[1.9-1.10] Throttle Controlled Avionics

[Kowgan]

Looking great! As always, thank you so much for your effort, Allista. I really appreciate it.

[allista]

Flying to Copenhagen today to see my brother! 

BTW, preparing a set of new cool features of orbital maneuvering with TCA for you.

Because I can't just fix all the bugs and make a release, can I? 

[Kowgan]

Have a safe flight, enjoy your trip.

[allista]

Spoilers, spoilers!

TCA3 new orbital autopilot programs

 

 

Edited March 4, 2016 by allista

[Kowgan]

Ooo, that's super neat! But man, you're gonna make me lazy! Great addition!

[allista]

Micropoll

In your opinion, will a full-fledged Rendezvou Autopilot make the Brake Near Target function redundant/obsolete?

Because I've almost implemented the former and want to remove the latter, but leave the Match Velocity function intact.

*also, no bug reports? No bugs? Really??? 

 

Edited March 10, 2016 by allista

[sebi.zzr]

*you should be so lucky
1st.:small crafts are overcontrolled!
2nd.:after enabling TCA engines can't be staged through action groups,and no use of engine gimbal.
3rd.:apology but don't have enough time for testing(young one started to grow teeth)
4th.:video:http://sendvid.com/yk648709
PS:also,this happiness after pressing the"Esc button":(http://sendvid.com/3xdnvybl (not necessarily related))

using:TCA3 BETA v39 2016.02.27

[Kowgan]

I don't think the Break Near Target function will become obsolete, as it covers only one stage of the maneuver, while I believe the rendezvous autopilot function comes from much further away. I guess it's a cool function to keep in, if it's not gonna give you much trouble.

As per bug reports, uh... Not really a bug, but I'd like to request the "Assist with vertical takeoff and landing" option to be persistent as per user choice. Currently, if I decide to have it off, I have to turn it off manually everytime I switch scenes. Thank you!

[Alek]

Hi.

I have a problem. When I place the craft on the runway and I hit "y", TCA gets turned on and keeps the craft stable.However the GUI is missing. Am I doing something wrong here or is it possibly a bug into question?

In my main installation I have some 50 mods so at first I thought that might be causing the problem. But I copied the clean (no mods) steam files to a different folder and in that one I only have TCA and Infernal robotics. Still the same issue.

[sebi.zzr]

40 minutes ago, Alek said:

Hi.

I have a problem. When I place the craft on the runway and I hit "y", TCA gets turned on and keeps the craft stable.However the GUI is missing. Am I doing something wrong here or is it possibly a bug into question?

In my main installation I have some 50 mods so at first I thought that might be causing the problem. But I copied the clean (no mods) steam files to a different folder and in that one I only have TCA and Infernal robotics. Still the same issue.

You have to click on TCA icon to see the GUI.

[Alek]

2 hours ago, sebi.zzr said:

You have to click on TCA icon to see the GUI.

The button in the red circle doesn't do anything when clicked. There is supposed to be one up in the right upper corner, but it's not appearing. 

Edited March 14, 2016 by Alek

[sebi.zzr]

7 hours ago, Alek said:

The button in the red circle doesn't do anything when clicked. There is supposed to be one up in the right upper corner, but it's not appearing. 

By the look on your screenshot,i can see:
1st:you are need to update toolbar(not related)
2nd:you never mentioned which version of TCA are you using
3rd:you never mentioned which version of KSP are you using

look at my post :

Spoiler

On ‎11‎.‎3‎.‎2016 at 2:34 AM, sebi.zzr said:

4th.:video:http://sendvid.com/yk648709

using:TCA3 BETA v39 2016.02.27

 

and maybe you'll find your answer,or report back with more detailed info.

Edited March 14, 2016 by sebi.zzr
apology:you do missing crew

[allista]

On 3/11/2016 at 1:07 PM, Kowgan said:

I don't think the Break Near Target function will become obsolete, as it covers only one stage of the maneuver, while I believe the rendezvous autopilot function comes from much further away. I guess it's a cool function to keep in, if it's not gonna give you much trouble.

As per bug reports, uh... Not really a bug, but I'd like to request the "Assist with vertical takeoff and landing" option to be persistent as per user choice. Currently, if I decide to have it off, I have to turn it off manually everytime I switch scenes. Thank you!

@Kowgan, what I'm trying to do is the universal Rendezvou function which will work almost like Brake Near when orbits are already have a close enough meeting point. The difference being some automatic course corrections and a final close approach routine. At the moment, though, the Rendezvou program uses the Brake Near...

You mean make this switch global, instead of per-vessel? Because it is saved in a vessel configuration.

5 hours ago, Alek said:

The button in the red circle doesn't do anything when clicked. There is supposed to be one up in the right upper corner, but it's not appearing. 

