[1.1.2] Kerbal Konstructs v0.9.7.1 - Slopey Glidey

[AlphaAsh]

'WORKING' TRACKING STATIONS

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1. In the Tracking Station or Map View, open the KK Base Boss app.
   
2. A toolbar appears that allows you to toggle the icons on Kerbin that represent the locations of bases and facilities. Make sure you have tracking stations on.
   
3. Click on one of the icons on the planet.
   
4. The Facility Manager displays information about the facility you've selected.
   

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1. In order to use a tracking station, you'll need to pay to open it.
   
2. You can always close it again in the future for a small refund.
   
3. Select the type of target you want to track by clicking this button. Keep clicking it to rotate through the target types available.
   
4. To change the target you want to track, click this button.
   
5. This dialog appears. Click the button of a target you want to track.
   
6. Then click this button to select it.
   
7. Tracking status will be indicated here.
   
8. You can reset the station by clicking this button.
   
9. In a future version of KK you'll need to manage the staff of the station and will be able to upgrade it.
   

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Edited August 12, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[AlphaAsh]

Downlink User's Manual (Basic Edition)

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1. List of comms devices on the vessel. Settings are persistent per device per vessel. Click the device you want to work with.
   
2. To select a target vessel press this button. A target selector dialog will pop-up. See note A.
   
3. To select a target station press this button. A target selector dialog will pop-up.
   
4. Auto-scan for a target. WIP/not yet implemented.
   
5. The selected target.
   
6. Speaks for itself.
   
7. This button allows you to set the target vessel as a relay or to disconnect the current relay. A relay vessel does exactly what it sounds like - it relays the signal to and from the current vessel to the actual target which you can then set separately. Also see note B.
   
8. The current relay vessel.
   
9. The videolink screen.
   
10. The audiolink speaker.
    
11. Toggle the videolink on and off.
    
12. Toggle the audiolink on and off.
    
13. Toggle the datalink on and off.
    
14. Toggle the textlink on and off.
    
15. The data and text link output screen.
    
16. Immediately refresh the output screen by pressing this button, or change the time for auto-refresh with the two controls next to it.
    
17. Signal strength. The more green bars the better.
    
18. Signal delay. The less red bars the better.
    
19. Automatic mode is enabled when a vessel has no crew.
    
20. Diagnostic mode is enabled for lots of reasons but they're all to do with the comms board and connections not working for one reason or another. Check the datalink output for clarification. It's usually occlusion.
    
21. Reboots the board and clears all persistence of the currently selected device.
    

Note A

• Targets must have their comms registered.
  
• To register a vessel's comms, just take control of the vessel, switch on the downlink and configure each comms device.
  

Note B

• Extended relay networks aren't currently possible yet. Only one relay vessel can be set per connection.
  
• Tracking stations cannot currently act as a relay.
  
• The relay and target can be the same vessel - all this does is create a dedicated connection that has a slightly stronger signal.
  

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Edited August 12, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[Kartoffelkuchen]

Hey, I am having a problem with the current version of Kerbal Konstruts. I am using KSP 1.0.3.

I want to spawn a new Launchpad at the KSC, I have no further packs installed apart from the Kerbal Konstructs plugin.

1. I klick on "All instances" and then on "Spawn new". I choose the "kkrocketpad2" and place it correctly, enable collisions and edit the launchpad parameters (name = Testlaunchpad, Site Category = Rocketpad, Site Type = VAB and the other things are not that important)

2. After all parameters on the KK Launchsite editor have been correctly changed, I click on "save" and "close" to close the launchsite editor.

Now, something interesting happens.

I had the Debug Log open (Alt+F2) and now I see the following exception:

[Exception]: NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object

I always get this message when I hit "Save" in the Launchsite editor. Well, now I closed the editor, and hit "Save" in the "KK Instance Editor", and klick deselect, and again, the Exception comes up, once I click Save and once I click Deselect. The deselect button doesn't work. In the main Kerbal Konstructs main window, I also click on save, and again, I get that exception again. I closed all the KK windows by clicking Ctrl+K, and relaunch the game. The launch pad is still there, so it seems everything got saved anyway.

I now try the same process with a launchpad I made myself. But now, the Launchpad is not saved after a restart of the KSC. I got the same exceptions as I got when saving the kerbal konstructs launchpad, though this time, my launchpad disappeared, the kerbal Konstructs launch pad is still there.

I checked out the config of the kkrocketpad2, and it seems that the position is saved in its config file ( INSTANCE { ... } ), but the position of my launch pad is not saved in its config file.

