Kebab Kerman

High-powered laser, actually. It's powerful enough to down most other aircraft within a few seconds, though it might just be because I forgot to armor them. Uses 500 EC/second though, and charging isn't fast, only about 14 EC/sec with afterburners enabled. I think the aircraft has around 28,000 EC total, which gives it around 56 seconds of firing time. It can aim in a 15 degree cone directly forwards, so the pilot needs to be good at keeping the nose on the target.

I probably should've explained them before, but here's what those acronyms/designations mean: EML: Electro-Magnetic Launcher, fancy name and acronym for railgun. Most notably mounted on the X-02s Strike Wyvern. Ace Combat pretty much ignores the very serious problem of barrel ablation, but cool factor wins here. ADMM: All-Direction Multi-purpose Missiles. Think of VLS on ships, but much smaller, and on fighter aircraft. The CFA-44 can mount one 90-tube and two 62-tube pods, for a total of 214 missiles. They are very powerful micro-missiles, but have somewhat poor homing ability. GAU-22: The designation for the externally powered 25mm gatling gun developed for the F-35. This is the only weapon in this list that is not fictional; the rest are from the Ace Combat series. TLS: Tactical Laser System. An airborne laser capable of firing in short sustained bursts and is very powerful, but is also energy-intensive. The charge speed is dependent on the EC generation aboard the aircraft, which is likely no more than 15 EC/second max with afterburners, and it uses 500 electric charge per second to use. As for why they were mentioned, the GAU-22 is the gun I've been using, and the TLS is mounted on the aft end of the second aircraft, above the engines. As for the other two, I want to use ADMMs and EMLs on my aircraft, but there are no BDAc expansions that add them, so I'm probably going to have to do them myself.

I made a multirole aircraft. It's pretty obvious what I used as inspiration. Before anyone asks, no; it unfortunately does not have EMLs or ADMMs, as nobody else has made them and I can't be bothered to do so myself because then I'll get carried away and make a mod containing every Ace Combat weapon other mods don't have already, and I just know it'll never get finished and I'll just end up disappointing people the allure of ADMMs has taken over and I'm gonna do it. Out of these three, it has the greatest maneuverability, though the Wyvern is a little buggy so I don't actually know what it's capable of right now. Has two GAU-22s and two daul and five single hardpoints. It can carry nine A2A missiles, 5 A2A missiles and two 5000 kg bombs, or three A2A missiles and four 12,000 lb bombs. Yes, it really can lift that much. It has an insane payload capacity for its size. Here's the proof: EDIT: how in the- EDIT #2: I made another. Has a very powerful TLS with insane EC consumption (500/sec) and way too many A2A missiles. A few seconds of contact with another aircraft using the TLS can destroy or incapacitate the target, though the low field of fire (15 degrees) makes it a little difficult to aim. Has one GAU-22 and eight single, dual, or quad hardpoints. EDIT #3: One more As it doesn't actually carry any ordinance externally, I need to find a way to hide missiles inside the existing tanks, though I don't think there are any 1.25m diameter bays that will fit on it. Might be better if I redid the main fuselage to use the correct cockpit and Mk2-H body, but eh, who's really gonna care? Will have one GAU-22, and either six hardpoints or two hardpoints and that 22-ton railgun from BDAc for the EML. Currently attempting to stop the variable geometry wings from flopping about during flight, which is proving to be a pain.

Started assembly of an interstellar ship, this time from a functional launch system that doesn't break itself apart for seemingly no reason. Forgot to upload pics, and I can't upload them now, but I'll make sure to do it later. So far, just the core module is in orbit, with the engine module built and ready to launch; all that's left is the hexagonal-symmetry tanks, likely to be life support and monopropellent, and the classic ring habitats and long truss structure on the front, possibly with more fusionpellet storage, since the Kerbstein drive isn't very efficient, and a large communications system to relay the arrival. The destination is the Vulture system, and after that, the plan is to send a series of supply ships geared toward setting up a colony; after that's all complete, the colony ship itself will be sent. Also, might anyone have an idea of how much DV I'm going to need to get to the system? I'm trying to avoid using FTL tech here.