@Alek, I don't see neither a crew nor the probe-core. The game probably considers your vessel as uncontrollable, hence no TCA GUI. Try to add a probe core if you don't want to risk kerbal lifes 

[allista]

On 3/11/2016 at 4:34 AM, sebi.zzr said:

*you should be so lucky
1st.:small crafts are overcontrolled!
2nd.:after enabling TCA engines can't be staged through action groups,and no use of engine gimbal.
3rd.:apology but don't have enough time for testing(young one started to grow teeth)
4th.:video:http://sendvid.com/yk648709
PS:also,this happiness after pressing the"Esc button":(http://sendvid.com/3xdnvybl (not necessarily related))

using:TCA3 BETA v39 2016.02.27

@sebi.zzr

1) from the video it seems that the cause of oscillations are wings/control-surfaces; TCA does not account for them (yet?), but they usually create large enough forces to mess up the overall balance.

2) Staging: seems like a bug. Will investigate, thanks!

2.1) gimbal limit is controlled by TCA dynamically to decrease possible oscillations; without it highly gimballed engines would be totally unusable with TCA.

3) oh, some hard time for you then  I only hope it won't cause him/her too much trouble. My nephew spent several days with high temperature at that stage...

Esc button problem. Never seen anything so strange. The game should be paused when the menu appears. And the TCA certainly is; but physics works and time's still ticking? I doubt, though, that it is TCA related.

Edited March 14, 2016 by allista
Added an answer for the gimbal "problem"

[Kowgan]

I'm not sure if the vessel-permanent function was working. I guess I tested on different vessels only. But if that's how it works, I guess it's personal taste. It's up to you to decide whether to make it global or vessel based.

[Alek]

On 14/03/2016 at 11:11 PM, allista said:

 

@Alek, I don't see neither a crew nor the probe-core. The game probably considers your vessel as uncontrollable, hence no TCA GUI. Try to add a probe core if you don't want to risk kerbal lifes 

The probe core is underneath the cone on the back of the craft. I was using the latest game version and TCA version, freshly installed. I can not check now since that was on windows and I'm on linux right now. The TCA gets turned on when I hit Y, I just do not see the GUI. I'm suspecting it might be drawn off screen.

[allista]

10 hours ago, Alek said:

The probe core is underneath the cone on the back of the craft. I was using the latest game version and TCA version, freshly installed. I can not check now since that was on windows and I'm on linux right now. The TCA gets turned on when I hit Y, I just do not see the GUI. I'm suspecting it might be drawn off screen.

Hmm... it shouldn't be possible as the GUI window is forcibly kept within screen bounds. I'll try to figure what may be wrong on the code side; but more info/tests would be appreciated.

[Azrael the Sorrowful]

I just wanted to say thank you for such an amazing mod. Ever since I started playing KSP I've been wanting to make things bigger and grander. This easily led B9A's HX parts which allow you to built very, very large ships. Of course, I always had the issue with these ships being nearly completely useless as they're so hard to control due to size without micromanaging every possible use of action groups you can. That is, until I found this mod.

I am very pleased to say that I just successfully launched the KSS Valiant, an orbital cruiser built, not in the VAB but, in the SPH; and, rather than adding wheels and taking off like a plane, it launches similarly to a VTOL. However, it's launch style is based off of large ships you'd see in sci-fi series like Stargate (one of my favorites). This ship is capable of both stationary launch to orbit as well as orbit to atmospheric landing (this part is a bit tricky as you have to kill forward movement and slow down without any landing gear as there's not any big enough) Anyway, I just wanted to first thank you and second share my success, which is owed completely to you. Keep up the amazing work.

 

[Azrael the Sorrowful]

So, I'm having a bit of an issue after updating to TCA3. Some of my previous vessels required the use of action group controls to operate correctly but with TCA3 I'm locked out of using them. But, I really enjoy all the other added functionality of TCA3. Is this a bug and intended to be fixed or am I SoL on retaining the previous functionality from older versions of TCA?

Just as an example, the vessel in my post above was launched with ease using the older version; however, with TCA3, launching an identical vessel was wobbly and resulted in numerous explosions due to overcompensation from unneeded engines running and it needing to take them into account for calculations.

 

PS: Something of note - when using the maneuver function of TCA3 in orbit, in order to point the veseel toward the node, normally RCS is used to angle the ship correctly; however, when I've used it, it seems that it just redirects the vessel for free at no cost to RCS fuel at all (it doesn't even show the vented jets of air either).

[allista]

8 hours ago, Azrael the Sorrowful said:

So, I'm having a bit of an issue after updating to TCA3. Some of my previous vessels required the use of action group controls to operate correctly but with TCA3 I'm locked out of using them. But, I really enjoy all the other added functionality of TCA3. Is this a bug and intended to be fixed or am I SoL on retaining the previous functionality from older versions of TCA?

