[0.90.0] Fine Print vSTOCK'D - BETA RELEASE!!! (December 15)

[m_j_lyons]

Just playing around with this. Looking a contract to place a satellite in keliostationary orbit of the Sun. One of the conditions is "keep line of sight with Dawton's Emitter". What's a "Dawton's Emitter"?!

Look on the map - there is likely a waypoint on the map that is labeled thus. Is there a timeframe associated with the condition?

[Motokid600]

In .55a you have to eyeball it by matching what is shown as the required orbit with your actual orbit. Using manual nodes to adjust your orbit to get the prediction lines to overlap is the best way so you can fine tune the node and then readjust if it doesn't quite match.

I too am trying to finish up a satellite contract before updating. A Duna tundra orbit. But there's a problem. I can get every objective checked except the orbital parameters. I eyed it up perfect. My orbit matches the contracts displayed orbit dead-on-balls. ( Its an industry term ) The lines are right on top of eachother. It will not give it to me. How much error does 3% allow for? Because again I am right on top of where I need to be. Yet I cannot complete this contract.

And it seems as if it won't give me the "launch satellite" objective either. I didn't put much thought into that thinking it would all wrap up when I complete the proper orbit. Could that be related?

[Arsonide]

I too am trying to finish up a satellite contract before updating. A Duna tundra orbit. But there's a problem. I can get every objective checked except the orbital parameters. I eyed it up perfect. My orbit matches the contracts displayed orbit dead-on-balls. ( Its an industry term ) The lines are right on top of eachother. It will not give it to me. How much error does 3% allow for? Because again I am right on top of where I need to be. Yet I cannot complete this contract.

And it seems as if it won't give me the "launch satellite" objective either. I didn't put much thought into that thinking it would all wrap up when I complete the proper orbit. Could that be related?

0.55 had some bugs with matching inclinations that would cause it to not match. The satellite objective not completing is likely because you did not launch a new satellite for the company. You can't repurpose old satellites for these contracts. You have to launch a new one. That same objective also makes sure that your craft has power, an antenna, and is unmanned.

There is no interference between DMagic's Orbital Science, my mod, or Mission Controller 2. You can mix and match contract mods freely. Granted, when I patch, I reset your contract board, which also refreshes their contracts, but I am changing this with the next patch.

Configuration is shaping up nicely. I have about 200 settings saving to the configuration file and loading from it, and sanitizing the variables properly as they load. Now I just need to actually integrate all 200 of them into the generators, which is a daunting task.

Needless to say, you will be able to tweak a lot of things about these contracts. One of the settings I am adding is a simple boolean that I will set to true when I patch. This boolean will force a reset of your contract board, but I am going to change the reset function to only target my contract templates, so it will no longer interfere with stock or other mods. Setting it as a boolean also gives you the user a chance to opt out of this refresh by forcing it to false after patching. I do not recommend this, but I'm giving you the option.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Arsonide

[Motokid600]

I accepted the contract then launched the satellite. But if it's just a bug then I'll bite the bullet and update. No worries.

Edited August 23, 2014 by Motokid600

[seanth]

Is there a tutorial on how to make custom contracts? Is that even possible short of diving into the code?

[Arsonide]

Is there a tutorial on how to make custom contracts? Is that even possible short of diving into the code?

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/86588-Contract-Modding-Information-for-Mod-Authors

[JeffreyCor]

Those configuration options sound amazing! Out of curiosity will the technology node required to unlock types of missions be one of the items you are planning to provide? I thought it could allow better adaption for users that have non stock tech trees such as starting with flight before rockets could have flight missions earlier. Just a thought. Your mod really adds a lot!

[Arsonide]

Those configuration options sound amazing! Out of curiosity will the technology node required to unlock types of missions be one of the items you are planning to provide? I thought it could allow better adaption for users that have non stock tech trees such as starting with flight before rockets could have flight missions earlier. Just a thought. Your mod really adds a lot!

