[1.1] AB Launchers 1.2 - 5m Energia parts [22 Apr]

[hoojiwana]

Up-diddly-doodly-dated for KSP 1.1, changes are search tags (including "abl" and the names of each rocket) and adding some missing bulkheadProfiles on the 5m parts I forgot to add before. See the OP as usual for download links.

I did check the gimbals on the engines since the way those are handled changed in 1.1 but they didn't need fixing, let us know if there's still issues with flight control etc. Thanks!

[tjsnh]

On 4/22/2016 at 4:59 PM, hoojiwana said:

Up-diddly-doodly-dated for KSP 1.1, changes are search tags (including "abl" and the names of each rocket) and adding some missing bulkheadProfiles on the 5m parts I forgot to add before. See the OP as usual for download links.

I did check the gimbals on the engines since the way those are handled changed in 1.1 but they didn't need fixing, let us know if there's still issues with flight control etc. Thanks!

Issues with flight control, but only using an external shuttle load. Using the parts as a "traditional" vertical stack launcher is working great.
(Same issues using an external shuttle load with non-ABlaunchers boosters, so I suspect it's 1.1's fault)

[KSPNerd]

Could you guys make a patch for realism overhaul?

[Brainpop14]

Can you add craft files?

[Jeb-head-mug kerman]

This very stock alike thanks for making this.

[Sherrif]

This was my favorite launcher in Orbiter, loved this thing, mostly because it could easily get anything into orbit.

[minepagan]

On 6/2/2016 at 4:46 PM, Brainpop14 said:

Can you add craft files?

They might not be able to, but I can:

https://kerbalx.com/minepagan/----Buran---Energia

uses a few other mods, and might not work in 1.1.x, but...best I've got, pending a new version coming soon™

[tjsnh]

On 6/2/2016 at 5:46 PM, Brainpop14 said:

Can you add craft files?

 

[baldamundo]

Would be really sweet to see some of those funky parachute/landing leg things that made the Energia boosters so distinctive looking

[Beale]

On 8/2/2016 at 6:56 AM, baldamundo said:

Would be really sweet to see some of those funky parachute/landing leg things that made the Energia boosters so distinctive looking

This is on the cards.

But, further development is pending on the reveal of what new stock rocket parts will look like, which is beginning to look like will not be a part of KSP 1.2.

[tjsnh]

FYI , still flying great in 1.2pre, incase nobody else has mentioned it.

[PocketBrotector]

Everything seems to work fine in 1.2, though the decouplers are still in the old Structural category. 

If anyone is using this with Community Tech Tree, you'll want to put the 5m parts into Experimental Rocketry:

Spoiler

//RL-522x4 "Cyclone" Liquid Fuel Engine Cluster
@PART[ABL_5_cyclone4]{
  @TechRequired = experimentalRocketry
}

//5m fuel tanks
@PART[ABL_5tank4,ABL_5tank9,ABL_5tank18,ABL_5tank_nose,ABL_adapter_5_2,ABL_adapter_5_3]{
  @TechRequired = experimentalRocketry
}

//TR-500 Stack Decoupler
@PART[ABL_decoupler_stack5]{
  @TechRequired = experimentalRocketry
}

//NC-500 Rocket Nosecone
@PART[ABL_nosecone5]{
  @TechRequired = experimentalRocketry
}

 

I'm not completely certain that the Isp's of these engines are appropriately balanced - since the 2.5m engine is a booster, it should have relatively good atmospheric efficiency. That would mean that the central 5m engine is a sustainer, so it should have relatively good near-vacuum efficiency. Instead they're both just kind of inefficient everywhere - the stats don't seem to stack up favorably against the Twin-Boar or Mammoth. That said, there obviously aren't any stock benchmarks to balance 5m engines against, so I'll keep playing around with these to see what kind of niche they can fit into alongside SpaceY and the rest.

[tjsnh]

On 12/7/2016 at 6:03 PM, PocketBrotector said:

Everything seems to work fine in 1.2, though the decouplers are still in the old Structural category. 

If anyone is using this with Community Tech Tree, you'll want to put the 5m parts into Experimental Rocketry:

  Reveal hidden contents

//RL-522x4 "Cyclone" Liquid Fuel Engine Cluster
@PART[ABL_5_cyclone4]{
  @TechRequired = experimentalRocketry
}

//5m fuel tanks
@PART[ABL_5tank4,ABL_5tank9,ABL_5tank18,ABL_5tank_nose,ABL_adapter_5_2,ABL_adapter_5_3]{
  @TechRequired = experimentalRocketry
}

//TR-500 Stack Decoupler
@PART[ABL_decoupler_stack5]{
  @TechRequired = experimentalRocketry
}

//NC-500 Rocket Nosecone
@PART[ABL_nosecone5]{
  @TechRequired = experimentalRocketry
}

 

I'm not completely certain that the Isp's of these engines are appropriately balanced - since the 2.5m engine is a booster, it should have relatively good atmospheric efficiency. That would mean that the central 5m engine is a sustainer, so it should have relatively good near-vacuum efficiency. Instead they're both just kind of inefficient everywhere - the stats don't seem to stack up favorably against the Twin-Boar or Mammoth. That said, there obviously aren't any stock benchmarks to balance 5m engines against, so I'll keep playing around with these to see what kind of niche they can fit into alongside SpaceY and the rest.

