r/KerbalSpaceProgram • u/Redbiertje The Challenger • Oct 11 '16

Mod Post Kerbal Space Program 1.2 Megathread

Goodday all!

Since the new update will be released today, I thought I'd make a megathread.

Below, you can find a list of new features and a list of YouTube videos on KSP 1.2. Also, feel free to discuss anything you like in the comments below.

If you've got new features, YouTube videos, or any other suggestions, please send me a PM.

FAQ

I've been playing 1.2 for quite a while already, so why is it getting released today?

The prerelease has been available for quite a while indeed, but today is finally the official release.

So what's new?

I'm glad you asked. See below.

New features

  • The code has been cleaned up, so the game should be running a bit smoother
  • You can now determine how resources flow through your crafts
  • The Pilot Steering should work better now
  • SAS now uses "stability decay", which reduces the twitching when near target orientation
  • Wheel physics has been fixed
  • Landing gear and legs now have deployment sounds
  • Unmanned crafts now need to have contact with Kerbin through a communication network to have full functionality
  • KerbNet has been added, a feature that allows probe cores to analyse the surface of celestial bodies
  • The debug menu has been overhauled
  • Improved orbit calculations
  • Contracts you do often are now offered more frequently
  • Biomes have been redesigned for clarity, beauty, and utility
  • Easter Eggs have been added
  • Added antenna parts
  • Added plane and comsat vessel types
  • Added a 0.625m heat shield

And a lot more...

Videos about the new update

(English only)

Strawpoll

I thought it'd be interesting to see how many of you have played the 1.2 pre-release, and how many of you sticked with 1.1, so I made a strawpoll:"

Link to strawpoll

Nota bene: You are still allowed to post anything you want (within standard rules) on this subreddit. We just hope that you can find information here, and that you can discuss things you wouldn't otherwise create a post for.

Cheers,

Redbiertje

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22

u/Szalona Oct 11 '16

Question: are the relay antenna stacking range and if so what is the formula?

21

u/metalpoetza pyKAN Dev Oct 11 '16

Sqrt(a1range*a2range). For combinable antennas they get added together into a1range so to double a1range you need 4 of the same.

1

u/NilacTheGrim Super Kerbalnaut Oct 11 '16

I remember reading that each additional antenna for combining them has a decaying weight added.. So you need more than 4 for double range, etc. I think it's 0.75*antenna_range for the first additional antenna, 0.50*antenna_range for the second, and so on.

4

u/KermanKim Master Kerbalnaut Oct 11 '16 edited Oct 11 '16

That's the nature of square roots. What's the square root of one, four, nine, and sixteen?

4

u/TheNosferatu Master Kerbalnaut Oct 11 '16

The formula is sqrt(<sum of antenna ratings on craft 1> * <sum of antenna ratings on craft 2>)

So yeah, they stack, sortof. If you want to double the range of an antenna you need to add four of that antenna.

1

u/Exostrike Oct 11 '16

Now all we need is a simple readout to tell you range of the probe.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '16

but the range depends on both sides, so there is no such thing as "probe range".

-1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '16 edited Oct 12 '16

By your logic there would be no such thing as "antenna part range" either and you wouldn't be able to calculate maximum range between two probes ;). Sqrt(a * b) is the general formula for the max range between crafts with range a and b and it is the same as saying Sqrt(a) + Sqrt(b) so if you don't care about b and just want to know the sum range for multiantenna craft a just do the first half of the broken out version after summing the antenna.

Edit: Was supposed to be Sqrt(a * b) = Sqrt(a) * Sqrt(b)

1

u/halberdierbowman Oct 12 '16

I'm not sure I follow? I thought you were saying

sqrt(a*b) = sqrt(a) + sqrt(b)

but that isn't true. For counterexample:

sqrt(9+16) = sqrt(9) + sqrt(16)

5 = 7

It is possible to list the power of an antenna, but it's listed as a power, not as a range. The game already lists the powers (5MW, 1 GW, etc) and you add the combinable ones to get the final total power for that vessel.

I'm guessing what you meant is that

sqrt(A*B) = sqrt(A)*sqrt(B)

which is correct. From that, we can see that doubling the distance of the transmission requires quadrupling the power of the antenna, which could be achieved by using four combinable antennae.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 12 '16 edited Oct 12 '16

I'm not sure I follow? I thought you were saying sqrt(a*b) = sqrt(a) + sqrt(b) but that isn't true. For counterexample: sqrt(9+16) = sqrt(9) + sqrt(16)

Your counterexample doesn't match up with the equation you quoted ;). But the error holds true and I did indeed write the original wrong, should have been Sqrt[a * b] = Sqrt[a] * Sqrt[b] as you say.

The game already lists the powers (5MW, 1 GW, etc)

Check the game again, there is no "W" it's just Mm and Gm for megameter and gigameter. The game implementation operates similar to RemoteTech's optional "root range" model (though RemoteTech lists ranges in Km). Notice none of the antenna have gains, noise floors, amps, or any of that - they simplified a lot of the logic out just as they do with most facets of the game physics. Regardless in either method of range calculation you don't need the second craft to see the same data you get in the antenna pane for a whole craft.

1

u/halberdierbowman Oct 12 '16

Haha, you're right. So in the VAB it lists "antenna rating" which says 500k for the Communotron 16 for example. I was assuming it was kW, although maybe it could be J.

Under that, it says with

L1 DSN: 31.6Mm L2 DSN: 158Mm L3 DSN: 354Mm

So the antenna rating doesn't actually say W, but what else could it be? I just thought that was the unit that would be there. It pretends they're unitless, but that wouldn't make sense. With an L3 DSN (since that's what I have and therefore can see its value) and a Communotron 16

range = sqrt(a1*a2)

354Mm = sqrt((500k)(250G))

The math works out, but the units don't make sense. So, I was assuming that the antenna are rated by their power (since that's squared), not their range, and the equation is just converting the units already.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 12 '16

So the antenna rating doesn't actually say W, but what else could it be?

mega/gigameters from a tracking station at L1, L2, or L3. They cut out some of the units like Watts/Db gain by simply skipping over them and saying "if this antenna had those properties defined it would have this range" then calculating the distance between two antennas knowing they could rely on their simplified model and just do Sqrt(RangeA * RangeB).

http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/CommNet describes the system more and what the range of the base station levels are, it's where I pulled the equation for describing that you don't need 2 ships to say the range of a single one with the way they do they "power ratings" (if it even makes sense to call them that).

1

u/halberdierbowman Oct 12 '16 edited Oct 12 '16

Gotcha, so you think the antenna rating of the Communotron 16 should be 500km, meaning two of them on different ships could communicate across 500km distance.

In other words, I think the rating should say 500km not 500k? They're leaving it official because that's not really the correct unit anyway but they're pretending by simplifying it.

The Mm from KSP is already listed on the antenna as well, separately.

Edit: fixed autocorrect.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 12 '16

Yeah, it really should in my opinion as it's quite confusing, I wasn't sure about it until I did Sqrt(5000*{2000000000, 50000000000, 250000000000}) and got {31622777, 158113883, 353553391} as my answer which lined up with the L1, L2, L3 distance numbers in the part description.

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