Made these weird-looking planes. They're powered by fusion aerospikes, because I dislike relying on fuel.

The cockpit in the last image is from the Mk3 Expansion mod, and the external magnetic controlled fusion engines actually do work in atmosphere, they're the atmospheric engines, and use fusionpellets and intakeatm to produce thrust; the central one is the vacuum one, and uses just fusionpellets. The craft is configured as such to minimize the amount of liquid fuel or oxidizer on board, and considering it requires none, I'd say I did a good job. The fusionpellets take up only 6.2 tons in total. As for the gas giant thing, I moved Kerbin to its current orbit because I liked the view, and no other reason. I don't know where the Mun and Minmus went, but they're out there somewhere. Somehow, Kerbin also captured one of the gas giant's moons. EDIT: Put a small station in LKO using the SSTO, a little over 11 tons.

Made that fusion-powered SSTO. It keeps going into a spin before I can get to an altitude the Kerbstein drives can activate at. EDIT: Made one that actually works It has over 125 km/s of DV.

Alright, so after some testing, I have discovered a few things: 1: Z-Pinch fusion aerospikes do not produce enough thrust off of fusionpellets alone to achieve orbit. 2: Z-Pinch fusion aerospikes, with enough intakes, can produce an ungodly amount of thrust when the propellant is set to Atmosphere. I'm talking in the tens of thousands of kilonewtons with eight 2.5m shock cone intakes, so they will be used for the atmospheric engines. 3: Kerbstein drives, when scaled down, can fit the role originally intended for the Z-Pinch aerospikes very well, if at a much lower efficiency. All in all, while the SSTOs can't be completely fuelless, they can have a very small dry mass to wet mass ratio, while also having very high TWR and DV. My main concern now, however, is the delivering of payloads; if the Kerbstein drives also have the same radiation dangers as the Z-Pinch aerospikes, which will kill any kerbals not in the craft within about a kilometer, then that requires the craft to refrain from firing the engines until after the payload is out of the exclusion zone if it is crewed; furthermore, any payloads delivered to the surface of another celestial body cannot be crewed by kerbals, and they must land after the SSTO has left the area. This makes using these to transfer crew to anything in orbit viable, as you can use SSTO's RCS to push away from the other ship or station, however transferring crew to anywhere on land requires landing a ways away from the area and using a second transport vehicle to pickup the kerbals. On the plus side, they have virtually unlimited DV, as long as you have a way to make more fusionpellets, and atmospheric flight time is only limited by the amount of nuclear fuel in the Z-Pinch aerospikes and the life support systems. Not only that, but they can have higher payload capacities than other SSTOs of similar mass the larger they get, which means the next one I make is going to be massive. Think Arkbird from Ace Combat; that should give you a good idea of scale. Other than that, I discovered a fatal flaw with that one rocket with the 6,000 ton payload capacity: The connection between the 15m tank and the 15-7.5m adapter on the third stage breaks after the first stage separates. I suspect it's an issue with autostruts, but I'll have to fix it regardless if I want to launch anything with it.

Exactly! Unfortunately, fully fuelless is probably not something I can achieve without a Kraken Drive, and I really don't want to have to use them. Most likely, I'll have to resort to a Z-Pinch fusion engine, and two or more direct-cycle airbreathing nuclear turbojets, which only need an atmosphere to function since the combustion chamber uses the heat of a nuclear reactor instead of fuel. I'll still probably need tanks for fusion pellets for the Z-Pinch engine, but I'm hoping it will have a greater payload capacity than a conventional SSTO of the same mass. I'm a little worried about the thrust of the Z-Pinch engine at the altitude the nuclear turbojets shut off at, since they're useless in atmosphere, but I'm hoping it will be high enough to achieve orbit. Considering the vacuum thrust is nearly 3.5 Mn, I'm hoping it's nothing to worry about. If it's a success, I'm definitely building an unreasonably massive SSTO.

