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Last updated for v0.9.0.0

Introduction

USI Life Support (USI-LS) is a simplified life support system for the Kerbal Space Program game. It can be used by itself, or together with the USI Modular Kolonization System (MKS) mod. USI-LS allows you to simulate your Kerbals needing resources to stay alive, and provides consequences for running out of those resources.

Configuration options are detailed on the configuration page. It is recommended you use the defaults until you become familiar with USI-LS. To try out USI-LS without any negative consequences for failure, see the changes on the configuration page under 'Common Configuration Changes'. You can also make the 'exceptional' Kerbals (orange-suits) immune to negative effects. Doing this while learning will let you rescue stranded Kerbals or avoid some mistakes.

Life Support Resources

USI-LS changes the game so that Kerbals need two resources to stay alive and happy: Supplies and Habitation.

  • Supplies are the abstraction of everything you consume to live: oxygen, water, food, etc.
  • Habitation is space to live, work, sleep and move around.

USI-LS keeps a timer for each Kerbal for these resources and if any counter runs out, bad things happen to your Kerbal. In the default install, your Kerbal will become a Tourist; he or she won't be able to do anything until the situation is corrected.

The Supplies timer has a 'grace period'. This is bonus time you are given after all the Supplies are consumed. The idea is that your Kerbal can go for a while without food or water. The default value for this is 90 hours, or 15 Kerbin days. During this time your Supplies timer will show in negative values.

There are two Habitation timers: one for the current vessel your Kerbal is crewing, and one for the total amount of time the Kerbal can be away from Kerbin (in other words, on a mission).

See the Supplies page for more information on Supplies.

See the Habitation page for more information on Habitation.

Before asking forum questions, it might pay off to review the FAQ.

The following additional pages have been written to provide specific examples or address details on specific points: