[1.12] Extraplanetary Launchpads v6.99.3

[MarcAlain]

You need the survey station to use with the stakes.

I can't even find this part. Where is it located?

[goldenpsp]

I can't even find this part. Where is it located?

utility. It is just a hitchhiker can.

[MarcAlain]

What is the best way to refuel rockets/board rockets when built with the stake system? Or, even the launchpad...

[Tarheel1999]

What is the best way to refuel rockets/board rockets when built with the stake system? Or, even the launchpad...

Hyperedit and Ladders.

[Angelo Kerman]

What is the best way to refuel rockets/board rockets when built with the stake system? Or, even the launchpad...

I use KAS pipes and have resources stockpiled at my base.

[MarcAlain]

Do you guys just have a nice tall ladder structure next to the pad, or do you just pile ladders on things? I guess I'm talking more about things build on Eve or Laythe.

EDIT: Seems that I can transfer crew, but only before I release the ship. Should be easy to deal with.

Edited July 23, 2015 by MarcAlain

[Angelo Kerman]

Is it possible to recycle a ship that lands within an area defined by the stakes? Thus far I haven't figured out how.

[taniwha]

What is the best way to refuel rockets/board rockets when built with the stake system? Or, even the launchpad...

As others have mentioned, KAS is the best option. The survey system was designed back when there was only KAS (not KIS+KAS), but since KIS is required for the survey stakes anyway, and using KIS without KAS is like cake without icing...

Is it possible to recycle a ship that lands within an area defined by the stakes? Thus far I haven't figured out how.

It is not possible. This is, actually, pretty much how recycling worked back when it was first introduced by skykooler (any debris within 50m of the pad), but that was very unsatisfactory (no player involvement). Thus the recycling bins. Even the large bin is small enough to be used in a variety of ways, and even the small one can recycle anything. Really, the only reasons for the big one is the small one looked silly on my recycling truck, and I wanted more holding capacity (ie, before recycling anything).

[Angelo Kerman]

As others have mentioned, KAS is the best option. The survey system was designed back when there was only KAS (not KIS+KAS), but since KIS is required for the survey stakes anyway, and using KIS without KAS is like cake without icing...

It is not possible. This is, actually, pretty much how recycling worked back when it was first introduced by skykooler (any debris within 50m of the pad), but that was very unsatisfactory (no player involvement). Thus the recycling bins. Even the large bin is small enough to be used in a variety of ways, and even the small one can recycle anything. Really, the only reasons for the big one is the small one looked silly on my recycling truck, and I wanted more holding capacity (ie, before recycling anything).

Thanks for the response. it sounds like the bins are best used with a truck, and you drive the truck up to the ship that you recycle. Is that about right? The recycling that I've done invoved flying a ship into a modified spacedock so I guess for ground ops it would be similar.

[taniwha]

Angel-125: Yeah, that's how I did it (with an IR+KAS crane because I used the large bin as a truck-bed). It was quite fun, actually.

[Mitchz95]

The 7x RocketPart Hexcans cost negative funds if you add them empty in the VAB.

EDIT: All the RocketPart tanks appear to do this.

Edited July 25, 2015 by Mitchz95

[taniwha]

Mitchz95: You are using an alternative resource setup that has a different price for rocket parts. Either fix its definition for rocket parts (best, just remove it), or fix EL's prices for the parts.

[smjjames]

How do I make the stakes attach to the ground instead of surface attaching to the ground? I keep having them explode after a while.

[rabidninjawombat]

The 7x RocketPart Hexcans cost negative funds if you add them empty in the VAB.

EDIT: All the RocketPart tanks appear to do this.

Mitchz, if you are using the CommunityResourcePack, make sure your updated to the latest version (4.3)... The old version had the wrong price for RocketParts, should have been fixed in 4.3.

[smjjames]

How do I make the stakes attach to the ground instead of surface attaching to the ground? I keep having them explode after a while.

Anybody????? I've had them explode three times now. How do I mitigate the exploding??

[thegreatgonz]

Anybody????? I've had them explode three times now. How do I mitigate the exploding??

The workaround I've been applying is to only place the stakes right before finalizing the build, and then remove them right after. On Minmus, that's usually more than enough time to grab them before they fall over. It might not work as well on bodies with stronger gravity, though.

[Mynar Moonshadow]

Anybody????? I've had them explode three times now. How do I mitigate the exploding??

From a page or two back

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/59545-1-0-4-Extraplanetary-Launchpads-v5-2-1?p=2091022&viewfull=1#post2091022

You need to either await the next incremental release or just edit the part.cfg. I already changed mine and they work fine on the Mun.

[taniwha]

I have released version 5.2.2 of EL. Links in the first post.

Changes from 5.2.1

• Actually update the README. There were two README files and the one that got installed was not the one I updated before. oops.
  
• Get the KerbalStats and KSPAPI Extensions licenses into the zip again. oops.
  
• Detect removal of built parts via KIS. The build menu will now notice when the root part of a build has been removed by another mechanism.
  
• Fix the onVesselModified/onPartDie event spam.
  
• Fix the stake and mallet for KIS 1.2.0. The stake can be attached to the ground properly, and the mallet works to attach things to the ground and surface attach stuff to parts (but not stack attach).
  
• Remove support for KAS and KAS containers. This fixes some NREs due to the way KAS containers are supported by KIS. Thanks to maltesh.
  
• Hopefully avoid smjjames' NRE.
  

I'm still working on getting recipes going (just the recycler to go for the actual code), but these fixes need to get out there.

[smjjames]

I have released version 5.2.2 of EL. Links in the first post.

Changes from 5.2.1

• Actually update the README. There were two README files and the one that got installed was not the one I updated before. oops.
  
