The Jool 500 Kolonization Challenge Continuation

[tosha]

You know, why the heck not? I'll try this

[jinnantonix]

My Jool 500 Mission continues.  20 live Kerbals on Laythe in a fully sustainable base, with outposts for 200 occupants on Laythe and Pol.  CPU is stretched...

[jinnantonix]

I am running into trouble with sending Kerbals to Jool using DeepFreeze.  The process of hiring Kerbals, and then freezing them, is killing my CPU.  Any more than about 50 Kerbals in the game, and it grinds to halt.  Anyone else seeing this? 

I plan to continue building the colony hardware, with just a few Kerbal engineers to assist with refueling.

[jinnantonix]

@JacobJHC I have completed my Sarnus 50 Kolonisation Mission which was fun, but right at the limit of my ability to commit to game time - even with the reduced scope of colonising 50 kerbals, and using my current craft design, it taxed CPU resources significantly.  It makes me wonder if this Jool 500 challenge is viable, and so at present I am planning to abandon my current attempt at my Jool 500 Mission , it just won;t work in it's current state.

I will say, however that it is possible that my craft designs use too many parts, that it is an aspect of the challenge to simplify craft designs to reduce part count by using low part count mods like SSTU Labs and Tweakscale,  - this way it might be possible work this challenge to completion.  I am interested in your views on this.  How open are you to such mods being included?

Sarnus Space Station (science lab).  Also have cryogenic freezing containers for 50 kerbals.  Too many parts?

Edited May 26, 2020 by jinnantonix

[JacobJHC]

FYI, this challenge is getting a much needed overhaul in the near future.

[jinnantonix]

On 11/8/2020 at 4:31 PM, JacobJHC said:

FYI, this challenge is getting a much needed overhaul in the near future.

Looking forward to it.  Will definitely have another go if I think its feasible to complete.

[JacobJHC]

1 hour ago, jinnantonix said:

Looking forward to it.  Will definitely have another go if I think its feasible to complete.

There's a mod that makes hiring kerbals cheaper but they know less. This mod could potentially make the 500 kerbals in total cost 75 million funds, which would be doable. Also I want to tweak some things to be more stock friendly.

[Jetski]

I've revisited this challenge a few times in the various stages of its life.  My biggest hurdles seem to be hiring enough Kerbals (although patience and cheating funds can do the trick) and my CPU overloading.  Just the probes/relays for each planet, plus maybe a single self-sustaining 25-Kerbal base seems to be about all my crappy computer can handle.  Pretty much as soon as I switch to a functioning base it bounces off the ground and turns into Kraken shrapnel.  I've been seriously trying to pare down base construction to the bare essentials (decouple and delete anything not 100% required once landed), but no luck I fear.  I've made some cool ships and bases though :)

It's a shame, as I really like the engineering and scale of the challenge.

[JacobJHC]

On 11/10/2020 at 4:46 AM, Jetski said:

I've revisited this challenge a few times in the various stages of its life.  My biggest hurdles seem to be hiring enough Kerbals (although patience and cheating funds can do the trick) and my CPU overloading.  Just the probes/relays for each planet, plus maybe a single self-sustaining 25-Kerbal base seems to be about all my crappy computer can handle.  Pretty much as soon as I switch to a functioning base it bounces off the ground and turns into Kraken shrapnel.  I've been seriously trying to pare down base construction to the bare essentials (decouple and delete anything not 100% required once landed), but no luck I fear.  I've made some cool ships and bases though

It's a shame, as I really like the engineering and scale of the challenge.

I'll definitely take this into account when I retool everything. There's a mod I'm looking into called TRP-Hire which makes hiring kerbals significantly cheaper. This should help with the Kerbal hire (which helped end my last attempt at this challenge), as all 500 colonists in theory would cost under 75 million funds, which is totally doable if several large science missions or contracts are completed. If the mod works how I think it will I'll definitely recommend it for all challengers. As for the probes and 25-kerbal bases being your computer's limit along with the probes, I'll take a note from the previous challenge admin and ok the deletion of probes to help with framerate. As long as the relays were in place once, deleting them and disabling com networks would be 100% acceptable. In your case I would also allow you to simply build multiple 25-kerbal outposts if a 50 kerbal base (as required by the challenge) isn't possible on your machine.

If you have any other suggestions on helping to generalize/open up this challenge please do comment it here.

