KSP Modpack Project "Exodus"

Community Blog
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This is the second of several projects I will be doing over the coming month in response to @Atomic_Charge. Thank you, buddy, I needed the motivation! Anyway, I've posted about this one before, but made very little progress since then. Hence, I'll be starting from scratch.

Exodus: A Modpack for KSP

Are you ready? For the hardest challenge you will ever face in running the Kerbal Space Agency (KSA)? Kerbin is doomed. There's nothing you or anyone can do to save it. But you can save the Kerbal race. It's time to race the doom clock. It's up to you to establish self-sustaining orbital & surface stations on every sufficiently large body in the system.

Exodus is intended to be a semi-realistic/immersive modpack with clear goals and a high difficulty. You are promoted to command of KSA at the beginning of a worst-case-scenario regarding an NKO (near kerbin object) that is simply not going to miss this time, and are given the task of rescuing the Kerbal race with orbital stations & surface bases.

Due to the preferences of certain mod authors, rather than a single download as a Minecraft modpack may have, this will be provided as a list of CKAN mods with my own necessary mods at the end.

Mod List: Tentative & Incomplete!

Note that this list will not be including dependencies. I expect that you will be using CKAN, and that dependencies will install automatically.

  • [x] Science
  • Active Texture Management - Agressive
  • Audio Muffler
  • AmpYear
  • Better Burn Time
  • Box Sat & Box Sat Prototype Parts
  • Chatterer
  • Community Tech Tree
  • Connected Living Space
  • Contract Configurator
  • Crowd Sourced Science
  • EVA Parachutes
  • Final Frontier
  • Kerbal Alarm Clock
  • Landing Height Display
  • MechJeb 2
  • Outer Planets Mod
  • RealChute Parachute Systems
  • Remote Tech
  • Sensible Screenshot
  • SpaceY Heavy Lifters + Expansion
  • Stockalike Station Parts Expansion
  • Surface Mounted Lights
  • USI Asteroid Recycling Technologies
  • USI Exploration Pack
  • USI Freight Transport Technologies
  • USI Kolonization Systems (MKS/OKS)
  • USI Life Support
  • USI Survival Pack
  • USI Tools

Required but not yet implemented Mods

These are mods and/or concepts that will be fulfilled by later versions of the modpack.

  • StockNoContracts
  • Some way to move the KSC to another location (most likely orbit of Kerbin) in the mid/late game
  • Some way to make launch clamps mandatory
  • Custom tech tree
  • The Exodus Contract Pack (WIP)
  • Implementation of MechJeb2 early in the techtree because I'm no jadedcat

KNOWN BUGS

Note that you should check and see that any bugs are caused by a combination of bugs within the modpack. I am not the author of the grand majority of mods in Exodus, and further I am not a developer or modder. I'm a writer, dammit. I can't provide any kind of support for single-mod bugs.

  • No bugs yet reported

How you (yes, you!) can help

If you wish to help in any of these ways, please post in this thread.

  • Needed Mods

Please feel free to suggest mods to fulfill concepts in the second list ("Required but not...") or other ways in which I can fulfill those concepts. Also feel free to suggest any mod for any reason, but please list that reason!

  • Testing the pack

This is actually important. I don't have a room full of machines with different hardware. I can't even guess if the modpack will run on X hardware unless it happens to be my hardware, or someone tests it for me.

  • Suggestions & Critiques

I can't improve the pack unless I get feedback. Please, feel free to reply to this post with your thoughts. I am willing to discuss any aspect of the modpack. :)

  • KSA Logos

I need logos for the KSA. The sizes I need are 256x160 and 60x40.

I'd also appreciate an upscaled image including the KSA logo but also the title for a "modpack logo."

  • Contract Configurator

Am I alone in thinking that the contract configurator documentation & tutorials are less than perfectly useful? If not, then any one of you with experience (in Contract Configurator, of course) willing to show me how to do some certain more complex things would be appreciated.

