Rover rovmax m1 wheels just spin

[kBob]

I've gotten around to making rovers with actual rover wheels instead of landing gear.  But no matter what I do the rover just sits on the runway with wheels spinning and doesn't actually move w or s (turn has been remapped to arrow keys but since there's no reaction wheels I haven't remapped ws yet), they do turn but still the rover just sits there.  I've tried 2wd and played with traction control and the other settings.  It's a real simple rover and although in the version pictured I tried angling the wheels slightly to see if that would help in the original version they were simply attached no movement no rotation.  Also they are not blocked.  Finally I tried putting them on one at time instead of using symmetry but nothing helps.  The brakes seem to work, at least they stop the wheel spinning visual effect  .

http://imgur.com/2UcH5I6

 

[FullMetalMachinist]

You rotated those wheels when you put them on, didn't you? 

Even though the wheels look round, they're actually not. Or rather, the collision surface (which is all that matters to the game) is not. 

The bottom part of the wheels is actually a small flat horizontal surface. When you place any of the wheels in their default rotation, what is "down" is the only part of the wheel that will actually interact with the ground. If you rotate them 90 degrees, then that horizontal surface turns vertical, and doesn't touch the ground. 

If you look closely at your screenshot, you'll see that the wheel appear to be sunk into the ground a little. That's why they don't work. 

[swjr-swis]

Yep, those wheels are pointing the wrong way (towards the back of the rover, instead of down towards the ground), even if it is the game's default orientation when building in the SPH and attaching them to a girder like you did. They need to be rotated 90 degrees (or an absolute minimum of 46 degrees) to get 'grip' on the ground - for the wheels directly facing your screenshot, that would be counterclockwise, and the other side clockwise.

[kBob]

@FullMetalMachinist, actually I didn't rotate them at all, just put them on in SPH and tried to go!

@swfr-swis, rotating them 180 from where the SPH put them did the trick thanks.  Odd though you'd think it would get it right, never occurred that the default position would be wrong ;).

 

Thanks.

Edit: Decided to go back to a jet powered version since I don't like holding down the accelerator all the time (must be a way around that right?).  So if any one cares --yeeha:

Edited June 21, 2016 by kBob

[swjr-swis]

10 hours ago, kBob said:

Decided to go back to a jet powered version since I don't like holding down the accelerator all the time (must be a way around that right?).

There is: use the trim controls. Mod/Alt-W, which would normally translate to trimming the control surfaces to hold a pitch down. In the case of a rover, it'll be as if W is being kept pressed, leaving you to concentrate on steering and finding your path.

[kBob]

One interesting thing is I seem more prone to wheel exploding if the motor is enabled.  May just be a coincidence since I've only been trying with and without motor for an hour or so...mainly because I forgot to turn them off in my newest rover and it seemed to be getting a lot more flats until I turned them off.  Still my new rover is hard to flip and keeps on going even if it ends up upside down, really have to launch it off a hill @60+m/s to flip.

[Waxing_Kibbous]

Can I just add that a nice tweak in the game would be to fix the default rotation of the rover wheels in the SPH so that they are facing down... @Arsonide

Edited June 27, 2016 by Waxing_Kibbous

[Loren Pechtel]

On 6/21/2016 at 3:09 PM, kBob said:

 

Edit: Decided to go back to a jet powered version since I don't like holding down the accelerator all the time (must be a way around that right?).  So if any one cares --yeeha:

Beware of overspeeding the wheels.  Rover wheels have a maximum speed before they break.  Also, it's easy to tip over something like that if you're moving too fast and turn.

[kBob]

6 hours ago, Loren Pechtel said:

Beware of overspeeding the wheels.  Rover wheels have a maximum speed before they break.  Also, it's easy to tip over something like that if you're moving too fast and turn.

Yeah that's why I've made a rover that can flip and keep going even upside down, that one above was really just designed to zip around the complex to gather up some science when needed.

[Loren Pechtel]

14 hours ago, kBob said:

Yeah that's why I've made a rover that can flip and keep going even upside down, that one above was really just designed to zip around the complex to gather up some science when needed.

 

Yeah, I have yet to fly a rover.  The only thing I've done with them is collect science in KSC and nearby.  Rovers don't get stuck in corners like jets that don't have thrust reversers.  Unless you land right at the border between two biomes a rover isn't going to get more science than the lander unless you spend ages driving it around.  About the only reason I can see to fly one is a fuel tanker and if you use KIS hoses there's little reason for that.