The Extraction Challenge!

[MiffedStarfish]

 

Normal Mode Save Download

Hard Mode Save Download

To Submit a time, a video would be ideal, but you need at least one screenshot with the HUD on, of your craft stopped on the runway with both scientists onboard, with the Mission clock and navball Visible, and your craft name. Anything less than that will be ignored.

"Alright listen up. Two scientists were captured at 0800 hours but have managed to escape to the roof of the VAB. They lack any vehicles and enemy pursuers will likely catch up and recapture them in 10 minutes. Your mission is simple. Fly from the runway, pick up the scientists of the VAB and return them to the Back to the runway as fast as possible. Godspeed, soldier."

This is a time challenge wherein you can build and use any craft of your own design, or choose from a variety of "stock" Transport options. If you can successfully return them to the runway within ten minutes you win, but the faster you extract the scientists, the better and the further up the leaderboard you are. This is an all stock challenge, no cheats.

Rules and guidelines: 

1: your time starts the moment you lift off the ground, and ends the moment you come to a stop on the same section of runway you spawned on. (After picking up the scientists, obviously)

2: no kerbal can be left behind. You cannot swap the pilot for a scientist, nor can you pick up only one scientist. Also, you cannot control your crafts with probes.

3: you must use the save you can download on this post, for total fairness.

4: this challenge is meant to encourage you to refine crafts and be original, and as such using any craft that you did not build yourself (including stock) will add 5 seconds to your time.

5: No part mods, no exceptions. This puts everyone on a even playing field.

6: to make piloting skill a important factor in your run, you will receive +1 second to your time for every 2 parts destroyed or knocked of your ship, rounding down.

7: There are no rules. You can pick up the scientists however you want (as long as it's stock) with no part or cost limit. Speed is the only thing that counts.

Bonuses: (these apply to both difficulties)

"Badass": Do not touch down on the VAB, hover over the helipad and pick them up with a ladder. -15 seconds off your time

Michael bay: After picking up the scientists, destroy the VAB without damaging your own craft and fly away. -20 seconds off your time

"Where we're going, we won't need runways": use a conventional HTOL jet without any vertical propulsion for recovery. -15 seconds of your time

show off: fly under one or both of the bridges in the KSC returning to the runway. -20 seconds for 1 bridge, -35 seconds for both.

This is a Backpack? Then where's m- : Do not use parachutes at Any point in your run. -25 seconds of your time

Do it with style: This is different in that from your attempt I will personally judge your craft and flight, and award up to -45 seconds off your time. Not all attempts will attain this bonus, but I will attempt to judge fairly.

To prevent minus times, only 2 bonuses can apply to one attempt. (Excluding do it with style)

Normal Mode

Save Download

Normal Mode is the Standard difficulty Mode, and entails Picking up 2 scientists from the roof of the VAB and returning them to the start of the runway as fast as possible within a 10 minute time limit. Current fastest time is Toastie_Buns in 0:24 with -40 bonus seconds.

Normal mode Stock craft:

BumbleBee MK1

A light, 3 kerbal VTOL designed specifically for this purpose, it'll get the job done with a good time. Action groups in the description.

Extraction Helicopter

An all round workhorse, the Extraction helicopter can attain excellent times on the alternate craft leaderboard, but is incredibly hard to fly and will need a pilot with experience flying helicopter to achieve good times. Startup procedure on its own page.

 

My normal Mode attempt:

For my attempt I used the BumbleBee MK1, which was built specifically for this purpose and will also be included in the save as a "Stock" craft.

Spooling up the engines I face towards the VAB for maximum efficiency before takeoff.

Around 40 seconds later, I botch the first landing attempt. 

However I quickly bounce back up to the top of the VAB, for the first time THANKING the Juno's slow thrust change times.

With both scientists on board I quickly begin my flight back to the runway.

Nailing my landing approach, I come to a stop at 1:54 minutes.

I gained the This is a Backpack? Then where's m- bonus, so my end time was 1:29 seconds. (my button mashing didnt quite catch me completely stopped in 1:54 seconds, but I did)

 

Hard Mode

Save download

 

Hard Mode is the next level up from normal Mode, And will test your building and piloting skills alike. In it you must Destroy an Enemy VTOL parked on the roof of the VAB to prevent pursuit and then extract the 2 scientists as usual, at night. Special Rules: The same as Normal Mode, but with these:

1.  You cannot use BD armoury to destroy the VTOL, you must get creative in stock.

2. You cannot destroy the VAB to destroy the VTOL.

3. The VTOL must be destroyed before picking up the scientists.

 

Hard mode Stock craft: 

M-7 Phoenix:

(don't have screenshot right now sorry)

An incredibly reliable VTOL, the Phoenix has been around for almost 3 years. This retrofit include 2 bursts of missiles for hard mode.

 

Hard Mode attempt:

Taking off i power towards the VAB.

Now this is the hard bit. It took me around 10-15 tries to consistently hit the VTOL. Dropping the Weapons pod as they are just dead weight now, I swing round to the roof.

After turning the camera around to confirm its destruction, I pick up the scientists.

As there isn't space and I wanted to really scare the scientists, they are both attached to one small ladder.

I come in slowly (thinking about it I probably could have cut off a few seconds here) to not knock off the scientists.

Landing, my time is 2:29. Though one of the scientists fell off on touchdown, the craft and both scientists are completely stopped on the runway, so it counts. (The navball shows 0.3ms in relation to the target, which I didn't realise until going through the screenshot to upload them, though i was completely stopped in relation the the surface) With the Backpack bonus, that makes my time 2.04.