This. I somehow managed to go 4,879,103,430 times the speed of light. At this speed, it would only take you 10 minutes and 46 seconds to cross the entire Milky Way, from one side to another. I don't even know how I did it.

My current main series is the BF-X Series, which stands for Brute Force, with the X standing for the number used to differentiate them. Currently, it consists of BF-1, with an estimated maximum payload of between 600 and 1,600 tons (can't remember off the top of my head); BF-2, with an estimated maximum payload of between 500 to 1,000 tons; and BF-3, with an estimated maximum payload of between 3,000 and 7,000 tons. There will most likely not be more than five or six members of the series, as it is simply unnecessary. Their purpose is to launch massive segments of orbital or interstellar craft, that would otherwise be impossible to construct. Currently, they're being used to construct a massive interstellar colony ship that will travel to the closest system to Kerbol, on the third planet and its moon, that will contain a long-range comms station, two deployable launchpads, landing engines to convert the ship into a surface structure, and will set up a jumpgate at the edge of the system.

Made some electric propeller aircraft powered by fusion reactors, allowing for effectively infinite airtime, limited only by the life support systems. If possible, I'd like to build a fuelless SSTO, using a fusion reactor to power the engines instead of LF/O to save weight, even though I'll probably end up building something massive enough to easily accomodate enough LF/O to get to orbit with a large payload using conventional engines. On a side note, either I've been cursed by the kraken, or I've absorbed it and melded its power with my own, as this cursed screenshot tells you. Seriously, what did I even do here? You don't usually achieve Warp 10 in normal gameplay. Also, how would I keep a cloud city stationary without a ground anchor? I don't want it moving around or bobbing up and down within Jool's atmosphere.

Launched, or rather, tried to launch, a small colony ship in one launch from a new rocket. Unfortunately for me, I apparently did a frame-perfect click while the craft was loading on the launchpad and the game closed. Below is a screenshot from before I reverted since I forgot the kerbals. EDIT: Decided to put some info on this new rocket here (because I don't have anything new from last night to post other than Mechjeb screwing up autostaging and somehow blowing the entire thing apart.) All propulsion (apart from the booster seperator motors) is provided by SpaceY Emu engines of varying sizes. The first stage consists of one 22.5m and ten 11.5m Emus with the 2.5m mount subtype, the second stage consists of three 7.5m and three 3.75m Emus, and the third consists of three 5m Emus. I don't know how much thrust it produces, but the TWR with the ~1,000 ton ship in the fairing is 1.43 on the third stage and without payload is around 1.48. Considering the third stage has the lowest TWR of all the stages, and estimating the fairing mass to be around... I want to say around 200 tons? That puts the total payload at just over 1,200 tons, and assuming a linear change, the maximum payload mass is just over 6,700 tons, assuming the minimum desired TWR is 1.20, and 9,120 tons at a TWR of 1.10. Most likely, the maximum payload is around 3,000-4,000 tons, but it's still enough to make me doubt my math. If it actually has enough DV to get to orbit with 7,000 tons of payload, I'll be shocked. I don't think there are any payloads that massive aside from fully-fueled and crewed interstellar colony ships or interplanetary cargo shipments. Maybe cloud cities for Jool or Eve? I've always wanted to do those, but I haven't yet figured out how to keep them stationary aside from ground anchors, and that won't work on Jool.

I could've been sitting back and relaxing as Mechjeb literally does all the work for me? I'm gonna get at least 200 tons of extra payload capacity on that rocket just from that better ascent, aren't I? I mean, it doesn't stop the atmosphere from sending the rocket to Spain without the A, but it's still more capacity. On a side note, I've discovered that scaling up a SpaceY Emu engine with the 2.5m mount to the 15m of the first stage tank not only provides a better TWR and DV than the clipped monstrosity of 80 Emu engines formerly bolted to said tank, it gives off Sea Dragon vibes and is very cool. I wonder if I can abuse utilize this to reach 4,000 tons of payload capacity? Y'know, for funny.