Perhaps, it's going to take me a while to integrate these 200 options into the existing functions without changing the balance I already have too much. There are many things here that I don't even use, like mission penalties on failure are going to be a configurable option, among other things. I particularly added lots of options for configuring the reward output of each mission. Like each difficulty has a multiplier and an additive, so for instance, maybe you want a set amount added on medium difficulty to the base amount, or maybe you want 2x the base amount, or maybe a bit of both. That'll be fully configurable, and these multiplier/additives are going to be available for all side objectives as well, and they are independently available for science, funds, and reputation. Perhaps you think Kolniya orbits should give 2x the funds and an extra 10 science. That'll be possible.

My existing functions that check for technology already use strings, so that should be fairly easy to add as well.

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

Not to harp, but doesn't TWO HUNDRED options sound a bit micro-management happy? Sure, I likes me options, but would you mind giving us the list of what they are?

[Arsonide]

Not to harp, but doesn't TWO HUNDRED options sound a bit micro-management happy? Sure, I likes me options, but would you mind giving us the list of what they are?

Only if you promise not to nitpick the values, because they actually aren't fully set up yet. The values themselves are real, the numbers I've put in them are not. I promise I'm naming them to be easy to understand, and organizing them well for you.

http://hastebin.com/jilefecure.cfg

[AdmiralTigerclaw]

What's the 'Facility' subset?

[Arsonide]

What's the 'Facility' subset?

Internally base and station contracts are considered the "Facility" contract. I might break this apart. That subset is particularly WIP so don't be surprised if you see obvious missing options there.

[Renegrade]

Only if you promise not to nitpick the values, because they actually aren't fully set up yet. The values themselves are real, the numbers I've put in them are not. I promise I'm naming them to be easy to understand, and organizing them well for you.

http://hastebin.com/jilefecure.cfg

Rar the values are all wrong ! /pitchforks /torches /angrymob

Just kidding. That's an awesome level of configuration, I approve! You might even end up with a little sub-industry of people providing different sets of configurations for different playstyles. I like it very much and am looking forward to seeing it in action once it's ready

[Arsonide]

I'm actually running into an issue that might cut back the number of configurable values by a lot. The additive values in particular are causing issues, and I think I will remove them in lieu of only having multipliers.

Keep in mind this example, if funds advance, funds completion, and funds failure penalty are all (funds base + additive)*multiplier, consider the case where you have additive and multiplier, but you set penalty to zero. Penalty will still pop up as something, which is dumb. The additives also cause a lot of unnecessary bulk.

This also means that you should keep multipliers for side objectives (like adding multipliers for parts on a satellite) pretty low, like 1.2 or something, because they will stack: 1.2 * 1.2 * 1.2

EDIT: Fully integrated the configuration values for ARM, Rover, and Aerial contracts into the actual generation functions of the contracts. Added and removed some values from the configuration template in the process of this, here's an updated look at it: http://hastebin.com/lifagituxa.cfg

Tomorrow I'll be checking out Satellite and Facility. I'm putting those two off for last cause dear lord. Once I'm done integrating I need to do a balance and refactor pass before I release. The balance of this release will shift somewhat, and I'll be dealing with that tomorrow or the day after, so if you have opinions about the rewards for anything, now is the time to voice them.

Of course, after this release, you can actually implement your opinions...but I'd like default to be as spot on as it can be.

Edited August 23, 2014 by Arsonide

[Superfluous J]

Not to nitpick, but there are only* 50 different variables in that config file

*I'm using the word only sarcastically here. 50 variables is great, and the ability to set them individually for each contract is greater. I've had frustrations with the in-game contracts how every single value uses a SINGLE config option that wasn't even originally made for them.**

**I don't think I've ever made an aside that's longer than my post.

[undercoveryankee]

Would it be possible to move the hard-coded list of modules that count as "power" and "antenna" into a config file? Would save having to recompile Fine Print if a mod that introduces a new power-generation module catches on.

[BoilingCold]

Hello there,

First of all - great mod! I love it, it's added a brilliant layer to my KSP career games, thank you!

