[1.12] Extraplanetary Launchpads v6.99.3

[taniwha]

I have released version 5.5.4 of Extraplanetary Launchpads.

Changes from 5.5.3:

• Requires Module Manager 2.7.5 so survey and construction skills get loaded correctly (thank you, Sarbian).
• Correct reversed logic when detecting the construction skill.
• Better logging from survey stations.
• Avoid a reflection error for certain versions of Contract Configurator.

Really, many thanks to @Bluebottle, @Justin38, @Psyden, @schlosrat, and probably others for the various reports regarding surveys and builds. I'm not sure I would have found the reversed logic if it wasn't for the reports of builds being weird.

Edited December 20, 2016 by taniwha

[Rory Yammomoto]

A Slight problem:

Where do I get this? Using the Git gives no functionality to the parts, and I see no other mirror for the mod. Where do I get it, and, if I have gotten it in the correct place, do I need anything besides MM for it to work?

 

[Zhetaan]

4 minutes ago, Rory Yammomoto said:

A Slight problem:

Where do I get this? Using the Git gives no functionality to the parts, and I see no other mirror for the mod. Where do I get it, and, if I have gotten it in the correct place, do I need anything besides MM for it to work?

 

It's in the opening post immediately below the video.

Or you can click on this.

[Rory Yammomoto]

3 minutes ago, Zhetaan said:

It's in the opening post immediately below the video.

Or you can click on this.

Oh. Sorry.

[Justin38]

Any suggestion on fixing stalled augers? I cant seem to get them un-stalled. 

[taniwha]

@Justin38: this came up a while back. There was a bug in EL that had the wrong flow mode for the augers, fixed in 5.5.1. If the problem persists in 5.5.4, please get me more details.

[Justin38]

11 minutes ago, taniwha said:

@Justin38: this came up a while back. There was a bug in EL that had the wrong flow mode for the augers, fixed in 5.5.1. If the problem persists in 5.5.4, please get me more details.

thanks! i haven't updated to 5.5.4 yet but i will let you know if it persists once i update.

[tsaven]

I have a problem with a build that's seemingly stuck in limbo.  I think it paused/broke after my station ran out of EC, but now I can't cancel it or complete it.  The job shows up in the UI just fine, but trying to either tear it down or resume the build has no effect.  It's a few tenths of a percentage into the build.

Is there a way to manually kick this thing out so I can start it over?

I'm using UKS as well, if that matters.

Edit I think I've found the part of the save file that has the EL Build info, and changed "Canceling" to "Idle".  That Un-stuck it and allowed me to select a new craft, but now it won't build with both the Percentage and Time sitting at 0 (0%, 0s). 

Edited December 3, 2016 by tsaven

[sardia]

Theoretically, could you make more fuel and rocket parts than you spent to chase it down, and rendezvous it with your station? Kerbin gets a decent amount of asteroid encounters, and I just chased down a moderate C class asteroid for fun, and I wasn't sure if it was worth it. 

Also, can you recycle asteroids after you deplete them?

[taniwha]

@tsaven: sounds like your productivity is at 0. If you updated EL to 5.5.4, you will also need to update your Module Manager as there was a pair of bugs (one in EL, one in MM, though to Sarbian's credit, the MM one wasn't really a bug, but more a "who knew?" thing): Kerbal experience effects weren't getting added (MM fix) and EL had a logic reversal that made it so construction happened anyway.

@sardia: the bigger asteroids probably are very much worth it with stock asteroid masses (they're about 1% what they should be), but that info is from 0.23.5: I have no idea what the stock resource system does to asteroid masses. Also, I'm pretty sure I didn't set things up so MetalOre exists on asteroids.

And, no, you cannot recycle asteroids. Recycling parts is bad enough for verisimilitude (due to them disappearing instantly), and they're small compared to asteroids.

[sardia]

33 minutes ago, taniwha said:

@tsaven: .

@sardia: won't let me edit on a phone. 

You can mine metal ore out of an asteroid. I posted a picture last week asking if that was intentional. It even uses stock drills. 

Edited December 3, 2016 by sardia
Mobile posting issues

[tsaven]

3 hours ago, taniwha said:

@tsaven: sounds like your productivity is at 0.

This was the case, but it wasn't a bug. I just didn't realize that you needed a pilot to build, and not just engineers. 

[Jaxx]

I seem to be unable to download this from anywhere because taniwha.org is listed as down.  

[taniwha]

@Jaxx: IP address had changed. I've updated DNS so it should be working again.

[Jaxx]

Thank you much!

[Agnemon]

You where asking a few days ago about suggestions for use's for scientists, that got me thinking ( a slow and labourious process fraught with comedy). How about as geologists for mining / resource recovery. If you have a scientist onboard you get a bonus to resource recovery rates, increased if you have a lab on board. Works along the lines of having a better defined ore body so you mine in the richer areas.

Another area would be as surveyors ( I continually have to spend a lot of time finding large enough flat areas (<0.5 slope) for bases (I don't like using clamps or legs. Personal preference). Would require another module, a 3D Laser Terrain scanner that would give hi res contour maps of local areas. The 3D scanner, if used with a seismograph, could also be used for seismic surveys to define ore bodies.

