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Blargs Ascent Cruise Control v2.0 Beta

UPDATE: Sep 12/23 Blargmode updated the original script, so this copy may not be necessary any more

!! NOTE !! THIS IS NOT MY WORK. THIS IS WRITTEN BY BLARGMODE. I AM SIMPLY PUBLISHING IT FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE COMMUNITY !! NOTE !! See my rationale for this this below at the end. If Blargmode has a problem with this repub I will take it down.

This is v2.0 (Beta) of Blargmode's Ascent Cruise Control. It adjusts the thrust of your bottom or rear thrusters to the lowest possible without losing speed in order to conserve fuel.

It is completely Blargmode's work, but for some reason they chose not to publish it. However they did provide a link to the source on their public github[github.com] in the v1.0 script comments, and said you could paste the source into a PB and it should work.

Quoting from that site: "Not everything is up to my standards yet but it works fine."

I don't know what Blargmode considered substandard, but I tested it a bunch and it seems solid. And AWESOME.

Here's a link to V1.0 of the script.

• amazing graphical presentation
  
• descent officially supported, with cutoff altitude specified
  
• descent deceleration begins well in advance
  
• gravity aligner to keep level (!)
  
• even more optimized fuel consumption by using electrics (atmos, ions) as much as possible

• lights and timers aren't supported
  
• the v1 commands are still supported but there are a bunch of new commands too. The new commands are visible in the PB Detailed Info.

The one flaw I've observed is that if you configure "Disable Aligner at zero-G" to "no", then it flips you upside down when you reach zero-g. It also behaves weirdly with the Aligner enabled in space, only allowing you to flip 90-degree increments. I haven't attempted to debug it, but the one single line I changed in Blargmode's work was to default this to "yes".

I haven't tested it, but it looks like small LCDs aren't supported (corner, top/bottom ones). I tested text panel, wide LCD, LCD, transparent LCD, the new LCD inset block, the new LCD inset corner block, and the new holo LCD and they all work. I also tested the main display of the control seat.

I haven't made a thorough study of this script yet but I will do my best to support it.
Quoting from Blargmode's github:
"There are usage instructions at the top of the file as well as in the terminal output.

But the TL;DR is:

• Sit in a flight seat during setup.
  
• Add #ACC to the name of things with screens for visuals.
  
• Multiple screens? #ACC@3 for example to put it on the third screen.
  
• Display on PB screen using tag #ACC@0
  
• Recompile script after adding screens or issue "reset" command.
  
• Send the command "cruise" to the programmable block to toggle cruise control on or off. Can be set in the toolbar by selecting Run on the programmable block and entering the command."

Each of the following statements I learned from a smoking hole in the ground using v1.0 of the script:

Fair Warning: Inadequate reverse thrust (lift/reverse) can result in catastrophic failure. Ensure your craft has enough propulsion for its mass, docked ships and cargo. You need excess lift (i.e. more than that required to just hover) in order to slow down. The more excess lift you have, the faster you slow down.

That also means you need to set your descent trigger altitude sufficiently high to give it enough time to slow down. If you don't have much excess lift, this might take awhile, and time = distance/altitude. I haven't tested this extensively, but it looks like the script attempts to slow down far in advance to prevent disaster.

I also recommend having an ascent camera pointing straight up, and a descent camera pointing straight down, to watch out for in-grav asteroids that you might crash into.

If you depend on atmo thrusters for excess lift, it may be late in descent before they kick in.

If you depend on atmo thrusters, use care when descending over mountains, as the atmosphere may not get thick enough for the atmos to kick in fully.

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It is debatable whether I should be publishing this, but here's my rationale:

• Blargmode didn't respond to requests for updates to v1.0 of the script for >2 years
  
• Blargmode didn't respond to a comment on V1.0 of the script asking if it was ok to repub an update
  
• A redditor indicated that Blargmode was online but unresponsive to queries on Discord
  
• Anyone could copy/paste their 2.0-beta code into a PB by Blargmode's invitation, so all I am doing is providing the convenience of doing so via the traditional workshop subscription model.
  
• Blargmode didn't make any statement in their published items about republishing

I'm not blaming Blargmode - I just want to convey that I feel like I did my due diligence. There could be any number of valid or unfortunate reasons for Blargmode to unplug. I hope they are ok, and I hope they are ok with this. If Blargmode indicates a problem with this post, I will take it down.

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