[jinnantonix]

1 hour ago, JacobJHC said:

IThere's a mod I'm looking into called TRP-Hire which makes hiring kerbals significantly cheaper. This should help with the Kerbal hire (which helped end my last attempt at this challenge), as all 500 colonists in theory would cost under 75 million funds, which is totally doable if several large science missions or contracts are completed.

My previous attempt at this challenge was in Sandbox mode, so no issues with the cost of hiring Kerbals.  Have I misunderstood a requirement?  Because if it is mandatory to do this in Career mode, then that is definitely beyond my ability to commit to game time.

[JacobJHC]

1 minute ago, jinnantonix said:

My previous attempt at this challenge was in Sandbox mode, so no issues with the cost of hiring Kerbals.  Have I misunderstood a requirement?  Because if it is mandatory to do this in Career mode, then that is definitely beyond my ability to commit to game time.

Any gamemode works. The gamemode only effects scoring anyhow. Rest assured it does not put you at a disadvantage whichever one you choose.

[jinnantonix]

@JacobJHC here is my proposed mod list.  Any objections?

• USI-LS
• Kerbal Planetary Base System
• SSTU Labs
• SpaceY Heavy Lifters
• NearFuture Electrical
• Tweakscale + Recall
• Kerbal Atomics 
   

• MechJeb 
• Kerbal Engineer
• Kerbal Alarm Clock
• Trajectories
• Ship Manifest

Edit: Adding Kerbal Atomics a,d Ship Manifest

Edited March 12, 2021 by jinnantonix

[JacobJHC]

On 11/16/2020 at 7:20 PM, jinnantonix said:

@JacobJHC here is my proposed mod list.  Any objections?

• USI-LS
• Kerbal Planetary Base System
• SSTU Labs
• SpaceY Heavy Lifters
• NearFuture Electrical
• Tweakscale

• MechJeb 
• Kerbal Engineer
• Kerbal Alarm Clock
• Trajectories

Sounds good to me. Best of luck!

[jinnantonix]

OK, I have my new laptop with i7 CPU and 16GB RAM, and ready to proceed with another attempt at this challenge. 

I will be documenting the mission at Jool 500 Kolonization Mission (Redux)   You can also subscribe to the Jinnantonix Youtube channel

Edited February 18, 2021 by jinnantonix

[jinnantonix]

Here is part 1 of the mission, assembly of the first 5 transit vehicles in low Kerbin orbit.  The craft have now all burned for Jool.
 

 

[JacobJHC]

On 10/28/2016 at 9:49 AM, JacobJHC said:

Each moon, as well as Jool itself, should be explored by machines in advance of sending kerbals. Also, the colony will need a satellite network for communication.

@jinnantonix I eagerly await part 2, just remember to have unmanned exploration done before the colony is constructed. I like your reusable launcher too

 

On 10/28/2016 at 9:49 AM, JacobJHC said:

Launch and land your bases in advance of sending your kerbals.

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by JacobJHC

[jinnantonix]

On 2/24/2021 at 7:29 AM, JacobJHC said:

@jinnantonix I eagerly await part 2,

Working on it.  I have enough clips  now for about 10 videos, so will have to figure out how trim it down.  I was thinking part 2 would show the whole setup on Laythe, since that is the most interesting, and includes sea outposts and rovers and bases (hydroponic farms).  Could be a very long video, there is a lot to it.  Part 3 might be showing key parts of the setup on Vall, Tylo Pol and Bop.  I will have to leave out the details or it will be an epic.  

Quote

just remember to have unmanned exploration done before the colony is constructed.

Shouldn't be a  problem.  All the hardware for transit 1 is now at their respective moons, and relays in polar and equatorial orbits.  Probes have been landed at each biome, and scanned for resources.  A few outposts have been delivered, but this takes some time as the landing craft need to be refuelled each time.  This requires about 8 days on Laythe and 15 days on Tylo, give or take.  With the exception of Pol and Bop, where only one  refuel is required (due to low gravity), I am staggering the outpost setup across the moons.  It is complicated and Kerbal Alarm Clock is getting plenty of use.

There is an engineer aboard each freighter to run the ISRU refuelling systems.  They spend their time cooped up in a lander can although it is feasible that they could transfer into an outpost for a bit of R&R, I haven't done it in game play .  At the end of the transit 1 phase, when all the moons are fully explored and outposts setup, I plan for engineers to occupy  an outpost.  I believe that satisfies the above rule.
 