  • Doublecheck my work

I have uploaded the files for the WIP Exodus contract pack to GitHub. You can find the repository here. It's uploaded under the MIT license, which I felt was most appropriate for this project.

If you are willing, and familiar with (or willing to familiarize yourself) the kinds of .CFG files and syntax that Contract Configurator requires, please feel free to go there. I would love feedback on any aspect of my code. (This qualifies as code? Right? :P ) (Also, this is the link to Contract Configurator's github wiki).

  • Getting The Word Out

When Exodus is at a release, and if you enjoy it, I'd love it if you'd get the word out however you can. When we're at release, I will be working on making the modpack more publicly available, also, so you won't have to send people here.

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The above post is rapidly being edited as I actually work on the pack. So if you're interested, check back.

Also, I will begin assigning version numbers to the pack when I feel I've gotten to a good foundation to work with. That's not just yet.

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Exodus Contracts

Notes:

"Self-sustaining" means able to produce at least as much of each life-support material as full crew can use, and at least as much electricity as the station uses, including dark side calculations.

"Story" missions are numbered.

"Random" missions are listed after story missions, and can drop at any time after their requisite colony or station mission has been completed. There should be a limit to the number of random missions that can drop on a given station or colony: 3, maybe?

Exodus Story Missions:

  • 1 Manned Mission To Orbit

Description: "We (KSA) detected a worrisome anomaly in our system charts. Please have a Kerbal in orbit at [X Time] to confirm our data."

Goal: Have a kerbonaut in orbit at [X Time]

Success: "Oh my god. We were right. Uh... This is pretty bad. We'll get back to you."

  • 2 First Space Station

Description: "We have a plan. We're all going to live in space. First, we need a space station & colony in orbit of Kerbin."

Goal: Put a self-sustaining station in orbit of Kerbin. Crew it with at least 1 pilot, 1 engineer, & 1 scientist.

Success: "Good. They're our proof of concept. We can live out there. We can survive this."

  • 3 Orbit of Mun

Description: "We need more data about Mun, and a communications satellite there."

Goal: Put a satellite with gravity experiment & 2+ antennae into orbit of Mun.

Success: "Great news! We can put a colony in orbit!"

  • 4 Orbit of Minus

Description: "We need more data about Minmus, and a communications satellite there."

Goal: Put a satellite with gravity experiment & 2+ antennae into orbit of Minmus.

Success: "Great news! We can put a colony in orbit!"

  • 5 Space Station Mun

Description: "It's time to build a new colony."

Goal: Put a self-sustaining station in orbit of Mun. Crew it with at least 1 pilot, 1 engineer, & 1 scientist.

Success: "Good. More of us are safe."

  • 6 Space Station Minmus

Description: "It's time to build a new colony."

Goal: Put a self-sustaining station in orbit of Mun. Crew it with at least 1 pilot, 1 engineer, & 1 scientist.

Success: "Good. More of us are safe."

  • 7 Manned Mission to Mun

Description: "We need you to land on Mun. We need more data to ensure that we can put a colony there."

Goal: Land on Mun, take surface sample & gravity experiment. Dock with Mun station at least 1x, Dock with Kerbin station at least 1x. Return to Kerbin.

Success: "Great job! We'll look into the data now."

  • 8 Manned Mission to Minmus

Description: "We need you to land on Minmus. We need more data to ensure that we can put a colony there."

Goal: Land on Minmus, take surface sample & gravity experiment. Dock with Minmus station at least 1x, Dock with Kerbin station at least 1x. Return to Kerbin.

Success: "Great job! We'll look into the data now."

  • 9 Colony on Mun

Description: "It's time to start living on Mun. Let's get a colony there."

Goal: Land a self-sufficient colony on Mun. Crew it with at least 1 Kerbin of each class.

Success: "Great job! More kerbals safe from doomsday!"

  • 10 Colony on Minmus

Description: "It's time to start living on Minmus. Let's get a colony there."

