Hell yeah!
#Return Home
late comet
Yeah, it was pretty rough and I should probably put an explanation for people in general somewhere since I imagine plenty of people might want to do this
In fact
I kinda want to make a standalone mod with this, where you can create launch sites wherever you put a flag or something. I feel like that could be a fun sandbox thing
late comet
Hell yeah!
Where should I put a guide on this?
peak star
Where should I put a guide on this?
molten sigil
there's a box called "Create a new page" on the homepage
you just need to make an account first
it's to prevent spam
late comet
ahhhh
I didn't realize you could make an account
what UI designer put the login button on the bottom left????
molten sigil
ah yeah that doesn't seem like the most intuitive place
I basically chose the theme because it had good dark mode and mobile support
lmao
late comet
Does it violate any ToS to put decompiled code on the wiki? Most of this is done through patching
late comet
hmmmm
molten sigil
what do you need to put on there?
late comet
it's not full files but
It's a lot of code and it's generally like, you just need to change one block
Actually
what I can do is
Just show the blocks of code that need to be changed
molten sigil
awesome, thanks!
at some point we should definitely revisit this and try to make it into a mod+library, similarly to https://github.com/KSP-RO/KSCSwitcher
late comet
Yes, I absolutely want to do that
untold cipher
The story will be experienced by playing it, and there may be some cutscenes at the start and end. I’ll probably make a video series playing the mod though
late comet
Also I have no clue how to put my guide in the tutorials section
molten sigil
you can set categories up here
untold cipher
I originally considered using the game itself to make the cutscenes, but any ship I could make with the game's vanilla parts would be way way too small for how big the Borealis is meant to be. Instead, I'll probably draw some stuff for the cutscenes
untold cipher
||Eeloo Landed: 120 / Discoverable: 160
Laythe Atmosphere: 1 / Landed: 1 / Discoverable: 6
Pol / Landed: 8 / Discoverable: 12
Bop / Landed: 6 / Discoverable: 8
Vall / Landed: 16 / Discoverable: 24
Tylo / Landed: 30 / Discoverable: 40
Jool / Atmosphere: 12
Dres / Landed: 30 / Discoverable: 40
Duna / Atmosphere: 20 / Landed: 50 / Discoverable: 80
Ike / Landed: 26 / Discoverable: 36
Kerbin / Atmosphere: 30 / Landed: 160 / Discoverable: 160
Mun / Landed: 30 / Discoverable: 40
Minmus / Landed: 28 / Discoverable: 38
Eve / Landed: 200 / Discoverable: 300
Gilly / Landed: 36 / Discoverable: 50
Moho / Landed: 200 / Discoverable: 300||
Return home science multipliers
These are extremely STC, as I'm not familiar with the launch window timings
If there isn't a launch window to Eeloo within the first 20 years, then the science value needs to change of course
and I just need to playtest it in general to understand what works
desert viper
||Eeloo Landed: 120 / Discoverable: 160
Laythe Atmosphere: 1 / Landed: 1 / Dis...
||smh no Jool Landed multiplier||
untold cipher
||smh no Jool Landed multiplier||
I'll consider it if they fix the graphical bugs it causes
Although I dont know if its as simple as adding a number. It might just not work regardless of what the scalar is set to
prime garden
The story will be experienced by playing it, and there may be some cutscenes at ...
It is a very beautiful idea
untold cipher
Thank you!
The story won't be too deep or developed in this part of the mod, although I still spent plenty of time making a coherent and logical story with the mission briefing/debriefings
Future versions when it goes Interstellar are when the story will be able to shine
untold cipher
The launch timings for every planet look good! I don't think I need to significantly adjust any of the multipliers due to them, except maybe increasing Dres and Eeloo's a bit
untold cipher
I'm working on my tech tree now, and its probe before manned. I realized that because of the nature of the mission system and limited starting tech, that a player might actually be able to softlock themselves without the ability to take surface samples. So now I'm wondering if I need to force them to take the sample grabber or something early on to avoid softlock issues.
untold cipher
Going to do that
I don't think tech tree decisions should ever softlock you
I'm also going to add in another main mission to escape Laythe's atmosphere to further help avoid this softlock
This also means that the mod won't be playable with lower % science rewards unless you give yourself some starting science I think
Nevermind, it was simply a skill issue on my part
Its totally possible to orbit with just fleas and an ant
I may still have such a mission regardless
untold cipher
I got this to orbit
of Laythe
Theres an issue though
This really isnt fun lol
So Ill probably make this part of the mod a little bit easier just because like.. flying stuff with no control is kinda not very enjoyable
peak star
Fair yeah
I still need to remodel that fuel tank but ive been half avoiding ksp2 stuff to prevent burnout from getting worse
untold cipher
I still need to remodel that fuel tank but ive been half avoiding ksp2 stuff to ...
