[1.02] BioMass - Renewable Bio Fuel and Supplemental Life Support Modules

[steve000]

So I cant seem to get it working. I think I may have missed something, I have every module in the pack connected but no fuel is being generated and no nutrients. Help?

[Scotius]

Is it in sunlight? Is your greenhouse open and directed towards Kerbol?

[steve000]

Yep Yep and Yep. i also have sufficient power. Everything is "working" but no more biomass is generated. Fuel isnt created not is nutrients. Im running version .22 and the craft is very simple, infact its almost the same as in the video at the start of this thread

[Roboto]

Yep Yep and Yep. i also have sufficient power. Everything is "working" but no more biomass is generated. Fuel isnt created not is nutrients. Im running version .22 and the craft is very simple, infact its almost the same as in the video at the start of this thread

Do you have CO2 and O2 tanks attached? If you aren't running a life support mod, you will need them. I'm loading up game now to look at it.

edit: Im fairly certain that's the problem. Even after telling you, you needed them... and even though im the one who built the damn thing... I still forgot to add the tanks just now when i tested, and it did not work. I then reverted flight and added the tanks, and it started working as expected.

Let me know if you're still having trouble, I'll try to figure out whats going on.

Side note, I have noticed that using the inflatable greenhouse can be very awkward and can be kind of annoying... I'm working on a better plan for that part. If anyone has input on that part, let m know.

Edited November 30, 2013 by Roboto

[steve000]

That is something. Im career mode ad the CO and O2 tanks dont show up anywhere that I can see. I am right near the end of the tech but cant see them anywhere. They do appear in sandbox. perhaps there is a slight config to be changed?

[steve000]

It is working fine in sandbox except for nutrients. any idea on how to get them replenishing?

[steve000]

I added them to the Specialized electrics and now they appear and are useable... now just to fix nutrients.

[Roboto]

now that i think about it, i did foget to add them them to the tech tree. As soon as im back at the computer ill make an update.

[Roboto]

I added them to the Specialized electrics and now they appear and are useable... now just to fix nutrients.

It is working fine in sandbox except for nutrients. any idea on how to get them replenishing?

not sure. ill have a look asap.

[steve000]

I installed this mod http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/40667-0-21-1-WIP-TAC-Life-Support-28Jul and it appears to have allowed the generation of waste which inturn has allowed the generation of nutrients. so with the modification of the config files and adding another mod I got it working 100%. fantastic stuff,thank you for making the mod.

[seanth]

I installed this mod http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/40667-0-21-1-WIP-TAC-Life-Support-28Jul and it appears to have allowed the generation of waste which inturn has allowed the generation of nutrients. so with the modification of the config files and adding another mod I got it working 100%. fantastic stuff,thank you for making the mod.

I'm in the process of trying to make BioMass work closer with both TAC Life Support and IonCross. And by "in the process" I mean I have files open in front of me, now. Stay tuned, I guess.

[steve000]

Nice. I launched a module to connect to my station that got everything working. I found another bug tho, I cant make fuel unless I have a fuel tank attached directly to the reactor.

[seanth]

Nice. I launched a module to connect to my station that got everything working. I found another bug tho, I cant make fuel unless I have a fuel tank attached directly to the reactor.

When bug reporting, could you please specify whether you are using the Science+ off github, or BioMass off spaceport? It will make it slightly easier to figure out what's wrong.

[Roboto]

I installed this mod http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/40667-0-21-1-WIP-TAC-Life-Support-28Jul and it appears to have allowed the generation of waste which inturn has allowed the generation of nutrients. so with the modification of the config files and adding another mod I got it working 100%. fantastic stuff,thank you for making the mod.

Very cool, your welcome. The microbiome should create just slightly more Nutrients than the greenhouse needs, so if you are running low for some reason you should be able to add another microbiome onto your craft to generate more nutrients.

This mod was designed with others in mind, so there are a couple that generate resources that work with this one.

Glad you like it! Share some pics of your craft and stations!

[XanderTek]

The version on github seems to have less parts. For example only 1 green house. Am I missing something?

[Sigma52]

song that was used in that video that is on the first page

[steve000]

Sorry my posts have been very basic. Biomass on spaceport

[Xentoe]

Can be deletet (wrong post)

[seanth]

The version on github seems to have less parts. For example only 1 green house. Am I missing something?

I can see why there could be some confusion. Let me try and provide clarity from the perspective of the person that is working on the github version:

The version of Spaceport is more of a direct successor to the initial Biomass plugin release. It has some new parts relative to the original release, but much of the way things work remains the same

The version of Github (Science+) might have fewer parts, but it is more complex. We're using real-world biological reactions to better simulate how plants would grow in space, and how you would go about making biofuel. The goal is to incorporate more and more of the existing parts into the Science+ version as testing and play balancing continues.

