[WIP] [1.0.5] Kopernicus Komet Challenge Mod

[ProtoJeb21]

While going through the forums, I found a thread for a challenge mission to send a manned craft to Comet ISON in Kerbal Space Program. I found that very interesting, but just one problem: No comet. So I though, "How about creating a mod that adds in comets for different level of KSP challenges?" You probably can guess where that idea went to...

The Process

The Kopernicus Komet Challenge Mod is both a planet pack, but a challenge too. It will add in 5 new comets to the Kerbol system, living up to what that other thread couldn't live to see. Each comet is a different difficulty level, from super-easy (depending on your Kerbal's cooperation) to highly difficult. There will also be different objectives that you can incorporate into your mission. After completion, a participant must list the following:

• Game version (Duh)
• Mods used (more on that in a sec...)
• Amount of Kerbals (If you used any)
• SCIENCE gathered
• Mission time
• Your destination

These factors will determine your score. If someone were to do the easy comet and the easy objective, they would get little points, and vice-versa. They will also get a Badge of Completion (once I can make it). A participant is free to compete as many times as s/he wants to. It is allowed to try to beat your score from the same comet and/or difficulty level.

The Comets!

As said before, the KKCM will add in 5 comets. This is a list of those comets, in order of difficulty:

1. Enecke: The Comet Encke analogue and the Level 1 comet. Its orbit does not vary much, going from a region slightly closer to the Sun than Eve to the orbit of Dres. Enecke has a radius of 55km and has 8.35% the gravity of Kerbin. Its surface is rather smooth, making landings slightly easier.
2. Bordelly: The Comet Borelly analogue and the Level 2 comet. Its orbit is similar to Enecke's, stretching from Moho to Dres. However, this comet is smaller (radius of 31km), has lower gravity (6.2% Kerbin's gravity), and has a shape which makes landings more difficult.
3. Hallali: The Comet Halley analogue and the Level 3 comet. Hallali's orbit is much more extreme; the periapsis is around Moho's orbit, while the apoapsis is 1.3x farther out than Jool. The advantage is that Hallali has a radius of 72km and 9.76% Kerbin's gravity, along with a relatively smooth surface.
4. Luvoy: The Comet Lovejoy analogue and the Level 4 comet. Luvoy's orbit varies from 3.5 million km to 213.87 million km. It has a radius of 40 km and 4.91% the gravity of Kerbin. Encountering this thing is pretty challenging!
5. KISON: The Comet ISON analogue and the Level 5 comet. KISON has the most extreme orbit, getting as close at 450,000 km to Kerbol, and as far away as 563 million km. This comet is rather large (88km radius) and has somewhat strong gravity (10.6% Kerbin's gravity), but the surface is covered in peaks and fissures. KISON is a comet for only the most confident and experienced players.

Scoring

The 5 comets are worth the same amount of points as their level. For example, going to KISON will immediately give you 5 points. As said earlier, their are different objectives that can give you certain amount of points. Here are the objectives and how many points they give:

• Probodobodyne Run: Take a probe to a comet and mine at least 20 units of ore (Adds 2 points).
• Science Fest 1: Send an unmanned vessel to a comet to collect at least 1500 Science (Adds 3.5 points).
• Science Fest 2: Send a manned vessel to a comet to collect at least 2500 Science (Adds 4 points).
• Kometary King: Using a manned vessel, collect every possible science situation (Ex: gravity scan in space low over midlands) with all the reproducable experiments. (Adds 6.5 points)
• System Jumper: Take a probe that will hop between at least 3 comets and collect more than 5000 science (Adds 7 points).
• Jeb's Challenge: Take a kerbal to more than 3 comets, collect science from every location on/around that body, and aquire more than 10000 science (Adds 10 points!).

All of these objectives require the vessel returning to Kerbin one way or another. Depending on what mod you use, however, your score can drop. Mods listed in green will subtract just 0.5 points. Mods listed in blue will drop 1 point. Mods in orange drop 2 points, and red mods will delete 5 points.

