JSideris

There were a few exceptions. On startup: https://imgur.com/5G4GRmm On teleport to Cerillion: https://imgur.com/PDd6up4 Also, as I mentioned in my youtube comment, this was a fresh install. For the record, steps to reproduce: KSP 1.2.2.1622 x64. Delete everything from gamedata folder except the Squad folder. Install Planet Cerillion and dependencies via CKAN. Install scatterer w/ default dependencies configs (I tested w/ default config, SVE sunflare). My main save uses different scatterer config and still has the same issue.

Hello The White Guardian. This is an amazing mod. I've really been enjoying it. But for some reason, the oceans of Cerillion are completely invisible to me. Here's a video of it. Is this normal? I've got the latest versions of Scatterer, EVE, SVE, and a bunch of other visual enhancement mods, as well as Planet Cerillion, all installed through CKAN. KSP version is 1.2.2.

Yep it was just a joke post. I guess that exploit is well-known around here so sorry if it was spammy. In all honestly the big rocket at the beginning didn't make it to Minmus. Must have miscalculated something but it didn't have enough fuel to land. :(. I might try again in the future.

Does this count? So obviously I didn't finish it yet, but you get the picture... My thoughts on the challenge: I wanted to stay away from space planes. I designed a rocket (but didn't fly it) to complete the Minmus challenge but it's 3x heavier than if I was to just go to the mun 2 times and back (not to mention way harder to fly). Not worth it for a 50% bonus, even though that takes away some of the fun. I used my KSP calculator to help me with the rockets. I actually created a new (currently unreleased) version of the tool to help with this challenge, so this was a good exercise. But I guess using space planes are just a lot more clever and I haven't quite figured them out yet. On a serious note if you want to see the big rocket in action you'll have to adjust the scoring system to be more inclusive to staged-blastoff-class spacecrafts.

Very nice!! I've been away a while and didn't notice people were trying this. I'll try to finally complete this challenge today with a blastoff rocket, even though everyone thinks it's impossible.

Good idea, a few people have requested custom engines as well. Custom initial orbits would be quite easy to add as well so I might throw that into the next update.

Yes.

Hello all, thanks to everyone who had an interest in my "Mission-Based Rocket Designer + Simulator" tool. I've taken the tool down and replaced it with it's successor: the Advanced KSP Mission Calculator Tool. >>>TRY IT<<< Features Plan missions Designs and simulates rockets with tons of optimizations Shows you how to fly the rocket with a detailed flight plan Supports the following mods (more coming): Interstellar Fuel Switch Stage Recovery Help Make it Better The calculator is not done. There are quite a few ideas I have in mind for it. Unfortunately doing my own research and developing the tool is very time consuming. So here is my call for help: Does anyone know how the tweakscale mod works? How are engine stats (like thrust, weight, etc) calculated? I've been looking for information on the outer planets mod. Can anyone supply me with detailed technical information on the planets and moons in that mod (similar to what you'd find in the right pane on the KSP wiki)? Try my challenge. I'd like to see the designs for rockets that emerge as they will help me fine-tune my calculator. The data from this challenge will be useful to me because it calls for only the most efficient rocket designs. Does anyone have any ideas regarding how to penalize super-long burns (something I've been thinking a lot about and struggling with)? Another thing I'm trying to add is the ability to algorithmically add control surfaces and reaction wheels. It's not trivial. Any ideas? Report bugs or suggestions to [email protected].

Challenge: With a single rocket (no refuelling, etc) complete the following objectives: Launch into stable orbit around Kerbin. Land on Kerbin. Launch into stable orbit around Kerbin. Land or Kerbin. Launch into stable orbit around Kerbin. Fly to Mun. Land on Mun. Fly to Kerbin. Land on Kerbin. Rules: The entire rocket must come down to the surface each time. No leaving behind a station that you can re-dock to and refuel. Don't use a refueling truck on the ground, etc. You'll probably need quick saves, but bonus points if you do it all in one go. If your rocket is super heavy and lands in the water, you don't need to wait for it to sink, just blast off as soon as it hits the water. Only use stock engines, parachutes, heat shields. Any non-stock parts used should not be overpowering, and should have a reasonable stock equivalent. Post a video or screen shots of your best attempt. Purpose: This mission will push the limits of KSP rocket designs, and your piloting skills. I used this challenge to test a KSP mission calculator that I've been working on, and submissions will set a benchmark for future updates. The tool can be found here: https://jsideris.github.io/AdvancedKspMissionCalculator/. I recommend trying the challenge without using the calculator, otherwise we'll all have the same rocket designs. Also, this challenge pushes the limits of the calculator, and there are lots of optimizations you'll need to make on your own anyway. Feasibility: I've tested each stage of this challenge independently with different stages of the same rocket launched from the space center, and have confirmed that it is possible (but very difficult) to complete successfully. I'm working on a video. The problem I've had with doing this in one go is that each time I try, something always goes wrong. KSP will crash or lag at a critical moment, or my parachutes will explode my rocket, or the physics get all wonky and my rocket starts oscillating out of control. Anyway, while I fiddle with that, let's see if anyone can beat me to the punch. Good luck.

