Ways to test a Eve Assent Vehicle? (cheat menu)

[Callmedave]

I wish to design and test an Eve Assent Vehicle. Is there a way (via the cheat menu) I can do this?

 

I think either Launch from Kerbin but change the setting of the planet to replicate Eve, Or transport my ship to the surface of Eve and test it there?

[Streetwind]

A big part of Eve is its dense atmosphere, and that's not intuitively replicated with the sliders in the debug menu. Teleporting your ship there is definitely the better test.

[Callmedave]

Thanks, How do i go about Teleporting? can i do this with the debug/cheat menu?

 

[Magzimum]

Go to the alt-F12 menu (Linux users use right-shift+F12), and look for the "orbits" tab. Then choose "Eve". There is also a rather big number, which is the distance from the planet's core I believe - it's not really relevant. Just enter 1, or 0, and it will automatically say that your value is not possible and choose the lowest stable orbit instead... On Eve that will probably be around 100 km altitude (I didn't try).

You can do this cheat directly from the launchpad, so you don't need to design the launch vehicle yet.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Magzimum
Linux users have a different modifier key. Mac OS too, but I don't know which one. :)

[Tex_NL]

36 minutes ago, Magzimum said:

Go to the alt-F12 menu (Linux users use right-shift+F12), and look for the "orbits" tab. Then choose "Eve". There is also a rather big number, which is the distance from the planet's core I believe - it's not really relevant. Just enter 1, or 0, and it will automatically say that your value is not possible and choose the lowest stable orbit instead... On Eve that will probably be around 100 km altitude (I didn't try).

You can do this cheat directly from the launchpad, so you don't need to design the launch vehicle yet.

This is correct ... but incomplete.

The [Alt]+[F12] debug menu will only put you in orbit. Not on the surface. If you just want to test ascent and skip the descent and landing there is a better option: HyperEdit. HyperEdit can do everything the cheat menu can and then some. Including putting you on the surface at the exact coordinates you specify.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Tex_NL

[Sharpy]

...although joint testing of your descent and ascent stages is definitely something you should be doing.

I made a very decent Eve ascent vehicle once... If there only was some way to get it to the surface from orbit!

[Magzimum]

9 minutes ago, Tex_NL said:

This is correct ... but incomplete.

The [Alt]+[F12] debug menu will only put you in orbit. Not on the surface. If you just want to test ascent and skip the descent and landing there is a better option: HyperEdit. HyperEdit can do everything the cheat menu can and then some. Including putting you on the surface at the exact coordinates you specify.

Oops. I read the OP, and then completely missed the "Ascent" part of the question, and assumed "Descent". My bad. Thanks for correcting.

(It was only in giant letters in the thread title, and in the first sentence of the post... so anyone could have missed that...)

Edited January 11, 2017 by Magzimum

[Foxster]

In theory you could use HyperEdit to put the craft in orbit and use it again to land. However HE is a tad buggy at the moment when setting an orbit. So best bet is to use the Alt-F12 cheat first to set the orbit and then use HE to land. 

[Aegolius13]

I've been heavily testing an Eve ascender using the Alt-f12 method to teleport to Eve orbit.  While it would probably be ideal to start out on Eve's surface, get the ascender function working perfectly, and then moving backwards to reentry, I personally don't think it's worth dealing with HyperEdit.  

Also, since Eve reentry can be pretty darn tough (i.e., not having your inflatable heat shield flip you around), there is a lot of value in seeing how your design works on the way down.  Even if a craft works great oin ascent, it's good to know early on if, say, its COM is not going to work for reentry.  So I think alt-f12 is a nice compromise - skip the Kerbin launch and transfer stuff for now, but test out both directions of travel on Eve.