The Elcano Challenge : Ground-based circumnavigation

[Starwhip]

A few minutes in the pilot's seat of the Dawn Racer ought to shake things up a bit for you guys.

[11of10]

Now that is one fast vehicle. Did you try to add downward pointing wings on it, to stick it to the ground? Did anyone try it for atmospheric worlds circumnavigation, to prevent the vehicle from tipping over while turning?

[Captain Sierra]

Question. Assuming I am circumnavigating a body other than Kerbin, can I hyperedit my replacements there (following sending the original)? I still intend to land it from orbit. The target body in question makes that just as much of a challenge.

[11of10]

Question was already asked in the thread, and Fengist answered that (for him, at least) transferring the replacement vehicle there was a part of the challenge anyway.

[RocketPilot573]

So... Any news on that Mun badge?

[JackDugan]

I almost forgot! I started my journey on Eve here.

[Fengist]

So... Any news on that Mun badge?

Up and loaded! Sorry for the delay, I've been somewhat distracted. I've also changed the Laythe badge and per Gesh's request, added a new Kerbin alternate badge. You have a propeller... or at least the closest I could fascimilate with my limited skills.

Well, 3 new circumnavigators. Welcome guys! I looked over your adventures and... amazing stuff.

Rocket and Hotaru, our first Munar circumnavigators. Two stock rovers taking on the big craters is always entertaining to read. Well done gents.

And to damerell, who discovered that even though Minums is a small body, it's no less treacherous. BTW, I love KF tracks.

And yes Sierra, I'd prefer you at least make a landing from orbit. I understand it's time consuming to go through another entire launch but... what better have you to do?

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If it does, I will try some other things w/ it and notify you when/if I would like to join.

https://i.imgur.com/0bVv15Z.png

Well, if it's not a rover, I'm not quite sure what it actually is.

[BlueCanary]

I'm starting a vaguely mad max-inspired entry with a big truck, I'll update this post when I start a forum thread for it.

EDIT: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/125118-Mad-Max-War-Rig-Style-Elcano-Attempt Here's the thread. Only about 10km progress so far, but I'm getting used to the explosions so progress is speeding up.

Edited June 11, 2015 by BlueCanary

[damerell]

I love KF tracks, but I'm module managering them to be breakable. I'm working on the Mk II rover now, still on KF tracks but with an amphibious capability, built around Near Future octo-struts.

[Geschosskopf]

Up and loaded! Sorry for the delay, I've been somewhat distracted. I've also changed the Laythe badge and per Gesh's request, added a new Kerbin alternate badge. You have a propeller... or at least the closest I could fascimilate with my limited skills.

Yay, BOATS!!!! And a boat badge!! Thanks

[Claw]

Fengist,

I'm considering doing this challenge (I've not done one in a long time) but wanted to ask...(and maybe this has already been answered in the last 35 pages)

Are my bug fixes acceptable "stock" qualified, or would they still put any entries into the "modded" category. I ask because stock brakes are broke, so this puts a damper (or lack of damper) on rover challenges.

Thanks,

~Claw

Here is an old rover challenge entry of mine, which will need some updating to go amphibious. 4x warp capable and 4 crew. So I'll probably do something similar.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Claw

[11of10]

Claw, what are you doing with an agricultural vehicle here?

Also, the ground challenge is modded. Air circumnavigation challenge is stock only. Check first post. He used mods himself.

[Claw]

I know it can be modded...but with the exception of my bug fixes and MJ for stats, I play all stock. I'm more than happy to dump MJ for this challenge, but wanted to know if the bug fix modules disqualify it as a stock entry. Specifically, the wheel brakes...

Also, I will have to show some of my ignorance here:

Claw, what are you doing with an agricultural vehicle here?

I don't catch your joke.

Cheers,

~Claw

[11of10]

Sorry, it just reminded me of this before I took a better look at it.

Good luck with your circumnavigation! I'm still tinkering with 10m wide cargo bay for mine xD

[damerell]

I'm off to the Mun with my Mk II rover, a singularly ugly (but, I hope, less fragile) contraption.

[Jason Patterson]

I'll confess to not having looked through 37 pages of the thread, but does anyone know if it's still possible to build 300+ m/s boats? I haven't tried since 0.25 or so, and my attempts in 1.0.2 are not going smoothly. I can get nice, smooth floating with no wake, but my speeds are topping out at 10-15 m/s.

Here's an example of the type of craft I'm talking about.

[Fengist]

Fengist,

I'm considering doing this challenge (I've not done one in a long time) but wanted to ask...(and maybe this has already been answered in the last 35 pages)

Are my bug fixes acceptable "stock" qualified, or would they still put any entries into the "modded" category. I ask because stock brakes are broke, so this puts a damper (or lack of damper) on rover challenges.