 

Normal Mode

Stock Normal Mode Leaderboard:

1. Toastie_Buns with the "Do You Like My Plane" in 0:24 seconds with -40 bonus seconds

2. qzgy with the Mosquito 4M2 in 0:58 with -45 bonus seconds

3. Numelor with the White G in 1:21 with -5 bonus seconds

4. MiffedStarfish with the BumbleBee MK1 in 1:29 with -25 bonus seconds (guess where my link is )

5. Martian Emigrant with the Rescue Car in 1:53

 

Alternate Craft (Stock helicopters, K-Drives, Rovers etc.) Normal Mode leaderboard:

1. EpicSpaceTroll347 with the E-50B Triton Helicopter in 1:44 with -25 bonus seconds

2. ManEatingApe with the Fast 9- Fate Of The Curious Rover in 2:12

3. Eidahlil with the Tankor in 2:16 with -50 bonus seconds

4. Vinhero100 with the Banana VTOL Car in 2:18 with -10 bonus seconds

5. qzgy with the Bulldozer + Skycrane in 4:39 with -45 bonus seconds

Hard Mode

Stock Hard Mode leader board:

1. MiffedStarfish with the M-7 Phoenix in 2:04 with -25 bonus seconds 

2.

3.

4.

5.

Alternate Craft (stock helicopters, K-Drives, rovers etc.) Hard Mode Leaderboard:

1. qzgy with the BullDozer + SkyCrane MK2 in 4:29 with -55 bonus seconds

2.

3.

4.

5.

Edited April 6, 2017 by MiffedStarfish

[Martian Emigrant]

No time now. Today....

 

I'll be back.

 

Me

[MiffedStarfish]

@Martian Emigrant I'll be looking forward to it. 

[Vinhero100]

looks like a fun challenge!

VTOL could probably be easy to design- *probably* 

 

Edited April 2, 2017 by Vinhero100

[MiffedStarfish]

@Vinhero100 Oh yes VTOLs are eeeasy, all you've got to do is make the engine point at the ground, not the sky. How hard could it be? 

[Vinhero100]

Just now, MiffedStarfish said:

@Vinhero100 Oh yes VTOLs are eeeasy, all you've got to do is make the engine point at the ground, not the sky. How hard could it be? 

Lol! one question- is BD armory allowed?

 

[Numerlor]

Currently working on this, have pretty nice design but have to figure out timing

 

[Vinhero100]

whoah wait did the ksp website change how you download ksp?!!!

and is it supposed to give you a warning about how a file can harm your computer?!

Edited April 2, 2017 by Vinhero100

[MiffedStarfish]

@Vinhero100 I'm not sure why you would need it, but I guess. I don't want it to mingle with the stock leaderboard, so I just made a modded one. Though I might add some seconds if your going for the Michael bay bonus, as that kinda defeats the challenge of that bonus.

[Vinhero100]

Just now, MiffedStarfish said:

@Vinhero100 I'm not sure why you would need it, but I guess. I don't want it to mingle with the stock leaderboard, so I just made a modded one. Though I might add some seconds if your going for the Michael bay bonus, as that kinda defeats the challenge of that bonus.

oh ok- I'll do it stock since it's probably going to be more fun!

[MiffedStarfish]

@Vinhero100 Ok, hope you don't corrupt your computer somehow! 

[Vinhero100]

I know its the right website, probably just changed it because they are putting the 1.2.9 pre-relase on there.

-they have an installer and the .zip now, so you can download the installer so it's even harder to install mods right!

Edited April 2, 2017 by Vinhero100

[MiffedStarfish]

@Vinhero100 yeah, are you downloading it through my account>purchases>download?

[Vinhero100]

1 minute ago, MiffedStarfish said:

@Vinhero100 yeah, are you downloading it through my account>purchases>download?

yea, how I always do it. And it looked all the same

[MiffedStarfish]

Just wondering, as this is my first challenge do you think I explained it clearly enough?

[Vinhero100]

1 minute ago, MiffedStarfish said:

Just wondering, as this is my first challenge do you think I explained it clearly enough?

yea, I completely understand it.

[Numerlor]

First Challenge!? this thing looks like from some professional challenge maker

[MiffedStarfish]

I can physically feel my head growing bigger 

Edited April 2, 2017 by MiffedStarfish

[Vinhero100]

1 minute ago, MiffedStarfish said:

I can physically feel my head growing bigger 

Lol

[Potato_King347]

Looks like the perfect challenge to start the afternoon with! I planned on destroying the VAB anyways, even before I saw the bonus, so it's time to have some fun! I'll come back once I have it done

[MiffedStarfish]

@Potato_King347 Good luck!

[Numerlor]

Just did it under 1:30  and almost got hearth attack when half of video looked like this 

Could have done this better but I've been doing this for last 50minutes or so, feel fry to try it with my craft
I started to brake at landing way early but who cares

 

 

Edited April 2, 2017 by Numerlor

[MiffedStarfish]

I knew mine wouldn't last.  Oh well, it was just a demonstration. I'm on a tablet so i can't look or try the craft right now, I'll put you on the leaderboard once the video has uploaded. (Stock leaderboard, right?)

[Vinhero100]

wait, we have to do it in video form? becuase I can only make MP4 videos, and cant upload them here.

[MiffedStarfish]

@Vinhero100 No you don't, all you need is a screenshot of you landed with both scientists back on the runway completely stopped.

Edited April 2, 2017 by MiffedStarfish