This is a great mod, but please fix this.

Just released an awesome new version of the tool. It is now able to design rockets capable of a return trip from Eve. Fixes the snowball bug discussed above and prevents over-building by having the ability to: Steal some ΔV from the vacuum stage (or adding additional tanks to this stage to assist with orbit). Allows for small ΔV debts subtracted from the mission, in exchange for huge mass penalties (aka lighter rockets: each 100 m/s stolen = 20% shaved off). Will experiment with this feature further. Utilize a new orbital stage between the vacuum stage and takeoff stage. Trading 1% extra mass for each additional 100 m/s ΔV. Here is a screen shot of the 5T/100m/s benchmark: Be sure to clear your cache when re-loading the page in order to get the latest version.

Thanks for the feedback, I'll push a patch for that right away. So what's happening here is that when the tool is comparing between rockets, extra ΔV does have a bit of weight in the decision. I noticed in some early tests that if I only optimize mass alone, the tool will ignore rocket configs that are twice as efficient even if they only weigh 1 extra kg. So the comparison I made (somewhat arbitrarily since this is a matter of preference) is that if rocket A and rocket B are both successful launches, I will choose rocket B over rocket A if: ΔVB/MB2 > ΔVA/MA2 However as it goes through the list of rockets and simulates them, that MA value usually snowballs, which is unintended. I'll play around with some different decision functions. And I'm open to suggestions. Yea, like I said, the results are sometimes surprising. If I change the optimizer function from ΔVB/MB2 > ΔVA/MA2 to MB < MA the tool will sometimes choose a bunch of spark engines for blastoff from Kerbin (like in the thumbnail of the video). A weird choice but the resulting stage only weighs a few tons.

This tool has been succeeded by the Advanced KSP Mission Tool. Please check out the new thread. I've spent the last few weekends doing some rocket science, and I'd like to present my KSP Mission-Based Rocket Designer & Simulator. The aim is to abstract away as many design decisions as possible that don't have any bearing, per se, on the mission you're trying to accomplish. Instead, the calculator will attempt to optimize for the lightest possible rocket able to get the job done. Try it: https://jsideris.github.io/KSP-Mission-Based-Rocket-Designer/ The tool will algorithmically design two-stage (and now three-stage) rockets, typically. The lower stage is for takeoff and may include anywhere from 0 to 32 radially detachable boosters. Most of the ΔV is intended to be carried out by the vacuum stage, and sometimes the tool will add an intermediate stage to assist with achieving orbit. Each rocket configuration's launch is quickly simulated with varying amounts of fuel to test for feasibility, and the best rocket is presented to the user. Some of the results can be surprising (for instance, using low-tier or weak rockets for takeoff), but all that you need to know is that the program is giving you the lightest rocket design that is able to at least meet the minimum requirements for your mission. This is great, for instance, for designing light-weight return landers. The app is also not very picky about what type of detacher, fins, nosecones, or other peripherals that you use. It adds a small safety factor to the payload so that you can dress up your rocket with whatever parts you have available. All in all the tool is fairly accurate and very usable, however there are a few corner cases that I'm working to address. For instance, it's not smart enough to know how to get to Eve and back yet, Overall, it's going quite well; the tool is now smart enough to get a small payload to Eve and back! Give it a go and let me know your thoughts, questions, concerns, and suggestions. The tool will remain updated and receive upgrades as long as it is well received and people use it. Notable Updates 2016-07-24 Fixed a "snowball effect" glitch (discussed below) that caused the simulation to preferentially select more and more massive rockets as the simulation ran. Allow the simulator to try stealing some ΔV from the vacuum stage. Simulator will now be willing to trade off 1% extra mass for an additional 100 m/s ΔV when choosing between two rocket designs. Gave simulator the ability to tack more fuel onto the vacuum engine to assist with orbit. Added orbital stages (3-stage rockets) that will sometimes be explored if the rocket is re-entering the atmosphere too early.