Aweee. Yeah I saw you mention some burnout feelings
Please take a break!
untold cipher
Okay I think I have a solution to the softlock issues
and I actually did it unintentionally already
|| Laythe / Atmosphere: 1 / Landed: 1 / Discoverable: 6||
||I gave Laythe a very high multiplier for it's discoverables. Kerbin's is normally 2, and I gave Laythe's 6. If you spend all your science in the worst ways possible, then if you go to a discoverable, you should end up with enough to fix the issue||
untold cipher
I did the math, and its possible to get 600 science worth of surface samples from Laythe with the balancing I chose
168 excluding discoverables
So I think I dont need to worry about early game softlocks
desert viper
So Ill probably make this part of the mod a little bit easier just because like....
haha, yeah, that's why I was thinking of jet engines
untold cipher
Jet engines come a little bit later after the SRBs
untold cipher
Current tech tree progress
Theres a bit of a naming progression. Scavenged < Scrap < Makeshift/Repaired
untold cipher
untold cipher
The mods list do be getting up there
3 of these are for Return Home currently
HijackCamera/ReturnHomeTree/SciencePatchBuilder
But it should be possible to consolidate all of that
untold cipher
Im playtesting the new tech tree and its already having me build weird things I've never done before
Darn, thats unstable
untold cipher
Getting rockets to fly stable on Laythe is really hard actually. The atmosphere is the right combination of thin and thick to make stabilizers behave poorly
I simply cannot get the stuff I build to be stable despite my best efforts
Going to wait for Meckryl to add in gimbal on the SRBs before playtesting more
Honestly Im quite confused why SRBs lack gimbal in the first place
untold cipher
Tiering up in the KSP 2 tech tree feels a little bit underwhelming
When the system is set up to be potentially much more significant
I think that the first node in each tier for Return Home will have an associated mission that you need to complete
||In order to unlock Tier 2, it will be necessary to obtain a surface sample from Bop as it has materials that are necessary to repair the Borealis Automated Construction bay. Until that mission is complete the node will remain locked. ||
solemn grotto
i wish they did that in stock too. just a hard requirement to land on a certain CB (or a choice between multiple?) before being allowed to progress
untold cipher
Yeah its a real missed opportunity isn't it?
solemn grotto
yeah :/ i wouldnt mind a standalone mod that added that in
untold cipher
Hmm
Im honestly not too sure how I'd balance it for the vanilla tree
I guess the unlock for Tier 2 would be land on Mun/Minmus?
Tier 3 Duna/Ike/Gilly
Tier 4 Moho/Dres/Eeloo/Laythe/Vall/Tylo/Bop/Pol/Eve
Tier 2's unlock would feel too easy and Tier 4 has too many options that seem valid
Return Home's tree is far more restrictive to the player in where they can go as I heavily limit access to any decent engines, so it's much more obvious what the player needs to complete to progress
I'm also now considering
That for this mod, I kinda want to add a new science part
Essentially, it would be a drill
That collects deeper and larger samples
It would require a much longer run time, higher EC/s, and weigh significantly more than the basic sample collector
That way you'd be much more incentivized to handle heavier payloads
late comet
Working on a parts inventory system right now
I currently have it give a parts limit of 5 for every part in the game, and I am successfully able to block attempts to attach too many parts to one rocket
untold cipher
late comet
Definitely a lot more work to do on this but it's a start
Probably the next goal is to keep track of all parts in the workspace so that I can stop the player from being able to drag out parts that they shouldn't be able to
peak star
Does it stop you from attaching too many parts or from launching with too many parts
untold cipher
@late comet
late comet
Does it stop you from attaching too many parts or from launching with too many p...
Attaching
I'll probably add in a launch check as well just to stop exploits though
The way the part attaching system works really confuses me, I'm definitely going to miss something otherwise
peak star
I'd prefer it to just be launch personally, like how ksp1/rp1 does it for total part counts, but fair
late comet
Rabbitt and I were discussing this
I think what I'll do is
let you toggle between building and blueprinting mode
peak star
Well, theres also the issue of people may want multiple vehicles in one workspace with different payloads
late comet
In blueprinting mode you can place as many pieces as you want, but you can't launch, only save, and then you have to load it into building mode which will incur a parts check
peak star
Well, theres also the issue of people may want multiple vehicles in one workspac...
