Changelog
Periodically the USI/MKS constellation of mods undergo both minor and significant changes that can unleash the Kraken, starve your crew or otherwise break your existing bases/stations and building techniques. This page serves to keep you updated and in-the-know. Note that because the mod is separated into UKS (Parts), Kolonization (Logic, bundled with MKS and MKS-L), USI-Tools (shared dependencies), USI Core (Nuclear and Kontainer parts) and USI-LS (Life Support), there are multiple changelogs to consult.
MKS Changelog
USI-LS Changelog
Below is a list of many of the recent changes, sorted chronologically in descending order.
Two new long awaited components have ben added to this mod: Atlas parts and the WOLF resource distribution mechanism.
The Atlas series introduces some B-I-G parts that are intended for "end game" colonies. The parts are intended to be built on site, not flown in, and hold 12 to 96 (!) kerbals each.
WOLF provides a means for gathering, producing, and distributing resources not only on a planet but across planets. A good overview from RoverDude can be found in this document. More Wiki pages explaining WOLF are in the works.
In October 11, 2016, KSP version 1.2 was released out of beta. This release moved to the new Unity 5 engine and introduced multiple changes and enhancements that broke most mods, UKS included. On that same day, RoverDude released MKS 0.50.0 that significantly changed the MKS gameplay and parts. Loading 0.50 is guaranteed to break any previous saves.
Beginning with this release, the USI MKS/UKS mod in its entirety is called "MKS"; the UKS moniker is no longer used. Also in this release, three primary series of parts are presented:
Starting with the 0.32.0.0 release on January there have been a number of major updates to Logistrics, Resource Chains, Supply Consumption and the introduction of two new mechanics for Habitation and Wear.
RoverDude has indicated that a new walk-through tutorial that'll explain how everything now works together is in the works, but he is still focusing on getting all the major mechanics changes completes and bugs worked out before he'll finish the tutorial. Once it's been posted, we'll update this section with a link.
Older mechanics have been consolidated or replaced with Scavanging, Power Distribution, Resource Distribution, and Distributed Warehouses. All logistics logic has been moved over to USITools so it can be shared with some of the other non-core mods. Default logistics times are 5 seconds for resources and power, and 10 seconds for warehouse distribution MKS-Lite will not be shown if UKS is installed.
- The PDU and Fuel Refinery now allow their EnrichedUranium to be transferred out during maintenance, and will try to pull in DepletedFuel for their fuel recyclers.
- Added a small starter reactor to the MKS PDU Removed the MKS and OKS legacy PDUs
When Extraplanetary Launchpads is present, RocketParts are replaced by a combination of SpecializedParts and MaterialKits in the resource chain.
If MKS-Lite or UKS is installed, supply consumption has been increased from roughly 1 per Kerbal per day to approximately 16. Penalties for EVA loss and starvation have also been increased. You can alter these by changing USI-LS.cfg in the Kolonization folder. These increases are balanced by increased efficiency in the habitation support modules and changes to the way the recyclers function. However people operating small vessels and landers without recyclers or resource conversion modules will need to significantly increase the amount of supplies they carry with them.
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Organics have been deprecated. All converters now go straight to supplies.
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All converters that produce supplies will now require
Fertilizer. -
Hab modules, Ag modules, and the Scout lander pod act as basic life support recyclers. Aeroponic and Kerbitat modules act as advanced life support recyclers. The Pioneer module comes with a colony-grade life support recycler. Note that all life support recyclers have cumulative effects - it's always good to add more, and there is no penalty for mixing types.
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The Kerbitat now serves as the best Habitation Multiplier for USI_LS, and a mid-range recycler.
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The Pioneer Module now serves as the best life support recycler, and also acts as a resource distributor for resource logistics (if a pilot is on board).
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The Aeroponics Module has been trimmed down to a single module (cultivation), allowing for the conversion of substrate, water, and fertilizer directly into supplies. It also includes some habitat bonuses (plants are good!) and a mid-range life support recycler.
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The MKS and OKS Agriculture Modules now only have the Agroponics Module (Mulch+Fertilizer=Supplies). Inflatable Ag Modules now have crew capacity, so you can transfer crew to work in them. Also, for best efficiency in agriculture modules, use a Scientist not an Engineer (though Engineers are a decent second choice).
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The MKS and OKS Hab Module/Hab Ring no longer has a converter, but instead works to extend the habitation capacity of your base.
The recyclers have undergone a number of significant changes. The largest change, is that they are no longer converters -- they no longer convert mulch to 'supplies', rather they now reduce the amount of supplies a Kerbal actually consumes. Stock MKS/LS Recyclers have ratings that range from 25% to 75% for up to 5 Kerbals. The effects are cumulative up to a limit based on your best recycler for the entire vessel.
A new mechanic called Habitation has been added. This represents both how long a Kerbal is willing to live on your vessel before he gets fed up with how lousy it is, and how long he's willing to be away from Kerbin before getting homesick.
By default a Kerbal is willing to live about a month away from Kerbin before he gets homesick and wants to return. However if he's placed in a well built vessel, he can be tempted to forget about Kerbin for longer periods. If you then move your crew to a smaller, less well built vessel, they'll get upset much more quickly and they'll long to return to the well built vessel.
The habitation value is tracked as two values:
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A max number of days for the current vessel before a crew member gets upset. There is a counter that tracks against this number that is reset every time a crew member enters a new vessel.
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A total maximum number of days a crew member is willing to be away from Kerbin. The max value for this counter will be set to the largest "current vessel" habitation value that a crew member sees. The max value will only change if the crew member visits a better vessel than the best they've visited so far. The counter for this value never resets until the crew member returns to Kerbin, no matter how many vessels they transfer to.
Example: If a crew member launches from KSC in a small rocket, they may initially have a Current Vessel max value of 30 days and a Total Time max value of 30 days. Each day they spend on that small rocket will be counted against both counters. If they dock after 2 days, on to a large station with a habitation value of 300 days, then the max value for both counters will be increased to 300. The count for the current vessel will be reset to zero and start counting anew, however the count for Total Time will remain at 2 days and continue to increment. If the crew member then transfers to a small Mun Lander (with a habitation value of 45) after being aboard the station for 10 days, then the Current Vessel Max will drop to 45 days, the count for the current vessel will drop to 0, but the Total Time counter will be at 12 days and continue to increase with the max remaining that of the largest vessel they've visited (the 300 from the station.)
A new mechanic has been introduced but is currently disabled that represents wear and tear on modules. Over time modules will wear out and cease to function. This new mechanic is currently disabled until some additional parts are introduced.
