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Buffalo 2 Modular Space Exploration Vehicle


Angelo Kerman

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Near Future Props by Nertea, licensed under CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0
Source code is GPLv3, artwork is All Rights Reserved

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The rover kicked up a cloud of dust as it jumped a small hill. Valentina let out a joyful yell. After hanging in the air for a second, the rover dropped back down onto the ground as it kept hurtling along at a breakneck speed. Its stabilizer gyros helped keep it upright.

“It’s hard to believe that we drove the older model nearly six years ago on Duna,” she said. “This new Buffalo 2 is a dream to drive! It’s got that new rover smell, and it’s so much roomier than the old version.”

“Rugged. Dependable. Reliable,” Bob read aloud from the brochure. There wasn’t much else to do while Valentina careened across the landscape, and it helped him avoid panicking. Mostly. “All new styling and new factory options let the Buffalo 2 Modular Space Exploration Vehicle meet your rover, base, station, and submersible needs,” he read aloud further.

“It can be a station and a submarine? How,” Valentina asked.

Bob read some more. “It says that you can configure modules to be fully cylindrical,” he summarized. “They have the same functional capabilities as the old Mark One Laboratory Extensions, but they use modernized ‘Omni’ converter technology. Add underbelly ballast tanks, some internal bracing upgrades, the new Guppy Submarine Module, and some engine and dive control components from SunkWorks, and the modules form the hull of a submarine.”

“Wow,” Valentina responded. “We’ll definitely need that capability on Laythe…”

The original Buffalo mod was created in 2015 and was included exclusively with Pathfinder before the public demanded a stand-alone mod. In the years since, Buffalo has been enjoyed by dozens of players. But much has changed since its initial release- technology improved, Kerbal Space Program 1 matured to completion, and my artistic know-how improved as well. When evaluating the original Buffalo mod for Restock compatibility, it became clear that it would be more effective to create a whole new mod than to update the original.

Buffalo 2 offers much the same modular functionality as the original but with modernized plugins and Restock-compatible artwork. You can make rovers, bases, space stations and submarines (with SunkWorks installed). And with Sandcastle, you can 3D print the parts and assemble them with the stock EVA Construction.

Buffalo 2 optionally supports EVA Repairs, Sandcastle, Snacks, Sunk Works, Wild Blue Tools, and more.

 

Some promo images from the gallery:

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Required Mods

Kerbal Actuators: (for the tilt-rotor parts)

Recommended Mods

Wild Blue Tools

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7 minutes ago, Angel-125 said:

I went like gangbusters on this today...

...

As with the original mod, I'll have a robotics variant that lets the wheel spin a full 360 degrees.

Looking forward to taking these for a spin - this already looks pretty awesome.

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I finished up the revamped Mountain Goat modeling and texturing tonight. As before, there is a robotic version to fulfill the original vision for the wheel: full 360-degree rotation. Unlike the previous version of the robotic wheel, I only need two parts instead of three: The robotic wheel mount, and the Mountain Goat wheel itself. This time around, the Mountain Goat supports two part variants:

qqji22r.png

IohwBVL.png

The only thing left is a part module that I'm currently testing that adds sound effects for when the wheel's motor is running. Then next week I start the body work. :)

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looking pretty snazzy.

-------

brief off topic..is it wrong and should I be ashamed of myself..that the second @Angel-125 mentioned the word 'goat' that my brain went 'wait..why the heck is he trying to put a goat in kerbal? last I checked this aint goat simulator'

Edited by RaiderMan
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On 1/29/2022 at 7:44 PM, RaiderMan said:

looking pretty snazzy.

-------

brief off topic..is it wrong and should I be ashamed of myself..that the second @Angel-125 mentioned the word 'goat' that my brain went 'wait..why the heck is he trying to put a goat in kerbal? last I checked this aint goat simulator'

 

On 1/30/2022 at 1:10 PM, Avery616 said:

Was a big fan of the OG Buffalo mod, nice to see a new and improved version being made with your current modeling skill. Cant wait to see how it develops!

Thanks guys! :) With the chassis and wheel revamp done, I'm starting in on the body sections. Here's the first one:

bLxz0Ew.png

I'm trying to get a feel for how these will look in their variant forms. A certain @adsii1970 suggested that the logistics module have windows and I decided to go one better and give it a full IVA. I'm starting with the Short Logistics Module to set the tone of the body parts. The idea is that by making half-sized wedges with varying configurations (side windows, no side windows, top windows, no top windows, etc.) I can quickly assemble a "library" of meshes that I can combine into various body parts. Hopefully that will cut down on the creation time and make it easy to come up with new parts. That applies to both external models and IVAs.

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Ooh!

I like the new aesthetic!

Spoiler

After seeing the name Buffalo 2, for some reason I thought Mother 2 (Or EarthBound as it's known here in the states).

I blame my blurry right eye.

 

I'd be more than happy to contribute where I can!