 

Agnemon

[shreds7]

I have a craft on minus that will not build a ship on a survey stake. I have power, parts, the survey station, an engineer, the stake (not too far away from the survey station). I can get the UI and I can select my ship. But when I select build the progress bar says 0% 0s.

[Bluebottle]

1 hour ago, shreds7 said:

an engineer

How many stars does your engineer have? If they're a novice and/or too stupid (if stupidity is enabled as a factor in the settings) then "vessel productivity" could be zero, and the build never happens.

[shreds7]

the engineer has 5 stars

Edited December 4, 2016 by shreds7
let out engneer

[taniwha]

@shreds7: make sure you have the latest version (2.7.5 or newer) of Module Manager installed, and only one version of MM.

[shreds7]

43 minutes ago, taniwha said:

@shreds7: make sure you have the latest version (2.7.5 or newer) of Module Manager installed, and only one version of MM.

I did have an older version of Module Manager loaded.  I have removed the older version and the only version that I have is 2.7.5, but I am still having issues with the survey stake working on Minmus.  When I test it on Kerbin it works just fine.

[schlosrat]

Hey, I'm having an issue with my bases where some of the parts of the base keep sliding around slowly. I don' t think it's directly linked to this mod, but maybe someone here would know of a solution.

Generally, anything I attach to the ground using KAS says put, but that's not possible (AFAIK) with the larger base structures I'm building using EPL. Those I generally design using the PlanetaryBaseInc parts, which are flat on the bottom, so I build them without landing gear or anything else under them and they seem to deploy to the surface just fine. I'm placing them in places with the least slope possible, but other than Minmus I generally have avery slight slope, and things seem to slide down hill. This can play havoc when the sliding objects encounter something small like a SEP science module I've attached nearby. Also this can lead to some weird arrangements between parts that are drifting differently.

So, is there anything I can do differently with my base designs to prevent this? Even things with landing gear like ships and such slide around. It's as if the game has no concept of friction.

[taniwha]

@schlosrat: Indeed, friction has been quite a problem since 1.1 (and somewhat since, well, forever). The absolute best solution currently available is launch clamps (yes, using EL's survey system, it is quite possible to use launch clamps anywhere: I've used them on both Mun and Minmus, on 20 degree slopes). The only problem is if you accidentally stage them, your base will be in for some interesting times. Also, getting the base to clear the terrain on slopes can take a few iterations to get the placement of the -Y bounds stake in a good place (appropriate use of +/- X and Z bounds stakes can help).

@shreds7: 3 things: 1) you have a survey station, right? 2) You have a pilot in the survey station? 3) the nearest stake is within range?

The range of the survey station depends on the "best" kerbal in it:

• 20m No kerbal.
• 50m Non-pilot.
• 100m 0-star pilot.
• 200m 1-star pilot.
• 400m 2-star pilot.
• 800m 3-star pilot.
• 1600m 4-star pilot.
• 2000m 5-star pilot.

Note: I have not tested builds further out than 400m (I think the build was out around 200m). KSP physics might wreak havoc at longer ranges.

Edited December 5, 2016 by taniwha

[RealGecko]

13 minutes ago, schlosrat said:

Hey, I'm having an issue with my bases where some of the parts of the base keep sliding around slowly.

I have this issue all the time with my Mun base. I have eight different ships that are not connected to each other (I use Simple Logistics), but nevertheless some of my ships rotate, slide, move all around the place. The most ineteresting is that KPBS based shp is not sliding, meanwhile ships with stock landing legs do all they want. I think it's stock problem that has nothing to do with EL. I even had to install Vessel Mover to fix things from time to time, not the best solution, but until bug exists I'll use it.

[schlosrat]

4 minutes ago, RealGecko said:

I have this issue all the time with my Mun base. I have eight different ships that are not connected to each other (I use Simple Logistics), but nevertheless some of my ships rotate, slide, move all around the place. The most ineteresting is that KPBS based shp is not sliding, meanwhile ships with stock landing legs do all they want. I think it's stock problem that has nothing to do with EL. I even had to install Vessel Mover to fix things from time to time, not the best solution, but until bug exists I'll use it.

Thanks for the tips @taniwha and @RealGecko! I've not tried launch clamps yet, but I do plan to now. I'm wondering if launch clamps are tweakscaleable and possibly could be made less obtrusive that way with the same benefit? I expect I'll need to rework my designs in the VAB so they'll actually get to the ground with clamps attached. In any case these are certainly worth a shot. Could there be some MM cfg sort of solution to prevent accidental staging?

I have used vessel mover though. Somewhere along the way it picked up this crazy behavior where if the vessel I'm moving is anywhere within a km or so of any other vessel, the one I'm moving will bounce wildly up and down as I try to move it into position. I recall it used to work smoothly, but maybe some other mod I added is causing this behavior. Curiously once I get the ground point and orientation as I want them and place the vessel, it stops the mad bouncing and settles down to the surface nicely; but it sure can make placing things harder. I read on the forum for that mod that you should use autostruts and I know I was using those, but thought I'd gotten rid of them all. Maybe I missed a few.