As I said, I am using KSP 1.0.3, though there's almost no difference between version 1.0.3 and 1.0.4, right? Or do I have to use KSP 1.0.4?

Windows 7, KSP 32-bit, KSP 1.0.3

KSPwin

medsoz

Testlaunchpad // <- This is my test launchpad which I wanted to place

Maybe you can help me...sorry for that long text:P

Edited August 16, 2015 by Kartoffelkuchen

[AlphaAsh]

Package your mu, textures and cfg in a zip. Host somewhere private online. PM me the link. I'll take a look at that first.

EDIT - Also I'm fairly certain there were some minor changes to KSP's API going from 1.0.3 to 1.0.4 and KK is compiled against 1.0.4. It shouldn't matter but it's something to keep in mind.

Edited August 16, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[AlphaAsh]

I've successfully spawned the launchpad. I did have to exit KSP and ensure that this was in the instance:

LaunchPadTransform = rocket_spawn

as KK has an intermittent bug where it doesn't write the default launch transform correctly into the instance.

I've restarted KSP and have successfully launched a rocket off the launchpad.

There have been no exceptions generated in the log. This leads me to believe there's an issue with your KK install, as everything looks good with your static asset and config.

Uninstall KK. Reinstall KK making sure it's installed correctly, as explained in the first post of this thread.

Check your KSP install is not in a Windows secured path.

Edited August 16, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[Kartoffelkuchen]

Thanks for your time! I will reinstall KK and see how it goes!

[Kartoffelkuchen]

Yes, awesome, now it works! It turns out I made everything right with the .cfg (as you already said..) and how I placed that and with the KK installation...the issue was that I already had installed another static building, which had an issue in its config file, and it seems like it completely broke that plugin (and the game a bit too, BTW).

Thank you very much for your effort AlphaAsh, really! Now I can make my own bases...you'll hear from me.

This is an awesome plugin by the way!

[AlphaAsh]

...the issue was that I already had installed another static building, which had an issue in its config file, and it seems like it completely broke that plugin (and the game a bit too, BTW).

KK isn't particularly robust when it comes to errors in the cfgs. When you see an issue like you had, be sure to isolate the issue by removing every static and its config except the one you think is the problem. This way you can quickly confirm if it's that one that is the issue.

Keep on learning chap.

Thank you very much for your effort AlphaAsh, really! Now I can make my own bases...you'll hear from me.

This is an awesome plugin by the way!

You're welcome.

[AlphaAsh]

v0.9.2.2 available from KerbalStuff.

Changelog:

Downlink improvements.

• You can now scan for a target vessel or station. The strongest signal found will be connected.
  
• Links now have a Boost and Clean toggle. These improve a signal at the cost of more EC.
  
• Connections now draw power from the controlled vessel. The amount is based on the device used, active links, active relays, boost and clean functions.
  
• Comms Devices, Target, Signal and Power Draw panels can be folded in or out to manage space on the board better.
  

[Kartoffelkuchen]

Nice! May I request something: It would be great if you could make the KK plugin and assets reload if you press Reload on the Database Alt+F12 tab. That would make things easier, for example if you change the config of an asset, you wouldn't have to restart the complete game.

[AlphaAsh]

Nice! May I request something: It would be great if you could make the KK plugin and assets reload if you press Reload on the Database Alt+F12 tab. That would make things easier, for example if you change the config of an asset, you wouldn't have to restart the complete game.

I'll add it to the list. However, my focus is on other bugfixing then completing other features I committed myself to. With the current uptake of the mod's editing tools, I'm getting bug reports from all directions for bugs that I've either not noticed or worked around and they take precedence over everything else.

Edited August 17, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[LORDPrometheus]

Is it possible to make animated statics for example a missile silo with an openable lid? A

[blowfish]

I have no idea if any events are triggered on a database reload in the stock game, but if ModuleManager is installed, then its database reloads are very easy to detect. It will call any static method called ModuleManagerPostLoad, or any instance method with the same name on active MonoBehaviour objects.

[colmo]

Is it possible to make animated statics for example a missile silo with an openable lid? A

Well it was in Kerbtown, as seen with the rather nice ICBM silo mod. The source code has been made available.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/47065-0-21-ICBM-Launch-Silo

The Kerbal Terrain System makes it possible to hollow out a nice steep pit in which to drop such a static model.

[AlphaAsh]

v0.9.2.3_EX available from KerbalStuff.