• Get the KerbalStats and KSPAPI Extensions licenses into the zip again. oops.
  
• Detect removal of built parts via KIS. The build menu will now notice when the root part of a build has been removed by another mechanism.
  
• Fix the onVesselModified/onPartDie event spam.
  
• Fix the stake and mallet for KIS 1.2.0. The stake can be attached to the ground properly, and the mallet works to attach things to the ground and surface attach stuff to parts (but not stack attach).
  
• Remove support for KAS and KAS containers. This fixes some NREs due to the way KAS containers are supported by KIS. Thanks to maltesh.
  
• Hopefully avoid smjjames' NRE.
  

I'm still working on getting recipes going (just the recycler to go for the actual code), but these fixes need to get out there.

Any previews on how these recipies work?

Also, how does the recipie thing play with the MKS stuff? Given that the resource chain is different and doesn't use the recyclers (actually, it recycles things via a different method).

[taniwha]

Well, for one, RoverDude is waiting with bated breath for recipes as they will give complete control over what resources are needed to build parts, on a part by part basis.

First comment on recipes themselves: EL will have defaults such that if no recipes are given, then things will be just as they are now.

Now the overview of my design as it stands now (things might change a bit before release).

(? is 0 or 1, + is 1 or more, * is 0 or more (standard regex notation), [] forms groups for ?+*)

PART {
...
        EL_Recipe {
                structure = ratio
                [modulename = ratio]*
                [Resources {
                        [resourcename = ratio]+
                }]?
        }
}

EL_DefaultStructureRecipe {
        [resourcename = ratio]+
}

EL_ModuleRecipe {
        name = modulename
        Resources {
                [resourcename = ratio]+
        }
}

EL_ResourceRecipe {
        name = resource name
        Resources {
                [resourcename = ratio]+
        }
}

EL_RecycleRecipe {
        name = resource name
        Resources {
                [resourcename = ratio]+
        }
}

EL_Recipe is added to existing PART nodes (eg, via Module Manager) and specifies the ratios between the structure and any relevant modules (modules must have a recipe to be relevant). The optional Resources block specifies the recipe for the structure itself. EL_DefaultStructureRecipe will be used if EL_Recipe has no Resources block. If no modules are listed, then their ratios will be 0 (ie, only the structure will require resources).

ratio acts as a weighting so having three resources with 2 1 1 will become 0.5 0.25 0.25.

Recipes work using mass, so massless resources (eg, ElectricCharge) will produce highly undesirable results . This is because the ratios are multipled by the mass of the part to give the masses of the components (structure and modules), and those masses by their recipe ratios to give the masses of the resources. the resource quantity is then acquired by dividing the resource mass be the resource density. A part requiring Inf units of a resource will take some time to build.

EL_ModuleRecipe specifies the recipe for all instances of a particular part module. Note that clever usage of EL_Recipe (setting module ratios to 0 and using a carefully crafted structure recipe) will allow for custom module resource requirements for a specif part.

EL_ResourceRecipe tells EL how to make a resource such as SolidFuel or Ablator. Any time EL_ResourceRecipe is used, the resulting resources will become required. EL_ResourceRecipe is useful only for optional resources (ie, ones you put in tanks for consumption or shipping) (I think).

EL_RecycleRecipe tells EL how to recycle a resource, and takes precedence over EL_ResourceRecipe. If a resource has an EL_ResourceRecipe but no EL_RecycleRecipe, then it will "evaporate" (like SolidFuel does now).

[Murdabenne]

Thanks for the response. it sounds like the bins are best used with a truck, and you drive the truck up to the ship that you recycle. Is that about right? The recycling that I've done invoved flying a ship into a modified spacedock so I guess for ground ops it would be similar.

hmm, could I stick the big bin to the side of a station module, in orbit, and send my magnet tug around to get parts from the debris in orbit (especially old rescue capsule hulks, booster tanks that are too small to bother reusing)? What about old smaller mostly complete ships I have parked because I didn't want waste the fuel to have my tug de orbit them?

[taniwha]

Murdabenne: Absolutely. Just be sure to settle (part of) the ship to be recycled in the bin and detach your tug before activating the recyler or you will lose your tug, too.

One thing I often do is rather than bothering with docking ports on my supply ships, I just maneuver them into the recycling bin and activate it. All stored resources (LFO, MonoProp, EC, ...) get transfered automatically, and then I get a nice supply of Metal from the ship itself.

[smjjames]

• Hopefully avoid smjjames' NRE.
  

Nope, still there, same steps as before, put stuff into an inventory whether it's command pod seat inventory or a container part, place whatever onto the ship, then ctrl+z.

Output log: http://sta.sh/01tc6my1cl4a

Also, any idea what's causing the mild 'input is null' spam? No idea if that's related.

Edit: I'm still getting periodic 'input is null', not sure if that's because KSP is becoming an inactive window while I go to browser.

Edit2: Wherever that 'input is null' thing is coming from, it's not EPL.

Edited July 26, 2015 by smjjames

[MarcAlain]

How does the orbital mass part work? It launches deployed, with no options when you right click it. It's currently on its way to minmus, but I'm not sure it's actually doing anything.

I'm thinking I'm going to have to use Kethane, and I'd really not like to have yet one more mod to deal with.

EDIT: Looks like it does work, but the only place you see anything is in the orbit overview.

Edited July 26, 2015 by MarcAlain

[taniwha]

smjjames: Thank you for the update. Darn, I wonder what it is, since I was unable to reproduce it using your steps.

MarcAlain: The Orbital Mass Detector has not been updated, so it works only with Kethane. The magnetometer, on the other hand, has been updated, so it does work with both stock and Kethane.