[Airships in 1.12.3] HooliganLabs Mods

[JewelShisen]

Fair do's; good work. I would like to see endcaps for the airship envelopes; cause the main reason I stopped using HL airships was the aesthetics were ruined for me by having the weird shaped envelopes. The only one I really used was the "Ray", cause it looks most like how I imagine an airship to look.

Well currently I do have the 'Death Star' envelopes that are capped. But I would like to make some caps for the other envelopes as well at some point.

[Andrew Hansen]

I think that for a new update reworking the textures would be really nice. Especially on the really large static envelopes, the low-resolution textures are scaled up quite a lot and don't look all that great.

Thank you for taking over the mods, I really appreciate it!

[JewelShisen]

I think that for a new update reworking the textures would be really nice. Especially on the really large static envelopes, the low-resolution textures are scaled up quite a lot and don't look all that great.

Thank you for taking over the mods, I really appreciate it!

I do agree that the textures could do with a bit of an overhaul.

[Galane]

It's looking like this lighter than air technology is the only way Alan Aerospace Recycling and Packaging is going to get a lander back up off the surface of Eve.

We have the Kethane drilling rover and the Kethane converting rover ready to go. Also have a pair of Kethane scanning satellites, the same design currently in use around Duna and Ike. (Need to test in simulation if the small scanner works from 100KM orbit.) Still need to do the manned Eve lander and a Kethane miner/converter lander for Gilly. I finally gave up and installed KAS after failing to get robot docking arms working. The two rovers are modifications of a functional failure I tried for Mun mining. It worked but was difficult to get the ports to connect and offloading the weight of two heavy drills didn't save enough fuel to be worth the bother.

The Eve trip will be a different matter. Since I only intend to go there once and there will be live (hopefully) Kerbals landed, the mission can use KAS for much easier connections.

The mission will be pretty much how the Duna one went. Go there, land on Eve for the "We were here." moment then hop over to the much easier to mine moon to refuel for the return trip.

[JewelShisen]

It's looking like this lighter than air technology is the only way Alan Aerospace Recycling and Packaging is going to get a lander back up off the surface of Eve.

We have the Kethane drilling rover and the Kethane converting rover ready to go. Also have a pair of Kethane scanning satellites, the same design currently in use around Duna and Ike. (Need to test in simulation if the small scanner works from 100KM orbit.) Still need to do the manned Eve lander and a Kethane miner/converter lander for Gilly. I finally gave up and installed KAS after failing to get robot docking arms working. The two rovers are modifications of a functional failure I tried for Mun mining. It worked but was difficult to get the ports to connect and offloading the weight of two heavy drills didn't save enough fuel to be worth the bother.

The Eve trip will be a different matter. Since I only intend to go there once and there will be live (hopefully) Kerbals landed, the mission can use KAS for much easier connections.

The mission will be pretty much how the Duna one went. Go there, land on Eve for the "We were here." moment then hop over to the much easier to mine moon to refuel for the return trip.

Sounds like a very well planned mission and we at Jewel Shisen Rockets Inc will be happy to provide all of you lighter than air lifting needs.

[Galane]

I used four of the cirrus envelopes to lift a lander from less than 1,000 meters Eve altitude to over 26,000 meters then was able to reach orbit from there. I didn't complete the landing because I've yet to be able to build any sort of landing structure from girders that won't collapse in Eve gravity and attaching regular landing legs with I-beams to get them lower doesn't work with Kerbal Joint Reinforcement. They work fine until the game is saved and reloaded, then some of the I-beams will break off.

What would be useful on those Cirrus units is if they incorporated a decoupler in their bases so they could be jettisoned after serving their purpose. Reach max altitude, light the fires and shed the tires airbags.

Any way to put a node on top that a docking port could be mounted to? If it could go away and lose whatever is mounted there when inflated, that would be quite useful. Then docking ports could be put on both ends for space tugs to move them around.

