Wanderfound

And the other point: that many LV-R's in one stage are counterproductive. Less engines, more ÃŽâ€V.

Happy to help, but I will need specific questions and screenshots to work with. There are general piloting and building guides in the first few posts of this thread, and there's a link to my video tutorials in my sig.

Thanks. Is it set up to work with the FAR engine nerf?

What are the thrust/mass stats for the engine?

Obvious hacks and cheats barred by Wheaton's Law. As per the OP, if in doubt, ask. If you can, keep it stock. It'd be nice to have a collection of ships at the end that people can use, and the more stock it is, the more people can use it. The target station can be as low as 70x70.

Okay, this is another revival of an old challenge. It's open to both FAR and stock, but the thing that got me interested is the recent changes in FAR. The new upper atmosphere skin drag makes it a lot harder to get a big tanker up with a worthwhile amount of fuel, and I've been struggling to design something useful in that class. So, that's the challenge: build a spaceplane tanker, take it to orbit, deliver fuel to whatever space station target you feel like, land it back at KSC. Two leaderboards for each of FAR and stock: one for total fuel delivered, one for fuel/√ flight cost after recovery. Fuel delivery must be a balanced LF/O mix. To keep it interesting, and put the focus on efficiency and good design rather than CPU capacity, there's a maximum part count limit of 150. Must be crewed, must be a HOTOL spaceplane, stock parts only. If you want to use a mod that you're unsure about, ask. I'll get an entry up as soon as I build something worth flying. Leaderboard Stock juzeris, 2,416 units delivered, √0.5533/unit Starhawk, 2,100 units delivered, √0.63/unit GoSlash27, 2,100 units delivered, √0.63/unit juzeris, 14,400 units delivered, √0.816/unit. FlipNascar, 5,548 units delivered, √0.88/unit. FAR UnusualAttitude, 12,485 units delivered, √0.915/unit. Wanderfound, 8,288 units delivered, √1.02/unit.

Kerbodyne Expedition. Go to all the planets, get all the science. Able to land and return on Duna, Laythe, Kerbin or any moon or low-grav planet you choose. The 9,349m/s delta-V is actually an underestimate; it doesn't account for undocking the tank sections as they run dry. Craft files at https://www.dropbox.com/s/8xexx9dpsewt719/Kerbodyne%20Expedition%20Leader.craft?dl=0 & https://www.dropbox.com/s/7qeyivobrr23jho/Kerbodyne%20Expedition%20LabHab.craft?dl=0 & https://www.dropbox.com/s/no7sjpxmgxh6vd5/Kerbodyne%20Expedition%20Fuel%20Module.craft?dl=0

Kerbodyne Expedition. Go to all the planets, get all the science. Craft files at https://www.dropbox.com/s/8xexx9dpsewt719/Kerbodyne%20Expedition%20Leader.craft?dl=0 & https://www.dropbox.com/s/7qeyivobrr23jho/Kerbodyne%20Expedition%20LabHab.craft?dl=0 & https://www.dropbox.com/s/no7sjpxmgxh6vd5/Kerbodyne%20Expedition%20Fuel%20Module.craft?dl=0

Very good to see Valentina done so well.

The Dugong won't do your orange tanks, sure, but it's good for all your small-but-awkward stuff. And I'm working on a special variant of it designed for Duna and Laythe...

We need pictures to get a proper idea of what you're doing. It's not as simple as a handful of formulas; the best wing dimensions vary based upon TWR, planform, wing strength, flight profile and mission. Faster ships can get away with higher AoAs, different wing configurations distribute the wing area differently, stronger wings can tolerate higher wing loading and different design priorities arise for an aerobatics show vs a careful ascent to begin a long-range space mission. A nose cone up front is a wasted opportunity; stick a shielded docking port or atmo sensor pack there if you've got 'em. Larger ships are tricky to build. Something like this would handle that cargo, though: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/90747-Kerbodyne-SSTO-Division-Omnibus-Thread?p=1804064&viewfull=1#post1804064

Trajectory in FAR is strongly affected by the behaviour of the craft during the descent; even a bare capsule can manouvre by changing the angle at which it meets the wind. You can't predict an impact trajectory without knowing what control inputs will be made during the descent.

Stock EVA parachutes would also be nice to see. Cut down on the early game bodycount.

Kerbodyne Wasp. Messing about with anhedral wing roots. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/vrz1bhne01slnqg/Kerbodyne%20Wasp.craft?dl=0 Or if you just swap the turbo for a nuke... 5,000m/s dV range if you refuel. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ut1r0608oend8rp/Kerbodyne%20Wasp%20N.craft?dl=0 - - - Updated - - - How much can I get out of this airframe? Kerbodyne Wasp Lotek. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/1cmsvqy88y9qcrn/Kerbodyne%20Wasp%20Lotek.craft?dl=0

Kerbodyne Wasp. Messing about with anhedral wing roots. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/vrz1bhne01slnqg/Kerbodyne%20Wasp.craft?dl=0 - - - Updated - - - Or if you just swap the turbo for a nuke... 5,000m/s dV range if you refuel. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ut1r0608oend8rp/Kerbodyne%20Wasp%20N.craft?dl=0

Kerbodyne Greyhound. Twenty Kerbals, plus their luggage, delivered to the planet or moon of your choice. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/8f72jtkb1edup6a/Kerbodyne%20Greyhound.craft?dl=0

A wide variety of aspect ratios can work: As a general rule, though, heavier ships need more chord. Razor-thin wings are fast, but they don't give you a lot of grip at low altitude.

It would help if you defined how accurate the bomb needs to be. It's very hard to hit anything from altitude with an unguided bomb, but avoiding the need to ride it down would probably be better, and setting one target for everone would likely be best. Some landmark west of KSC? The pyramids? Or maybe KSC itself? That'd allow a low-altitude bomb run and good explosions. You also might want to add a "no orbit" rule to stop folks from taking a dozen circuits to line it up.

This has me wondering: how hard would it be to make the terrain interact with the physics engine in more detail? Boggy mud, soft sand, hard rocks etc. At the moment, all land surfaces are identical except for inclination and appearance.

What I would do: * Halve the span of the canards. * Cut the wingspan by a third, reduce the sweep a smidge, increase the chord a smidge. * Move the tailplane as far back as it can go, raise it to the top of the core fuselage so it's out of the way of the lateral engines. Give the tailplane a few degrees of dihedral, increase its chord a bit. * Add small pitch control surfaces to the bit between the lateral and central fuselages. * Shift the lateral fuselages forwards a touch to give the tail more leverage. * Change the mass tweakable on all horizontal surfaces to .75, on the vertical stabiliser to .6. You're also a bit light on for engines given the size of it. Consider adding an extra jet or two.

46,004kg, √107,444. Swap the cargo bay for a passenger cabin and you've got a handy spacebus, BTW.

So let's try multiple engines...

I think I've exhausted the possibilities for single-engine ships...

Kerbodyne Dugong: Mk3 doesn't have to be huge. Craft file at https://www.dropbox.com/s/jy855rhdu4ifu9n/Kerbodyne%20Dugong.craft?dl=0

If it's Laythe, you probably want to be using spaceplanes to take advantage of the oxygen. So, the standard spaceplane mods: FAR, Kerbal Flight Data, Kerbal Flight Indicators, Kerbal Pilot Assistant. And to make the most of the scenery, E.V.E., Planetshine and Distant Object Enhancement.