I do, however, have a couple of problems. I seem to have issues with equatorial satellite missions, they appear to be impossible to complete for me. I can get the orbit as perfect as visually possible but still the objective never turns green. I have had to end up using the debug menu to complete them, and now no longer accept any equatorial orbit missions. Unfortunately I run a lot of mods so I can't provide you with a savegame

Secondly, am I misunderstanding asteroid redirection missions? When I accept one there is no indication of where the asteroid is. Am I supposed to simply go out and find one? If so then how on earth do I do that? I can't get any asteroids to display their orbital paths, I can't set them as targets, I really don't see how I can plot an intercept with them. Am I missing something?

Thanks!

[skaven]

Hi, there. Fantastic mod - I'm having so much fun with the new contracts. Really adds a needed layer of challenge and complexity to the contracts system.

I'm having some trouble though with the rover waypoint missions. When I accept the contract, I can see the waypoints (in this case, on the Mun) and I'm able to pilot my vessel to the region. I'm then able, in map view, to select a waypoint and see the notification that a given waypoint has bee selected. I do see that the navball updates with a little wheel icon which steers me in the right direction. Once I reach the waypoint, the contract notification widget shows a checkbox next to the waypoint. Neat! So I jump back to map view to select the next waypoint, but find to my dismay, that the waypoints have disappeared from the map.

I've read through the other comments in this thread (though not all 67 pages) and it seems that other folks have had problems with the waypoints showing up at all -- my situation seems unique (and I can't find any other examples when I search). I know that you'd like to have logs of the event -- what should I do to capture the data you'd need to help troubleshoot this problem? Or, even better, perhaps you're already aware of the problem and you've got a fix for me :-)

Again, great work on this mod and thank you for taking the time to build it and maintain it.

[Arsonide]

Hello there,

First of all - great mod! I love it, it's added a brilliant layer to my KSP career games, thank you!

I do, however, have a couple of problems. I seem to have issues with equatorial satellite missions, they appear to be impossible to complete for me. I can get the orbit as perfect as visually possible but still the objective never turns green. I have had to end up using the debug menu to complete them, and now no longer accept any equatorial orbit missions. Unfortunately I run a lot of mods so I can't provide you with a savegame

Secondly, am I misunderstanding asteroid redirection missions? When I accept one there is no indication of where the asteroid is. Am I supposed to simply go out and find one? If so then how on earth do I do that? I can't get any asteroids to display their orbital paths, I can't set them as targets, I really don't see how I can plot an intercept with them. Am I missing something?

Thanks!

ARM requires you to track a new asteroid yourself, when you track an asteroid, it will show an orbit.

I am aware of an issue regarding equatorial orbits, but I cannot reproduce it myself, and I've been unable to acquire any save data or logs or detailed reports to help me reproduce it. When I am able to reproduce it, I can fix it, but so far I've come up empty handed, which makes me think that it might be a possible mod conflict.

Tell me, was the orbit perfectly circular and equatorial, or equatorial but elliptical?

I'm having some trouble though with the rover waypoint missions. When I accept the contract, I can see the waypoints (in this case, on the Mun) and I'm able to pilot my vessel to the region. I'm then able, in map view, to select a waypoint and see the notification that a given waypoint has bee selected. I do see that the navball updates with a little wheel icon which steers me in the right direction. Once I reach the waypoint, the contract notification widget shows a checkbox next to the waypoint. Neat! So I jump back to map view to select the next waypoint, but find to my dismay, that the waypoints have disappeared from the map.

This seems to be more of a misunderstanding than a problem. The rover contract can actually complete without going to all of the waypoints. If it does this, the contract will turn green, but you won't see checkboxes on all of the objectives, and all of the waypoints will disappear. There is a text notification in the top left when this happens.

The rover mission isn't like the aerial mission, where you have to go to every single point. In the rover mission, there are a lot of points scattered in a small area, and all but one of them is a red herring. You have to find the correct point, so it's more like hide and seek. It looks like you might have just found the right point real quick. You get compensated for each waypoint you have to look through, so the longer the mission takes, the better, actually.

