[1.1.2] Realism Overhaul v11.0.0 May 8

[Insanitic]

8k textures, here I come!! (And hell, even my 2-year-old laptop runs KSP pretty well, framerate-wise. The graphics aren't the problem, the physics engine is the problem. That's why I ordered that 3.10GHz CPU.)

With unpolished GPU drivers, the GPU DOES matter. I have a 3770k i7 OC'd to 4.5 Ghz desktop CPU with a 7970 Radeon card, and in Windows Opengl, it runs decent. But in Linux, it's unbearable. Moving the camera drops the framerate drastically, instability issues everywhere and overall average framerates are lower than I see on Windows despite the powerful CPU. I suspect it also has something to do with the Unity Engine in Linux, but judging by how I see Nvidia users not noticing FPS problems in Linux and so many unhappy AMD GPU users you can't say that the GPU doesn't matter.

I personally tried KSP on Ubuntu 14 with my Radeon rig and it was painful, despite the uncapped memory potential.

Here's a reddit thread about the current state of using AMD gpu's for KSP in linux:

https://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/2uzj9h/psa_users_of_linux_version_of_ksp_with_amd/

But you are right in that the physics engine also needs a total revamp. On opengl, I noticed that even with a ship that only has around 150 parts the timer starts blinking yellow with the physics timers set at 0.04.

Anyway, rant over. Enjoy the lappy.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Insanitic

[jrandom]

Uh... whoa. Okay. So I'm glad I went with NVidia then.

[Bob Jub]

I really don't know if I can agree with the way that guidance computers are handled in this- They drain large amounts of power- which is a problem amplified with early solar panels- They don't have later variations, I'm sure how things are supposed to work- electronics get smaller, lighter, and lighter power needs. They don't even have a hibernation mode :\

[Insanitic]

uh... Whoa. Okay. So i'm glad i went with nvidia then.

Now do you feel the pain of us amd folks who just want to mod?

Edited May 14, 2015 by Insanitic

[NathanKell]

Bob Jub: sure they have later versions, the Saturn IU supports up to like 20,000t on about a kilowatt, and later probe cores support up to like 5 tons on only a few watts.

[sisyphean]

i agree with bob on the avionics, i make do with what i have but there is no middle ground with the tonnage theres 3 steps upto 1 ton (the satellite bus is endgame so it doesnt count) then theres 120-300 at staggering EC drain then theres saturn unit at 20kt

considering all of those get unlocked around 1960ish it would be really nice if the 120-300 units got an upgrade path because extra planetary probes are pretty difficult to do anything with when you only get 1 ton and it just looks silly stacking probe cores.

if the avionics units got upgrades like the engines did that would be ideal, the end game stuff not having a ton limit would be the end goal just so you wernt restricted to the single core shape for your satellites and probes etc

i know your very busy with the updating for now but it may be something to look into on the to-do list, id gladly do it myself but i have absolutely no clue how to mod.

[FennexFox]

I`ve heard that SQUAD is working on transition to unity 5.

Finally.

[A1Ch1]

While making configs for the LionHead Ariane 6 and Vega, I got sick of doing thrust curves manually. So I created a spreadsheet to help out. Just input the vacuum thrust, Isp, tank volume, and starting throttle, then manipulate the "Delta throttle" column, which is essentially the slope of the curve at that point. It will then compute elapsed time, thrust at that time, and the rate of change of the thrust. Any changes made will update all the other values so tweaking the curves is less of a pain, and the elapsed time output keeps things on track. The delta thrust allows smooth curves to prevent Unity-spiking. It also generates a thrust law chart in real time to compare:

If start or burnout mass are added, it creates an acceleration chart to compare:

It's here to copy. The Ariane 6 and Vega configs are just about finished; hopefully this saves someone else some time

Edited May 16, 2015 by A1Ch1

[frisch]

Is there a way to set MechJeb to not throttle down rockets? It is mostly fine for launches with full realism, but unless you have pre-adjusted the ascent profile correctly, it will sometimes shut down your non-restartable engines as it tries to get on trajectory. Very sad for the Kerbals living down range of a 500T to LEO launch.....

I can hand fly, but its really dull for large rockets that don't simulate at full frame rate during the launch.

[Motokid600]

Same here. I really wish there was a way to untie the throttle control from MJ's ascent guidance. Nine times out of ten I'll disengage MJ once I reach the cruising stage. I just mash z hoping the engine doesn't shut down. Sometimes it works other times not so much. Depends on the engine.

[Agathorn]

Is there a way to set MechJeb to not throttle down rockets? It is mostly fine for launches with full realism, but unless you have pre-adjusted the ascent profile correctly, it will sometimes shut down your non-restartable engines as it tries to get on trajectory. Very sad for the Kerbals living down range of a 500T to LEO launch.....