Now that I have an idea of what I need for a ship that can both land on and lift off from Eve, I'm thinking of trying Infernal Robotics VTOL engine mounts to attach some Cirrus bags to a lander so they can be turned down for launch and left that way to clear a docking port on top of the lander for stacking the refueling rovers. Given that landing there takes little fuel, the rovers won't have much to do, but every bit of fuel will be needed to get back up - unless I can use some engines more efficient than five Skippers.

[MrCoolx10]

Does 0.22 Airships work with 0.23

Edited December 29, 2013 by MrCoolx10
Typo

[JewelShisen]

Does 0.22 Airships work with 0.23

Yes. They do.

[JewelShisen]

I used four of the cirrus envelopes to lift a lander from less than 1,000 meters Eve altitude to over 26,000 meters then was able to reach orbit from there. I didn't complete the landing because I've yet to be able to build any sort of landing structure from girders that won't collapse in Eve gravity and attaching regular landing legs with I-beams to get them lower doesn't work with Kerbal Joint Reinforcement. They work fine until the game is saved and reloaded, then some of the I-beams will break off.

What would be useful on those Cirrus units is if they incorporated a decoupler in their bases so they could be jettisoned after serving their purpose. Reach max altitude, light the fires and shed the tires airbags.

Any way to put a node on top that a docking port could be mounted to? If it could go away and lose whatever is mounted there when inflated, that would be quite useful. Then docking ports could be put on both ends for space tugs to move them around.

Now that I have an idea of what I need for a ship that can both land on and lift off from Eve, I'm thinking of trying Infernal Robotics VTOL engine mounts to attach some Cirrus bags to a lander so they can be turned down for launch and left that way to clear a docking port on top of the lander for stacking the refueling rovers. Given that landing there takes little fuel, the rovers won't have much to do, but every bit of fuel will be needed to get back up - unless I can use some engines more efficient than five Skippers.

Adding a built in decoupler to the base shouldn't be too hard but putting a node on top of it that only exists when it is not inflated would be very tricky to do.

[Galane]

The top node wouldn't have to come back when deflated. Inflate, node goes away and whatever is attached there falls off.

Another, most likely more possible, would be a couple of nodes on the sides of the bases. Could put on a couple of jr clampotrons to attach pods with RCS and batteries to use to move the cirrus envelopes around.

MechJeb's docking autopilot can handle some extreme offsets from COM with RCS. I used it to dock this.

The part on the side has just four ReStock 5-way RCS blocks on the upper orange tank. Docking was slow but it worked!

[JewelShisen]

Well now that the Poll is closed I would appear that More Airship Parts is the winner~

So in the next week or so I will be getting to work on a few new parts including a new lift envelope and the beginnings of a radial control pod so that you can make a more traditional looking Goodyear Blimp

[wrexecute]

I don't know why I haven't tried this mod before, but I regret not doing so. It's very fun to fiddle with, but I am horrible at it I think. I'm curious how everyone is trimming their ships. Alt+WASD? Mechjeb? Tuning individual envelopes? Combination of all those methods? I keep making unbalanced droopers, that appear balanced in the SPH/VAB according to the CoM display. Even the smallest increments cause a droopy front to become a droopy rear and vise versa. Am I concentrating too much of the total mass into the middle, creating a vicious fulcrum?

[JewelShisen]

I don't know why I haven't tried this mod before, but I regret not doing so. It's very fun to fiddle with, but I am horrible at it I think. I'm curious how everyone is trimming their ships. Alt+WASD? Mechjeb? Tuning individual envelopes? Combination of all those methods? I keep making unbalanced droopers, that appear balanced in the SPH/VAB according to the CoM display. Even the smallest increments cause a droopy front to become a droopy rear and vise versa. Am I concentrating too much of the total mass into the middle, creating a vicious fulcrum?

