, but it plays nice with the game engine.

Really, I'd love for the engine to be able to handle the real-time orientation, AND even the AI of mech-jeb for each and every craft at all times in real time. But I don't think I want to experiment with melting my computer just yet. But if we had that, making ships hold orientations towards selected targets would be a snap.

[Patupi]

OK, I'm having some odd issues that I don't think have been talked about with others. Bear in mind I haven't updated to 0.8.1 yet, still on 0.8. I will update but I wanted to give you data on what's happened to me.

First issue is odd, but not critical. Resources are fine on the normal in flight screen, but on the map screen they shift away from the planet:

This only happened once to me on the Mun as a probe was doing a flyby (that turned into a landing... that turned into a crash... but that's another story). I don't have the log from this one I'm pretty sure. I've included the log for the second problem I'm having, but it's been a few days since this oddity happened so I doubt the log covers it.

Second issue: Exploding science labs.

For some reason when I put a Science lab on wheels then switch away, then back, sometimes they blow up... not entirely, just certain parts of the vessel. The rest of it stays behind like a ghost. I lost twelve of the best scientists on that to begin with, then recently it happened again with a one lab rover:

The second pic shows that the computer thinks it's overheating somehow. Note, the destruction happens immediately upon switching to the vessel, before even the physics are loaded. I don't even see the lab, it blows up instantly.

Here is the log file if it helps (This is from the KSP_Data folder, right?):output_log.txt

[Imca]

All my fusion reactors say duetrium/tritum deprived and provide no power, dispite having fuel

[maximusfive]

Is everything that requires megajoules working correctly on the ship around Jool, do you know? I have a suspicion what this could be.

I'm having the same problem as Jasmir, my ship at Jool will no longer produce electric charge or MegaJoules, I just recently upgraded all the Radiators and the Generator on it, if that makes a difference.

As far as parts that use MJ, the only one on this particular ship is its D-T Vista, and yes, its still working, and behaves as intended, draining my Stored MJ.

Also, it was working just fine until it entered Jool's SoI, however, shortly before I noticed this bug, I had been deleting mod parts to free up mem while trying to fix a unrelated bug on my Eeloo ship.

So I don't know if my part deletions may have caused this bug to appear, but I don't imagine it would, since the parts deleted were ones I never used, and were from different mods.

Edited November 28, 2013 by maximusfive

[NathanKell]

Fractal: your last BASIC_NTR_PROPELLANT (for Methane) is missing a name line.

MM Patch for MFS, for anyone who is using both (Fractal's work, converted to ModuleManager format). Put this in your ModularFuelTanks/RealFuels folder; it will be stock as of 3.4 but I don't have that quite ready yet.

Let me know if anything doesn't work right, I think I have it correct.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u10orkb0peh8dbo/KSPI_MFS.cfg

[wasmic]

I have a question/request: would it be possible to get other kinds of methane powered engines, and smaller lqdMethane tanks? Currently, it's only really good for first-stages, and I'd like to be able to use it on upper stages, SpaceX style. Also, since it's meant for use as a refuelable fuel, it would be kool to have a lower-thrust higher-isp engine that uses lqdMethane.

[Xentoe]

http://www./?ewkw5zkzuss6s2h

I`m still a bit sad, that this cool model never found it`s way official into the moddatabase. (Gets so easy lost in the giant topic)

[red_prime]

Hi guys, I am having problems getting this mod to work. I have already installed it and when i start KSP all the parts load but as soon as the black screen with the "Loading" message appears, the game crashes without giving any errors. this started to happen only after Installing Interstellar. If I remove it, everything starts working fine. Please help me as I really wanna try this out!

Cheers.

[Imca]

Are you running other mods?

Sounds like your hitting the 4 gig limit.

[Jasmir]

Is everything that requires megajoules working correctly on the ship around Jool, do you know? I have a suspicion what this could be.