I can hand fly, but its really dull for large rockets that don't simulate at full frame rate during the launch.

Same here. I really wish there was a way to untie the throttle control from MJ's ascent guidance. Nine times out of ten I'll disengage MJ once I reach the cruising stage. I just mash z hoping the engine doesn't shut down. Sometimes it works other times not so much. Depends on the engine.

I have made this request of Sarbian but not sure when it will appear.

[A1Ch1]

Mechjeb shuts down engines for three reasons: the throttle limit is exceeded, the apoapsis hits the target altitude, or autopilot is turned off. For the first, just leave throttle control off and use Engine Groups to throttle if needed, for the second, set the orbit altitude to way above your target orbit and use "Turn end altitude" to define the target orbit, then perform the final direct (that is, one-burn) injection manually (MJ performs dual-burn injections, to do these automatically set Turn end to just below the target orbit altitude and then change Orbit altitude to the target once you're near orbital velocity). To keep MJ from shutting off engines when autopilot is disengaged, hold down left shift while clicking disengage, then hit Z to return throttle to full if needed.

Edited May 16, 2015 by A1Ch1

[Agathorn]

To keep MJ from shutting off engines when autopilot is disengaged, hold down left shift while clicking disengage, then hit Z to return throttle to full if needed.

Sorry man but that isn't reliable unless they sneaked in a fix when I wasn't looking? The problem is that the throttle hits 0 for at least a moment, and depending on your luck that can be enough to trigger EngineIgnitor and you lose it. Hence why I talked to Sarbian about adding an option to not cut throttle when turned off, but just leave it alone.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Agathorn

[Motokid600]

Yea I mash z when I hit disengage it'll still shutdown the engine and use an ignition when restarting. Some engines can auto ignite if there still hot and won't use an ignition. Others it's like a switch. Immediate shutdown.

[A1Ch1]

The throttle drops slowly enough that it will not reach zero if shift is being held down when auto ascent is disengaged. Not that I don't wish MJ didn't cut engines, but holding shift reliably prevents cutoff.

Edited May 17, 2015 by A1Ch1

[Agathorn]

The throttle drops slowly enough that it will not reach zero if shift is being held down when auto ascent is disengaged. Not that I don't wish MJ didn't cut engines, but holding shift reliably prevents cutoff.

Not for me it doesn't. Maybe 50% of the time.

[nilof]

Question: RO includes many launch pads on Earth. Is it possible to also add launch pads on Mars (such as a future SpaceX base) to get a feel for launch profiles on Mars, or is that hardcoded into the game?

[Rothank]

I hate to rush anyone, but is there any ETA for 1.0 RO? Like "maybe this month" or rather "you'll get it - someday"?

[Agathorn]

I hate to rush anyone, but is there any ETA for 1.0 RO? Like "maybe this month" or rather "you'll get it - someday"?

https://github.com/KSP-RO/RealismOverhaul/issues/250

We're getting there.

[sisyphean]

https://github.com/KSP-RO/RealismOverhaul/issues/250

We're getting there.

i would really love to help you guys with RO but i have absolutely zero experience modding or coding of any kind is there a fast way to learn?

[winged]

In most cases you don't need to modding or coding. Making RO support for parts its just about making/editing .cfg files. Same story for RP-0 career mode.

Edited May 17, 2015 by winged

[sisyphean]

In most cases you don't need to modding or coding. Making RO support for parts its just about making/editing .cfg files. Same story for RP-0 career mode.

so how would i leaarn about how to do that? ive looked at .cfg files in the past and i dont even understand what i read

[mar117117]

I don't wanna be offensive, but I believe that someone with no expirinece (as you say) would do more damage than actual work, so I think we just wait.

[sisyphean]

I don't wanna be offensive, but I believe that someone with no expirinece (as you say) would do more damage than actual work, so I think we just wait.

none taken mate thats my thoughts exactly, im asking because most of the time people say you just learn by doing but i dont want to "do" and get it wrong so i wanted to know where the best learning resources for this would be so i could learn without screwing it up for others,

[Senshi]

The best learning resource for cfg editing will be the API of Module Manager, e.g. https://github.com/sarbian/ModuleManager/wiki/Module%20Manager%20Syntax

and looking at how current cfg files are set up. RO has lots of them, so just open them up and try to understand what they are doing (best have KSP running next to it and compare the actual ingame stats of the specific parts). Once you understand why a part has the stats it has coming from the config, you'll have gained a great deal of understanding. Do that a couple times more, then start to do your own tests by writing your own small config files. Check their effect ingame (it'S also a great motivator to see your stuff is actually working ), and then you'll just get bigger and better from there.

Easy, isn't it?