Quote

I like your reusable launcher too

Thanks.  Made mostly of SpaceY parts and a bit of Tweakscale to make everything huge. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by jinnantonix

[jinnantonix]

Delivering an outpost to Vall.  The rover is dropped to the surface, and moves away.  The outpost is lowered and dropped to the surface.  The freighter is then refuelled and returns to polar orbit to rendezvous with the outpost hub. 

The Laythe Freighter orbital rendezvous with the outpost hub.  The land outposts are landed with the freighter, dropping the rover before lowering the outpost to the surface.  The sea outposts are dropped from orbit, and use chutes to decelerate prior to splash down.

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by jinnantonix

[jinnantonix]

All Kolonisation hardware has now been deployed to every biome in the Jool system.  The video shows the Jool relay gravity capture and deployment, and Laythe landings - some (but not all) of the key moments in the deployment of relays, probes, outposts, bases (hydroponic farms) and small rovers to every land and sea biome on Laythe.  Engineers Bill and Supal Kerman are enjoying a rest in a greenhouse on the Dunes Base D, awaiting the 500 Kolonists.  Parallel to the Laythe deployment has been hardware delivery to the other moons which will be shown in Jool 500 part 3 – Vall, Tylo, Pol and Bop hardware deployments.
 

 

[jinnantonix]

Hardware setup is complete as shown below.  There is a probe, outpost and rover on every biome, with 4 bases on Laythe Dunes and 4 bases on Laythe Peaks, plus 6 relay satellites per moon, and 6 for Jool.  The CPU is handling this, no problem, but I think adding 500 Kerbals during transit 2 may have an impact.    If so I plan to delete all the probes, as they no longer play a role.  There is the option of deleting all of the equatorial orbit relays also, as I am getting uninterrupted coverage with just the polar relays.

Edited March 20, 2021 by jinnantonix

[jinnantonix]

Jool 500 part3.  Completing the setup of 6 relays,plus  probes, and outposts on every biome of every moon in Jool.

 

 

 

Edited March 11, 2021 by jinnantonix

[jinnantonix]

Here is part 4 of the mission, the second and final wave of five transit vehicles assembled in low Kerbin orbit.  The craft are now carrying the 500 colonists to the Jool system.
 

 

[jinnantonix]

A slight setback.  It seems I have encountered the Kraken.  My T2 craft all appear to dislike the robotic hinges used to assemble them in orbit, and parts in the habitat arms move around and disassemble themselves at random.  The craft still mostly work OK, so I am pushing on with landing all my Kerbals.  But I may end up scrapping the interplanetary vessels and send new ones in a third transit, or perhaps invoke the Matt Lowne principle of using HyperEdit when encountering bugs that are unfair.  

 

[jinnantonix]

The first kolonists have landed at Tylo Site A.  The Tylo orbital freighter has rendezvous'd with the T2 Tylo interplanetary vessel,   The freighter docks with the large rover, and a 32 seat habitat module, and transports 41 kerbals to the outpost in Gagarin Crater (image below).  The freighter refuels by ISRU .  The large rover transports 10 kerbals to the outpost at Tycho Crater, and then returns to Gagarin and transports 10 kerbals each to Minor Craters and Tylo Midlands outposts.  In the event of the rover becoming damaged, an engineer may rendezvous using the small rover.  (noting that tyres apparently do not damage when the spring and damper settings are correct). 

After refuelling, the orbital freighter will launch and rendezvous again with the T2 Tylo craft in orbit, to bring the next batch of 41 kolonists to Tylo Site B outposts.  A third and final launch and rendezvous will deliver the last 10 Kerbals and the nuclear fuel carrier to Tylo Lowlands Outpost. One kerbal engineer will remain in the Tylo Space Station

 

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by jinnantonix

[jinnantonix]

I am making progress.  I have 40 kolonists in outposts on Tylo and 74 kolonists commenced farming at the Laythe Dunes Bases, and while the freighters refuel, I have completed the landing of all 90 kolonists on Vall, where the low gravity makes landings easy.  The T2 PolBop vessel is a few days away from arriving at Pol, where I also expect easy landings, and there appears to be enough supplies left for the transit from Pol to Bop.

Laythe may be problematic in terms of completing the landings of 230 kolonists - 4 freighter landings, and 4 refuels of the Laythe Seaplane -  before supplies on the Space Station run out.  My intent is to fully refuel the nuclear tugs at Vall and Bop, and transport extra supplies from there to Laythe.  These rescue craft will also bring LH2 fuel to transport the empty and stranded Laythe nuclear tugs to Pol for refueling.  A similar rescue mission to retrieve the stranded Tylo nuclear tug is planned.