[1.0.4] BoxSat vA.02f - Updated 09/16/2015

[orcmaul]

hi there I was just wondering if there are any plans afoot to revamp this mod and make it compatible for 1.0 as it is an awesome mod

also love the rcs enjoins but if I may suggest putting a attachment node on them on the underside so I could add them to the top of my rocket but use them for propulsion under the satellite

yours in hope

the hawk

Hello the hawk,

I'm not expecting KSP 1.0 to break anything for us I do plan to release an update after testing it with 1.0. The big change will probably be a bit of folder renaming and updating the MM files so that the install will be easier. I think we have a new texture for the LFO engine but I still have some comparison testing to do to see if we've resolved a texture mapping issue. It looks like I also need to make some new screenshots to show how the payload frame works.

[hawk_za]

awesome thanks for the update orcmaul

I am so looking forward to really sinking my teeth into this mod esp now that 1.0 is going to be adding fairings and occlusion it makes a small satellite package like this almost must have.

fantastic mod one of only a handful I use

[stibbons]

I have a few box sats with temperature probes in a polar Mun orbit to complete temperature scanning contracts. The tiny little box whizzing over at 7.5km altitude really is a sight to see.

But the problem I have with them is that I can't rename them. They were all launched at once, created as subassemblies that I attached to a larger ship with TR-2V decouplers. Now they all have the same name and presumably the probe core is the root part. But the probe core is fully enclosed and I can't right-click it to change it.

I guess it's possible for a crewed mission to go and intercept them and open them up. Any other suggestions to rename them short of editing my save file? Would also be interested in ways to prevent this happening again. Is it currently possible to use an Infernal Robotics hinge to open/close the maintenance cover?

[orcmaul]

(snip) But the problem I have with them is that I can't rename them. They were all launched at once, created as subassemblies that I attached to a larger ship with TR-2V decouplers. Now they all have the same name and presumably the probe core is the root part. But the probe core is fully enclosed and I can't right-click it to change it. (snip)

Hmm... I'll give this some thought. With RT you can rename your craft through the RT interface. Are there any other mods that allow you to rename vehicles? We also have the hatch that jettisons if you're a big fan of space debris.

[stibbons]

Oh, I didn't realise the RT flight computer let me rename things. That should do nicely.

[Mecripp]

Wasn't there away you could rename them at the space center ?

[Dragonchampion]

Does this have Karbonite and DMagic compatibility yet?

[Mecripp]

Does this have Karbonite and DMagic compatibility yet?

What's not compatibility or you mean does it do all the Science that DMagic does ? and for Karbonite you can use then scanner that comes with Karbonite or use ScanSat or there is a Planet mapping mod to don't remember the name off hand.

EDIT- If any of them you want to add to this parts you should look at ModuleManager Thread it's not to hard to add this stuff to any part.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Mecripp2

[Drew Kerman]

Wasn't there away you could rename them at the space center ?

Select the Info (i) button on the right of the Tracking Station screen and you can click on the craft name to rename it

[orcmaul]

Select the Info (i) button on the right of the Tracking Station screen and you can click on the craft name to rename it

Perfect. Thank you for posting this. I love the blueprints from your mission reports series.

[zxczxczbfg]

Any word on whether this works in 1.0? I assume, since it's a simple part mod, it should work, but I'm too cowardly to try it.

[Jashin]

Any word on whether this works in 1.0? I assume, since it's a simple part mod, it should work, but I'm too cowardly to try it.

Haven't tested it myself, but you can go on and do it ! Nothing will break out of control if you set up a clean testing environment. Copy-paste a clean 1.0 KSP install anywhere (in order to keep your own install safe), and only install the mod you're testing. If it works, good. If not, just delete the whole folder, check out the mod for now. Nothing bad will happen this way.

[orcmaul]

Any word on whether this works in 1.0? I assume, since it's a simple part mod, it should work, but I'm too cowardly to try it.

My first tests show that BoxSat is broken in 1.0. Looks like there's been a change to stack nodes that we'll need to resolve for BoxSat. I'm still trying out 1.0 for myself right now so I can't say when a fixed and updated BoxSat will be ready.

[Beetlecat]

My first tests show that BoxSat is broken in 1.0. Looks like there's been a change to stack nodes that we'll need to resolve for BoxSat. I'm still trying out 1.0 for myself right now so I can't say when a fixed and updated BoxSat will be ready.

TBH -- I'd wait for anything to formally announce 1.0 (but certainly try it!) since any parts or flight behavior is going to need integration into the new stock modeling & gameplay elements.

[zxczxczbfg]

Looks like there's been a change to stack nodes that we'll need to resolve for BoxSat.

Yep, it seems that BoxSat (and many other part mods) really doesn't like the new stack node system. The parts still show up on the list and seem to function fine individually, but the broken nodes mean that they can't be assembled into anything useful.

[Mecripp]

Thats because there was a bug with the nodes before and now they fixed it.

[orcmaul]

Yep, it seems that BoxSat (and many other part mods) really doesn't like the new stack node system. The parts still show up on the list and seem to function fine individually, but the broken nodes mean that they can't be assembled into anything useful.

A quick read of the release notes suggests that previously the stack nodes were not sign sensitive. So previously 1 and -1 for node orientation were equivalent and the game was ok with parts being attached upside down (relative to the node). If I'm correct about that then the fix should be to change the sign on the affected nodes and see if the problem is resolved. I'm still in the early stages of testing 1.0 (alright, I'm playing KSP) and setting up a development environment for 1.0. I'm still working through learning a lot of the changes so I understand what's supposed to happen when I'm testing BoxSat. In other words, flying airplanes is fun, wheee!

Now for some thoughts regarding the new features.

