[1.12] Extraplanetary Launchpads v6.99.3

[Sokar408]

Pezzhippo: do you mean airlocks in the part? they're pretty easy. Take a look at workshop.blend in EL's git repository. Note that the collider intersecting with the part is very deliberate: it's what makes the airlock usable. For best results, you'll need to install my .mu addon (so you can see the details of the colliders).

As for supporting unmanned operations: the code just doesn't support it right now, though it could. Problem is, I am rather opposed to unmanned space exploration in general, not just in KSP. And then there's the minor issue of figuring out how to balance things. That's not to say I won't use probes, but they are tools to get a specific job done (eg, small tugs), not for major operations.

Sokar408: I forgot to mention that the fuel sliders will be displayed later after you have built your ship.

I have noticed that the spherical tanks never actually appear in the game itself. I seem them in the mod folder, and I do have the tech for it, but they are just not there. What gives?

[taniwha]

They are now obsolete. They were for an older version of Spherical tanks, and used model copy tricks, but now spherical tanks directly supports EL (as of a few KSP versions ago), I should remove them. If you want spherical tanks, go get the originals.

[MrWizerd]

Started playing around and ended up with this. A centrifugal smelter for low gee environments. Ideally I'd like for it to spin up while in operation creating the opportunity for some industrial accidents. Texturing, animation and such still needs to be done, mainly posting to gauge interest.

http://i.imgur.com/MMs7fCa.png

That is a really cool part! I would love to see that, I invision it with these Yellow and black hazard stripes painted on the moving parts to warn the stupider Kerbin to stay back!

Also I LOVE animated parts they give so much character to the game, I have been trying to learn to model but I just cant get blender to work with me, I hate the inteface i am better with sketchup, maybe i will try there.

[Starstrider42]

That is a really cool part! I would love to see that, I invision it with these Yellow and black hazard stripes painted on the moving parts to warn the stupider Kerbin to stay back!

"Warning: does not contain snacks."

[MrWizerd]

"Warning: does not contain snacks."

OH! Yeah put that on there!!!! But put it on the ridge above and below the bracket that holds the spinning parts!!! That way they have to get closer to read it thus WHACK-A-KERBIN!!!! LOL~!

Also, maybe a like orange glow, like a low grade engine in it to melt the metal down.... maybe instead of tons of electricity it can use liquid fuel and oxidizer to fire the heating chamber, and a little power for the motor to rotate... I think that would add to the realism possibly? I have ideas, but can't model I have to live vicariously!

Edited April 20, 2014 by MrWizerd

[benc85]

"Warning: does not contain snacks."

EVERYTHING contains snacks, you just aren't looking hard enough!

[Salanmander]

Am I correct in thinking that there is no way to have vessel construction progress (or mine kethane and ore) unless the workshop (or drill) is in physics range?

If so, would it be possible to support checking the time-since-last-load upon loading the vessel, and update work accordingly?

[JTG]

If only I had the skill to assemble a huge mun base. I guess orbital docks will do!

[Josh Hawley]

Am I correct in thinking that there is no way to have vessel construction progress (or mine kethane and ore) unless the workshop (or drill) is in physics range?

If so, would it be possible to support checking the time-since-last-load upon loading the vessel, and update work accordingly?

+1 for this. something similar to how TAC Life Support calculates the timespan from the last time the vessel was loaded, and then updates its resources accordingly.

[MrWizerd]

Am I correct in thinking that there is no way to have vessel construction progress (or mine kethane and ore) unless the workshop (or drill) is in physics range?

If so, would it be possible to support checking the time-since-last-load upon loading the vessel, and update work accordingly?

Yeah, I'm with the peanut gallery, +1

*presuming theres a way to do so....

also, sense were sorta asking for more work.... I would like a donate button so as to be able to send you monies for Ale... yum.... ale! or if your not into ale, Beer, or Pizza, or CCCP Water.... mmmm Vodka

Edited April 21, 2014 by MrWizerd

[LEIFENG]

Can i recyl asteroids?

[VaporTrail]

Can i recyl asteroids?

Nope. Had that question a few pages back... with the answer a page or two before that.

