[0.22] ISA MapSat 4.0 Dev Build

[Tiron]

Okay, I'll freely admit, I'm stupid. I took a look at the page linked above... What do I do with it? I guess I'm not tech savvy enough or something because I have no idea how to implement the code that's posted.

Any chance of anyone somehow turning this information into an executable or whatever it's called that I could download and put in the correct place in my KSP directory and run every so often to clean out the useless data? I'm pretty sure that's what you guys are talking about, anyway...

Or to just do it from a .bat file, put the following in a .cmd or .bat file in the KSP main directory

@ECHO off
CD GameData\Innsewerants Space Agency\Plugins\PluginData\ISA_MapSat
IF EXIST artefacts.dat.bak DELETE artefacts.dat.bak
RENAME artefacts.dat artefacts.dat.bak
FOR /F %%a IN (artefacts.dat.bak) DO (
  IF EXIST artefacts.dat (
    FIND "%%a" artefacts.dat > NUL:
    IF ERRORLEVEL 1 ECHO %%a >> artefacts.dat
  ) ELSE (
    ECHO %%a > artefacts.dat
  )
)

The first part is a C# program someone did, and yeah, you'd need visual studio or something in order to compile it. The second part however, is a Batch file, which is a very old, much simpler method of repeating a set of instructions: To use it, you simply copy and paste the bit from the 'code' window into a new notepad file, and then save it with a .BAT extension instead of .txt. Put the resulting file in your KSP folder. Double-click the file when needed. Which should only be after you've been scanning things (and even then, my last scanning run only seemed to get duplicates on Kerbin for whatever reason.)

'Batch Files' are basically a way of executing a series of DOS commands automatically, without having to sit and do it manually. The intent was to be able to automate a repetitive task so that if you needed to do the same thing on a hundred systems, (or every boot, or every time a particular program was started...) you didn't have to waste time doing it manually. Not used much anymore, but the functionality still exists.

Edited October 7, 2013 by Tiron

[OopsThatNotWork]

So are we allowed to dissect this mod yet and re-distribute it? I don't think he coming back. Its been 4 full months since he was last online, period.

[NoMrBond]

So are we allowed to dissect this mod yet and re-distribute it? I don't think he coming back. Its been 4 full months since he was last online, period.

Unfortunately what exists is all rights reserved since no license was specified, so time elapsed doesn't really change anything regarding dissection/redistribution/rights from the source

It might be possible to contact the author regarding a license or release of materials via their google account (via their YouTube channel) or their ShapeWays store (Workshop of Things)

Edited October 8, 2013 by NoMrBond
spelling

[Tiron]

Unfortunately what exists is all rights reserved since no license was specified, so time elapsed doesn't really change anything regarding dissection/redistribution/rights from the source

Yep. Unless he specifies otherwise, you have to start from scratch, because using anything from Mapsat would be a copyright violation. 'All Rights Reserved' is automatic upon the creation of any copyrightable content (at least in the US), and he has to explicitly state otherwise for any other situation to apply. (Note that I'm not a lawyer, however.)

Time elapsed DOES alter it...but only after he dies. Current US Copyright law gives a license that expires 70 years after the death of the author. So if he gets hit by a bus today, it'll be legal to modify and redistribute on Oct 8, 2083, barring any changes to the law in the meantime.

He also occasionally shows up on the official kerbal IRC. Last time I spoke with him he said he was distracted by another project (a game of his own) and hadn't messed with mapsat since he started it because he'd been told it still works (which it does.) He kinda implied that if it actually broke, he'd fix it.

The evidence available to me suggests that the memory problems are a product of the way KSP loads textures, and would be endemic to any other mapping mod that used maps of the same size (3.3.4's maps were MUCH smaller, and so use much less memory.)

Unless Squad/Unity fixes the texture memory usage problem, a new mod is not going to work any better on that front than Mapsat. It's also set up so that it can handle new planets or changes to the existing ones without needing an update, so unless a future update DOES break it, there's no reason to replace it.