Just as an example, the vessel in my post above was launched with ease using the older version; however, with TCA3, launching an identical vessel was wobbly and resulted in numerous explosions due to overcompensation from unneeded engines running and it needing to take them into account for calculations.

 

PS: Something of note - when using the maneuver function of TCA3 in orbit, in order to point the veseel toward the node, normally RCS is used to angle the ship correctly; however, when I've used it, it seems that it just redirects the vessel for free at no cost to RCS fuel at all (it doesn't even show the vented jets of air either).

Sorry to hear it. What do you mean by "locked out of using action groups"? I've never encounterd such problem.

As for the Valiant, could you make an archive with the craft file and required mods so that I could test this wobbling issue? The balancing algorithm grew complicated to accomodate various engine types (especially jets and fans), so regressions might be expected, but if possible, I want to fix this.

RCS: if it was enabled, TCA should have used them, for it simply modifies the control input -- no difference between you pusshing the key or TCA trying to rotate; but, TCA also balances RCS thrusters as it does with engines, so output of some thrusters may be limited. Also, if you have engines in the Maneuver mode, they are used for rotation/translation as well; and, of course, Main engines, if throttled.

[Azrael the Sorrowful]

6 hours ago, allista said:

Sorry to hear it. What do you mean by "locked out of using action groups"? I've never encounterd such problem.

As for the Valiant, could you make an archive with the craft file and required mods so that I could test this wobbling issue? The balancing algorithm grew complicated to accomodate various engine types (especially jets and fans), so regressions might be expected, but if possible, I want to fix this.

RCS: if it was enabled, TCA should have used them, for it simply modifies the control input -- no difference between you pusshing the key or TCA trying to rotate; but, TCA also balances RCS thrusters as it does with engines, so output of some thrusters may be limited. Also, if you have engines in the Maneuver mode, they are used for rotation/translation as well; and, of course, Main engines, if throttled.

Well, I have it set to toggle the keel lifting engines (balanced thrust) set to a certain action group, as well as the side engines (maneuver) to their own, and the stern engines (main engines) to their own. The problem is, with TCA3 active, pressing the action group keys simply toggles the engines off for a split second before the mod toggles them back on.

And here is the list of mods used and the .craft file:

• Craft
• B9 Aerospace
• B9 Aerospace
• FAR
• and lastly TCA

It should also be noted, you may have some issues with flight besides what I've said as I have tweaked some engine configs slightly to my liking. 

Edited March 19, 2016 by Azrael the Sorrowful

[allista]

9 minutes ago, Azrael the Sorrowful said:

Well, I have it set to toggle the keel lifting engines (balanced thrust) set to a certain action group, as well as the side engines (maneuver) to their own, and the stern engines (main engines) to their own. The problem is, with TCA3 active, pressing the action group keys simply toggles the engines off for a split second before the mod toggles them back on.

And here is the list of mods used and the .craft file:

• Craft
• B9 Aerospace
• B9 Aerospace
• FAR
• and lastly TCA

It should also be noted, you may have some issues with flight besides what I've said as I have tweaked some engine configs slightly to my liking. 

I see. It's the profiles at work: the active profile enforces engines' state. It is overriden by staging though; I'll try to implement an overriding on action goups. Thanks!

[Azrael the Sorrowful]

Just now, allista said:

I see. It's the profiles at work: the active profile enforces engines' state. It is overriden by staging though; I'll try to implement an overriding on action goups. Thanks!

Might be that, though I wasn't using engine profiles (I guess I was using default) when the issue occurred. But hey, I don't even know what caused it, so good luck. I hope you can fix it because I'd love to be able to go back to using TCA3.

[allista]

1 hour ago, Azrael the Sorrowful said:

Might be that, though I wasn't using engine profiles (I guess I was using default) when the issue occurred. But hey, I don't even know what caused it, so good luck. I hope you can fix it because I'd love to be able to go back to using TCA3.

TCA3 always uses a profile. If you haven't made/modified any, it still uses the Default profile which is autocreated from the prelaunch engines' configuration and then is modified only on staging or manually. So I'm sure of the cause; the question is how automatically modify the active profile on action groups toggle; and I think I know how.

[Gargamel]

Love this mod, great work @allista.  I've been able to make a cargo/tanker VTOL mk3 with this mod, along with many other craft.  I'd like to be able to do air to air refueling (with other mods obviously), but while you're plinking around with orbital maneuvers, keep that in the back of your mind.  I'd bet a lot of your code/leg work for smooth air to air docking is already there.

On a side note, you should maybe throw a nod out to the mk2 expansion pack and the MRS engine pack, both of which contain some wonderful vtol style engines that work beautifully with your mod.