[orcaman]

While I understand that EL is a work in progress, and I'm very grateful for that work, I take some exception to your statement that you don't have time to write out instructions. You may not have time to write the next great American novel, but it's silly to expect people to plow through 100+ pages of wandering discussion to learn how to use your project. I can't find the exact post you made that I'm referring to, but I do think it would be awfully civil of you to spare at least a few sentences worth of instructions on usage on the sticky post at the front of the thread. I, for example, missed the whole addition of Kerbal labor required for construction. All the online videos that came up relating to this mod showed instant construction without any requirement of crew aboard ship.

I'll even start you off. Feel free to copy-paste if you really don't have the time to spend on this

Strictly speaking, no additional mods are required, however this is only half an idea without Kethane.

Module Manager is a directly functionally related mod.

Kerbal Attachment System makes tying all the components together a lot easier, and Toolbar and Infernal Robotics are also quite convenient.

Crew Manifest is also helpful for extracting Kerbals from the current parts workshop, which is otherwise a one-way trip.

If you have Kethane installed as well, you will need

Auger- to mine Ore

Ore Bin- store Ore

Smelter- convert Ore to Metal

Metal Bin- store metal

Workshop- convert Metal to RocketParts, and store Kerbal laborers

Kerbal laborers- somebody's got to do the legwork.

(optional) Recycle bin which can convert other ships into RocketParts)

RocketParts Can- store RocketParts

Launchpad or Runway- to construct ship, both work for either type of vessel

Once you've got a supply of Rocketparts, right click the launchpad, select your previously designed vessel that doesn't include launch stability enhancers, and if you have sufficient RP, click build. A progress bar should appear, and the speed of construction is determined by the quantity and quality(stupidity) of Kerbals that you have working in the attached workshops.

{This is where my knowledge of it falls apart, so please correct}

When the progress bar fills, look in the EL window for a "Finalize Build" button, which will spawn the craft of the launchpad. You then click . . . somewhere . . . to add resources to the craft, Fuel, Electric Charge, Monoprop, etc . . . then click *somewhere* to release the craft. May God have mercy on your soul.

If you do not have Kethane installed:

????

????

????

magic

????

a ship appears

While reasonably brief, I think the first set of instructions are adequate for users of KSP. Just so long as you give them a general idea of what direction they're headed in.

Also, bug report: Copying the current version over some older versions does not always result in a functioning copy. Users with functionality problems should be advised to delete their previous version before installing the new one.

[BigD145]

Where do I start with my list of dozens of questions about fine details, orcaman? There are many. MANY. You've covered less than what's in the game already through item descriptions. What you have isn't even an outline yet.

" You then click . . . somewhere "

So, I click a button in Firefox? I click a button in the start menu? What? I don't get it. I touch the screen, right? That's "clicking"?

It's not that easy to make a guide. KSP lets you put any part on any other part. Sometimes that matters a great deal which part is connected to which other part AND the orientation of those parts. Explain to someone how one engine is placed on any part, where, and why you do it that way. That's at least two paragraphs if you want to do it right. You have to explain the nodes and which end is "up" and which the "business end". That doesn't even cover decouplers. And you know what? You need all that info to build rockets in EL. It'll take the same amount of words to explain EL's orbital launchpad.

[colmo]

Is there ongoing work on the models? I had a look at the mod, but the rough quality (aside from the 2nd and folding launchpads, the improved ore detector, and the 3D printer) and the many, many duplicate items of different sizes (hexcans everywhere!) led to a swift deletion. The Procedural parts (StretchySRB cont.) mod would be an ideal solution - would just need to add the various resources and a new texture to the existing parts, and being procedural, slashes the clutter.

Edit: It's already been done! http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/75761-WIP-%280-23-5%29-Procedural-Parts-mod-compatibility-extra-tanks

I agree some documentation and/or tutorials in video or screenshot form would be really helpful. I'd actually start with a flow chart, showing what the inputs and outputs of different parts are.

Edited April 24, 2014 by colmo

[BahamutoD]

This game is totally open ended, BigD145, so there's really no point in going into all those details. As long as you have the necessary components, it is the essence of the game for it to be up to you how to assemble and use them. You can't expect orcaman to build a working rig for you through text. His brief explanation was already enough to get you started; the rest is where the challenge of this game comes in.

And yes, you touch a button on your screen in firefox to add resources to the craft. Maybe you could start your own guide. Make sure to write a couple paragraphs to explain how to use a mouse to click on stuff, and how to tell which side of a rocket points up. We'd be enlightened.

[alphaxerosyx]

Not sure what I'm doing wrong here. I have an orbital construction dock. I've sent up enough rocket parts to build something. But it isn't building.

