BigDog

I haven't built anything really big in a while. In older versions I got around 3200 but that wanted to stuff up in the VAB. Most I have launched was probably right below that, at around 3000. This screen is from a few versions back but it shows 2548.

I never have messed with the planes much in KSP, so I went in a different direction. This is my Test ship for contracts, hauls them straight up, knocks out test, and then lands right back at KSP. So far 98% instead of 100% from the runway has not been an issue, but I may build a version in the SPH as that would avoid having to steer the landing on test that result in a high altitude, or long hang time. Kerbin,s rotation will have you coming down on buildings in these, and it is hard to judge just where you will land as the chutes get in the way visually.

I am getting this as well.

That was just to demonstrate the max stock VAB height, although it is B9 parts. I am glad I didn't waste my time building a launcher for it as I am going to have to decommission it due to the "bucking". As far as the Tug I have launched 3 of them with grav on, I turned it off to lagggggg over to Map view to get the part count. I just checked the maximum stack like I did for that B9 monstrosity and 10 is the most the VAB would allow without going into the floor.

An entire space station. A pusher tug, I have a puller that might come in larger but I don't think I have pics of it. Gravity is off so I could get this pic on the pad. Stuff like this either has to launch IMMEDIATELY when the physics kicks in or gravity has to be hacked to prevent the sudden application of Kerbin's rotational force from ripping them apart. The payload is the tug that is at the bottom, docked here with a failed (The Kraken ripped a stack off in translation) Eve lander. This is the tallest, it is as high as the VAB would let me stack parts. It has to launch with gravity hacked since it has a less than 1 TWR. It also bucks severely. This bucking seems to start at 4 orange tanks high. It is manageable at that height, much higher though and forget it. I have built an over 3500 part monster, but KSP died when I hit stage. Since then it has been bugged in the VAB.

Try 2497 parts!

Build the launcher off of the docking port in the rear, run all the struts from the launcher to the ship. Doing it this way will not leave stubs of the struts on the main ship.

I have seen this with my own designs, it seems to be tied to part count, but I cant put my finger on the exact number. What I have found is that after a certain point in the "tree" of the rocket the struts are not connecting. Finding this point in the tree and disconnecting and reconnecting causes the struts to connect again properly. Also note there may be more than one point in the "tree" where this behavior is present.

A tip for this. Hack Gravity as the rocket loads. Let the Physics Engine engage and things settle down and then turn gravity back on.

In my case it was as stated, docking some components that had the Infernal Robotics discs behind their docking ports. I could warp immediately after docking and everything is fine. if I waited a few seconds the Kraken would strike and they would RUD. Bugs in modded games are not supported so I doubt much will get done. It does seem to be repeatable though when encountered. The Hell Kraken on the other hand, appears to be random. I have reloaded from a quicksave and done exactly the same thing, and no Hell Kraken.

I didn't check the actual frame rate, maybe 1/2 a frame a second if I had to guess. Parts count in the VAB is 2497 with 48 of that launch clamps. I did pause a couple of times but it took 3 hours real time to fly to orbit. It also has to be hand flown, no Jeb, no SAS. It is probably over strutted, but as long as it takes to load things in this part count range, I prefer to go for the "no surprises" approach.

The closest I have come to that is docking some stuff that had the Infernal Robotics discs behind the docking ports to a mothership in .20. I could dock and immediately warp and everything was ok. If I waited a few seconds the docked component would spontaneously completely explode like that. The component would not be wobbling, and the mothership seemed to be undamaged. It is like the component *poofed*itself out of existence like the Kerbals do when you kill one.

Nope this has been around for a bit. To salvage exit, restart, go to a ship, F-9.

I got a little carried away and stacked up parts as high as the VAB would go. It has a "control and power" section in the center batteries, reaction wheels, and generators. it has some nice DV so I hacked grav and infinite fueled and flew it out to edge of Kerbin's SOI. I figure I will see if I can get a grand tour of fly-bys out of it.