The parts are balanced-for-purpose rather than balanced-against-stock (or thats how it seems)

They end up being very well tweaked to get a shuttle into orbit without a lot of spare delta-v

[NISSKEPCSIM]

Umm... @hoojiwana and @Beale, any news on this? The 1.2 update came out ages ago, and Porkjet's overhauled parts did not make it in - so, what's the status on this? Are you going to continue development?

[baldamundo]

1 minute ago, NISSKEPCSIM said:

Umm... @hoojiwana and @Beale, any news on this? The 1.2 update came out ages ago, and Porkjet's overhauled parts did not make it in - so, what's the status on this? Are you going to continue development?

The parts do currently work perfectly well in 1.2, like @PocketBrotector says above. I believe @Beale has said elsewhere that he plans eventually to redo the Zenit/Energia parts in line with the revamp of TantaresLV, and specifically will be collaborating with @Pak to have them complement the Buran parts from Cormorant Aeronology.

Afaik, Beale's already finished revamping most of the parts that were in the old TantaresLV, so it could well be that Energia's next.

[Beale]

 

2 hours ago, NISSKEPCSIM said:

Umm... @hoojiwana and @Beale, any news on this? The 1.2 update came out ages ago, and Porkjet's overhauled parts did not make it in - so, what's the status on this? Are you going to continue development?

Last update was comfortably over a year ago - read from that what you will  

@baldamundo Has it exactly right.

Unfortunately I have not been able to find out the number of sides in the new stock 5m parts... 32 or 48, so I am held up a little.

Edited May 21, 2017 by Beale

[TheRagingIrishman]

5 hours ago, Beale said:

Last update was comfortably over a year ago - read from that what you will  

@baldamundo Has it exactly right.

Unfortunately I have not been able to find out the number of sides in the new stock 5m parts... 32 or 48, so I am held up a little.

You could always ask the guy who's making them (@RoverDude)

[Beale]

13 hours ago, TheRagingIrishman said:

You could always ask the guy who's making them (@RoverDude)

I have sent a couple PMs, but naturally he's a very busy guy  (And we live in very different time-zones). 

Counting the image already shown, hard to tell, they look 32-sided, but could be higher. It would be nice to have any Energia parts be compatible.

Personally, already have made my 5m N1 parts 32-sided, but I know some other modders use 48 sides when going that big.

While this thread has been "revived" a little, it would be good to hear anything that was bad or awkward about my AB Zenit parts, to fix for future.

Edited May 22, 2017 by Beale

[NeoFatalis]

@Beale In my opinion the only thing that was "bad" about AB is that the Zenit and the Energia had color schemes that don't go that well together (brown & black).

Edited May 22, 2017 by NeoFatalis

[PocketBrotector]

5 hours ago, Beale said:

While this thread has been "revived" a little, it would be good to hear anything that was bad or awkward about my AB Zenit parts, to fix for future.

I tweaked the balance on a few parts for personal use, mostly to bring the engine Isp closer to what I considered a stock progression.

Other than that, it seems like the engines were very quiet when running - I assume this is because they were intended for use in large groups, and KSP is very simplistic in the way that engine noise accumulates. (I have exclusive footage of the launch sequence for Vector-cluster vehicles.) 

Edited May 22, 2017 by PocketBrotector

[FellipeC]

Curious to know if anyone could run this on 1.3

 

Thanks

[tjsnh]

Running great for me in 1.3

6 minutes ago, FellipeC said:

Curious to know if anyone could run this on 1.3

 

Thanks

 

[notJebKerman]

Does anyone have an idea how to stabilize Energia for it to be able to carry Buran? I've tried it multiple times and I always lose control...

[Drakenex]

On 6/15/2017 at 6:25 PM, notJebKerman said:

Does anyone have an idea how to stabilize Energia for it to be able to carry Buran? I've tried it multiple times and I always lose control...

Please let me see you setup, I'm using Cormorant for the Buran and modified the Energia main engines to use hydrolox, everything runs fine

[notJebKerman]

2 hours ago, Drakenex said:

Please let me see you setup, I'm using Cormorant for the Buran and modified the Energia main engines to use hydrolox, everything runs fine

where can i get the cryoengines patch? i will add the .craft file later, but making everything lighter with h2+lox tank might solve the problem...