Car Eco Challenge

[Azimech]

The Car Eco Challenge.

 

 

(This is not how to do it.)

 

 

Inspired by this challenge:

I'm starting a new challenge focused on cars.

The challenge: start at the KSC and drive towards the north pole using 50 units of fuel. Rover wheels are not allowed, only landing gear. The car is to be powered by a jet engine. Required: 4 kerbals in seats and two science containers. The use of a boost flap is encouraged. Mechjeb is encouraged for use of the rover autopilot.

Rules:

• Parts have to be connected visually, no floating stuff.
• Must have two headlights.
• Must have two rear lights emitting red. How you do it, I don't care. It's not required to make them look like real lights, just a glow on the inside of the rear quarter panels is enough.
• A battery.
• Moving control surfaces are not allowed except boost flaps. If you use boost flaps, they need to cancel out each other forces.
• SAS and RCS are not allowed.
• The jet engine is not allowed inside the passenger cabin. In case of a front mounted engine, the thrust vector is allowed to move through the passenger cabin.
• Part clipping is allowed.
• I don't care how ugly it is.
• FAR or other modifications to the aero system are not allowed.
• Have the action window of the jet engine and resource window open at all times. Take a screenshot at start, after 5 minutes and after that at 30 minute intervals. Take a last screenshot when you've run out of fuel.
• If you don't have/use Mechjeb, install a probe core so you'll be able to show the distance to KSC when you've run out of fuel. The comms system needs to be enabled in the difficulty setting.

Since the idea is to build a car and not a rover, the car must have all the body paneling you'd expect from a real vehicle. Body paneling is not required to animate. It must have:

• a roof,
• hood/bonnet,
• trunk lid,
• front & rear quarter panels,
• doors,
• solid underside but doesn't have to be straight,
• a closed front,
• a closed rear, with a small slit in the middle for the exhaust thrust vector.

Suggested terrain detail level: low. Both KSP 1.2.2 and 1.3 have problems with terrain on high settings, I don't know about 1.2.2 but the problems aren't there in 1.3 in low detail mode.

Suggestion: program a route with Mechjeb. Turn the car in the SPH so you'll start in the right direction. Drive around the bay and head north, try to avoid the hills and mountains.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Azimech

[Casualnaut]

Good idea, but it isn't really a car. 

[Azimech]

Just now, Casualnaut said:

Good idea, but it isn't really a car. 

What is your definition of car then?

[Casualnaut]

A wheeled vehicle

[Azimech]

26 minutes ago, Casualnaut said:

A wheeled vehicle

Unless I'm mistaken, airplanes have wheels. 

The idea of using airplane landing gear is to prevent the vehicles to run on electrical power. 

[sevenperforce]

19 minutes ago, Azimech said:

Unless I'm mistaken, airplanes have wheels. 

The idea of using airplane landing gear is to prevent the vehicles to run on electrical power. 

I mean, you can just say "don't use wheels for propulsion" and leave it at that. Honor system.

Note that under your current system, there is nothing to prevent someone from building a VTOL jet-powered vehicle and simply landing on wheels.

[KerBlitz Kerman]

20 minutes ago, Azimech said:

Unless I'm mistaken, airplanes have wheels. 

The idea of using airplane landing gear is to prevent the vehicles to run on electrical power. 

Not necessarily. What my good friend @Casualnaut is trying to say is that a car is a vehicle propelled by motors either utilizing a drivetrain for propulsion or an electric motor

 

1 minute ago, sevenperforce said:

I mean, you can just say "don't use wheels for propulsion" and leave it at that. Honor system.

Note that under your current system, there is nothing to prevent someone from building a VTOL jet-powered vehicle and simply landing on wheels.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED 

[Azimech]

32 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

I mean, you can just say "don't use wheels for propulsion" and leave it at that. Honor system.

Note that under your current system, there is nothing to prevent someone from building a VTOL jet-powered vehicle and simply landing on wheels.

You'd need a lot more fuel for getting airborne than keeping on driving ... which means you'd lose the eco challenge ;-)

[Casualnaut]

Okay, I still don't understand how you build a car without wheels. 

[Azimech]

8 minutes ago, Casualnaut said:

Okay, I still don't understand how you build a car without wheels. 

A car doesn't need to have powered wheels to be considered a car. Look at drag racers using jet engines.

And like I said, airplane landing gear has wheels. So you just install those on a car: car has wheels.

Example (not to be taken seriously):

https://kerbalx.com/Azimech/Melviiiin-Wheres-the-flyswatter

[Casualnaut]

Oh, I thought you meant landing gear wheels and rover wheels. Now I understand what you mean.

[sevenperforce]

3 hours ago, Azimech said:

You'd need a lot more fuel for getting airborne than keeping on driving ... which means you'd lose the eco challenge ;-)

Nope. I can easily get exoatmospheric with 100 units of liquid fuel and a jet engine, so getting to the North Pole that way will be a snap.

[Kermunmus]

3 hours ago, Azimech said:

You'd need a lot more fuel for getting airborne than keeping on driving ... which means you'd lose the eco challenge ;-)

In my challenge (still accepting entries btw), people have circumnavigated kerbin on 100 fuel, so 200 fuel to the poles should be a snap, although no one has entered a rover yet, don't know if they are more efficient

[Azimech]

3 hours ago, sevenperforce said:

Nope. I can easily get exoatmospheric with 100 units of liquid fuel and a jet engine, so getting to the North Pole that way will be a snap.

Four kerbals sitting in seats and extended landing gear ... Those things are very draggy. But I might change the fuel requirement.

[Azimech]

I've updated the rules and changed the fuel requirement to 50 units of fuel.

 

[Azimech]

The challenge is ready guys! Good luck!

[Azimech]

My score: 133km.

 

[Triop]

On 5-6-2017 at 10:32 PM, Azimech said:

Required: 4 kerbals in seats and two science containers.

[Azimech]

1 minute ago, Triop said:

What do you think, can you do it?

[Triop]

3 minutes ago, Azimech said:

What do you think, can you do it?

The question is, do I have the time ?...Working on so many projects

Edited June 6, 2017 by Triop

[Azimech]

Just now, Triop said:

The question is, do I have the time...Working on so many projects

Story of my life.

[Triop]

6 minutes ago, Azimech said:

Story of my life.

Yeah, real life sucks, please digitize me....

On 5-6-2017 at 10:32 PM, Azimech said:

Must have two headlights.

Haven't even seen this one,

I see what I can do, also promised somebody to test his submarine....

Edited June 6, 2017 by Triop

[Triop]

Fase 1: chassis:

4 Kerbals: Check !

[Triop]

Step 2; headlights and wheels.

[qzgy]

3 minutes ago, Triop said:

Step 2; headlights and wheels.

*cough* first thing said was no rover wheels *cough*

Sorry, had something in my throat.