Thanks,

~Claw

Here is an old rover challenge entry of mine, which will need some updating to go amphibious. 4x warp capable and 4 crew. So I'll probably do something similar.

http://i.imgur.com/PmdNK2l.jpg

Edited June 14, 2015 by Fengist

[BlueCanary]

Is it alright if I use hyperedit instead of quicksaving? Because the Klaw bugs and wheel bugs eat my craft every 10 minutes or so and having to stop 90 tonnes with broken breaks every 30 seconds to quicksave is really time consuming. But if I just, when the inevitable bug induced exploding happens, hyperedit out a new craft to where the old one is and transfer the crew that would be so much easier. I would still use replacement vehicles whenever theres a problem that's actually my fault and not a bud, and would make sure the replacement is exactly the same as the original down to resource level and broken parts.

Alternatively, is there some way to quicksave while moving?

[B-STRK]

Hi! I would like to throw my hat into the Mun circumnavigation ring that RocketPilot573 and Hotaru have just completed, like a... ring. Sorry about attempting a pun, moving on:

As part of [thread=121201]GregroxMun's Apollo 1.0 challenge[/thread], entrants may bring a MOLAB, a giant pressurized rover, and her crew to the Mun. I decided to use that mission as an opportunity to try out a Mun circumnavigation, including mission support to the rest of the challenge attempt, namely to scout out potential base sites in ore hot spots (as well as a couple of anomalies) along the circumnavigation's westward route.

This post leads to the Apollo ("SunShooter") challenge mission post where the ESME circumnavigation rover and her three-kerbal crew are brought to the Mun, effectively the inaugural post for this Elcano challenge attempt. The first run to the first survey site is also done (no spills so far...), though I need to make a post and update for that. I do plan and hope to complete it--it's the first time I get to take a rover out on an extended spin (not since disastrous attempts in 0.25 that saw an unmanned rover throw itself into a munar ravine like a stampede of cows, an XL-3 based rover tumble up a hill, and the crew-landing vehicle of the 0.25 ancestor of the rover you see up there take the "suicide" in "suicide burn" a little too literally... I blame the Kraken for that one.).

[Claw]

Reason being, it is an addon to the stock game and a line pretty much has to be drawn somewhere to distinguish between mods and stock.

Yep, I understand. The rover wheels work just fine, so long as you never right click on them. As soon as you right click, the brakes get messed up because of a bug in the tweakables. So theoretically has a workaround, so long as I never have to right-click on a wheel (to adjust steering or fix a flat).

I'm not trying to convince you otherwise, but might be handy to know about for those participating in a challenge involving rovers. Thanks for the clarification.

So now I'm trying to figure out if I want to try to build an amphibious rover, or a land-capable boat.

As for max speeds of a boat... I'm new to boat building myself. I've managed to get about 120m/s before my pylons disintegrate. I've not had luck with wing panels (like in the video). They seem pretty fragile to me, only getting to about 30m/s.

Cheers,

~Claw

[damerell]

Excellent. I can tell you this from my experience driving around Minmus a bunch. Your biggest challenge will be staying on the ground... Start a thread in Mission Reports so we can all watch your demise.

I think after my Minmus trip, I'd recommend the opposite - don't worry about staying on the ground, provided you don't drive off any giant cliffs. Worry about landing the right way up, put speed on when you're touching the ground, and relax your forward-pressing finger when you're not.

Oh, and I actually drove somewhere in my Munar attempt.

[B-STRK]

Leg 1 of the Elcano-SunShooter Munar Magellanic Expedition (ESME) to the first waypoint is down.

Also, driving rovers (and recovering from an aerially-directed tumble) is a lot more pleasant with an Xbox 360/PS3-styled DualShock controller, and enough SAS to squeeze a lemon dry.

The legs to waypoints 2 and 3 are done, just need to write up the reports. Man, if people think extended driving is a chore, writing is right up there with it!

[Fengist]

Alternatively, is there some way to quicksave while moving?

Hyperedit has it's uses but to me, in a challenge, it has the potential to make things way too easy. If I allow it for one, I'd have to allow it for everyone. I really have no suggestions for you other than perhaps a design that doesn't break as often.

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I'm not trying to convince you otherwise, but might be handy to know about for those participating in a challenge involving rovers. Thanks for the clarification.

So now I'm trying to figure out if I want to try to build an amphibious rover, or a land-capable boat.

As I said, you're free to use it and choose your category.

As for boats, I was thrilled when mine started hitting 70m/s+. After crawling around Eve at 13 m/s on land it felt like flying.

[BlueCanary]

Hyperedit has it's uses but to me, in a challenge, it has the potential to make things way too easy. If I allow it for one, I'd have to allow it for everyone. I really have no suggestions for you other than perhaps a design that doesn't break as often.

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Yeah, seeing as I've only got 17km so far I might do a complete redo with a new design, maybe a really big boat. I'm staying away from klaws until they either stop being so buggy or I find a way to quicksave without having to stop and start 90 tonnes of rover. I see your problem with hyperedit, it would be way too easy to cheat.

[damerell]

The legs to waypoints 2 and 3 are done, just need to write up the reports. Man, if people think extended driving is a chore, writing is right up there with it!

Well, you write a lot more than some of us. I drove another ten degrees East and knocked off an adapter I wasn't using. Bish-bosh, job done. :-)