So, an update on the B A L L ring station core: It didn't get to orbit. Drag keeps screwing (and flipping) the rocket over, and the one time it did get somewhat close to an actual ascent, the payload disconnected from the lifter, so I either need to build an entirely new rocket to achieve orbit, boil off Kerbin's atmosphere, or wait until I get to a very high (50-65 kilometers) altitude before turning for any form of circularization, which I'm confident the rocket has enough delta V for (since it has lifted almost everything else I've put on it to the point where I'm not sure the maximum payload capacity can even be reached in normal gameplay,) but I'm not confident that I can pull it off. I guess an 80-meter diameter spherical fusion pellet tank with a pole through the middle isn't what I should be using for the core, huh? I'll have to try something more conventional, unfortunately, since even the SpaceY fairings don't get large enough. Maybe something 10 to 20 meters in diameter, if it can fit in the fairing? While it may be more practical to launch an orbital construction dockyard and construct the ring habitat in, well, orbit, and assemble it there, that spoils the fun a little. No pics because I don't have access to my computer right now, and there wasn't really anything new to show anyway. If more issues like this keep coming up, which I'm expecting from the ring segments, I'll just make a space elevator on Minmus instead and repurpose what's left as a refueling station, deorbit it, or launch it at the sun at relativistic speeds.

Help. I don't know what I did.

I started attempting to build a massive orbital ring habitat. It's planned to be around 500 meters in diameter, but I haven't figured out what parts to use for the ring to keep part count to a minimum aside from giant fuel tanks, which, as far as I can tell, aren't exactly up to OSHA standards. As far as I know, Ubio Welding isn't updated to the latest version of KSP, so I can't use that (nevermind, found a workaround) So far, I have an unfinished core, which I'll probably have to make an entirely new rocket for, because none of the fairing parts I have get large enough. As usual, I forgot to take pictures (in my defense, it was 3 am and I was tired,) but I'll upload some later today if I can. EDIT: screenshot acquired. behold: B A L L .

Is there a limit to the size of jumpgates? Please tell me there isn't.

I launched and successfully tested a warp-capable ship from Kerbin to Narath (Galaxies Unbound). Unfortunately, an unexpected explosive anomaly1 within the exotic matter storage units caused the loss of the negative-antiosmium2 used to create the warp field, stranding the poor kerbals on the planet. As usual, I forgot to get screenshots, but I will upload a screenshot in an edit if I remember to. I'll probably do a colony ship next, with much better3 exotic matter storage units.

Yup. Someone's going to summon @Kernel Kraken next.

Technically yesterday, but I made a new superlifter meant to be an evolution of the Brute Force, being larger and more powerful. Unfortunately, I forgot to upload screenshots again, but as it turns out SpaceY's tallest 5m fuel tank isn't the best choice for a 30m base, since the TWR is bad. Hell, on full fuel load, once the boosters separate, the TWR is <1. So much for 2,500 tons to LKO in a single launch, huh? I'll probably have to shorten it, though the Brute Force still had 3/4 fuel left in the second stage when it achieved orbit lifting the 1,350 ton fusion torch module, so maybe it can get close to that. Anyway, the total (vacuum) thrust for each stage, from first to third, is 1,410,000 - 126,000 - 5,400, which I'd say is pretty good, and accurately describes the saying of "If brute force isn't working, you're not using enough of it." Also, I had to use larger SRBs to separate the boosters from the main body, this time using SpaceY's Thor SRBs, to make sure that they got far enough away from the main body fast enough. EDIT: Here's a picture early into construction, without the SRBs and upper stages. As you may be able to tell, I'm fond of the color blue. Pictured is the first stage and external LFBs, with a combined 1,134,000 kn of thrust.

