RoninFrog

Not trying to spam posts in this thread but I got an even better version of the mech working. It has four legs instead of two, all of them mechanically alternated to go "left-right-left-right" resulting in what is basically a displaced wheel of I-beam tips. It's super-duper smooth but it feels more like a rover than a mech at this point.

Breaking Ground: 100% worth it. Lots of added functionality. KAL is absolutely not necessary if you are decent with action groups. Making History: 15% worth it. It's basically a Squad-branded engine/fuel tank modpack. The 5m parts are super nice, but they aren't anything you can't get with mods.

I got a version that can maintain a consistent 20m/s on Eeloo. The RTG's only support about 2 minutes of maximum operation though. The repositioned joints work significantly better. KerbalX

The One-Piston-Jump Challenge The Goal: Use a single piston to jump super high. Rules: You may use only 1 piston (hydraulic cylinder) to induce thrust No cheat menu or kraken-induced thrust (the kraken is not a piston) Overclocking is allowed and most likely required Craft file editing of part attributes (thrust, traverse rate, etc.) is allowed Must have a kerbal on board at least during the ascent Participants: @RoninFrog - 547m (477m) Here is my own submission (the post keeps merging):

Ok so I noticed one issue a lot of people have when they are doing Elcano's is their tires keep popping. So I thought I'd make a rover whose tires physically cannot pop. And your tires cannot pop if you don't have tires. It's gonna be a real real long Elcano. But it's a decent mech suit that is actually capable of moving somewhat quickly and doesn't explode after ten steps. I decided to send it to Eeloo since Eeloo has very smooth terrain and it will be a decently short Elcano. So here goes! The nice thing is I can leave it walking in the background without having to hold down the "wheel forward" keybind. Trip details:

Mech. Nearly got it up to 10 m/s before it spazzed out and died.

The other day I found red Mun dirt. I dont' know if this is a known easter egg, or if it is an easter egg at all, but it is definitely a little pinkish in patches.

I know it's not a rover but it's a pretty cool little craft that demonstrates another use of the hinge flexibility.

Yeah I definitely won't be doing any single-rover grand tours with this design. It seems to last long enough to survive a single elcano without any major issues though. I've started on Vall with a new motorcycle (same design). It's such a useful vehicle for Elcano's, it rarely pops tires and I have the control point gyro-stabilized so it basically steers itself, allowing me to watch movies or patrol the forums while it runs in the background.

Here's a Mun elcano with the motorcycle. I've got a Stock Craft entry for Mun but this one is pure stock.

If you strut a wheel to two separate BG hinge systems it gets super elastic and wierd. Here's a thread with some other suspended craft:

I used this dual-hinge suspension to create the bat-bike-mobile from Dark Knight.

I tried to replicate Batman's bat-bike (bat-pod?) from The Dark Knight, and ended up making a super-durable, super-fast rover that I'm absolutely gonna do some Elcano's with. Also note the nav-ball stability.

I don't know about in real life, but in KSP, Santa Claus is real, he lives at the equator, and his "sleigh" will actually be visiting every single house in Kerbin in a single night. It turns out solid rocket boosters are slightly more practical than flying reindeer.

I gave my rover Moar Suspension. If only my framerate were as smooth as my rover.

Moar Suspension

Here's a video I recorded of the non-atmospheric version so ya don't have to go download it to see it in action.

Thanks! Here's a few KerbalX links if you want them: Craft in video It's not exactly the same, the suspension hinges are slightly offset. Amphibious version Don't miss the clipped elevon if you try going boating. Non-atmospheric version

I think the more quantitative rules are there more to prevent someone from spending hours and hours doing an Elcano that breaks the spirit of the challenge, only to be denied entry. As long as the rover is within the spirit of the challenge, it's probably fine. A green-light given by the Elcano caretaker overrules any fiddly rule breakages.

I made a rover based on @Icky's configuration of hinges and landing gear, and got it working reliably up to 150m/s even on decently rough terrain. Thought I'd share a video:

Edit: I just looked at your mission report, and I don't see an issue with the rover. The aerodynamic surfaces seem to be placed for aerodynamic control, and any lift generated is incidental. Nicely designed rover, btw.

By my interpretation of the rules, gliders are not allowed. Options that would be allowed would be: You can use parachutes to slow the descent mid-jump, which is the closest to the situation you are describing. You can change the angle of attack of the propellors before and and during the jump to really kill the speed of your rover quickly. This is the solution I personally use on my prop-powered rovers. You can use downward-angled fins to limit the height of the jump. Downforce on the way up is allowed, but upforce on the way down is not. I believe "significant aerodynamic lift" would be any intentionally placed or positioned lifting surfaces other than the natural aerodynamic parameters of the rover.

Pol

Ike. The low rotational speed allowed me to hold orbital radial out instead of surface radial out, eliminating the downhill "hopping" glitch and vastly increasing both the rover's speed and reliability. I only needed to load a save once, when I ran into a BG surface science rock. Hate those. I think if I had held orbital radial out on Moho it would have been so much easier.

I doubt I'd last a week before getting claimed