Release notes v0.8.1

Features:

• added support for interplanetary flight;
• added the Moon;
• implemented maneuver planner and encounters prediction;
• added 11 new tracks and improved playlist selection during flight;
• improved aerodynamics for rockets with small number of parts;
• added proper support for parabolic and hyperbolic orbits;
• game is now supporting up to 500 orbits rendering at the same time without dropping fps on the average PC;
• new orbit nodes: impact, encounter, escape;
• approach time to orbit nodes and maneuvers is showing now, when hovering mouse over them;
• added proper environment shadows during flight;
• new 16-bit temperature map for Earth, it will make planet texturing more smooth and reduce noisiness,
• new high quality color and normal maps for Moon on the Solar System map;
• added automatic camera exposure control and adjusted values during flight and on the Solar System map;
• added sun flares;
• updated main menu scene;
• animated rocket parts not only change visual appearance, but affect physics shape and rocket parameters;
• new autostabilization mode: maneuver;
• new socket types: rectangle, dualhex.

New parts:

• Frontal Parachute is working now! (kinda of)
• “Feather” Landing Strut;
• Standard Reaction Wheel;
• Payload Fairing 3x7;
• Micro Decoupler with 3+2 variants
• two more variants of “Seeker” Decoupler.

Part changes:

• “Vys” Command Module:
  • reduced max torque from 20 kN to 18 kN;
  • reduced consumed power from 0.53 to 0.48;
  • increased mass from 740 kg to 850 kg;
  • reduced electric charge amoun from 135 to 120;
• Small Reaction Wheel: increased max torque from 4.5kN to 6kN and consumed power from 0.1 to 0.14;
• reduced dry mass of all fuel tanks by ~15%;
• changed visual appearance of Adapter 1.2-0.55 C-4 to make the compartibility with “Clicker” Longitudinal Decoupler more obviuos;
• added single socket on top of the “Sputnik-2” Probe Core;
• “Energia-C8.95” Liquid Fuel Engine increased thrust and fuel consumption a bit (impulse didn’t change).

Settings:

• added orbit markers size configuration;
• added scroll sensitivity for manever planner handle;
• new hotkey G - to toggle landing gear;
• press “Delete” while on map view to remove selected maneuver node.

Changes:

• changed collision detection method, it will no longer produce phantom colissions, but sometimes may miss collision on fast moving objects;
• rocket parts could explode on collision with each other;
• improved attachment search while assembling the rocket;
• spacecrafts with applied torque will continue infinitely rotate in space (if auto stabilization is turned off);
• rocket consumes correct amount of electric charge when it is in Math simulation;
• spacecrafts position is checking against planet heightmap in Math simulation;
• increased max possible angular speed of all bodies;
• orbit markers and text have the same size no matter how far they are from the camera;
• antialiasing is now applied to orbits;
• improved orbit colors and rendering;
• only section of orbit is generated and rendered in some cases (like when part of the orbit is bellow the surface);
• improved perfomance in spaceport;
• sun is more yellowish now in the map view;
• autocorrection in Math simulation is more precise;
• last activated stage in flight will be saved with spacecraft;
• reordering action groups shift folowing groups instead of swap;
• spaceport authorities have finally continued construction of launchpad!

Fixes:

• rockets explode in air far from ground;
• stage activation breaks after some rocket stages was destroyed by impact;
• rocket can not be crashed onto launchpad (fixed for most of launchpad, except the exact start point to avoid rocket exploding on engine start);
• seams on planet, visible from certain distance and light angles;
• higher level of detail of planet surface sometimes doesn’t load;
• when rocket flying on hyperbolic orbit, it is going into abyss after some time;
• game freezes when entering atmoshpere with huge time warp multipler;
• decoupled rocket part moves strangly to the sides sometimes;
• rocket fall through the surface of planet and continue flying sometimes;
• different artefacts on planet in flight mode on very high orbit;
• incorrect normals in map view on all planets;
• grid-like artefacts on oceans on Earth in the map view;
• ocean flickers a bit when rocket is falling down;
• rocket shadows not changing, when changing rockets in assembly shop;
• various light leaks in spaceport;
• broken shadows in spaceport during the summer;
• vcam popping on when changing view from spaceport to map;
• you can attach three “Raduga-52” engines to one fuel tank;
• different issues with action groups moving and updating;
• wrong spacecraft velocity after you reached speed of 5km/sec in the atmosphere;
• spacecraft flying sideways relative the ground under some conditions (again);
• Assembly Shop completely broken, when deleting rocket part using Delete key and not detaching it from the rocket before that;
• sometimes parts do not detach from the rocket in the Assembly Shop;
• part slots / connectors incorrectly highlighting in Assembly Shop or flight;
• orbit node text sometimes clipped by the planet.

Known issues:

• incorrect rocket palcement on the launchpad during launch;
• part of the rocket explode below the surface, if the command module was destroyed.

26.08.2020

Fixes:

• Fixed crash during roclet construction
• Fixed buildings not highlighting when hovering over them