Or just different payloads in general
untold cipher
Yeah I had the same concern, but I think a blueprinting mode solves those issues
peak star
Does it though? You'd have to copy your vehicle to a new workspace would you not
late comet
I can explain my reasoning here as well, there are two main reasons I want to work this way
The first is that if I were playing this mod, and I think this goes for a lot of people who aren't as experienced, I would be quite frustrated to spend a lot of time building a vehicle only to be told at the end that I can't launch it because I'm one over on some part
And the second reason is that I think it feels a lot more immersive and complete if you can only physically place the parts that you have
molten sigil
The first is that if I were playing this mod, and I think this goes for a lot of...
I think that could be solved by something like a red alert icon on the app bar, and potentially a message box that warns you about it the first time you do it
peak star
I'll let you finish, but my proposed solution in mind already solves that first issue
Just showing the total part count while building either on the parts in the VAB list, or somewhere on the app bar like the engineers report and highlighting in red when its over
late comet
It's certainly a LOT easier to just stop the player from launching ships with too many parts though
Like
I'd basically be done
untold cipher
Just showing the total part count while building either on the parts in the VAB ...
I think she has a good point that a newer player is going to gloss over these things potentially
I definitely did in KSP 1
I dont see why having a toggle between the two functionalities is an issue
peak star
Yeah, but it will get in the way of more experienced players play style I fear
late comet
Okay how about this
untold cipher
Have blueprint mode do a launch check validation and not attachment validation. Have not blueprint mode do both
peak star
The other solution is to have that behaviour enabled by default, but have a toggle in the settings to enable/disable it
late comet
In blueprint mode, if your active vessel is within your parts limit, it will let you directly launch it?
untold cipher
In blueprint mode, if your active vessel is within your parts limit, it will let...
yeah exactly this
peak star
The other solution is to have that behaviour enabled by default, but have a togg...
Thats essentially what I'm saying here
late comet
Sure
untold cipher
We all agree then 
peak star
As in always have launch checks, but have the in editor behaviour be toggleable
But yes, that proposed solution would work
Though having the UI for part counts would be nice in either behaviour
peak star
Yeahh
untold cipher
That aspect is what seems most necessary to me
late comet
I definitely think it's a mandatory feature pretty much
peak star
I was thinking have a counter on the part icons, and if it goes negative in "blueprint" mode, then have that become red
late comet
Sure
late comet
Well
untold cipher
Maybe should be released as a standalone mod?
late comet
we meaning "munix" in this case
untold cipher
yes
molten sigil
molten sigil
well, in one way or another, we basically helped make nearly every mod
though there are some that we had 0 to do with, like the input binder mod that was made just using BepInEx at first
peak star
Give SRBs 90 degree of gimbal :p
molten sigil
oh god
untold cipher
for the record I only flew one craft with it and it immediately made SRBs feel 300% better to use
molten sigil
that would make the game even more difficult than 0 gimbal
untold cipher
I have no idea why its not base game once again
peak star
Because SRBs are not usually gimballed irl at least early ones
They are meant to be cheap to build/use, and gimballing hardware is not that
untold cipher
All the research I did suggested that they commonly are gimballed
molten sigil
yeah, it's really only a thing with like shuttle SRBs, which would be represented by the Clydesdale in the game, which does actually gimbal
untold cipher
Either the entire engine is or the nozzle is
peak star
Well the entire engine wouldnt work without robotic parts
I cant find any source on srbs being gimballed other than the shuttle quickly tbh
molten sigil
the Delta III GEM 46 had TVC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_III
but that flew literally 3 times
peak star
The Vulcans were also yeah
molten sigil
lmao
untold cipher
So lets say that our Kerbal in Return Home modified them to gimbal knowing that the moon they were on had insufficient atmospheric density for fin stabilizers to be effective
molten sigil
The Vulcans were also yeah
nope
molten sigil
there are like 10 different types of the GEM boosters
untold cipher
So lets say that our Kerbal in Return Home modified them to gimbal knowing that ...
Its actually just suffering to fly with a non-gimbal engine on Laythe
peak star
True
untold cipher
pure suffering
The atmosphere is dense enough to flip you like crazy but too thin for the stabilizers to stop that from happening
The mod overall has been making very good progress, Im quite happy
I think within a month, most of the core systems will be done tbh
untold cipher
|| Tech Nodes:
Scavenged Parts: Barely functional scrap salvaged from the wreckage. It'll have to do.
