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[Ongoing Dev] [0.23.5] Modular Kolonization System v0.16 (RELEASE) [05-10-2014]

RoverDude

By RoverDude
in KSP1 Mod Development

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RoverDude

RoverDude

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Please see the RELEASE thread :)

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/79588

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REQUIRED MODS:

Kethane

TAC Life Support

KNOWN ISSUES

Sometimes a generator will claim there is no space for a resource when there is. Appears to be a TAC bug, but this one solves itself if you reload the vessel. Working on a hacky fix.

**SCARY RED TEXT**

This mod is currently in alpha. While the models should be stable at this time, all things are still subject to change. Please only use this on a backed up save, or one you have specifically for alpha testing. While I will make every effort not to break too many parts, I would assume that with 100% certainty, some things will change prior to the final release..

That being said, if you'd like to help test this out that would be absolutely awesome. Primarilly, I'm looking for feedback on balance, feel, etc. - it is meant to be hard, with modules that have to be built in-situ (most rockets will spaghetti-noodle to death if you load them up on Kerbin). So please use this thread for discussion, feedback, etc.

Please be gentle, this is my first mod ;)

GitHub Repo

New Walkthrough on the WIKI

There are a ton of WIKI pages, and documentation is expanding.

Source code is available on GitHub, as is the issues list (please report issues there).

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Background

As a TAC Life Support user, one of the bits missing has been food production. And while working through how to add a greenhouse without it being so breaky that you might as well turn TAC-LS off, I started working on the bits that would end up being my first iteration of a colony-building system.

The concept is to have a series of parts that can be assembled to form a self-sufficient colony. While this has been done in the past to greater and lesser extents, there were a few things I wanted to add:

  • A system for in-situ construction, where light shells and specialized tools/parts would be used to build out the remaining module on-site.
  • 100% compatibility with the TACGenericConverter (I actually subclass this) - I've had weird luck trying to mix mods and many kerbals have died of asphyxiation or starvation as a result.
  • A system by which certain modules can only be active when all of the subcomponents (done as resources) are installed. In MKS, modules require about 15-20 tons of ConstructionParts to be present, or the modules will fail.
  • A scaleable, self-sustaining system where, as a colony expands, it becomes more self-sufficient, and once complete, can essentially be left on auto-pilot. Granted, to hit this, an investment of several game years (too fast to just warp through) would be required, as well as a ton of logistics.
  • Planetary resource scanning/harvesting for minerals and metals (I leverage Kethane for this).
  • Epic timeframe (see above) to make the completion of a self-sufficient colony an end-game achievement, and to really make the user weigh whether it makes sense to haul supplies or invest in a colony for that multi-year mission.
  • Minimal dependencies, I take dependencies on TAC LS (since Life Support is very central), and chose Kethane for the exploration and exploitation of resources.

Some other design considerations:

  • Low part count, and where possible, I'll be reducing texture and tricount so that bases do not lag.
  • Acceptance that this is a very high level of abstraction. There are great mods for more detailed simulation of in-situ refueling (KSP Interstellar) or biological systems (BioMass+). The sweet spot for MKS is in colony and resource management, and as the phases expand, manufacturing and supply chains.

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Where it's at:

Phase 2 is mostly complete. The core models and MKS modules are complete, and all gameplay elements needed for the initial release are now in play.