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1 hour ago, Angel-125 said:

I've unwrapped the rover body and started texturing:

PUkcie0.png

Once I get that done I'll unwrap and texture the wedges for the station variant. I'm hoping to have it textured and rigged and in game late this week. :)

omg that looks amazing

i love how the rover isnt just a box like the orginal and curves around

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36 minutes ago, planeticegaming said:

omg that looks amazing

i love how the rover isnt just a box like the orginal and curves around

Thanks! :) When I made the original, I tried to pattern it after the vehicles around KSC. This time around though, I wanted something closer to the real thing but still Kerbal. So, I looked at the Mk3 form factor, flipped it on its side, and went from there...

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Part idea:

it's the wagon from the original buffalo mod pretty much but made of glass and it's a greenhouse.

so when it expands the greenhouse is active. the greenhouse still works when not expanded but just produces alot less

or can just look cool by itself.

just a suggestion as the original mod had no greenhouse parts in it which made some long rover missons seem unrealistic

 

Edited by planeticegaming
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20 hours ago, planeticegaming said:

Part idea:

it's the wagon from the original buffalo mod pretty much but made of glass and it's a greenhouse.

so when it expands the greenhouse is active. the greenhouse still works when not expanded but just produces alot less

or can just look cool by itself.

just a suggestion as the original mod had no greenhouse parts in it which made some long rover missons seem unrealistic

 

An expandable greenhouse is possible, though I'm currently planning for something similar in concept to M.O.L.E.'s greenhouse module. The roof of the module will have large windows to support plant growth. In fact, the various crew modules will have a distinct set of windows to help distinguish them. Speaking of, I've made further progress on the short logistics module:

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The larger version could look like:

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Here you can see the gray stripe that I added as a nod to the original mod. I may experiment with narrower windows for the logistics module, as the current set looks more applicable to the hab module or the lab.

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Here's the updated windows for the short logistics and regular-sized logistics module:

QYfPyuj.png

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And what happens when you combine "slices"

S7gukp0.png

PGRaboE.png

Since I can do the same thing with the roof to add various types of windows, I my plan of having a library of meshes to use will work well. :)

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First iteration of the Short Logistics Module is in game:

eCVuitv.png

jUYUCng.png

I have much more to do, like rig up the lights, create the variants for Station and Superstructure, create an IVA, and more. But once I get the exterior done, I'll switch back to the chassis for a bit and create the new probe core. Then I'll tackle the logistics module's IVA...

And one more..

VF03X2a.png

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11 hours ago, nothingSpecial said:

Wait, do two windows morph into longer one?!

What sorcery is that?!

Not sorcery, just putting 3D meshes together. This is what I mean. Here's the small side window model:

QYfPyuj.png

And the long window model:

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I also have a model without windows:

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I just combine them like you would in the VAB/SPH:

EWrd9SW.png

PGRaboE.png

S7gukp0.png

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This last image is likely to be the configuration of the full-length Logistics Module. Meanwhile, last night I started integration testing with Restock parts. Here's where I got:

EbpmKG8.png

I'm still working out how the panel lines should look and such. As long as it's a close match, it should be good enough.

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i read this:

On 2/3/2022 at 2:47 PM, Angel-125 said:

An expandable greenhouse is possible, ....

Then i saw *this*:doxT5um.png

 

....And I immediately thought, "Oh!.. Kewl!.... it will split open, like an accordian, with a clear, ribbed, tube, as a greenhouse..." :sticktongue:

Edited by Stone Blue
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Made more progress today. Here you can see the full-length Logistics Module in its Station variant:

9mBcqDt.png

To the left is the old Mark One Habitat from M.O.L.E. for comparison. The MOH is slightly longer- 2m versus 1.875m, because at the time that I made the MOH, I couldn't quite figure out how long the stock FL-T400 Fuel Tank was. I'm not sure if I should add handholds as an integrated part of the station variant or keep it clean and add handholds as a separate part. Anyway, the texturing is nearly done for the Logistics Module.

As I make more 3D meshes, my "library" of interchangeable 3D models is growing:

DgfBhxm.png

This mesh set lets me make combine meshes to make a new part and its variants. I have a bunch more to do, but this is a good start. :)

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More progress today: I've cleaned up the panel lines so they're less cluttered, and replaced the gray stripe up top with a blue stripe. I like how this has turned out, I think I can start in on the IVA now.

IQw3412.png

With my growing mesh library, I also started working on the B2 Ballast Wedge. If you have SunkWorks installed, then you'll get to use this part. The view below shows off the basic form factor for the Buffasub.

tvSjHF9.png

And for that day-glow look, there's a yellow variant texture in the works...

pPvmeY3.png

mTHyPBS.png

I might as well keep going and finish the IVA to get a feel for how the baseline will look. Then I can focus on the chassis probe core...

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58 minutes ago, Angel-125 said:

More progress today: I've cleaned up the panel lines so they're less cluttered, and replaced the gray stripe up top with a blue stripe. I like how this has turned out, I think I can start in on the IVA now.

IQw3412.png

With my growing mesh library, I also started working on the B2 Ballast Wedge. If you have SunkWorks installed, then you'll get to use this part. The view below shows off the basic form factor for the Buffasub.

tvSjHF9.png

And for that day-glow look, there's a yellow variant texture in the works...

pPvmeY3.png

mTHyPBS.png

I might as well keep going and finish the IVA to get a feel for how the baseline will look. Then I can focus on the chassis probe core...

Will the IVAs have support for RasterPropMonitor?

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