I went so fast the warp speed calculator rounded up to warp 10.

I spent all night making station "can" modules instead of sleeping, which are quadruple couplers scaled up to accomodate 2.5m and 3.75m parts on each of the four (normally 1.25m) mounting points, and with large (read: 3.75m and 7.5m) docking ports on the (normally 2.5m) mounting point. There is, so far: A supplies can, using 7.5m docking ports and quad couplers, with two 3.75m LF/O tanks, some MP tanks, and a lot of life support stuff; A fission reactor can, with 4 3000Ec/s fission reactors; A refinery can, with a few ISRUs and a lot of ore capacity; a twelve-fold MPDE can, meant to cap off the end of a vessel for interplanetary missions; And a fusion torch can, which can't really be classified as a "can" because it's just a central crew tube with "an engine at the bottom" (thirty-six OPD dark goo drives in a fusion torch shaped engine bell because of the high ISP and deltaV to mimic an actual fusion torch because I don't feel like installing even more mods) and twelve fuel tanks attached to the sides of the crew tube. I forgot to take and upload screenshots of them, so I'll have to post them later (if I remember.) These cans arose purely because I wanted to find a use for SpaceY's 7.5m docking port. I mean, really, why would you ever need a docking port that large, unless it's for a craft that will effectively tie multiple lead balls to your FPS and yeet it into a deep pool of water? I've figured out that the Brute Force has at least 650 tons of payload capacity, which means maybe two launches are needed to get the full fusion torch into orbit, from it's dry mass of just over 1,300 tons. Which means the next super lifter will need at least that much payload capacity. (See edit) Anyway, I've figured out that I should be paying attention to ISP, deltaV, and TWR rather than pretending they don't exist, at least for the first two stages. EDIT: Here's some screenshots of the fusion torch module on top of the brute force, and it in space with 3,624 m/s of deltaV, which is comprised of the entire third stage and more than two thirds of the second stage left. Which means that, yes, it can indeed lift more than 1,300 tons. I'm planning a 1,500 ton payload test later today, and a 2,000 ton test if the 1,500 ton test is successful. I'll post an update then. If this works, I can launch an entire interplanetary, if not interstellar ship into orbit in a single launch, no assembly required*. I wasn't able to dock it to the station however, because Luna Multiplayer kept syncing me through minor timewarps and resetting my thrust because my physics clock was yellow, and screwing up my transfers >:( EDIT #2: I also encountered what I believe could be a new kraken: The Staging Kraken. It occured for me when I activated the second stage, which activates the second stage engines (duh) and decouples the first stage, at what could be the precise moment the first stage ran out of fuel (intentional) to avoid an interruption in the burn. This is when the kraken comes into play: It made some of the Vector engines spaz out a little, and then displace into the craft at an angle; one was turned around 140 degrees. It didn't destroy anything, but it was odd. It fixed itself after a few minutes, though it may be because of the physics syncing of Luna Multiplayer, and maybe a bit of timewarp.

I made a new ultra-heavy lifter. First stage has 750,000 kn of thrust, second has 99,000 kn, and third has 19,000 kn. Currently on a test launch to the Mun. I call it: Brute Force.

I've noticed some strange happenings when I change the scale of a surface scale part beyond 400%. The snap setting, when enabled, puts the part far away as if the part were scaled at 400%, the default maximum. Then, when launched, the craft undergoes ICAABEL (Instantaneous Craft Annihilation Accompanied By Extreme Lag) after a couple of minutes. It's only happened yesterday, but could it be because I changed the DefaultScales file to allow scaling beyond the default maximum? I'd rather my crafts be stable than have a half-life of 24Ne; You can see this happening in one of my streams from yesterday, and I had unbreakable joints, no crash damage, all grandparent autostrut, actual struts, and rigid attachments, and it's like the game just ignored them. Is there anything I can do to fix this bug?