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Rational Resources is inspired by Realistic Atmospheres made by OhioBob and operates on either the KSP Community Resource Pack or WBI Classic Stock. Rational Resources strips out the entirely random resource distributions and applies "distribution templates" (carefully configured groups of resource distributions) according to the logically expected class and composition of a body. While this mod is installed, un-configured bodies will have no resources at all except for a little Ore.

This mod enables planet makers to easily assign these distribution templates to their planet packs and skip the headaches of figuring out and writing the individual nodes themselves, and assorting all of their writings into several per-resource config files.

Active Resources

With some partial respect to realism, this mod drastically reduces the presence of the stock Ore resource in order to starve the use of this omnipotent and exceedingly abstracted resource, and to encourage the use of the distinct and specialized resources, and to encourage creation and use of the part mods that revolve around these, namely Hydrolox and Methalox rocketry mods. Additionally, the active resource selection is tailored towards life support mods, making any configured planet pack easily compatible with Kerbalism and TAC, and beyond these, making any added stars fit for harvesting for exotic rocketry mods.

Surface resources

Full view

Exosphere/Low star orbit resources

Full view

ISRU

With omnipotent Ore being stripped of its Godhood, the ISRU chains are proposed and encouraged for use by seasoned modders. Ore abundance is capped to 5% and its presence chance to 80%. It will be inconvenient for most players... but it will still be around.

Propulsion

As of release 0.9.2, this mod provides nuclear engines to provide more use of the novelty propellants: IntakeAtm, LqdAmmonia, LqdCO2, LqdHydrogen, LqdMethane. These engines also exist to set a baseline for the same if these are created in other mods.

Compatibility

Known planet packs that possess their own configurations for this mod:

• JNSQ
• Galaxies Unbound (partially)
• Kerbal Sized Real Solar System

Planet packs configured from/within this mod:

• Beyond Home
• OPM
• Extrasolar
• Galileo's Planet Pack
• Grannus Expansion Pack
• Galaxies Unbound (partially)
• Minor Planets Expansion
• Real Solar System

Mods

Rational Resources is split into two mods as of v1.0.0 and features a few pseudo-mods or sub-mods, purpose-built for special use cases.

Extras/ is not a mod in itself but a collection of optional extra configs for further enriching an ISRU game. It is positioned to exist outside of GameData as its effects are feature creep and not immediately important to the RR experience.