[Booots]

Not sure what I'm doing wrong here. I have an orbital construction dock. I've sent up enough rocket parts to build something. But it isn't building. (Picture of orbital shipyard with no kerbals)

You need a construction workshop with some kerbals in it to build something. If you've installed Module Manager, any manned command pod will do, but really, construction workshops (the big blue pod under utilities) are the way to go.

Also, this is why we need orcaman's guide because I'm pretty sure this has been said at least three times now.

[BigD145]

This game is totally open ended, BigD145, so there's really no point in going into all those details. As long as you have the necessary components, it is the essence of the game for it to be up to you how to assemble and use them.

Yes and no. Parts flat out don't work in many situations. The single most common question amongst the various mods, ignoring "I can't install this right, what have I done wrong," would be "I put this and this together and they don't work. WHY?! It should work..." Notice the 2nd post above this one? Yeah....

Putting your drills with the drill bits point upwards, away from the ground? Not going to work as intended. Someone will need a FAQ or guide for that. Attaching EL's Orbital dock with the big end facing parts containers? Not going to work as intended. You say "open ended" but that doesn't work so well when you block the business end of a part.

[BudgetHedgehog]

Are you seriously saying people can't know how drills work without written instructions?

That's it, call me Wonko The Sane from now on. I'm building a house called The Outside of the Asylum and framing your post above the inside (outside) front door.

EDIT: For posterity:

Putting your drills with the drill bits point upwards, away from the ground? Not going to work as intended. Someone will need a FAQ or guide for that.

Edited April 24, 2014 by ObsessedWithKSP

[BigD145]

You haven't been on the internet very long, have you? Ah, right. I should probably set my location to "America". Does that explain how jaded and cynical I am? We made Pop-Tarts with instructions on them that are longer than "Heat. Eat. Warning: Don't burn yourself ya idjit." Instead it starts with "Remove pastry from pouch." America is not unique in that regard.

Bahamut's smaller yellow drill is not that obvious in how it opens until you see it extended. I can see someone sending a craft out and it getting there and they scream because it's opening the wrong way. When you turn a craft over and over, especially landers, things like that could happen. It's not that uncommon to attach craft sideways or upside down by their nose. Putting stuff in front of the orbital pad? Yeah, I can see that. Tons of people are just computer illiterate and don't understand basic folder structure in a modern OS. You'll see evidence all throughout these forums alone.

Edited April 24, 2014 by BigD145

[BudgetHedgehog]

Call me crazy, but if I send a craft to another planet (without either testing it on Kerbin or even deploying it in the VAB...) and I find the drill is on upside down, but I'd put that down to my own stupidity, not the mods parts or lack of documentation about usage instructions.

As for orbital pad, yeah, I can see people might put it on back to front, but to be brutally honest, if you need instructions that consist of 'make sure you put it on the right way round', maybe orbital construction isn't for you. Personally, I see that as useful as something like 'in order to transmit MegaJoules, you need to have a transmitter' on KSP Interstellar's wiki. Yes, it's useful but it's also blindingly obvious.

Yes, it's true that in a previous post in this thread, I expressed a desire for a wiki of sorts, but that was more of a 'what parts need what resources? How do I use the recycling bin?' kind of question, not a 'how can I tell if my drill is upside down?' kind of thing. I asked about the bin because the most detail I could surmise from posts about it was 'get close to it'. That, to me, is inadequate usage instructions. On the other hand, a drill should be fairly easy to operate and troubleshoot.

Edited April 24, 2014 by ObsessedWithKSP

[Josh Hawley]

I have a launch pad on Ike, and every time I build something. it explodes. The part that I am building is a ground pylon that has a few pipe endpoints on it (from KAS). The log says "Ground Pylon collided with Ike".

Any ideas?

[Josh Hawley]

Odd... I flew the pad up in the air 2 meters or so, spawned it, and a different part on my ship exploded. That part(lander can) was exactly in the same physical space that the pad would have spawned the pylon in. I reloaded and tried again, this time flying 20 meters in the air, and it spawned fine. Its like there is a spot 10 or so meters off the ground that explodes when I spawn stuff in it...

[Josh Hawley]

It just keeps getting weirder and weirder. I made a big launch pad and unfolded it on the surface of ike. I spawned some parts on it, and its root part exploded. That has to be key here. Every time something has exploded it was a root part.