[Neutrinovore]

The first part is a C# program someone did, and yeah, you'd need visual studio or something in order to compile it. The second part however, is a Batch file, which is a very old, much simpler method of repeating a set of instructions: To use it, you simply copy and paste the bit from the 'code' window into a new notepad file, and then save it with a .BAT extension instead of .txt. Put the resulting file in your KSP folder. Double-click the file when needed. Which should only be after you've been scanning things (and even then, my last scanning run only seemed to get duplicates on Kerbin for whatever reason.)

'Batch Files' are basically a way of executing a series of DOS commands automatically, without having to sit and do it manually. The intent was to be able to automate a repetitive task so that if you needed to do the same thing on a hundred systems, (or every boot, or every time a particular program was started...) you didn't have to waste time doing it manually. Not used much anymore, but the functionality still exists.

Okay, I figured out how to do what you said above... I think. It took me a few tries. When I double clicked the batch file, it brought up what looked like an old DOS screen in a window, but it didn't seem to do anything else. I should have looked at the files before, but now the ISA artifact.dat files are only a few KB each, so I guess it worked. I'm about to start up the game and see if there's any difference. Wish me luck!

[Tiron]

Okay, I figured out how to do what you said above... I think. It took me a few tries. When I double clicked the batch file, it brought up what looked like an old DOS screen in a window, but it didn't seem to do anything else. I should have looked at the files before, but now the ISA artifact.dat files are only a few KB each, so I guess it worked. I'm about to start up the game and see if there's any difference. Wish me luck!

That's exactly what SHOULD happen. It also backs up the old version of the file as artifacts.dat.bak, but it deletes the old backup and makes a new one every time you run it, so if you did it multiple times it's probably got the same thing in both now.

[Sawzall]

I'm having an issue with the dev build. When I try to launch any craft with the MapSat part attached, the game hangs on the loading screen. This started happening after I installed B9 and KW Rocketry, so it could be memory related. I have a couple satellites already in orbit with MapSat parts, and I can switch to those just fine. I tried the batch file for clearing duplicates from artifacts.dat, but that didn't fix it.

I'm still having this issue. Can't launch any new craft with MapSat.

[Dweller_Benthos]

I'm still having this issue. Can't launch any new craft with MapSat.

All those parts packs are probably using too much memory, along with map sat. You're probably going to have to choose one or the other. I understand you can remove some parts you aren't using from those packs, to maybe get yourself under the memory limits of the game.

[Xentoe]

Try perhaps this here:

Till this Modthingi works.

Use the:

[0.21] Squad Texture Reduction Pack - B9 and KW Packs also

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...-KW-Packs-also

This additions o shrink the textures of the Squad and B9 and KW Pack Folder, and make more than 1 gb memory free, without gameproblems. (If you use the 2 mods additional tonthe general Squad folder)

(Me it helped not but I use some mods more than you, thsis tool is simple not denieable a memorywaster. god damn 2000 what ever * what ever textures.... who the f.... needs this)

[drtedastro]

Hello, until this mod gets sorted out, i would suggest that you try / use the 3.3.4 "Unofficial ISA MapSat" pack from Spaceport. I tried the new version of MapSat, and like it except for the massive amount of memory it eats. I am now and have been running 3.3.4 as listed and have no problems with it. I am running with a lot of mod's and no problems. my memory load now is about 2.8 to 3.1 GBytes (depending on new mods that i test) but no problems at all. Just remember that 3.3.4 needs to be loaded the old way, NOT in GameData..... For me, it makes this mod playable and it plays well with others.

[Tiron]

Hello, until this mod gets sorted out, i would suggest that you try / use the 3.3.4 "Unofficial ISA MapSat" pack from Spaceport. I tried the new version of MapSat, and like it except for the massive amount of memory it eats. I am now and have been running 3.3.4 as listed and have no problems with it. I am running with a lot of mod's and no problems. my memory load now is about 2.8 to 3.1 GBytes (depending on new mods that i test) but no problems at all. Just remember that 3.3.4 needs to be loaded the old way, NOT in GameData..... For me, it makes this mod playable and it plays well with others.

