Kerbal Space Program

[racofer]

Exactly. This should be at GRPGD since this little game packs more choices and consequences than all of the new shit combined.

 

[Destroid]

New version is out (with new parts + improved staging), we should do some more challenges.

 

[Burning Bridges]

KSP 0.13 is released

http://kerbalspace.tumblr.com/post/1432 ... s-released

This update was focused on improving performance and fixing some long-standing issues. We have made the loading times about 5x faster, and made a significant performance optimization for large ships. On some cases, up to a 20x FPS increase.

We’ve also added a new part, called a Fuel Line, which allows you to set up external liquid fuel tanks, Shuttle-style (Fuel tanks can now also beside-mounted).

The full changelog can be seen here.

As we’ve already announced earlier, this update marks the end of the free demo period. That is, we will continue to update KSP, but future updates will only be available for those who have ordered the game at our Store (and those who have already pre-ordered, of course).

The 0.13 version will remain available for free at the download page, as a demo version.

 

[Burning Bridges]

New version is out (with new parts + improved staging), we should do some more challenges.

Sorry I missed your post by months .. if you want another challenge with the stock parts, I am game.

The new version is pretty cool, Kearth has a moon now. You also see the parts specifications from within the ship designer now.

I have taken pictures of my first lunar missions, will continue this in a LP: http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic ... 85#1903485

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

This game is awesome. I suck terribly at controlling the rocket but it's fun.

Make sure you take a look at the forums for very nice content packs. I recommend stuff by NovaSisko

 

[Destroid]

Funny thing is, I tried the new patch that first introduced the rigid connectors, and it ruined all the fun of trying to build a massively powerful awesome rocket by making it trivial. I'm not very interested in carefully plotting orbits and landing on the moon, I want to make an insane barely in control rocket.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

You can always decide not to use the parts you don't like Destroid. There are several "extreme challenges" on the forums that require you not to use struts or liquid fuel etc.

 

[Burning Bridges]

I had the most fun trying to achieve the best results the with default selection of parts. But the stock parts are too limited. There are mods fix that but they are mostly unbalanced.

 

[Lord Chambers]

Is it really possible to land? If I cut engines immediately after takeoff nothing blows up, but if I go above 100ft and try my most delicately for 20 tries, I blow up every time. Even the most gentle keyboard taps send it accelerating away or down. Maybe I need to try and land something bigger than the capsule and a single liquid engine to attenuate my keystroke?

 

[Destroid]

Did you install a parachute? I managed powered landings in the older versions even without a parachute, so it at least used to be possible.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Land on Earth or on the Moon? For Earth, simply use a parachute.

On Moon you must of course make a powered descent. Yes it is very hard to control, because the gravity is lower you need to find a good weight / thrust ratio. If the engine is too powerful, the ship will accelerate even on minimum thrust. But it also works in your favor because you need much less fuel.

Before you can land on the Moon you must find an engine with very little thrust, e.g. the SPS engine. I already failed in two missions because I used too powerful engines.

I think I have the problem nailed down to that and will now attempt it with a lander that has low thrust. The catch is that it cannot be tested on Earth.

 

[Destroid]

Doing some more 4 minute challenges. 43 engines total, 39 in the first stage.

 

[Destroid]

73 Liquid engines and 6 rocket boosters in the first stage. 573km.

 

[Angelo85]

Kerbal Space Program is quite fun! Too bad all further updates will only be available to pre-orderers
Still have to land on the Moon, or get near it for that matter :D

 

[Destroid]

Make a 4 minute distance rocket! It's quite challenging, even with the new parts allowing for much more stable designs (at the cost of weight and drag).


My fastest creation yet! 79 liquid rocket + 6 solid booster primary, 4 liquid rocket secondary. 627km.

 

[Burning Bridges]

Make a 4 minute distance rocket! It's quite challenging, even with the new parts allowing for much more stable designs (at the cost of weight and drag).
My fastest creation yet! 79 liquid rocket + 6 solid booster primary, 4 liquid rocket secondary. 627km.

Ah Destroid my old companion .. seems we two are the greatest KSP fans here. Love your rocket! Although you went a BIT over the top this time .. don't you think?

But a great idea to use those vertical struts. I copied this principle.

Ship : RH600

My current best with it: ~ 640.000 m

Perhaps someone else can count those engines. Should be 19 if I'm not mistaken ...

 

[Burning Bridges]

I could find some extra performance by adding more engines. I was aiming for 6000m/s top speed, but now drag comes in, and it maxes out at 5.600. Perhaps this is where the brick design gets close to it's limits?

But it flies beautifully. Just put it on fine control and keep the nose straight.

RH700C

665.967m

 

[Burning Bridges]

I wanted to build another one that breaks 700km. Some problems but eventually it behaved ok.

download: INTEGRAL700

37 engines lower stage
6 + 1 upper stage
24 struts

It flies high!

727.524m @ 4:00

 

[Burning Bridges]

Kerbal Space Program is quite fun! Too bad all further updates will only be available to pre-orderers
Still have to land on the Moon, or get near it for that matter :D

Piece of cake. Get into orbit around Earth (~2300 m/s). Then after one orbit accelerate exactly when the Moon comes over the horizon. While accelerating keep your ship aimed at the yellow marker (your direction vector) and control your trajectory/orbit by pressing 'M'. If you do it right, the Moon will capture you when you turn around (Aphelion). When your orbit becomes too wide, accelerate in the opposite direction to slow down (the yellow marker with cross).

There is also some stuff about how I learned it and lander design in my LP: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...other-things-kerbal-space.67816/#post-1903485

If you still don't lick it, there are tutorials on Youtube.

 

[Destroid]

Very impressive, and with smaller designs too! Clearly drag is hurting the maximum speed I can attain, and I could probably get a bit more distance out of that design by switching the solid boosters to liquid, but not enough to exceed 700 I think. I tried building one with two fuel tanks per engine in the boost phase but some part of the fuel tank cluster wasn't attached right and it fell apart on the launch platform, and I'm not prepared to go through the process of building it again because it takes a long time fiddling with the bits to get them to stick where you want them. It's a shame you can't manually get a bit and specify where you want it attached, it would help a lot with both symmetry and building complex designs. Stability is also an issue with the pancakes I had to put some vectored rockets on to stop them from keeling over under high thrust.

 

[Destroid]

740km. I've mimicked some parts of your design (I think this is the most efficient way to arrange the core blocks of rockets), but taken a different approach to the staging. 37+36 first stage, 1 second stage. Getting a bit hairy to control.

 

[Burning Bridges]

That was a heroic effort Interesting that we reached a point where our designs differ only in a few details. The honey comb & the tent pole have proven superior to everything else.

I thought my last design was not at the limit of its performance. So I made an attempt to beat the score by adding more engines to it. I could actually raise the height (to 788km), but not overly happy with the way it flies. The damn thing makes my computer chug along at 1fps and it isn't even symmetric (interesting observation: when made symmetric it flew subjectively worse!) I had to just let it run by itself for the first minute, until the first stage is burnt out, from then fps becomes normal.

I like these challenges but we'd have to limit the number of parts somehow, otherwise we always reach a point where the frame rate gets unbearable. Building large rockets also becomes a struggle with the editor, i.e. figuring out how to make it do what you want = sucks.

INTEGRAL800

 

[Burning Bridges]

with smaller designs too!

That was the lesson of the official height challenge. You won't achieve much with a large rocket when you don't understand how to build a small one.

 

[Syril]

Moon has caught me in its gravity and I won't be going back home OH SHIT

 

[Syril]

My moon rocket, Kerbals can make one way trip to the moon with it :p