Please note there's a typo in the version number on KerbalStuff. It's v0.9.3.3_EX on there.

Changelog:

• A newly spawned launchsite's DefaultLaunchPadTransform is now correctly written to the LaunchPadTransform setting in the instance.
  
• Added a display field to the Launchsite Editor to show the launchsite's LaunchPadTransform.
  
• More error checking on model and config loading. If you're a modder trying to use KK to put statics in the game and you're having problems, check your KSP.log to see if KK is telling you something. 99% of issues with statics are down to a dodgy .mu, dodgy .cfg or a dodgy _spawn transform on the model (or lack of one).
  
• Completely re-wrote the group caching code. It never actually worked. Now it does. This will now reduce impact on the krakensbane as it should have, but may exacerbate the frame skipping issue in the flight scene that many have experienced (it is Unity's crappy garbage handler). I'll keep working on it regardless.
  
• Custom statics that should appear in the Space Center scene MUST, for now, be placed in the group KSCUpgrades. This is a necessary requirement for optimising Kerbal Konstruct's handling of active statics between game scenes.
  
• Added a DebugMode to the KerbalKonstructs.cfg. Don't switch it to true unless you're helping me track down an issue and I've asked you to. Otherwise, writes to your log will lag the game.
  
• Added a DevMode to the KerbalKonstructs.cfg. This makes it easier for me to ship a version with incomplete features. If you do turn it on, please don't expect the features then enabled to actually work properly. They won't. And you void the warranty on your savegames.
  

Edited August 19, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[AlphaAsh]

Technical Notes for v0.9.2.3_EX

One of the things I continue to struggle with when coding for KSP (no not persistence this time) is the fact that there's more than one co-ordinate system and the sometimes complex math necessary to work with them. I'm a scripter not an engineer and this often results in hours of frustration where expecting something to work a way is not enough for it to work that way.

medsouz, bless his cotton socks, seems to have made the same wrong conclusions I initially made when it came to the group caching system in KK. This puts every static assigned to a group in to a group when you fire up the game and hit the main menu, and calculates the center of the group and the maximum visibility range of the group.

10 points for guessing where the problem is with this?

It's that calculation for the center. Once you get in ya plane or rocket, that there center ain't right anymore.

Anyway, long story short, until I implement a solution I actually want to do (base 'cores'), there's an interim solution in place. The visibility range calculation works. I just get the first object in every group every frame and treat that as the center for determining if the group is active. This has almost the exact same CPU hit that medsouz's check to the broken center had but gets real-time info about the group's position.

It seems to be working pretty damn well and the benefits from grouping statics are now there.

Edited August 19, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[amankd]

so ive just made a halo righ for kerbal konstructs but im ghavinf issues, on kerbin everything is well, but when i move it into space (takes along time) all of a sudden the collision meshes let things through and then explode them a short time latter, is ther any way to fix?

[amankd]

there are a few i would like to know. what5 is the max size of a savable konstruct, what is the max altitude of a saveable altitude, and is there any way to up the max visability?

[amankd]

i am also having an issue where KK wont deselect and selected instance

[AlphaAsh]

...on kerbin everything is well, but when i move it into space (takes along time) all of a sudden the collision meshes let things through and then explode them a short time latter...

Kerbal Konstructs is not HyperEdit. The reason it took a long time to move your object in to space is because you didn't increase the increment in the Instance Editor. The reason your collision meshes let things through that then explode is because Kerbal Konstructs was never designed with the support for putting honking great models in orbit of Kerbin.

Your colliders on such a huge object are likely giving KSP's physics fits. The longer the edges are on colliders, the more likely floating point errors and such creep in. KSP's physics miscalculates collider boundaries, seeing gaps and massive jags and dents that aren't there.

It's one of several reasons why planet terrain is divided up in to quads. It makes colliders on terrain work properly.

...and is there any way to up the max visability?

Yes. Search the thread.

i am also having an issue where KK wont deselect and selected instance

Here's a very simple question for you. Let's say you made and maintain Kerbal Konstructs. A player comes along and posts this to your thread. Do you feel able to immediately help figure out what's gone wrong? Or do you feel that you are going to have to repeat yourself asking for more information? Or do you feel like posting a cheeky response and possibly even flipping the middle finger at the player? Or just sighing, shrugging and not even bothering to reply?