Cue up the Johnny Cash: Ring of Fire

I just launched my 1st. On the pad. Final separation. In orbit at 125km A close up in the VAB. Of note of this design is the use of smaller RCS and fuel tanks to allow for in game balancing without a mod. I also used small fuel tanks on docking ports to drain the outer fuel tanks for launch fuel. This eliminates the stubs of the fuel lines staying on the station.

Boom Truck. I would comment that these types of designs need some weight low. Some mods of the batteries to ballast would be nice.

Reread the documentation very carefully, there is a folder that MUST go in the Plugins Data folder.

I am not a fan of assembling stuff in orbit so I build insane rigs like this. In the middle are two of the stock games 2 stages landers with a 3rd stage added, which is good enough for orbit from Kerbal and makes them reusable for most worlds. It also has 4 rovers docked to the sides and a mapping/Kethane detection satellite docked to the nose. There is also crew return module that can separate at the front of the ship with a hitchhiker can just in-case there is not enough Delta V for a return trip. This next one is a bit more sane and is mostly for placing mapping satellites in place ahead of full on missions. one is docked on the nose also in this pic. It does have 3 mod parts on it, a 2.5 meter to twin 1.25 meter adapter the Nukes are on, the white 2 x 2 panels hiding that, and aviation lights. So while it i not stock it could be built stock. It has the capability of landing on lower grav worlds. DV is 4500 or so with the spikes or 6700 or so with the Nukes.

This crane was made using the docking port disk from Infernal Robotics. I had no issues installing this for .21. I am not sure exactly how much force these disk can provide but the rover hanging off the boom is 5 tons.

Why send just 1 orange tank when you can send 8! It might just be the way I design things, but I find once I get past a very simple rocket having winglets at the top and bottom works best.

My "Lost on EVA" rescue vehicle. And yes it works as I have had to use it. Turns out my EVA problem was caused by my Joystick but this thing is handy for those rescue missions anyway.

If you have enough Delta-V to get to orbit your problem is licked. Add a docking port and refuel in orbit before heading for the moon. Unlike others here I am a big fan of SRBs, mainly just to get big heavy designs moving off the pad, although I have found other uses for them here and there as well. Try this under the payload. 2 64s on top of each other, 6 more pairs of 2 vertically stacked around this, with Mainsails on the bottom (naturally include some other tank to control overheat between the Mainsails and the Orange tanks. Around this radially attach 6 more of the double orange pairs with Mainsails with fuel lines running from each of these tanks in to the 6 radial inner pairs (onion staging) put the center mainsail to fire when this stage ejects so it will burn the same as the 6 pairs around it. Now to that outer ring of 6 add two more of the pairs radially, each fuel lined into the tank it is attached to, so that in this onion layer there are 12 of the double orange with Mainsail components. If this is not enough, to each of these 12 double orange set ups add 2 of 2 vertically stacked FL-T800s with LV-T30s under each, each of these gets fuel lined into the orange tank they are attached to. Now between each of these FL-T800 stacks radially attach a SRB. That should be more than enough to get what you want into orbit for refueling. I use this set up with a bit more stuff to put a 340 ton Fuel ship into orbit, but since I don't think you are hauling that much stuff to the Mun I left out the other little bits. I hope this pic from the VAB helps with what I described, it may not be the most efficient design, but it works, also in this pic everything above the stack couplers is payload.

I use it mainly for its information windows and node editing abilities. About the only thing I use any of the autopilot functions for is docking stuff to my interplanetary ships. These things are lag city with all the bells and whistles docked to them. As a matter of fact MJ is doing a docking right now for a fueling on one such said ship that is hauling a base to Duna. I checked the time and it is 10 real seconds to a game second. I have no intention of dealing with lag for an hour or two just to impress someone on the net I don't even know so infinite RCS on and MJ autodock. Like someone said earlier I play my games for my enjoyment.

I didn't do anything special to mine. I just launched the game went to settings and the input. Everything works fine except for characters, I think there is a workaround by mapping the hat stick to keys and those keys to the character movements, but that is something I have not done. It really makes driving rovers better since I can turn by twisting the stick and use the controlling pods torque in the roll axis to prevent tip overs.