It makes it 'playable' because 3.3.4 uses much lower resolution maps that use less memory, and thus it plays nicer with your 'too many parts' installation. Your problem is not mapsat, it's that you installed too many parts and didn't leave mapsat enough memory to run.

And do NOT use unofficial versions. Unless Innsewerants gave 3.3.4 a permissive license (which he did not, so far as I'm aware), 'unofficial' versions are illegal and are not going to stay up.

[drtedastro]

It makes it 'playable' because 3.3.4 uses much lower resolution maps that use less memory, and thus it plays nicer with your 'too many parts' installation. Your problem is not mapsat, it's that you installed too many parts and didn't leave mapsat enough memory to run.

And do NOT use unofficial versions. Unless Innsewerants gave 3.3.4 a permissive license (which he did not, so far as I'm aware), 'unofficial' versions are illegal and are not going to stay up.

Dont know who you are 'talking' to, but if you were chatting to me, a) i dont have any problem(s).. All is working just fine and dandy. I run ALL of the mods that i want to. I put the post up to let people know that you dont have to be stuck with version 4. I have not had any problems with 3.3.4 version. Either one of them. So to each their own...

[Tiron]

Dont know who you are 'talking' to, but if you were chatting to me, a) i dont have any problem(s).. All is working just fine and dandy. I run ALL of the mods that i want to. I put the post up to let people know that you dont have to be stuck with version 4. I have not had any problems with 3.3.4 version. Either one of them. So to each their own...

The unofficial 3.3.4 is going to be taken down shortly because it's a copyright violation. Modifying and distributing mods with an impermissive license is illegal and not permitted by Squad.

Version 4 has no major problems and works perfectly fine. The memory usage is a problem with the way KSP uses memory, and I've yet to see anyone demonstrate a way around it. Mapsat loads 30 very large textures for the maps, and in the current version of KSP textures use an absurdly high amount of memory for no particular reason. This includes the textures on parts and in the game itself, although these are generally much smaller than X4R1's maps are and as such it's not as noticeable.

Basically, the game is keeping cached items from scene loading in main memory, and not releasing it even when the memory limit is reached. This includes all the intermediate steps in getting the ~2mb or less png maps converted into ~2mb DDS textures loaded into VRAM.

In short, it's not that Innsewerants needs to fix X4R1, it's that Squad needs to fix the way the game uses memory for assets. ALL Assets. They may have done for 0.22, I don't know: Mu did a major optimizations package, I know that, and hopefully the problem with the memory usage got fixed in there somewhere.

If that's not good enough for you, I suggest you try to do better. Yourself. Not illegally porting Innsewerant's code. Starting from Scratch. If you can do better, that'd be better for everyone.

Illegally porting an inferior version of the mod doesn't help a thing.

Now if you can convince Innsewerants to release Mapsat under a permissive license that allows it to be modified and distributed, or get permission to modify it, that's a different thing.

Edited October 11, 2013 by Tiron

[drtedastro]

Hold on buckaroo... I don't do any 'mod's. I don't port anything. I download from spaceport and put in my computer. I read the forum and see people struggling with problems that i have overcome by using what was ON SPACEPORT, and from what is available in the forums. You best be getting your facts and story straight. Don't know who appointed you mod police, but back off. When i have time, and If i wish to write some code, I will. Been doing just that for 35 years.

Also go look at post #438. Someone is asking about using the 'unofficial' mod and Innsewerants told him how to fix it.. Guess Innsewerants was not to bothered by it, as he helped the guy.

Go find some other player to troll.

Edited October 11, 2013 by drtedastro

[Tiron]

I read the forum and see people struggling with problems that i have overcome by using what was ON SPACEPORT, and from what is available in the forums. You best be getting your facts and story straight.