No, making science in the lab drain the MJ-Bar, and if the bar is empty, no further MJs are produced. (Reactor stays on 30%, Generator stays on 0).

[red_prime]

Are you running other mods?

Sounds like your hitting the 4 gig limit.

I have the following mods installed: B9 Aerospace, Deadly Re-entry, FAR, Kethane, KW rocketry, Navy Fish docking port alignment display, Chatterer, Remote Tech2 and Thunder Aerospace life support.

[Imca]

Yup, your hitting the 4gig limit, B9 and KW alone will push it.

Use the lower res textures for B9 in the zip the mod came in, since it requires the most ram, that should fix it.

[red_prime]

Yup, your hitting the 4gig limit, B9 and KW alone will push it.

Use the lower res textures for B9 in the zip the mod came in, since it requires the most ram, that should fix it.

Great! It started working. Thanks a lot mate

[wasmic]

From the lqdMethane engine:

Elon Kerman's Space Exploration Corp.

I see what you did there.

[Imca]

No problem, have had that issue sevral times myself, and ummm just so it does not get missed since two pages ago.

No fusion reactors work for me, they say "Duetrium/Tritium deprived" even though they have fuel.

[Fractal_UK]

No problem, have had that issue sevral times myself, and ummm just so it does not get missed since two pages ago.

No fusion reactors work for me, they say "Duetrium/Tritium deprived" even though they have fuel.

Can you provide more details about when this happens? How have you used them on your vessels? I'm going to need more information to figure out what is causing that.

[Imca]

not even got to use it yet.

The fusion reactors are doing it on the runway.

[Fractal_UK]

not even got to use it yet.

The fusion reactors are doing it on the runway.

Okay, but here is a picture of a fusion reactor working perfectly on the runway, so obviously the problem is more specific than building a ship with a fusion reactor and putting it on the runway, otherwise this wouldn't work. With the information you have given me, all I can say is: it works fine for me.

[Imca]

Kinda figured it would or rlse there would be more complaints, but I just cant figure out WHAT is more specific then that.

I kinda wonder if I am not suplying it enough MW for the laser, but does that give its own message or not?

I will test one jumpstarted by an antimater reactor real fast hold on.

Edit : Nevermind, I am an idiot.....

Think it could get a diffrent message for when it does not have enough power for the laser in an update?

Edited November 28, 2013 by Imca

[Fractal_UK]

Kinda figured it would or rlse there would be more complaints, but I just cant figure out WHAT is more specific then that.

I kinda wonder if I am not suplying it enough MW for the laser, but does that give its own message or not?

I will test one jumpstarted by an antimater reactor real fast hold on.

Edit : Nevermind, I am an idiot.....

Think it could get a diffrent message for when it does not have enough power for the laser in an update?

Hmm, it should just turn itself off when there isn't sufficient power, you shouldn't be getting a resource deprived message.

[Imca]

I am though, would a screen shot help?

I can get one in the morning.

[Tommygun]

I had a chance to play around with the microwave thermal rocket and it was quite fun.

I started out with just four unlinked 2.5m nuclear rectors in orbit powering it and the power to weight ratio wasn't great.

Then I launched six 3.75m reactors up with multiple transmitters and receivers to form a network, at that point I ended up with massive power ratios.

It is a little hard to guess at the delta V as it seems to depend partly on how long you let the rocket heat up on the launch pad.

It makes for a great SSTO craft.

Edited November 28, 2013 by Tommygun

[babbos]

Transmitter orientation does not matter but receiver orientation does, so you should try and point your receivers in the direction of transmitting vessels.

Thank you for your prompt and clear reply Fractal_UK! You are the best

So add me to the supporters of making the rx antenna omni, time will come when you want to burn your thermal dependent ship to a vector that your dish is not properly oriented and you'll just stay there forever...

Can someone post a picture of his / her refinery in a planet and describe the flow of refueling ships? Do you do it Kethane style or anything new has come up?