[WIP] Nert's Dev Thread - Current: various updates

[Percebob]

These parts could come in handy when Squad implement crew transfer, they announced that in the last squadcast IIRC.

[Gaalidas]

Considering the post previously to yours was from several years ago, I don't think dredging this old thing up was really well thought out.

EDIT: Ahh crud! I'm a complete and utter moron today. I looked at someone's "join date" and in my brain it said "that's when the last post was made."

Just shoot me, it'll be less painful.

[Stevie_D]

The cupola texture came out brilliantly. So stockalike. These are the sorts of parts stations need too, because at present there's not a whole lot of customization choices for our beloved orbiting fortresses!

[Nertea]

Thanks guys! Good feedback always keeps me going .

I finished modeling the 1.25m set and unwrapped them. Managed to fit them all on a single texture. This is just AO + blocking out so it's not exactly there yet, but it does look nice. The airlock has an integrated toggleable light now.

[RoverDude]

Awesome work as always

[Fraz86]

The new command pod is magnificent. The texturing is perfectly stock-alike, and yet distinctly better than any actual stock texture. I cannot wait for the finished IVA.

I also love the new station tubes. Hope I'm able to try them out soon!

[Percebob]

It looks beautiful, will we have lights on the windows ?

[Shad0wCatcher]

Oh wow Nertea; those look fantastic.

[Nertea]

It looks beautiful, will we have lights on the windows ?

Nah. Only the airlock, though I might consider making some better light parts.

Ooh, those look neat. Will the airlock parts be dockable though, or will they be purely decorative?

They function only like a radial attach point with integrated light. You can easily stick a docking port on the end though.

So here's the parts in their completed state. I haven't done normals yet, because they match stock well as is. Normals might happen later, but right now the pack is quite memory-friendly, using only 2 large textures (and one smaller emissive). Here's an image of the parts with all the other parts (stock and NFT) that I think should match:

There are 7 parts now:

- 1.25m long crew tube

- 1.25m short crew tube

- 1.25m Radial Airlock

- 1.25m Radial Pressurized Attach Point

- 1.25m Station Core

- 2.5m Station Core

- 1.25 to 2.5m Adapter

As a prerelease, you can get them here. They will go in the Near Future Spacecraft pack when 100% done... keep in mind these are WIP so I might break colliders etc. No complaining allowed.

If this is a success, I've got big plans. Big plans guys .

Edited August 17, 2014 by Nertea

[4nxs]

Just played around with the prerelease for a bit and you are not getting the parts back. Finally no more fuselages in space! A very handy addition to a niche that the game has left unfilled.

If this is a success, I've got big plans. Big plans guys .

If said big plans involve more parts like these then I can't wait to see what does big plans might be.

Keep up the good work!

[sp1989]

I actually love the way these parts look, I will probably download and use the hell out of them. But shouldn't there be something.....Near Future about them. Shouldn't there be something about them slightly better then what we have now? Like I said the parts look great, Im just saying it doesn't seem lke they go along with the theme of all your great packs. Unless you are planning on something and haven't shown us yet. If thats the case then I will shut up.

[Stevie_D]

Im literally building a new spacestation in my KSP game right now, so ill DL them and try them out and report any bugs (if any)

[Nertea]

I actually love the way these parts look, I will probably download and use the hell out of them. But shouldn't there be something.....Near Future about them. Shouldn't there be something about them slightly better then what we have now? Like I said the parts look great, Im just saying it doesn't seem lke they go along with the theme of all your great packs. Unless you are planning on something and haven't shown us yet. If thats the case then I will shut up.

Near Future is just a label for the part packs. Technically NF Construction, Spacecraft... they're not that all that futuristic. This'll add in just fine.

Im literally building a new spacestation in my KSP game right now, so ill DL them and try them out and report any bugs (if any)

Awesome. Let me know if there's any parts you feel like you're missing when building an awesome station too!

[Mach_XXII]

Nertea is the radial attach point with the crew hatch able to hold crew to use with crewmanifest

or is it just for looks

[Nertea]

I'd like it to be able to hold crew and stuff (I'll give it a 1 kerbal capacity). If making IVAs didn't take so damn long, I'd make them for all these parts .

Working on testing out a generally impractical (realistically) part that I've always wanted for my surface bases.

Edited August 18, 2014 by Nertea

[Mach_XXII]

I'd like it to be able to hold crew and stuff (I'll give it a 1 kerbal capacity). If making IVAs didn't take so damn long, I'd make them for all these parts .

Working on testing out a generally impractical (realistically) part that I've always wanted for my surface bases.

http://nertea.the3rdage.net/ksp/obsmod.png

Wow, I love these station parts. Amazing work!

[OldMold]

Awesome. Let me know if there's any parts you feel like you're missing when building an awesome station too!