If you check you'll find that it's no longer on spaceport at all.

See, things that are posted on spaceport aren't checked when they're posted. The unofficial version was allowed to go up because nobody validated it to make sure that it was legal.

It's been taken down now, because Squad just looked at it and discovered that it was, in fact, not legal.

I'm not trolling, I'm telling you that illegally ported versions of mods are not the answer to anyone's problems.

[drtedastro]

Well, like in the post #438, if the owner of the mod wan't bothered why should any else be....???

Does not matter to me. What i have is working and if i know of some way that i have read about that might help someone else, i will tell them...

enough of this dribble.

[Tiron]

Well, like in the post #438, if the owner of the mod wan't bothered why should any else be....???

Does not matter to me. What i have is working and if i know of some way that i have read about that might help someone else, i will tell them...

enough of this dribble.

So far as I know, Innsewerants didn't even know about it, because he's been away from KSP doing other things. Which isn't an excuse for breaking the law and the forum/spaceport rules.

Frankly, having having an 'unofficial' version competing with the official one is not a good idea anyway. It's happened before with Mapsat, and resulted in a lot of people having trouble when trying to switch back to the updated official version, which wasn't compatible with the old 'unofficial' one. In this case it also prevents the actual problem from getting fixed.

Porting an old version is not in and of itself a bad thing: doing it without having the rights to do so is. The CORRECT thing is to ask Innsewerants to either release the mod under a permissive license or to give permission for you to modify it and distribute it. Barring that, the only other option is to restart from scratch. Copyright expires 70 years after the death of the author, so 'he hasn't been around for months' and 'there's no way to contact him' aren't valid excuses. There ARE ways to contact him, actually, just not through the forums.

Even if it actually wasn't possible to contact him, modifying it and distributing the modifications are both illegal absent explicit permission.

[drtedastro]

Last post on this 'issue'. He knew about it and seemingly did not care. That is one only he can answer. I certainly hope he comes back and gets this mod up to scratch where it can work and play well with all other mods. I would like to see a bunch of changes and new options put into play with this type of scanning and mapping...

Again, enough. Good luck to all who are trying to make this work. Read all of this forum and if you are having problems with 4.?? you can fall back and use the OFFICIAL 3.3.4 to lessen the memory load.

And for heavens sake, watch out for the Kraken and all other beasts lurking about the void.

[ashrutoraman]

can someone link OFFICIAL 3.3.4 ? first post giving 3.3.1

[drtedastro]

It is on the SpacePort...

[John FX]

If you check you'll find that it's no longer on spaceport at all.

Mapsat 3.3.4 on Spaceport

Way to threadjack, sparky...

[The_Rocketeer]

No MapGen with X4r1? I'm really unhappy with the default elevation scale on Mun, can't make out any features except the large craters. Anybody help me out here?

[drtedastro]

if you go back and get the 3.3.4 that is on spaceport, you can then take the raw files (.csv) and put through isa_mapgen.exe .... Look at the early part of the forum to get the commands to set your scales, projections and colors.... Let me know if you have more problems...

[dnulho]

Does anyone else have the problem of this mod not working? I place the satellite dish on a probe, but have no options to turn it on or interact with it at all. the part.cfg files don't have any modules or anything else beyond the "standard part parameters" section. I downloaded it off of spaceport repeatedly and each download is exactly the same. please help as I am unable to figure out the problem on my own.

~Dnulho

[Technothederp]

Does anyone else have the problem of this mod not working? I place the satellite dish on a probe, but have no options to turn it on or interact with it at all. the part.cfg files don't have any modules or anything else beyond the "standard part parameters" section. I downloaded it off of spaceport repeatedly and each download is exactly the same. please help as I am unable to figure out the problem on my own.

~Dnulho

Yeah I'm having this problem as well, does anyone know what I can do to fix it?