• I'm going to see if I can get the frame to be an enclosure for the modules, hopefully that'll work.
  
• I'm planning on making the solar panels not retract once extended like the stock solar panels now behave.
  
• The Oscar B and Round 8 now hold more fuel so I need to decide if the BoxSat LFO module will also need to hold more.
  
• BoxSat is not intended to survive atmospheric entry on its own so my initial intention is to set the Max Temperature to 1200.
  
• I'm planning to see if I can make the hatch do that transparency thing in the editor so you can check the contents without pulling the hatch.
  

Let me know how you feel about these specific changes. I'm going to hold off on discussing new parts until after I've released a working version for KSP 1.0.

[Mecripp]

A quick read of the release notes suggests that previously the stack nodes were not sign sensitive. So previously 1 and -1 for node orientation were equivalent and the game was ok with parts being attached upside down (relative to the node). If I'm correct about that then the fix should be to change the sign on the affected nodes and see if the problem is resolved. I'm still in the early stages of testing 1.0 (alright, I'm playing KSP) and setting up a development environment for 1.0. I'm still working through learning a lot of the changes so I understand what's supposed to happen when I'm testing BoxSat. In other words, flying airplanes is fun, wheee!

Now for some thoughts regarding the new features.

• I'm going to see if I can get the frame to be an enclosure for the modules, hopefully that'll work.
  
• I'm planning on making the solar panels not retract once extended like the stock solar panels now behave.
  
• The Oscar B and Round 8 now hold more fuel so I need to decide if the BoxSat LFO module will also need to hold more.
  
• BoxSat is not intended to survive atmospheric entry on its own so my initial intention is to set the Max Temperature to 1200.
  
• I'm planning to see if I can make the hatch do that transparency thing in the editor so you can check the contents without pulling the hatch.
  

Let me know how you feel about these specific changes. I'm going to hold off on discussing new parts until after I've released a working version for KSP 1.0.

Be nice if Stock had a up to date wiki that, I could find, Squad a good handful of new MODULE but can't find anything on them but you might try this one

	MODULE
	{
		name = ModuleSeeThroughObject
		transformName = TrussMount
		shaderName = KSP/Bumped Specular (Transparent)
		screenRadius = 1.0
		leadModuleIndex = 0
		leadModuleTgtValue = 0
	}

It might just be for VAB.

[Mecripp]

If anyone wants to try a couple of patches made one to fix the nodes and ones is for using KIS, By me putting the hatch has a node makes it alittle hard to put the stuff on the inside, I might take it out but let me know what you think. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/72893034/help/BoxSat_Patch.cfg.zip

And still needs the temp and that new stuff but will add more later.

[orcmaul]

The update of BoxSat is mostly complete and I'm spending today testing. So far all the basics of assembly and function seem to be working well.

Thermal testing is taking a long time. Time warp seems to interfere with the thermal simulation and so all thermal testing has to be done at 1x speed. I've completed two sundives and BoxSat does eventually fold due to heat. I'm currently in a solar orbit near Moho and testing endurance.

I'm having a lot of issues with KSP crashing while testing. I'm not getting any debug messages so I'm not sure if it's caused by BoxSat, something I'm doing, or something with KSP. Memory performance is very good and garbage collection seems to be working so I'm not sure what the problem is.

[Alvargon]

The update of BoxSat is mostly complete and I'm spending today testing. So far all the basics of assembly and function seem to be working well.

Thermal testing is taking a long time. Time warp seems to interfere with the thermal simulation and so all thermal testing has to be done at 1x speed. I've completed two sundives and BoxSat does eventually fold due to heat. I'm currently in a solar orbit near Moho and testing endurance.

I'm having a lot of issues with KSP crashing while testing. I'm not getting any debug messages so I'm not sure if it's caused by BoxSat, something I'm doing, or something with KSP. Memory performance is very good and garbage collection seems to be working so I'm not sure what the problem is.

In my case, I prefere a good work than a fast work, take your time.

[naloxone]

Thanks for the work, orc, I'll be looking forward to it whenever you are satisfied it is ready for primetime.

Fell off the wagon a bit after .24 for other reasons, but Boxsat brought me back in a big way, I was having great fun with it and Remotetech!

[orcmaul]

A molniya constellation and a keosync triangle? Someone's working overtime to achieve global communications.

It seems like Squad might not be done tweaking how thermal works. I've got BoxSat halfway to behaving how I want thermally but I had to give it some extreme stats to get that behavior. Squad may change it again and I'll have to retune it again. We'll get there eventually. What I'm looking for is some noticeable thermal cycling between orbital night and day and to have BoxSat reliably burn up during unprotected kerbin reentry. Right now, not much of anything will burn up for me but with a shallow reentry it breaks up nicely. Despite my apparent obsession with fiery death you can still visit Moho semi-safely (you'll be warm but not hot).

I'm also getting some stupid behavior from hard water landings (which aren't supposed to happen anyway). Parts go shooting off of after hard splashdown and if you focus on them they never decelerate. Maybe this is a known issue. Right now it's just a silly known issue.

Let's see, what else. Pretty much all of the basic issues are patched up. I've got the new module manager files using NEEDS in place so the install should be smoother. I'm still running PNG textures but I plan to try DDS conversion once I have everything else in place. I removed a mod I was using to show me part temperatures and I'm crashing less now (I finally found the thermal debug option in cheat window). BoxSat exhibits high drag while reentering with solar panels extended (duh) but the current aerodynamics model does not reliably break the solar panels before BoxSat has decelerated so much that it no longer burns up during reentry. I have long sought a way to change the value for "Panel strength" but never found anything useful. If you know how please let me know.

[Phers]

Is this updated for 1.0.2?

[orcmaul]

Is this updated for 1.0.2?

Not yet. I'm still working on it.