[1.0.4] Smart Parts v1.6.6 | DDS Textures and Bug Fixes | July 5

[ultrasquid]

Good to hear this is still working! These things seem basic and useful enough that they should be included as stock.

[sp1989]

Good to hear this is still working! These things seem basic and useful enough that they should be included as stock.

True! And with the new update they seem more useful then before.

[Firov]

New update everyone!

Mostly it's just a recompile to support KSPAPIExtension 1.7.2 and by extension, KSP .90. However, I also think I tracked down and fixed that annoying timer bug that could cause it to fire upon loading a save game or a scene change. Please let me know if you experience any more issues with it.

Grab the latest release from my GitHub repo, and as always, let me know if you experience problems or have suggestions!

v2.0.4 Updated KSPAPIExtension to add KSP 0.90 compatibility and bug fixes

• Compatibility update for KSP 0.90
  
• Updated KSPAPIExtension to 1.7.2
  
• Hopefully fixed bug affecting timer firing upon save load or scene change
  

SmartParts Release Page

Edited December 19, 2014 by Firov

[linuxgurugamer]

Thank you for updating this. Will install and test this weekend

[Nereid]

Thanks for updating.

[Artfact]

I couldn't find itwith a swift skimming of thwe thread so forgive me if I missed it: are these parts integraded into the tech tree?

[ultrasquid]

I couldn't find itwith a swift skimming of thwe thread so forgive me if I missed it: are these parts integraded into the tech tree?

Yes, you don't get them all at once. Makes things more interesting that way.

[brfield]

You should look into making this compatible with KSP Add-On Version Checker http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/79745-0-90-KSP-AVC-Add-on-Version-Checker-Plugin-1-1-5-MiniAVC-KSP-AVC-Online

[DBT85]

You should look into making this compatible with KSP Add-On Version Checker http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/79745-0-90-KSP-AVC-Add-on-Version-Checker-Plugin-1-1-5-MiniAVC-KSP-AVC-Online

Seconded!

All mods should.

[Firov]

Seconded!

All mods should.

I've looked into it, and it could definitely be useful. I'll add this into the next release.

In the meantime, has anyone experienced any issues? Especially with the timer? I'm 99% sure I fixed all possible situations that could lead to it firing on loading a saved craft, or switching scenes. I'd just like to confirm.

[Guest Jay83]

I was wondering why no mod was made that let you deploy chutes etc at low altitudes. Glad I found your mods.

And radio scanners that let you activate things is a great idea. Would be useful for triggering events when approaching stations etc. Deserves more recognition this mod does.

One small gripe would be the range of the radio scanners as it's only 2km which isn't very far, though I haven't played around with it yet.

Great work... hope you continue to work on it.

[Firov]

Update Ahoy!

This update adds full support (hopefully) for two commonly requested mods, KSP Add-on Version Checker as well as Action Groups Extended. I have to admit, I wasn't originally planning on adding AGX compatibility with this version, but when Diazo reached out and offered to write all of the compatibility code himself, how could I say no? Thanks again, Diazo!

Anyway, if you're running AGX you'll notice that the SmartParts UI has been slightly altered to support it. Rather than having AG1-10 as an option on the action slider you'll simply have an "Action" option available, which will display another slider that allows you to select the actual action group. If you don't use AGX, then nothing will change and SmartParts will continue to work as it has.

Additionally, SmartParts should now check for updates directly from my GitHub account and let you know if there's a new update ready for download. If there is it will link you right to my Releases page. If you don't have KSP-AVC, it does include Mini-AVC which will require that you opt into the version checking on first run. Some of you may have noticed that the version numbering has actually regressed somewhat. Unfortunately, in order to get my versioning system to be compatible with AVC I had to make a few alterations. I apologize for the confusion that may cause, but things should be straightforward from here on out.

Finally, since dtobi's mods were split amongst many different mod authors, many of whom are now releasing updates on a regular basis for their mods, I've removed the Klockheed Martian "branding" from Smart Parts and changed the folder structure slightly. This was just to ensure that other mods wouldn't share the Smart Parts folder, which could cause serious compatibility issues down the line. As a result of this, please delete the Klockheed_Martin_SmartParts folder before installing SmartParts v1.5.1.

Grab the latest release from my GitHub repo, and as always, let me know if you experience problems or have suggestions!

v1.5.1 - Added support for KSP-AVC, AGX, and changed "brand"/folder name

• Added support for KSP-AVC
  
• Changed "brand" from Klockheed Martian to prevent mod incompatibilities
  
• Please delete old Smart Parts folder before installing v1.5.1
  

SmartParts Release Page

[SMILIE]

Thanks, I was hoping that AGX support was added

I still have one question: do I still need the Klockheed_Martian folder? Or is everything needed now included in the SmartParts folder? (it doesn't seem to have the km_gimbal and km_lib dlls so I think I still need it)

[Firov]

Thanks, I was hoping that AGX support was added

I still have one question: do I still need the Klockheed_Martian folder? Or is everything needed now included in the SmartParts folder? (it doesn't seem to have the km_gimbal and km_lib dlls so I think I still need it)

Excellent question. This is the reason I decided to remove the Klockheed Martian branding. Far too much confusion.

As for the answer, for SmartParts to function, no, you don't require either of those. Everything you need for Smart Parts is in the SmartParts folder. The km_gimbal dll is (or was) used by dtobi's space shuttle engines mod, which is now being maintained by Sarbian, so I would go to his release thread and download his latest version. That should allow you to delete the remaining Klockheed Martian folders.