• RR_ScienceLabBlacksmith.cfg: This is the core of the RationalResourcesBlacksmith sub-mod. This takes advantage of the two unused decks in the stock science lab, installing a "furnace" and providing a system for filling non-transferrable resources into the parts that hold them. It has its own wiki page and supports the following resources.
  • Ablator (For trans-atmospheric vessels that try to reuse their heatshields);
  • SolidFuel (As an option for Extraplanetary Launchpads users. SRBs are spawned empty);
  • EnrichedUranium and Uraninite (For refilling nuclear fuel drums and making Uraninite more worthwhile);
  • DepletedFuel (For "safely" disposing of this waste resource, handwaving the mechanic of extracting and burying it);
• RR_BlacksmithFamily.cfg: Expands on the RationalResourcesBlacksmith sub-mod and installs the RRWork and ThermalPower mechanics into any part that has EL workshop or EL smelter modules.
• RR_SSPXr_ContainerTypes.cfg: This enables all of the resource-bearing parts in Stockalike Station Parts Expansion Redux to hold Rational Resources.
• RR_Aluminium.cfg: Enables fuel tanks (see: TankSwitchForSquad) to hold Aluminium, changes converters to produce Aluminium instead of Metal, changes the RR hybrid SRBs to consume Aluminium instad of Metal, and if KSPIE is installed, they also consume LqdOxygen instead of Oxidizer.
• RR_KCTFuelResources.cfg: Adds a handful of cryofuels used by the Nuclear Family as propellants to be considered by Kerbal Construction Time.
• RR_NuclearFamily.cfg: Clones and otherwise modifies tagged atomic rocket engines to be able to use diverse cryofuels which may be more readily available than Hydrogen at some planets; Modifies atomic jets to hold and consume EnrichedUranium as with a built-in reactor, to produce ElectricCharge and ThermalPower (the latter being an additional propellant); Modifies all tagged engines to have a Kerbalism radioactivity value. The cryofuels (or otherwise viable propellants) include Ammonia, Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrogen, Water.
• RR_ColdGasRCSStock.cfg: (Compatible with Classic Stock.) This modifies all Squad and Restock+ MonoPropellant RCS thrusters as done by RR_RCSFamily.cfg below.
• RR_RCSFamily.cfg: (Compatible with Classic Stock.) This modifies tagged RCS thrusters (wither mono-prop or bi-prop) to be able to use various propellants including:
  • Mono: IntakeAtm, Ammonia, Argon, Xenon, Methane, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen. (note: the ion-fuel options do not include consumption of ElectricCharge and are treated as cold gas thrusters, having very poor Isp)
  • Bi: Hydrogen + Oxidizer, Methane + Oxidizer.
• RR_TACLS.cfg: (+2 related files) Changes the TAC converters in TAC itself, Airline Kuisine, and SSPXr to make less use of abstract resources and make use of RR provided resources where appropriate. Namely, the Waste output is changed to Hydrogen, Carbon or Methane where fitting.
• RR_StripStockConverters.cfg: This removes all of the stock options from the Convert-O-Trons but does not affect the Drill-O-Matics.
• RR_TankswitchExtras.cfg: This defines and applies just one extra tank type to all tanks enabled to use RR tank switch options. It also serves as a template for users to create their own such configs. Note that it contains requirements for a planet pack and requires the next config to be present within GameData/. This may change soon­™.
• RR_TankswitchForSquad.cfg: This is the core of the sub-mod RationalResourcesSquad.
• RR_MoreTankSwitches.cfg: This expands on RationalResourcesSquad and applies its options to the tanks of various mods.
• RR_TankswitchFusionFuel.cfg: This adds Deuterium and Helium-3 tank types to the tanks in CryoTanks and any tanks affected by RationalResourcesSquad.

Core

RationalResources itself is only the resource placement system. It's compatible with both the Community Resource Pack and the Classic Stock alternative system owned by Angel-125 (maker of the Wild Blue Industries suite) and co-developed by myself. This is where the B9 tank type definitions, and the alteration to the resource selection in SCANsat's UI reside. The scanner parts, the experiment addition to the stock Narrowband Scanner, and OPM compatibility also exist here.

Bonus

RationalResourcesParts contains all further parts added by Rational Resources (the nuclear jet and rockets, the box converters, clones of the bread tanks, and the exoscoop) and the patches that add options in the stock Convert-O-Trons, add harvester options to the stock XM-G50 intake, the Drill-O-Matics, and make the stock Ore tanks switchable between Ore and several other ISRU input resources.

• This mod re-calibrates the small Convert-O-Tron to actually be playable, to require 600kW of cooling and to operate at 25% the capacity of the large one. The reason it is unplayable is due to a half-baked design decision by RoverDude.

RationalResourcesSquad exists within Extras/RR_TankswitchForSquad.cfg and enables all of the stock fuel tanks to change between LFO, LF, oxidizer, Mono and Structural, and to receive the other RR-specific propellant options provided after them. Compatibility with Making History is not yet confirmed.

RationalResourcesEasy is "Easy Mode." Activate this by creating the path GameData/RationalResourcesEasy/ or make an MM patch that declares this mod and runs as part of it :FOR[RationalResourcesEasy]. This sub-mod restores high Ore abundances to every world and cures the conflicting needs within players who really want to use Rational Resources but who also want Ore to remain highly abundant. (You weaklings. :P )

RationalResourcesOverride tells Rational Resources not to apply its presets to Sun and Kerbin. This sub-mod exists for use by planet packs that change these bodies to be very far from the usual yellow star with green planet, like a barycenter or black hole with arid red planet. Such planet packs are encouraged to include an MM patch that contains :FOR[RationalResourcesOverride].