Ooh ooh - I'd like to request a collapsible counter-weight centrifuge habitat. Not a full ring, but a two arm o---O---o configuration. Example from "Europa Report" at the beginning of this clip:

If it's collapsible (using scaffolding and a flexible corridor tube) it would be much easier to launch within a faring than an inflatable ring centrifuge.

[Helix935]

I'd like it to be able to hold crew and stuff (I'll give it a 1 kerbal capacity). If making IVAs didn't take so damn long, I'd make them for all these parts .

Working on testing out a generally impractical (realistically) part that I've always wanted for my surface bases.

http://nertea.the3rdage.net/ksp/obsmod.png

am i the only one sees the slight similarities to ALCOR due to the overall shape...

[Streetwind]

I'm also liking the looks of things so far. But I'd like to mention the one thing that severely cramps my style everytime I consider designing a station: the in-orbit assembly part.

I dislike docking ports. Not because docking is tedious, but because docking just isn't a substitute for VAB assembly. Now, I know nothing about Unity, so I can't say if it would be possible, but my dream mode of orbital assembly would be the ability to dock parts together in a way that's identical to VAB assembly. A permanent addition to the part tree of that vessel, as if you had attached a subassembly in the VAB.

Docking ports are great for when you need to dock and undock things repeatedly. But if you're building a station, in 99% of all cases you're never going to undock anything. You want it to stick together forever. If the above is even at all possible (and it might not be, who knows), I think that would be a real unique selling point for NF station parts compared to other station part packs out there. Unless everyone is already doing this, in which case I am going to look very foolish for not doing my research. But it will be a happy sort of foolish

[Sean Mirrsen]

I'm also liking the looks of things so far. But I'd like to mention the one thing that severely cramps my style everytime I consider designing a station: the in-orbit assembly part.

I dislike docking ports. Not because docking is tedious, but because docking just isn't a substitute for VAB assembly. Now, I know nothing about Unity, so I can't say if it would be possible, but my dream mode of orbital assembly would be the ability to dock parts together in a way that's identical to VAB assembly. A permanent addition to the part tree of that vessel, as if you had attached a subassembly in the VAB.

Docking ports are great for when you need to dock and undock things repeatedly. But if you're building a station, in 99% of all cases you're never going to undock anything. You want it to stick together forever. If the above is even at all possible (and it might not be, who knows), I think that would be a real unique selling point for NF station parts compared to other station part packs out there. Unless everyone is already doing this, in which case I am going to look very foolish for not doing my research. But it will be a happy sort of foolish

So... you're asking for a docking port that can't undock? Because docking already merges the parts together like in the VAB, the only difference is that you can take them back apart.

[Streetwind]

The vessels are logistically merged, yes, but there's a profound difference between the connection afforded by a docking port and that of a direct node-to-node part connection.

[RoverDude]

I'd like it to be able to hold crew and stuff (I'll give it a 1 kerbal capacity). If making IVAs didn't take so damn long, I'd make them for all these parts .

Working on testing out a generally impractical (realistically) part that I've always wanted for my surface bases.

http://nertea.the3rdage.net/ksp/obsmod.png

I like it! That's a 1.25m correct? Did you have a 2.5->2.5 command pod? The current landing can is horrible looking

[sharpspoonful]

I'm also liking the looks of things so far. But I'd like to mention the one thing that severely cramps my style everytime I consider designing a station: the in-orbit assembly part.

I dislike docking ports. Not because docking is tedious, but because docking just isn't a substitute for VAB assembly. Now, I know nothing about Unity, so I can't say if it would be possible, but my dream mode of orbital assembly would be the ability to dock parts together in a way that's identical to VAB assembly. A permanent addition to the part tree of that vessel, as if you had attached a subassembly in the VAB.

Docking ports are great for when you need to dock and undock things repeatedly. But if you're building a station, in 99% of all cases you're never going to undock anything. You want it to stick together forever. If the above is even at all possible (and it might not be, who knows), I think that would be a real unique selling point for NF station parts compared to other station part packs out there. Unless everyone is already doing this, in which case I am going to look very foolish for not doing my research. But it will be a happy sort of foolish

I'd rather see a different style of flush docking ports. More like the KSOS or Fustek docking ports.

[wasmic]

The vessels are logistically merged, yes, but there's a profound difference between the connection afforded by a docking port and that of a direct node-to-node part connection.

That's simply because the docking ports aren't strong enough. Any docking port sized part will cause the same amount of wobble. Code-wise, the ships are merged when docked. What you want is a high-strength docking port.

[Streetwind]

Are you sure? I thought that docking port strength is dependant on how heavy the docking port is, and not on its size. Which is why Nertea made a 1-ton high strength docking port.

It's also my general experience from playing that (stock) docking ports are not nearly as strong as two parts stuck together by their nodes. It's caused me a lot of frustration in the past when designing ships and space stations alike...

Edited August 18, 2014 by Streetwind