[1.3] Pilot Assistant: Atmospheric piloting aids - 1.13.2 (May 28)

[Crzyrndm]

So basically, you want stockish throttle control with PA's adjustable sensitivity and direct entry. Sounds like a good idea to me.

[gilflo]

I have always been looking for a simple throtlle control management by percent, using a graphic control like a throttle lever or a key adding 1% by 1% for fine control or 10%, and thus for planes as well as for rockets.

Docking a rocket or flying an aircraft require fine tunes for throttle control.

There's TCA or Davon ctl mod but they are not that simple....

So i agree with svm420

Could be a separate mod we could use for rockets as well as planes....

[Thorbane]

I'm getting a ton of log spam when on EVA out of physics range of any vessel.

[EXC 13:51:29.907] ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Argument is out of range.
Parameter name: index
	System.Collections.Generic.List`1[PilotAssistant.FlightModules.AsstVesselModule].get_Item (Int32 index)
	PilotAssistant.FlightModules.AsstVesselModule.OnGUI ()

This is spammed some 200-300 times a second, when I get the kerbal back in range of a ship, it stops immediately.

[Johould]

If you could verify that this fixes the docking issue that would be great

I didn't test docking, but I can confirm it fixes a case of repeated NRE messages after KIS-attaching parts that I was just about to report.

(I assume it's the same issue, but just in case, it's reproducible with only KIS 1.2.2 and Pilot Assistant 1.11.10 installed,

on the launchpad in a fresh sandbox game, by going EVA and attaching something. The log gets the same message as the other issue,

NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object

at PilotAssistant.FlightModules.SurfSAS.Update () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0

at PilotAssistant.FlightModules.AsstVesselModule.Update () [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0

My test vessel had a Mk1 can, Bill with an inventory of a screwdriver and cubic octagonal strut,

a 2x2 panel node-attached under the can, another 2x2 pannel attached end-to-end to that,

and a FL-T100 tank attached to the bottom node of each panel, to keep it from sinking into the pad.

Bill gets out, equips the screwdriver, and node-attaches the part to the top of the free panel)

- - - Updated - - -

However, Pilot assistant reliably oscillates the plane apart. In lower altitudes, everything is fine. However, when getting faster and higher up, pilot assistant severely overreacts to every error and applies the control inputs way too long so it overshoots the target velocity, then tries to go back and it just gets worse and worse. The aerodynamic stress causes the ship to tear itself apart.

If it's responding too slowly, you probably need more proportional response to keep it on target, and if it's overshooting you need more derivative response. I've ended up with something like 1.0 proportional 0.8 derivative to keep a huge plane flying more or less at the target pitch, maybe you could just adjust the scale setting.

[Crzyrndm]

I'm getting a ton of log spam when on EVA out of physics range of any vessel.

Will have a fix committed shortly. Probably won't do a "release" until after 1.0.5 hits though

I didn't test docking, but I can confirm it fixes a case of repeated NRE messages after KIS-attaching parts that I was just about to report...

...If it's responding too slowly, you probably need more proportional response to keep it on target, and if it's overshooting you need more derivative response. I've ended up with something like 1.0 proportional 0.8 derivative to keep a huge plane flying more or less at the target pitch, maybe you could just adjust the scale setting.

Thanks for the confirmation. The retuning for speed/altitude bit sounds to me like you aren't using dynamic deflection (the problem was the driving force behind its creation after all)

[Johould]

The retuning for speed/altitude bit sounds to me like you aren't using dynamic deflection (the problem was the driving force behind its creation after all)

That might help Kobymaru, who did mention altitude. In my case a 300t plane was under-controlled even at sea level with default settings.

[Crzyrndm]

Version 1.12.0

• Compatibility pass for KSP 1.0.5
  
• Fixed: Nullref spam after docking
  
• Fixed: Nullref spam if no controllable vessels are in physics range
  
• Fixed: Settings not always saving
  
• New Feature: speed control can now take direct control over the throttle allowing the % to be directly set and configurable modification rate using Alt/Fine Control
  

[kendoka15]

I found a really weird bug and spent the last two hours singling out which mod was causing it. (patience is a virtue )

When in career mode, the "Launch your first vessel" contract doesn't complete when I have this mod installed.

At first I had a ton of mods installed so I thought it might be a conflict, but then I removed everything in my GameData folder except "Squad", "Pilot Assistant" and ModuleManager. I then open a career I created for troubleshooting (or my main one in which I discovered the bug) and launch a simple craft consisting of the MK1 pod and the flea SRB. If I have Pilot Assistant installed, the contract doesn't trigger. If I remove it and relaunch, it works. I've tried both 3 times and this behavior happens every time.

I remember getting this bug in my 1.0.4 install (it had 80+ mods) so singling out the culprit was out of the question.

Any insight on why this might be happening? I love this mod but can't use it (at least at the start of my career) because of this

Edited November 10, 2015 by kendoka15

[Aghanim]

Hi! I have a problem: my plane is rather big and heavy, about 160 tons (screenshot here) and not very maneuverable.

That's exactly the reason why I want to use Pilot Assistant - if it would be easy to fly, I would do it myself.