Scavenged SRBs: These were made by modifying some of the previously scavenged SRBs. They have more thrust and fuel in comparison, but are haphazardly put together.
Surface Sampler: Spare parts from the construction bay yielded this surface sampler. It can analyze soil composition and store it for later use.
Scrap Stabilizers: With so much spare scrap metal, creating stabilizers should be easy, but the Borealis Automated Construction Bay sustained too much damage in the crash. It's creating much worse parts than it is capable of.
Scrap Decouplers: Rigging together mining explosives and scrap metal allowed for the construction of these very rudimentary decouplers. They aren't safe.
Scavenged Antennas: These antennas were scavenged from radio equipment. They aren't suitable for long distance transmission.
Scavenged Electrical Components: Parts stripped from the Borealis Power System. It was equipped with spare solar panels and battery banks despite relying primarily on RTGs for its main power. Those RTGs were the only part of the ship engineered to survive a severe crash.
Makeshift Parachutes: Stitched together from tarps and dyed to look the part. Don't trust them.
Scrap Construction: Various structural elements created from scrap metals. Their integrity is questionable at best.
Scavenged Utilities: Parts either manufactured from scrap metal, or stripped off the Borealis without regard. Does it really need so many lights?
Repaired Stabilizers: Stabilizers and control surfaces repaired using the construction bay. The Borealis has no shortage of such parts.
||
|| Additional T1 Construction: Increases the quantity of parts from Scrap Construction.
Additional T1 SRBs: Increases the quantity of parts from Scavenged SRBs and Makeshift SRBs.
Additional T1 Utilities: Increases the quantity of parts from Scavenged Electrical Components, Scavenged Parachutes, and Scavenged Antennas.
Scavenged Jet Engines: The Borealis Aircraft Hangar was severely damaged in the crash, but sifting through the remains yields some intact engines. Only suitable for slow, low atmosphere flight.
Scavenged Aviation Parts: Various wings and intakes scavenged from the Borealis Aircraft Hangar. Intakes optimized for slow, low atmosphere flight.
Makeshift Jet Engines: These new jet engines were created by modifying and repairing other scavenged engines. They are optimized for high speed, high altitude flight, and are well suited for bringing a plane or rocket to orbit.
Makeshift Intakes: These new intakes were created by modifying and repairing other scavenged intakes. They are optimized for high speed, high altitude flight, and are well suited for bringing a plane or rocket to orbit.
Repaired Electrical Components: More powerful electrical components taken from the Borealis Power System. Laythe's very humid environment has continually done damage to these sensitive electronics.
Repaired Reaction Wheels: Severely damaged, these reaction wheels were only able to be repaired due to detailed blueprints stored in one of the surviving Borealis data-banks.
Repaired Probes: Many of the ship's computer systems have been experiencing severe corrosion and oxidation, and repair of them has been difficult. These are some of the few parts that have become functional again with the current rudimentary repairing process.||
|| Repaired Antennas: Many of the vessels onboard the Borealis were equipped with basic antennas for distant communication, and repairing them has shown promise. Unfortunately, the more advanced antennas require resources for repair that aren't native to Laythe.
Additional T1 Jet Engines: Increases the quantity of parts from Scavenged Jet Engines and Makeshift Jet Engines.
Additional T1 Aviation Parts: Increases the quantity of parts from Scavenged Aviation Parts and Makeshift Intakes.
Additional T1 Electronic Components: Increases the quantity of parts from Repaired Electrical Components, Repaired Reaction Wheels, Repaired Probes, and Repaired Antennas.
Borealis Automated Construction Bay Repairs: The Borealis Automated Construction Bay was damaged in several aspects by the crash. It should be capable of manufacturing much more advanced parts, but Laythe is lacking the right materials to make such repairs.||
All the tech node flavor text for Tier 1
STC
Meckryl said she was going to go over and change some of this flavor text. The way I describe things tends to be extremely literal and a bit boring as a result
Definitely not well suited to being a writer
untold cipher
||My KSC Bop Satellite destroyer is a success!||
untold cipher
Testing out this two stage orbital plane design
Supposed to get to orbit carrying a light payload and then return
Really challenging craft to make though
untold cipher
Okay so
I've been messing around with the early tech tree a lot
And I think I want to take a page out of a Factorio mod's book
In that mod, you get access to some late game things much earlier on by finding them in ruins, so you get a sort of taste of what you can have later on
And it adds some more variety and motivation to unlock those things for real
Im thinking of giving a very limited quantity of some of the later high tier parts to the player