  • Colony Hub - links all of the modules together via a resource (PunchCards). One hub can control 25 colony modules.
  • Construction Hub - Takes raw materials (mineral and metal ores) and produces ConstructionParts. Each module requires 250of these to function, so your initial deployment will involve tons (literally) of these to bootstrap the colony. Can also convert Plastic Parts and Mechanical Parts into Modular Parts.
  • Terraformer - Less a true terraformer and more just a gaint tub filled with earthworms. Takes local substrate, mixes in organic matter, water, and light, and cultivates enriched soil for greenhouses. Extremely heavy, and is a very slow process (at last count, it would take about two game years to generate enough enriched soil for a single greenhouse). Has the secondary function of being a high volume water purifier.
  • Greenhouse - Takes compost, enriched soil, CO2, etc. and generates biomass.
  • Kerbitat - Habitat for Kerbals. Handles composting waste for the greenhouse, and converts biomass into food (it has a lovely kitchenette). Plan on replacing these with prettier home modules with glass bubbles once I step up my blender skills.
  • Storage Hut - Just stores all of the stuff needed, since MKS deals in large volumes. Can also be a cargo bay for ships that move MKS resources around to support colony construction.
  • BioLab - Converts substrate and water into compost and CO2 to bootstrap greenhouses
  • Metal Refinery - Converts mined ore into metals
  • Chemical Refinery - Converts mined minerals inth chemicals
  • Polymer Refinery - Converts mined substrate and biomass into Polymers
  • Electronics Fabricator - Turns Polymers and Metal into Electronic Parts
  • Plastics Fabricator - Turns Chemicals and Polymers into Plastic Parts
  • Machine Shop - Turns Metal and Chemicals into Mechanical Parts
  • Robot Factory - Combines Electronic Parts and Mechanical Parts and makes Robotics
  • Computer Factory - Combines Electronic Parts and Plastic Parts and makes Computers
  • Assembly Plant - Combines Modular Parts, Computers, and Robotics into Colony Supplies.
  • Recycler - Takes the output of consumed Colony Supplies (Recycleables) and turns them back into raw materials.

You can get more info on these at the wiki under manufacturing at: https://github.com/BobPalmer/MKS/wiki/Manufacturing

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Coming up:

Larger modules for greenhouses and kerbitats.

Epic scale models that have incremental construction

Also on the list (longer term) is the idea of a 'Chaos Monkey' who, if turned on, will cause random colonial disasters like plagues, earthquakes, etc. (this will be a totally optional feature!)

I'll post updates, etc. here as testing moves on. Code is essentially complete for the first cut, so it's really just down to playtesting and balance, as well as initial documentation (I want this to be dead simple and very easy to get into).

Thanks for watching!

CHANGELOG


0.15.0 (2014.05.04)
[LIST]
[*]Folder reorganization to support better asset reuse
[*]Rebalancing of power consumption
[*]New emmissives for all modules with windows
[*]New Workspace module (a nice cap to hub/tube junctions, also helps efficiency)
[*]Increased crew capacity in modules
[*]New cageless hub (more aesthetic)
[*]Minor texture/model tweaks
[/LIST]

0.14.2 (2014.04.27)
[LIST]
[*]Proxy Logisitics is now limited to Storage parts, as well as a rotating antenna for transferring in PunchCards.
[*]New PDU unit (about 20 times the weight and power as an RTG)
[*]Changed efficiency range from 10-200 to 25-250
[*]Adjusted build times of construction parts
[*]Code optimizations and less crashes
[/LIST]

0.14.1 (2014.04.19)
[LIST]
[*]Fixed a collider and hatch issue with all refinery models
[*]Complete revamp of proximity logistics - now requires proximity to a storage hut (pancake style) or colony hub to operate, and is more expansive in what it will transfer.  Requires CFG mod to work, but will not break saves.
[*]Made efficiency output a bit less verbose (one line not two now)
[*]Added new MKS-styled parts for four-way hubs, tubes, and a custom docking port


0.14.0 (2014.04.12)
[LIST]
[*]New models based off of the NASA Mars DRM concept art.  This will be the look and feel for go-live.
[*]Efficiency - Crew members, available working space, and even factors like crew's location in the colony and their stupidity score all affect module efficiency.
[*]Water Conversion Module (LF+O -> Water, Kethane + Oxygen -> Water)
[*]Proximity Logistics - Tired of Krakens eating your base, or pretending Kerbals can walk through a 6" pipe?  Proximity Logistics lets MKS modules store or retrieve resources they need for operation from other landed ships within a set radius.  KAS and docking ports are still supported as well.
[/LIST]

0.13.1 (2014.04.06)
[LIST]
[*]Updated models for the control cap, and a new Kerbitat cap
[*]New storage models (three types)
[*]New Rover-friendly storage models (two types)
[*]Review of all resource masses and storage capacities
[*]New Recycler module
[*]Removed Construction Block requirement for Colony Hubs and Construction Hubs 
[*]Added 'Rapid Construct' for Construction Hubs - same as old spec.  New default without construction parts is much slower, but lets you bootstrap easier
[*]RemoteTech integration with Colony Hub
[*]Brought back legacy Storage Hut
[/LIST]

0.12 (2014.03.24)
[LIST]
[*]Fixed issue where some of the configs for Secondary and Tertiary manufacturing were not working.
[/LIST]