Right now Science+ is rather complex. For example, you grow Biomass in a Greenhouse which is chopped up and pressed by a Polytron/Centrifuge. Out of the Polytron/Centrifuge comes oil and BioCake. The BioCake is fermented in a fermenter part to make ethanol. The ethanol and oil can then be combined in a refinery to make liquid fuel. Each of these steps is as realistic as KSP allows. The refinery part is essentially doing what is done to make biofuels (transesterification. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel_production). Some of the gasses produced during these steps can be compressed into fuel. O2-->oxidizer, H2-->Monopropellant. What I like about it is that the player needs to make choices about how much biomass they harvest for food (and thus reduce their biological CO2-->O2 conversion), and they need to decide whether to compress O2-->oxidizer, or save the O2 for life support. Decisions, decisions.

Yeah, it's complicated, but so is rocket science. In KSP, you _could_ sit down and do the necessary calculations needed to build a rocket to get to orbit, or you could just slap things together and launch. Even if you just do it the Kerbal way and launch, you're still learning a bit about design and rocketry. My hope for BioMass is somewhat the same. You could sit down and do the calculations on Kerbal respiration and how many greenhouses you'd need to keep them alive AND make fuel, or you could just slap some greenhouses onto a deep space craft and see if everything will be ok. In the end, it needs to be fun and challenging, though. Not a science class, and right now the Science+ version might be too complex.

Roboto almost certainly has a different perspective on this than I do. Ultimately BioMass is his baby. I'm just glad he's letting me play with his toys.

[Sigma52]

I can see why there could be some confusion. Let me try and provide clarity from the perspective of the person that is working on the github version:

The version of Spaceport is more of a direct successor to the initial Biomass plugin release. It has some new parts relative to the original release, but much of the way things work remains the same

The version of Github (Science+) might have fewer parts, but it is more complex. We're using real-world biological reactions to better simulate how plants would grow in space, and how you would go about making biofuel. The goal is to incorporate more and more of the existing parts into the Science+ version as testing and play balancing continues.

Right now Science+ is rather complex. For example, you grow Biomass in a Greenhouse which is chopped up and pressed by a Polytron/Centrifuge. Out of the Polytron/Centrifuge comes oil and BioCake. The BioCake is fermented in a fermenter part to make ethanol. The ethanol and oil can then be combined in a refinery to make liquid fuel. Each of these steps is as realistic as KSP allows. The refinery part is essentially doing what is done to make biofuels (transesterification. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel_production). Some of the gasses produced during these steps can be compressed into fuel. O2-->oxidizer, H2-->Monopropellant. What I like about it is that the player needs to make choices about how much biomass they harvest for food (and thus reduce their biological CO2-->O2 conversion), and they need to decide whether to compress O2-->oxidizer, or save the O2 for life support. Decisions, decisions.

Yeah, it's complicated, but so is rocket science. In KSP, you _could_ sit down and do the necessary calculations needed to build a rocket to get to orbit, or you could just slap things together and launch. Even if you just do it the Kerbal way and launch, you're still learning a bit about design and rocketry. My hope for BioMass is somewhat the same. You could sit down and do the calculations on Kerbal respiration and how many greenhouses you'd need to keep them alive AND make fuel, or you could just slap some greenhouses onto a deep space craft and see if everything will be ok. In the end, it needs to be fun and challenging, though. Not a science class, and right now the Science+ version might be too complex.

Roboto almost certainly has a different perspective on this than I do. Ultimately BioMass is his baby. I'm just glad he's letting me play with his toys.

Awesome work with the science + version!!! Really neat features and I like the options it makes you decide on regarding O2 and food. Keep up the good/awesome work!!! Also I don't think its too complicated, its pretty straight forward so long as you have an understanding of how to put it together. All in all I think it's a really nice addition to ksp and this is going on my must have list!!!

[BigD145]

now that i think about it, i did foget to add them them to the tech tree. As soon as im back at the computer ill make an update.

For anyone that hasn't done this it takes a few minutes to add in. I put mine around the end of the research line. I wouldn't consider biomass to be early tech. Life is fiddly in a closed system.

[Roboto]

For anyone that hasn't done this it takes a few minutes to add in. I put mine around the end of the research line. I wouldn't consider biomass to be early tech. Life is fiddly in a closed system.

The files on space port have been updated to fix this. Should be good to go now.

...and the github.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Roboto

[Roboto]

Nice. I launched a module to connect to my station that got everything working. I found another bug tho, I cant make fuel unless I have a fuel tank attached directly to the reactor.

Hmm, I'll look into this. thanks.

[BigD145]

The files on space port have been updated to fix this. Should be good to go now.

I used the git science+.

[seanth]

I used the git science+.

I can field this one.

I have mixed feeling about where the parts should go in the tech tree. Making biofuels and growing things in greenhouses are relatively low tech, but these parts are definitely meant for space.

In general:

-Tanks holding gasses can enter the tree immediately after the first capsule, if using IonCross or TAC Life Support

-Compressors need electricity, so after or same time as batteries

-The Greenhouse has a built-in light, so after lights

-Everything else needs the greenhouse, so they can appear just after the greenhouse

It's too bad there are not existing biology-themed nodes in the tech tree.

Roboto and I are discussing what I think are some cool new parts that will explicitly put the science+ branch into the tech tree in a meaningful way, so stay tuned for that. Hint: meaningful in-game science that gives you science-monies AND helps teach you how to use all the biomass parts together.