What you need to do is set your CoM just below the CoL. That will keep it the right way up to start. Next to adjust the trim you will need the CoM in line with the CoL, not directly on it but just in line above it.

I am going to take the next day or so and work on making a tutorial on how to build a basic airship as well as an example craft.

[Galane]

An inline stackable unit with three or four or even just two bags that blow out sideways, like the ones that unfurl out the top, would be most welcome, especially for things that need to be launched with a booster on the bottom *and* have a docking port on top.

That would replace hacked together things like this.

The VTOL rotatrons are mounted on the big hydraulic decoupler manifolds so they and the gas bags can be dumped upon reaching max lift altitude on Eve. 'Course that experimental craft doesn't have enough fuel to get to orbit from its max lift altitude.

An inline radial expanding life envelope unit should be able to stack atop another without the bags interfering with each other.

[JewelShisen]

An inline stackable unit with three or four or even just two bags that blow out sideways, like the ones that unfurl out the top, would be most welcome, especially for things that need to be launched with a booster on the bottom *and* have a docking port on top.

That would replace hacked together things like this.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/11705469284_d603920900.jpg

The VTOL rotatrons are mounted on the big hydraulic decoupler manifolds so they and the gas bags can be dumped upon reaching max lift altitude on Eve. 'Course that experimental craft doesn't have enough fuel to get to orbit from its max lift altitude.

An inline radial expanding life envelope unit should be able to stack atop another without the bags interfering with each other.

A most excellent idea. I will add that to the list of things that I want to accomplish. Now to learn C# and making animated parts in Unity!

[likke_A_boss]

An idea I had was to have all of your GUIs integrated with Blizzy's Toolbar. That would be EXTREAMLY helpful. Thanks!

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/60066-0-23-0-Toolbar-Plugin-1-4-0-Common-API-for-draggable-resizable-buttons-toolbar

Edit: I'm sorry for the above post. That was pretty demanding sounding. It is sad, I think that's why so many modders quit, is because everyone Is demanding and complaining and unappreciative of the dev's hard work. So I just want to thank you for all of the work in your mod, it really is awesome. I hope whatever your working on is going well, and if your find some extra time, maybe you could look into integration with the toolbar. Thank you!

Edited January 5, 2014 by likke_A_boss
Google taught me how to spell

[JewelShisen]

An idea I had was to have all of your GUIs integrated with Blizzy's Toolbar. That would be EXTREAMLY helpful. Thanks!

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/60066-0-23-0-Toolbar-Plugin-1-4-0-Common-API-for-draggable-resizable-buttons-toolbar

I will look into it.

[likke_A_boss]

(See my OP[didnt write the edit fast enough for you ])

[JewelShisen]

(See my OP[didnt write the edit fast enough for you ])

Hooligan actually did most of the work. The plugin is all his. I have just been adding parts for now. The next update is going to be a parts update but after that I am going to get myself a book on C# and start looking into the plugin. I have a few ideas there I want to try and work out.

[kodemunkey]

So did anyone ever figure out a good way to build a submarine?

[JewelShisen]

So did anyone ever figure out a good way to build a submarine?

Actually the Sub parts/plugin allow you to make a very nice Sub~

[ABZB]

I love this mod, keep it up!

I have noticed some issues when placing parts on the blimps using symmetry - often parts end up floating inside the blimp or above its surface.

Also, (this is only a style issue, not a real problem) the some of the blimps' symmetries are a little off from their textures - for example, the K- 101 blimp's decal saying K-101 is not quite lined up with the decal on the opposite side - it ends up looking a little funny when I attach stuff using symmetry.

[Galane]

Can four nodes be added to the sides of the cirrus bases? That would drastically improve their usability for picking a lander up from the surface of Eve.

[JewelShisen]

Can four nodes be added to the sides of the cirrus bases? That would drastically improve their usability for picking a lander up from the surface of Eve.

I will look into that though It may take some time to figure out.

[RussianIvan]

Where can I find these parts?