Edited January 9, 2015 by Firov

[linuxgurugamer]

This was recommended to me for staging events.

I tried installing via CKAN, but CKAN seems to be looking for a version 2.0.4

Can you get that fixed?

Thanks

[Firov]

This was recommended to me for staging events.

I tried installing via CKAN, but CKAN seems to be looking for a version 2.0.4

Can you get that fixed?

Thanks

Truthfully, I wasn't even aware of CKAN until you mentioned it here. I have no idea how it's even attempting to index my mod, much less how it's deriving the version.

I can look into it, but this seems like something they're going to have to fix on their end.

[Diazo]

I just poked at the CKAN and sent a request to update the file.

Give it a bit for the CKAN bot to see the changes and it should be good.

Note that CKAN does not require any input to update usually, just posting as you did on Git is normally enough. This update though the file name change tripped it up so my request asks for that to be fixed.

D.

Edited January 9, 2015 by Diazo

[SMILIE]

Excellent question. This is the reason I decided to remove the Klockheed Martian branding. Far too much confusion.

As for the answer, for SmartParts to function, no, you don't require either of those. Everything you need for Smart Parts is in the SmartParts folder. The km_gimbal dll is (or was) used by dtobi's space shuttle engines mod, which is now being maintained by Sarbian, so I would go to his release thread and download his latest version. That should allow you to delete the remaining Klockheed Martian folders.

Thanks for the info!

[linuxgurugamer]

I just poked at the CKAN and sent a request to update the file.

Give it a bit for the CKAN bot to see the changes and it should be good.

Note that CKAN does not require any input to update usually, just posting as you did on Git is normally enough. This update though the file name change tripped it up so my request asks for that to be fixed.

D.

Thank you!

Just updated, it came in correctly.

- - - Updated - - -

Just wanted to say again thanks for a great mod. Solved my staging issues very nicely.

[Twinkee]

First... this is an awesome mod. Thanks.

However I have a request... I know it's kinda silly... but could someone create a whoppie cushion sound for the vent valves. Or failing that could someone please point me at a tutorial to try myself. Again Thanks.

[Sinsis]

Hi! Your radio controller part would be marvelous if it could extend beyond the 2K radius, I suppose that's a game limitation? Failing that, is there any way I could program one of your parts to cut off the engine at a certain periapsis/apoapsis? (I guess a timer could offer SOME support, but it wouldn't be very precise as every launch is a little different).

The thing is, I'm developing a reusable rocket, and have gotten to the stage that I can get her into a good suborbital trajectory, drop her payload and turn round (she's controllable after separation through a comms link) and get back down to the surface in a controlled fashion. However, the payload that I drop still has to perform a burn to stabilise the orbit. Because I am flying back the first stage myself, I can't pilot the other craft and have her cut her engine when the orbit is OK.

Cheers! These parts are impressive.

[Diazo]

@Sinsis: As you guessed, this is a game limitation. The 2km limit is the physics radius, outside of that vessels don't really exists and are just rocks following their orbit. Nothing works when a vessel is in this state (unloaded outside 2km), including these parts.

The biggest effect this has is that there is no physics outside the 2km range, so even if engines could be activated, they simply wouldn't work as they can not generate any thrust force with physics simulation disabled..

There are various plug-ins out there to try and simulate the staging effect (and landing one stage) you are trying for, but the base game does not really support it.

D.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Diazo

[Sinsis]

@Sinsis: As you guessed, this is a game limitation. The 2km limit is the physics radius, outside of that vessels don't really exists and are just rocks following their orbit. Nothing works when a vessel is in this state (unloaded outside 2km), including these parts.

The biggest effect this has is that there is no physics outside the 2km range, so even if engines could be activated, they simply wouldn't work as they can not generate any thrust force with physics simulation disabled..

There are various plug-ins out there to try and simulate the staging effect (and landing one stage) you are trying for, but the base game does not really support it.

D.

Thanks, I'll post my issue in the stagerecovery thread to see if they can help further.

[Firov]

Thanks, I'll post my issue in the stagerecovery thread to see if they can help further.

Hey Sinsis. While it is a game limitation that prevents the radio from being used on unloaded vessels, you might still have a few options. The first one I'd suggest looking at is this.

Flight Manager for Reusable Stages

I've not actually used it myself, but in theory it will allow you to manually control all of the rocket stages. So you initially do your launch, dropping stages as expected along the way. However, once you get your payload into orbit you use that mod to go back to the stage separation points and manually control each dropped stage until you get it on the ground and then move on to the next stage.

In theory it's a great idea, and if it works in practice then that will allow you to do exactly what you're aiming for.

As far as the radio's ~2km limit, there actually is no range limit on the radio. So if you could get the game not to unload/pack vessels beyond 2km, you could theoretically use the radio to control vessels from a much longer range. I know TouhouTorpedo made a mod that massively pushed out the vessel unloading range to around ~500km, but unfortunately it's no longer developed or supported. Still, there may be other mods out there that do something similar that I simply don't know about. Here's the thread for TT's mod.

TT NeverUnload - Vessel Unloading Preventer

[hab136]

How about a part that watches for dock/undock events? For example to shut off engines when docked, so that shift key doesn't destroy your station.

Alternatively, a proximity range sensor. Put a part on your station and your ship, then when you get closer than 200 m, fire an action group. Then when you get farther than 200 m away, fire a different action group.

This way you could automatically close solar panels and retract antennas when docking (for safety!), and you won't forget to redeploy them when leaving.