Helvica

Description

This mod adds one small gas giant, the titular planet Helvica, and its moons to the space between the orbits of Duna and Dres. While it may not be as far from Kerbin as Jool or gas giants added by other mods, Helvica does have one trick up its sleeve: It orbits in a retrograde direction. Because of this, you will have to carefully plan your trip in order to get an encounter. It has a few other features as well, including large rings, three moons, one submoon, PlanetShine and DistantObjectEnhancement support, and multiple science biomes for each body. As for compatibility with other planet packs, as long as you don't use mods that add planets between the orbits of Duna and Dres, or that entirely replace the existing stock system (Beyond Home, Galileo's Planet Pack, etc.), you should be good to go.

Note: Helvica is my first planet mod, and it is very much a work in progress. Do not expect to find zero bugs. Updates may or may not arrive periodically.

Installation Instructions

1. Download and install the dependencies if you don't already have them.
2. Extract the contents of Helvica(vX.X).zip\GameData to your KSP GameData folder.
3. Enjoy!

Dependencies

• Kopernicus Stable Branch (1.12.x)

Supported Mods

• PlanetShine
• DistantObjectEnhancement

Q & A

Q. Is Helvica compatible with other planet mods? A. Yes, as long as they do not replace the existing stock system, and do not add a planet between the orbits of Duna and Dres.

Q. Is Helvica compatible with Principia? A. Helvica is not compatible with Principia.

Q. Is Helvica compatible with Rescale or Sigma Dimensions? A. There is currently no support for Rescale or Sigma Dimensions.

Q. Where do I report bugs? A. You can either reply to the forum post, or send me a public or private message on my forum profile. Please remember to do a proper bug report. I will try to find a fix during my free time. If the bug is caused by a separate mod with no stated compatibility, I may not be able to fix it.

Q. Why does it orbit the wrong way? How do I get to it? A. One of Helvica's primary features is that it is in a retrograde orbit, unlike most other planets. This is intentional. You can either spend enough Δv (delta-v) to put yourself in a retrograde orbit around the Sun, or if you like taking risks, try to get an encounter with Helvica as it is coming towards Kerbin and either aerobrake or use gravity assists (very difficult). You can also use a combination of gravity assists and engine power to easily invert your orbit once you have a very high Sun apoapsis, which has the upside of requiring less delta-v, and the downside of taking many months.

Q. Can I make suggestions? A. Of course! Feedback and suggestions are very welcome. I need all the help I can get. I might not take suggestions that ask to add X moon, although I will consider it if it is a good idea.

Known Issues

• Ruse may have strange terrain, particularly around its poles.
• Borders between biomes may not be well-defined on certain moons.