Goal: Land a self-sufficient colony on Minmus. Crew it with at least 1 Kerbin of each class.

Success: "Great job! More kerbals safe from doomsday!"

Exodus Random Missions:

  • Parts Fail

Description: "Oh no! One of the mission-critical parts on [Y Base OR X Station] has failed. You need to rush them a replacement immediately."

Goal: Send a mission (including part) to the [Base OR Station] that is specified, within time limit. [ Time limit is to be tough but fair. ]

Failure: [Station OR Colony] is destroyed. If you built on a lifeboat, the crew is now in that lifeboat. Waiting for rescue.

Fail-Goal: Rescue the crew and return to Kerbin.

Failure message: "You didn't get them the part in time. The [Station or Base] is now destroyed. [IF lifeboat:] The crew are waiting for you to rescue them."

Failure 2: "You lost some brave Kerbins. You lose some funding & reputation."

Success: "Great job! You fixed the [Colony OR Station] in time."

  • Alien Life Discovered

Description: "Your scientist at [Colony] has discovered an alien life form on [Colony's planet.] It's [Plant OR Animal], [If animal:] but it's not sentient. Dispatch more scientists and experiment equipment immediately!"

Goal: Dispatch a mission with 2+ scientists & 3+ experiments, as an add-on to that planet's Colony. Land the add-on and dock safely. Transmit [Boosted] science.

Success: "Very well done! We have so much new data to look at!"

  • New element discovered

Description: "Your scientist at [Colony OR Base] has discovered a new element! Dispatch more scientists and experiment equipment immediately!"

Goal: Dispatch a mission with 2+ scientists & 3+ experiments, as an add-on to that [Colony OR Base]. Dock safely. Transmit [Boosted] science.

Success: "Very well done! We have so much new data to look at!"

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Formatting above fixed, I think.

So the above post is a small starting list for the contract pack. I felt that merely having story contracts would, in the end result, be boring. Hence we have "Random" contracts. I've only put 3 in so far, but I'm hoping to work up 20 random mission types, at a minimum.

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Removed AIES Aerospace. Really wasn't worth the massive performance drain.

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Damn, solid work, I wish I had the game now.

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Thanks. And if, through this modpack, I get one person (maybe that'll be you?) to buy KSP, that would really make it feel more than worth it. The game is just that good.

I would call this 0.1.0 except for the key that ties it all together, the Exodus Contract Pack mod. I have been rereading the documentation and just not getting it. Makes me feel dumb -- I'm sure it's not as insanely useless as it's coming through as.

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I has been on my waiting list to buy for so long now, I just have many other games that also need playing.

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It's phenomenal. I don't know of any other "space program sim" whatsoever that actually gets it right.

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I'm still kind of waiting on the Unity 5 release of KSP, the 32 bit memory limitation on the current release is annoying, as well as the performance issues associated with the current UI.

Has there been any discussion about a Tek DMP server?

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Memory issues have been a problem with KSP as long as I've been aware of it. I've learned to just accept them, unfortunately. I don't think Squad will ever properly fix them at this point.

That's unfortunate, and if the game were less amazing, I'd perhaps call it damming. As things stand... oh well?

And as far as Tek mp-KSP stuff goes, I've not heard anything. Then again, last I checked, all the mp-KSP solutions were pretty poor.

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Gonna have to buy KSP now....

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Please do. It's phenomenal and I'm repeating myself. :P

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OK. It's 2016-03-04-1715MST. Where are we at?

I'm exhausted. I'm going to go crash -- hence the small update.

Still having issues. Unsure if they're caused by my dual core being stressed a bit much, since KSP is remarkably CPU bound, or if the part count is still too high. If someone with a better CPU cares to test the current modpack build and see if it's the part count, fuck be my guest. If no one takes me up on that by the time I'm awake I will begin testing by removing the Near Future modset.