Chap, sit back, take a looong breath, collect your thoughts and then post. Go see this: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/105247-1-0-4-Kerbal-Konstructs-v0-9-2-3_EX-This-One-Hurt-My-Brain#Troubleshooting

Edited August 21, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[amankd]

the colliders are not to blame, they wor fine on kerbin just go weird in orbit, i had the increment set to max

[AlphaAsh]

the colliders are not to blame, they wor fine on kerbin just go weird in orbit, i had the increment set to max

Sorry chap, did you read all of my post? I don't have enough information to help you.

[AlphaAsh]

v0.9.3.4 available from KerbalStuff.

I bumped the version number to avoid confusion resulting from the typo of the previous version.

Changelog:

• Any static instance that you change or add with the editor will have an additional instance property, CustomInstance = true.
  
• You can export all these custom instances with an assigned pack name.
  
• You can export a group of custom instances in the same group, with an assigned pack name and the group name.
  
• An exported config will have an additional model property, pointername. This points to the actual model config that the instances will be created for. The exported config will have a name property unique from the required config name, so KSP will load both configs reliably.
  
• Kerbal Konstructs will automatically import custom instances, regardless of where they are in GameData. The config must have a file suffix of .cfg.
  
• Because of this simple method, no manual import is needed. Custom instances will not be merged with standard instances. When you don't want the custom instances anymore, you just delete the relevant mod out of GameData as normal.
  
• For an example of how these features can be used to produce packs that you can distribute separately from the static content they need, please see this thread right here where a tutorial will be posted shortly.
  

This one is for base makers who want to distribute their custom bases made with statics from other mods. Obviously, you should make sure you have permission to do so and follow any requirements that mod may have, such as using their licence or linking to their mod or being first point for support of your mod.

Edited August 21, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[AlphaAsh]

How to Export Custom Base Packs

So you've made an awesome base with Kerbal Konstructs, using, let's go with KerbinSide statics as an example for this tutorial.

How can you create a pack with your base that you can make available for others to download?

Without having to include the original static assets or configs?

First, you need to make sure it's actually okay to distribute a "modification" to another mod. So, check that before you put in a bunch of work before you discover that actually, no, that mod's statics you're using, they don't want you releasing any kind of mod that uses their mod.

Once you're sure you aren't just wasting your time, fire up KSP, go control a kerbal or craft near the base you want to export and open up the KK editor.

1. You're going to want All Instances open to be able to use the export features.
   
2. If you're just going to export one group, then apply a filter for that group. You did put all the components of the base in a group, right? No? Go do that then come back here.
   
3. Apply the filter. Don't just filter for part of a group name. Filter for a whole group name. The Export Group function needs a complete and valid Group name in the filter.
   
4. Give your pack a name.
   
5. If you're just exporting a group, click this.
   
6. If you're exporting all your custom instances in one go, without concern for what groups they are in, click this.
   

Your exported configs will end up in medsouz/KerbalKonstructs/ExportedInstances.

You should see a directory with the same name as your pack.

Stick that in a zip. Add a licence. Release it. It really is that straightforward.

Your players can put it anywhere in GameData that you tell them to. Kerbal Konstructs will auto-magically add your custom instances to the standard instances of the static content pack you're using. Of course you'll need to tell them to install the static content that your custom instances need.

Okay, it is simple buuuuuut there is one caveat (for now). Which you don't need to worry about with the latest version of KK.

I Now Have Duplicate Instances On Top of Each Other!!!

If you made a base and exported it then yes, this is going to happen next time you run KSP. Unless you have v0.9.3.5 or better, which now handles this.

It's happening because you've got the original instances and the now exported instances both in GameData.

Kerbal Konstructs is loading both sets of configs.

You have a few choices here:

- Manually delete all the original instances in KSP or out of the original configs in a text editor.

- Remove your new pack from GameData. Not delete. Remove.

- Do one of the above and wait until I add the next feature to KK that will manage this for you too.

Edited August 24, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[AlphaAsh]

v0.9.3.5 now available from KerbalStuff.

Changelog:

• The custom instance importer now does its thang at the right time - just before the Main Menu appears on loading the game.
  
• The custom instance importer now checks for duplicate instances.
  
• If a custom instance being imported is the same model, at the same position, with the same rotation, with the same offset, it will be skipped and not imported.
  
• If you make and export custom bases for distribution, this should eliminate the issue of duplicate instances on loading when you haven't removed your own exported configs from GameData.
  
• Look for the following message in KSP.log to see the importer in action: "KK: Attempted to import identical custom instance to same RadialPosition as existing instance. Skipped. Check for duplicate custom statics you have installed. Did you export the custom instances to make a pack? If not, ask the mod-makers if they are duplicating the same stuff as each other."