0.11 (2014.03.23)
[LIST]
[*]Replaced all working models with new models (these should remain pretty static)
[*]Implemented inter-part dependencies (modules need caps)
[*]Finished up resource lists and all supply chain modules (module list should also remain pretty static)
[/LIST]


[B]On the radar:[/B]
[LIST]
[*]IVAs
[*]Texture updates (moving from numeric codes to iconography)
[*]Various parts to support setting up and landing colony modules
[*]UI updates for various colony stats (accessed from the Colony Hub)
[*]Large-scale Buildable structures
[/LIST]

License:

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The Modular Kolonization System by RoverDude is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

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RoverDude

RoverDude

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hey wait i recognize those isn't that the model for Sumghai's Fustek pack and zzz's greenhouse...

although nice textures and logos. i LOLed at the Green Mesa Logo since i love half life

Yep, I derive from FusTek models (my license bit includes fusty, sumghai, and taranis elsu (since I subclass one of the TAC LS classes)), partially so they look pretty together, and also because I suck at Blender :)

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Helix935

Helix935

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Yep, I derive from FusTek models (my license bit includes fusty, sumghai, and taranis elsu (since I subclass one of the TAC LS classes)), partially so they look pretty together, and also because I suck at Blender :)

yeah i suck with blender too and since that has been cleared up good luck :cool:b

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RoverDude

RoverDude

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do you have a github or something that we can follow for updates as you go along with your production?

I'll be kicking these up to GitHub later today - doing a first runthrough and testing some bits out since at the moment I'm still changing config files every ten minutes ;) I just lucked out and found a mun spot that had kethane, minerals, and metals so I can try out mining without having to lug stuff all over the place to where I make the base. I just hope the spots are flat...

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RoverDude

RoverDude

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This is very interesting.

You mentioned KSP interstellar, will it be compatible with mobile rafinery and stuff?

I don't have KSP Interstellar on my phase 1 (or phase 2) list, since it uses a different resource model than Kethane. I use both, but went with Kethane since I liked their resource display and I felt it was a nice gameplay experience. That being said, I am not opposed at all to adding on the request list KSP I support, since my Kethane support is just a ModuleManager file and a Kethane resource config (i.e. this could be swapped out and not be game breaking - the resources are all in my TAC config).

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zephrylia

zephrylia

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Exciting! Similar to the question about Interstellar integration (which I also would love to see), I wonder whether you might consider integration with Extraplanetary Launchpads? Given that your ConstructionParts resource sounds pretty similar to RocketParts and that your mod and EL both rely on Kethane. Maybe this would be as simple as the end user just editing cfg files to make your parts require RocketParts rather than ConstructionParts to build?

At any rate, thanks for bringing this to the community, definitely looking forward to playing with it!

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RoverDude

RoverDude

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There isnt a download link

I'll toss one up once I finish the initial testing :) Today was a lot of warp fast-forwarding, but I was able to set up a three Kerbal colony in about four game years and a lot of launches.

RE LaunchPads, it may just flat out work - but if I see there is some overlap in the resources (i.e. metals is probably one), I'll likely just stick with a shared name so that there would be no need for dealing with competing resources.

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RoverDude

RoverDude

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FYI - I took a VERY quick glance at EL and it looks like it will be an easy add-on. I'll just change MKS to work with Metal vs Metals, and Ore vs MetalOre - also the masses look pretty close, so I will stick with what EL has. That way MKS can work either by itself or side by side. I'll just need to rope someone into compatability testing since I try to keep my dev install very light.

May even add a RockedParts factory to the supply chain as a separate but jointly compatible part.

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RoverDude

RoverDude

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Aren't those pretty much just re-textures of the FusTek/SumGhai parts?

Are you sure you have the license for using those?

Yep, for working models they are retextures with attribution (don't worry, I checked and made sure that anything I derived from had the correct license). Granted could have worked with round white cylinders given most of it has been adding new resources and a bit of additional C# code to add a new parts module.

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BananaDealer

BananaDealer

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Yep, for working models they are retextures with attribution (don't worry, I checked and made sure that anything I derived from had the correct license). Granted could have worked with round white cylinders given most of it has been adding new resources and a bit of additional C# code to add a new parts module.

Carry on then. This sounds rather interesting...

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