If one way or the other that is accomplished tomorrow, I will turn my attention to the mods/concepts I've yet to implement and try to firm up the foundation before I try to teach myself how to use contract configurator (again). I'll probably end up learning how to write a contract pack by downloading (outside of CKAN) the Kerbin Space Station one, since it's likely to be the most similar to what I'm trying to accomplish, and digging through it to see how everything is implemented. At this point I'm fairly certain the Contract Configurator documentation is unlikely to make much sense to me; I feel like I am missing some foundational assumptions the dev has made.

So... I actually made a lot more progress today than I had expected. Actually plunging myself into the work has made this happen, after weeks and weeks of thinking about it. Once again, I'd like to thank @Atomic_Charge for the motivation!

So... tomorrow's todos for me:

  • Test slowdown issues
  • Implement the rest of the existent mods
  • Maybe take another look at Remote Tech? Antenna Range is just... so simple
  • Disassemble & interrogate an existent contract pack

If I can get all of that done, I'll call it build 0.5.0 and move on to worrying about testing and posting about it in other places. Currently, I'd call where we're at build 0.1.15 due to the number of edits to the original post I've made in the last 16 hours. (Jesus christ I haven't worked a 16 hour day in YEARS.)

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Sometimes you just gotta get that all needed kick in the jimmies. Also maybe @Fouquin or @GigaBusterEXE could help you with testing it. They are crazy with overclocks and I believe both of them have Xeons.

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3.1ghz 2011 sandy 8c/16t

busy atm and I don't think minecraft is super multicore optimized though

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KSP, not MC. :P

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Update: did a couple of short tests. With NEAR removed (except the stockalike station parts dependency), I'm getting an average of 7 fps in flight and 20 fps in all other situations. This is about twice what I was getting with NEAR installed, so it looks like the best call is to to pull it. I also added the SpaceY mods for the heavy lift issue.

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Update #2 of day #2: This contract pack is going to be a difficult thing to pull of completely the way I want it, more so than I had thought. I -may- upload a basic version, I'm about half-way to that basic version.

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In place of my third update, have an initial contract file with the first story mission.

{
	name = Kerbal Space Agency (KSA)
	description = We are the organization you're running. We built KSC. You run us. 
	logoURL = 
	logoScaledURL =
}
CONTRACT_TYPE
{
	name = ExodusOrbitalContract
	title = Exodus Orbital Contract 
	group = ExodusStoryContracts	
	description = [Message from the Tracking Station Department of KSA] We've detected a worrisome anomaly in our system charts. Please send a Kerbonaut to orbit, within the next two weeks, where he can take measurements and visual observations to confirm this anomaly.
	synopsis = Put a kerbal into orbit, and land him safely.
	completedMessage = Oh my god. We were right. Uh... This is actually really bad. We'll get back to you as soon as we can.
	agent = Kerbal Space Agency (KSA)
	deadline = 14 
	cancellable = false
	declinable = true
	autoAccept = true
	targetBody = Kerbin
	maxCompletions = 1
	maxSimultaneous = 14
	rewardScience = 50.0
	rewardReputation = 20.0
	rewardFunds = 10000.0
	failureReputation = 10.0
	failureFunds = 5000.0
	advanceFunds = 5000.0
	PARAMETER
	{
		name = Param1
		type = Orbit
		targetBody = Kerbin
		situation = ORBITING
		minAltitude = 90000
	}
	REQUIREMENT
	{
		name = Requirement
		type = ReachSpace
		invertRequirement = true
	}
}

Seriously though -- I'm still not sure how to set up the variable mission types, which is clearly needed -- I don't think think it would be wise or efficient to make single mission .cfg files for every single body in the system.

Still, I've got time to worry about that. Right now if I can simply get every story mission and 4-6 random mission types implemented for just Kerbin/Mun/Minmus, I'll be happy, and upload the entire contract mod as an early version.

Also, if you clicked the spoiler field, you may noticed that my fields for a KSA logo are blank. If anyone wants to contribute one, I'd be grateful. I'm not artist, Jim!