• Kerbal Engineer/Kerbal Engineer Redux
• MechJeb
• Other calculative mods
• Tweak Scale
• Star Packs (IA-Revived, Other_Worlds, etc.)
• Kethane and other resource mods
• Extraplanetary launchpads
• Planet packs that add other bodies inside the Kerbol system
• Mods that change the KSC's location
• New Horizons
• HyperEdit
• Kerbodyne Plus
• Uncharted Lands
• Kerbalkind's Destiny (when it's released)
• Space Y and Space Y Expanded
• Near-Future Propulsion and Near-Future Electrics
• DMagic Orbital Science

There will be different categories based off of score: Bob Level (1-3 points), Bill Level (4-7 points), Val Level (7-10 points), and Jeb Level (10+ points).

The Best of the Best

• Bob Level: None Yet
• Bill Level: None Yet
• Val Level: None Yet
• Jeb Level: None Yet

Planned Features

• Over 4 biomes per comet.
• Particle trails
• I dunno? Suggest something you guys want to see!

[Interplanet Janet]

DELETE THIS POST

Edited May 13, 2016 by Interplanet Janet

[Cornholio]

A 'planet pack' of comets would be fantastic for the game.  I would have absolutely no interest in the challenge part of it, but would love to see additional diverse celestial bodies.

[ProtoJeb21]

On 5/12/2016 at 0:11 PM, Interplanet Janet said:

DELETE THIS POST

Your post or my post?

On 5/13/2016 at 2:46 PM, Cornholio said:

A 'planet pack' of comets would be fantastic for the game.  I would have absolutely no interest in the challenge part of it, but would love to see additional diverse celestial bodies.

I added the challenge part to the mod for some creativity (if unique comets wasn't creative enough). Sadly, with all the mods and astronomy I'm taking care of now, KKCM won't be officially released until later in June. I could release a test version of the 5 comets, but that would be after I get used to the new Kittopia and after HyperEdit gets updated to 1.1.2. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned this mod yet!

Edited May 31, 2016 by ProtoJeb21

[Cornholio]

Have you considered releasing the mod as a planet pack of just comets with an add-on to it that included your challenge?

[ProtoJeb21]

22 minutes ago, Cornholio said:

Have you considered releasing the mod as a planet pack of just comets with an add-on to it that included your challenge?

This is just a regular planet pack that goes hand-in-hand with a classical Forum mission challenge. Think of Jool-5 where instead of Jool and its moons, you go to a modded gas giant and the moons around that Kopernicus planet.

[Astrofox]

Maybe you should have a hardcore challenge...

Achieve orbit and land on each in one go - without any refuels.

[ProtoJeb21]

20 minutes ago, Astrofox said:

Maybe you should have a hardcore challenge...

Achieve orbit and land on each in one go - without any refuels.

With comets like KISON and Luvoy, that is WAAAAY too overkill, even for me! But I'll consider it for the 3 other comets.

[Astrofox]

Not for Scott Manley himself it isn't!*

 

*may or may not be possible for even the most badS of men on the planet*

[Interplanet Janet]

16 hours ago, ProtoJeb21 said:

Your post or my post?

I added the challenge part to the mod for some creativity (if unique comets wasn't creative enough). Sadly, with all the mods and astronomy I'm taking care of now, KKCM won't be officially released until later in June. I could release a test version of the 5 comets, but that would be after I get used to the new Kittopia and after HyperEdit gets updated to 1.1.2. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned this mod yet!

It was my post.

[Cornholio]

16 hours ago, ProtoJeb21 said:

This is just a regular planet pack that goes hand-in-hand with a classical Forum mission challenge. Think of Jool-5 where instead of Jool and its moons, you go to a modded gas giant and the moons around that Kopernicus planet.

Ahhhhh, I was reading in to the challenge part way to far.  I definitely look forward to this.

[Sirius628]

Why would Star Packs drop points? I don't get it.

P.S. You should get extra points if you send a manned mission with a life support mod!

Edited January 16, 2017 by Sirius628

[Nailed it!]

Cool mod! It's good to find that there's someone adding the forgotten snowballs from the edge of solar system.

By the way, it is possible that you could add asteroid classes with other models? (such as a comet. Adding small cometlings to Haliali or KISON would be useful for the refueling to Kerbin, abd a comet-like model would not break the esthetics

Just an idea, and full support!

Edited February 27, 2017 by Nailed it!