Edited August 23, 2014 by Arsonide

[Raven.]

Ok, something is seriously not right with the satellite deployment contracts since upgrading to 0.57b. They worked fine in 0.55, but with 0.57b, they are completely unplayable.

For instance. I took one contract to deploy to an equatorial orbit. I delivered the satellite to almost, dead on, the exact orbit, and the game would not register that it was in the correct orbit. I exited to the monitoring station, and then switched back to the satellite, and then it registered that I was in the correct orbit. So, I deployed the satellite, deployed the antennae, and then the solar panels. Now, if the satellite was the active vessel, the game would register that the satellite was deployed, but would not recognize that I neutralized the controls. If I switched away to a different craft, it would recognize that I neutralized the controls, but no longer recognized that I had deployed a satellite. After a while of which the craft did absolutely no burns or maneuvers, it would stop recognizing that it was in the correct orbit. Very frustrating.

I'm sorry, but I'm downgrading to 0.55, because the satellite contracts actually worked in that version.

[Arsonide]

Ok, something is seriously not right with the satellite deployment contracts since upgrading to 0.57b. They worked fine in 0.55, but with 0.57b, they are completely unplayable.

For instance. I took one contract to deploy to an equatorial orbit. I delivered the satellite to almost, dead on, the exact orbit, and the game would not register that it was in the correct orbit. I exited to the monitoring station, and then switched back to the satellite, and then it registered that I was in the correct orbit. So, I deployed the satellite, deployed the antennae, and then the solar panels. Now, if the satellite was the active vessel, the game would register that the satellite was deployed, but would not recognize that I neutralized the controls. If I switched away to a different craft, it would recognize that I neutralized the controls, but no longer recognized that I had deployed a satellite. After a while of which the craft did absolutely no burns or maneuvers, it would stop recognizing that it was in the correct orbit. Very frustrating.

I'm sorry, but I'm downgrading to 0.55, because the satellite contracts actually worked in that version.

There is an issue with the equatorial orbits, but they are not completely unplayable, there are many other kinds of orbits to try. Neutralizing the controls is a fairly simple objective, if that is not completing then you probably have SAS or something similar active. Regarding the "not doing any burns or maneuvers", the physics engine "wobbles" your craft ever so slightly as you play, and in an equatorial orbit with zero inclination, this invisible wobble is enough to completely throw off any number of factors. I have checks in place to ignore these factors on equatorial orbits, but for some reason I am getting reports that these checks are not registering. That's about the best way that I can explain it without getting technical.

If you have a save file available so that I can reproduce this issue, that would be very helpful in allowing me to fix the issue. I do not have it on my end, which makes me think it might be a product of special circumstance. Save files help me nail these special circumstances without having to guess at what they are.

I highly advise against downgrading, as there were issues with 0.55 as well. It would be more productive to identify the issue exactly so that I can fix it for 0.58

Edited August 24, 2014 by Arsonide

[Raven.]

There is an issue with the equatorial orbits, but they are not completely unplayable, there are many other kinds of orbits to try. Neutralizing the controls is a fairly simple objective, if that is not completing then you probably have SAS or something similar active. Regarding the "not doing any burns or maneuvers", the physics engine "wobbles" your craft ever so slightly as you play, and in an equatorial orbit with zero inclination, this invisible wobble is enough to completely throw off any number of factors. I have checks in place to ignore these factors on equatorial orbits, but for some reason I am getting reports that these checks are not registering. That's about the best way that I can explain it without getting technical.

If you have a save file available so that I can reproduce this issue, that would be very helpful in allowing me to fix the issue. I do not have it on my end, which makes me think it might be a product of special circumstance. Save files help me nail these special circumstances without having to guess at what they are.

I highly advise against downgrading, as there were issues with 0.55 as well. It would be more productive to identify the issue exactly so that I can fix it for 0.58

Ok, the next time I run across the issue, I'll shoot you a save game file. Keep in mind though, I got tons of mods running.

Now does neutralizing the controls means switching away from the craft, or can the craft be active with no input or SAS?