However, Pilot assistant reliably oscillates the plane apart. In lower altitudes, everything is fine. However, when getting faster and higher up, pilot assistant severely overreacts to every error and applies the control inputs way too long so it overshoots the target velocity, then tries to go back and it just gets worse and worse. The aerodynamic stress causes the ship to tear itself apart.

This happens with both vertical velocity hold, as with altitude hod. Could somebody help me in tuning some parameters that pilot assistant can still control my plane?

That sounds like you need this mod: Dynamic Deflection

That should decreases the steering response according to airspeed, so that the controls doesn't overshoot at high speed

[Crzyrndm]

When in career mode, the "Launch your first vessel" contract doesn't complete when I have this mod installed.

Reproduced, no idea what's causing it though...

[kendoka15]

Reproduced, no idea what's causing it though...

At least now I know I'm not crazy

[^^artin]

Currently I've tested "Pilot Assistent" the first time. Works all fine so far.

Then I thought about if even airbrakes gets affected automatically by speed/throttle control too.

So that not just the engines throttling down if the plane gets close to target speed, but also airbrakes engages automatically, if the speed target gets even exceeded, for example in descending flight.

But unfortunately it does not. (or does it somehow ?)

I think it would be nice if there also would be an automatic airbrake controll combined to the automatic throttle control.

Greetings Martin

Edited November 11, 2015 by ^^artin

[KerbMav]

SSAS axis controls deactivate seperately under user input, so there is no listing to one side when you are just pitching up/down.

This alone would have been worth its own mod and thread!

[Crzyrndm]

This alone would have been worth its own mod and thread!

I have been considering splitting the mod up into it's 3 main components. Haven't really had the time for it yet though

[Crzyrndm]

Updated to 1.12.1 to fix the nullref spam when uncontrollable "vessels" are created (aka debris) and some helper functions for RPM

[DeputyLOL]

Love that you've opened this up to RPM!

I had a few questions about things that I have noticed about PA.

When setting a heading, why does the plane sometimes try and go the long way round?

I had a plane at a heading of 0 and then commanded it to turn to 350 (-10), PA then banks right and does a full 350 degree turn to line up.

Also in your description of the mod, you say that it controls airspeed. I like using airspeed for my flying but I haven't found a way of doing that, I can only control ground speed.

Still amazing mod though, keep up the good work!

[Crzyrndm]

When setting a heading, why does the plane sometimes try and go the long way round?

...

Also in your description of the mod, you say that it controls airspeed. I like using airspeed for my flying but I haven't found a way of doing that, I can only control ground speed.

1) It's not meant to and I haven't run into this myself. If you have it happen, I need as many details as possible (control mode, target changed using keyboard or text input, etc.)

2) Well it is airspeed, just not one that's perfectly useful (TAS). I have been meaning to add EAS/IAS and Mach for a while but just never got it done

[BlueCanary]

Sorry if this is a dumb request or I'm asking in the wrong place, but would a TWR mode for Throttle Control be a good idea? Like you set a TWR for it to retain, so you could keep fuel burn rate constant or get a VTOL to hover perfectly for example.

[Crzyrndm]

VTOL hover control is dealt with very well by several other mods, and I'm not really sure why maintaining a constant fuel flow would be useful outside cruising (which would be a near constant speed since the limiter is drag not maximum acceleration)

[Crzyrndm]

A version with basic airspeed reference switching (between true, indicated, and equivalent). The EAS/IAS values don't quite match up with those given by FAR and the acceleration calculation is not properly corrected for this so it isn't fully stable control, but it should do the job. I have a few more things I want to work through prior to a proper update, but feel free to play with it

[Ramarren]

I found a weird bug, and narrowing it to this mod took a bit of time. For some reason Pilot Assistant is preventing "Launch our first vessel" contract from registering when active. It works fine when paused with Tab, but the contract doesn't trigger otherwise, even if no other control mode is active.

[Crzyrndm]

I was just about to go and hunt that one down, thanks to you identifying that it works when paused this should be a very short hunt

[Crzyrndm]

Found the problem, one of Squad's vessel functions (vessel.CheckLanded()) was preventing w/e event was supposed to trigger from firing. Grab the .dll from github (link just above) if that fix is important, otherwise just you can just hit tab to prevent any problems when the first vessel is launched

[Crzyrndm]

Version 1.12.2
* Fix for first launch contract never completing
* Fix for EVAing doing odd things to the controllable vessel list

[COLOR="silver"][SIZE=1]- - - Updated - - -[/SIZE][/COLOR]

Oh, and the EAS/IAS modes for the speed control

[DeputyLOL]

I found the problem, PA's heading control cant go passed 0. If you set a heading of 10 when you are flying at 350, PA will go the long way round.
If you set a heading of 0, PA will line up with it then will do a 360 when it slightly drifts over 0. It will then continue flying this way.

[COLOR="silver"][SIZE=1]- - - Updated - - -[/SIZE][/COLOR]

I have been meaning to ask, could there be someway of disabling PA keyboard control.
Meaning you can take control of the aircraft easily without needing to disable each of the autopilots first.
Thanks