Rescue Splashed Kerbals Challenge

[AlphaAsh]

Inspired by the testing of a contract I've been developing and failing to test to completion, I thought perhaps a challenge might be in order.

The setup: Splash a craft somewhere in the ocean. EVA two or more kerbals so they are floating.

Clarification: Ocean means that's water, at least 50 km from any land. Kerbals can swim to a craft that's within let's say 500m of them.

The challenge: Construct a craft and then use only that craft to retrieve the kerbals out of the water and then deliver them to a nearby base. KSC or any base in KerbinSide if you happen to use that.

Restrictions: Rescued kerbals must travel back to a base IVA inside an IVA capable pod or cabin. You can scoop with cargo bays but that kerbal needs to be transfered inside an IVA capable pod on the craft for transport.

Bonus points: The lower the technology the more points you'll get. The more kerbals you rescue in one flight, the more points you get. The greater the range achieved to the kerbals and to a base the more points you get. I'll post up a scoring sheet shortly.

Good luck with this one. No, I haven't managed it yet myself.

Scoring:

Maximum Tech Tier Used is 1: 100

Maximum Tech Tier Used is 2: 95

Maximum Tech Tier Used is 3: 90

Maximum Tech Tier Used is 4: 70

Maximum Tech Tier Used is 5: 60

Maximum Tech Tier Used is 6: 50

Maximum Tech Tier Used is 7: 40

Maximum Tech Tier Used is 8: 20

Maximum Tech Tier Used is 9: 5

Kerbals pulled from the drink and taken safely to a base by first flight: 10 points each

Kerbals pulled from the drink and taken safely to a base by any subsequent flight: 5 points each

Note if you try for more than one flight this must be the same craft and must not be refueled at all. Otherwise it's disqualified.

Distance from launch base of rescue craft to kerbals: 1 point per FULL 10 km

Distance from kerbals to rescue base: 1 point per FULL 25 km

Scores for ranges flown only apply to the first flight in either direction. Range is point to point, so no clever stuff trying to score for orbits

PARTICIPATING AND/OR FAILING IS STILL FUN.

POST YOUR FAILS FOR OTHERS TO LEARN FROM.

Edited June 26, 2015 by AlphaAsh

[Squiggsy]

this sounds like a fun challenge, since I am undertaking the Elcano challenge over the next few days and am taking 18 kerbals with me I'll drop two of them off while I'm travelling over water at some point and see if I can rescue them using only up to tech level 3 or 4 (4 sounds more feasable since then i'd have the jet)

[AlphaAsh]

this sounds like a fun challenge, since I am undertaking the Elcano challenge over the next few days and am taking 18 kerbals with me I'll drop two of them off while I'm travelling over water at some point and see if I can rescue them using only up to tech level 3 or 4 (4 sounds more feasable since then i'd have the jet)

I'd be careful restricting yourself initially. My latest speedboat/boatplane/duck contraption, I didn't restrict myself tech wise. I decided I needed to just build something regardless of tech that actually passed all the requirements tests. It failed a couple still (it bounced too hard on landing on the water at under 10 m/s) so I'm having to rethink again.

[Squiggsy]

I'd be careful restricting yourself initially. My latest speedboat/boatplane/duck contraption, I didn't restrict myself tech wise. I decided I needed to just build something regardless of tech that actually passed all the requirements tests. It failed a couple still (it bounced too hard on landing on the water at under 10 m/s) so I'm having to rethink again.

haha yep you were right about that, i thought "ah i've built plenty of planes that dont even have control surfaces, jets or landing gear and they take off and land just fine!". but really you need a VTOL or a well made waterplane and I didn't account for that, giving up on doing it tier 4 i'll just go for any tech level since the guys are about 190km away and there's two of them should still score ok, will do it in a MKII i'm thinking, i'll just update this post with my run if/when i succeed/fail so i'm not spamming your thread

Edit: WOW the glitchiness is never ending today, I'll upload some screenshots in a bit but I just got all the way out there, and as I was landing the kerbals and their spashed down craft just disappeared, this was happening to me earlier I really don't know what is going on it's seriously frustrating.... I'll have to reload but that'll mess up my f3 window so proving my distance will be hard unless i take the distance returning and use that as distance out htere was well since i am leaving and returning to the KSC

Edit again: nope i found them, they glitched 900m below the surface of the water....

thankfully moving upwards, unfortunately only at 75cm/s so Ihave some waiting to do, not going to use physical time warp because who knows what mayhem that will cause

Edited May 25, 2015 by Squiggsy

[AlphaAsh]

Don't use time warp if at all possible. I'm about to post details of my most recent attempt and time warping a splashed craft can cause... problems.

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[AlphaAsh]

[AlphaAsh]

[nightingale]

Cool idea, and I love the mission summary (far better than the mini-[imgur]).

[waterlubber]

This is a good idea. I'm going to be doing it stock soon, but I'm curious: can I do this with a couple exceptions for an "honorable mention?" I'm thinking of a VTOL with KAS winches that pulls kerbals aboard.

[AlphaAsh]

I'd say go for it. List any part mods used and I can incorporate that in to the scoring system.

[LavaCake]

Challenge... considered! I will try to do it and show my attempts as I go along! Lava Automobiles and Aeronautics is going to the sea!

[rofltehcat]

This sounds like fun. But can we maybe change it up a bit? You could create a save game in which you position Kerbals in one or more positions on Kerbin, then upload the save game and we can download it so we all have the same starting conditions (and don't need to plant Kerbals everywhere... after all if we can go somewhere once we'll also be able to go there a second time)? The Kerbals could even be in special locations like lakes or the large impact crater.

[smjjames]

What mods are not allowed? Obviously I can't use the boat hulls from the maritime pack, but I could use the buoyancy system that's in it.

[AlphaAsh]

Holy resurging interest batman.

Regarding mods, I'll judge it as it goes. The more advantageous the mods used, the bigger penalty there'll be to scoring. And I'll keep the OP up-to-date as we go. If the scoring system changes, then so will the scores.

[smjjames]

Question, how do you determine which tiers are what on the tech tree? Like tier 1 is the first 3 (the ones up to 20) or is it up to 45?

Also, do you accept non-stock tech trees? I use CTT myself.

[AlphaAsh]

Question, how do you determine which tiers are what on the tech tree? Like tier 1 is the first 3 (the ones up to 20) or is it up to 45?

Also, do you accept non-stock tech trees? I use CTT myself.

Definitely stock tech tree only. Regarding modded part placement on that, as per the mod author's assignments in release. Tiers: Start at the top of the tree screen and run down vertically. That's a tier. Tier 1 is Start.

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This sounds like fun. But can we maybe change it up a bit? You could create a save game in which you position Kerbals in one or more positions on Kerbin, then upload the save game and we can download it so we all have the same starting conditions (and don't need to plant Kerbals everywhere... after all if we can go somewhere once we'll also be able to go there a second time)? The Kerbals could even be in special locations like lakes or the large impact crater.

Rather not sorry. Half the challenge is dumping kerbals in the water. Might be a good idea to design your rescue craft first and see what its range is like, before splashing the kerbals to rescue.

[smjjames]

I thought start was tier 0?

I have too many mods that more or less rely on CTT, so I think I'm out.