[Arsonide]

Ok, the next time I run across the issue, I'll shoot you a save game file. Keep in mind though, I got tons of mods running.

Now does neutralizing the controls means switching away from the craft, or can the craft be active with no input or SAS?

At this point I'm willing to install all the mods you have running just to reproduce the issue. When you send me the save just give me a list. Neutralizing the controls should not require you to switch away from the craft...the objectives actually stop functioning unless you're in the flight scene for the most part. If you are in the flight scene but you aren't in the right vessel, that one might flip on if another vessel has inactive controls, but of course the satellite one would flip off.

https://github.com/Arsonide/FinePrint/blob/master/Source/Parameters/KillControlsParameter.cs#L87-90

All it does it check for neutral controls. Neutral controls (I just checked this) is defined as no rotation (yaw, pitch, roll), no translation along any axis, and no trim whatsoever, so neutralize your trim. I hear the trim can give people issues with this objective. Keep in mind that SAS exerts forces in these categories, so disabling that will help too.

I primarily wrote that objective to prevent crashing a base into the surface of the Mun from counting as "establishing a base", but I also added it to a few other missions so you'd get ten seconds to enjoy your orbit before it counted, and so I knew the orbit was stable.

[rosenkranz]

How do you know that you had all parameters matched but ascending node? I check a lot more things than are in the briefing text, but equatorial orbits do not check LAN. If they are checking LAN, then they have an inclination greater than one, in which case it should be visible to the naked eye as a slight tilt, and the longitude of the ascending node should be obvious.

Did you have more than one orbit contract accepted? Are you sure you had the right one open in the tracker? Were you going retrograde to the orbit? Was your argument of periapsis lined up? There are many other variables that might have caused it to not match.

Due to the procedural nature of the contracts I generate, it is hard for me to recreate every situation, and I need many more details to diagnose an issue. If anybody is positive that they are encountering this, and that none of the above situations are true, please zip up your save and send it to me in a private message so that I can figure out exactly what is going on with it, and fix it in the next release. Ensure that the vessel you are using is stock, or I will not be able to load it.

This is a truly nice idea. I would want to extend it to all the planets though, with height classifications. Would you have any rough estimates for Duna, Eve, and Laythe? If you came up with some estimates, I might be able to find patterns in them, and correlate it to the atmosphere height or something, to make it more reusable.

This would also have to be an overhaul that comes after configuration, cause that is my main focus at the moment.

I dunno about him, but I'm certainly feeling stupid as hell right now I've been playing KSP now since .18 so it's not like I don't know what I'm doing but, apparently I don't

I've been fighting with this mission now for over an hour and I'm feeling pretty stupid right about now.

It's to put up a satellite and the orbit specifics are

Ap 3,584,892 meters

Pe 1,152,081 meters

Inclination: 0 degrees

Long of AN: 316.9 degrees

Margin of error 7%

Current Ap/Pe is 3,582,750/1,153,100 meters

Inclination is 0.050 deg

LAN is (according to MJ) 10.5 degree.

However, the current orbit is right on top of the purple should be orbit. Yet the flipping thing wont complete. I can't get it any closer sooooo, what the frig am I doing wrong?

Note: MJ won't report a LAN bigger than 180 as it flips east to west.

No, I'm not yelling at you but this is terribly frustrating

Edit: Figures, I finally post on it and I figure it out (sort of). Noticed when I flipped end over end the orbit would green but when i stopped and it settled it went out of tolerance. So I just kept nudging it normal+/- until i got it to stay green. But jeez it's touchy.

Edited August 24, 2014 by rosenkranz

[matt01ss]

I ran into the same thing today trying to do an orbit contract. Here are some details:

http://imgur.com/WsRoPEB,pDda0Ry

After receiving some information, I looked up my LAN value in my persistence file and found this under my craft:

LAN = 334.947554037965

I'm guessing this might be the issue, since it doesn't match up with the requirements. Without mechjeb or other addons showing this info, is there any way to be able to do these contracts?