KSP Caveman Challenge!

[Kyrt Malthorn]

Well! As the second game I've ever started, this was quite a journey. The limitations forced me to make do with less, truly fly by the seat of my pants, and take low tech further than I ever thought possible! After all, last play-through it seemed I really wasn't getting basically anywhere until the mid tier techs, but coming back with what I know now I realize how much I've learned... and have yet to learn. I see someone did a Duna fly-by and I am floored. How the heck do you even pull that off without so much as a closest approach indicator / SOI prediction?

As it is my little adventure may have been fairly ordinary but it worked and I am myself quite pleased with the results.

Perhaps I went into a bit too much detail, but here's the account.

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[Reactordrone]

Nice challenge. Mun encounters are fairly easy even if I did need a little finessing once I hit the SOI, Minmus was more of a challenge but I think I've developed a reasonable feel for the angles and only missed the encounter once, having to go around a few times to make contact. The thing I really noticed though was ho much I take the manoeuvre nodes for granted when returning a probe to Kerbin. Trying to eyeball the ejection angle and burn the right amount of delta V was fun.

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/swampmonster/slideshow/Kerbal%20space%20program/Caveman%20challenge

[xendelaar]

I just finished the cave man challenge. I didn't take pictures so I don't have much proof. I just wanted to say that it was very interesting to design and fly my vessels with the set restrictions. I really missed KERs inclination data! It did make it much more satisfying when I first got an encounter with Minmus. I tried to get an encounter with Duna but that didn't work out. Props for all you guys who got to Duna and beyond.

Thanks for the great Challenge Slashy!

Like I said before, I didn't take any pictures of my Kerbin-, Mun- and Minmus- missions... but I do have some "proof"... I hope it's enough so I can collect my badge

Cave Man Challenge by

Cave man Challenge by

Edited September 14, 2015 by xendelaar
Adding some pics

[Bev7787]

I am going to Dres, then a Moho flyby, then the Laythe mission

[Haruspex]

I was bored and made this:

You may use this image as you see fit.

[netbumbler]

Thanks so much for making this challenge GoSlash27! It has brought me back into the game. I planned and successfully executed a return trip to Eve a few months ago and kinda lost interest in KSP for a while. But I just spent 3 days trying to simply make orbit for this challenge and it felt almost as good as my Eve mission (almost...). Also, I love the 30 part limit because it means I don't have to wait 25 minutes just to break atmo with the low frame rate of my huge ships!

Edited September 25, 2015 by netbumbler

[ThaZeus]

This looks like a fun challenge

.

[netbumbler]

Finally finished it! Hope this counts as proof...

Some highlights of my Caveman experience:

[Bev7787]

You've got some luck on that Duna flyby. I missed by 19 million kms

[netbumbler]

Yeah I got 1300km @ Duna and a high encounter with Ike where I was able to catch another Temp science and Pressure science log. That was pure luck right there. Yes playing without maneuver nodes was the biggest challenge. Taught me a lot about the game, though...and the 18 ton, 30 part limit forced me to be really efficient. I had only ever played Science Sandbox before, so looking back on all my 'epic' ships I am a little ashamed at the waste and expense for the Kerbal taxpayer!

OH and thanks for the rep astrobond!

Edited October 5, 2015 by netbumbler

[Bev7787]

What luck. Took me 3 quicksaves

[Jeice]

Hi all, not sure if this counts as a necro or just a late revival- I'd been planning to try this challenge for some time and figured it was better than holding my breath for 1.0.5.

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Highlights included unmanned Mun/Minmus landers and returning Mun/Minmus flyby probes. I never did manage to get a Kerbal further than LKO, although I'm sure it can be done with canny design and piloting.

I use some visual/audio mods but all stock parts, physics and info.

[AlextheBodacious]

This looks good, I'll save this comment for later.

Minor edit: The guy above me shows his guy getting out, don't you need a facility upgrade for that?

Edited November 9, 2015 by AlextheBodacious

[DancesWithSquirrels]

...The guy above me shows his guy getting out, don't you need a facility upgrade for that?

You can always EVA on the surface of Kerbin, in fact grabbing EVA's around the space center is a prime source of early science. The lack of a helmet indicates a mod, as that's not available in stock, but that doesn't interfere with the caveman challenge.

[DancesWithSquirrels]

False, unless I misunderstand the question. You can't EVA until you upgrade the R&D building.

Actually, you can. Launch a crewed Mk1 pod (nothing else) as the first career ship, and you can EVA to look around the launch pad. You can always EVA on the surface of Kerbin.

[Superfluous J]

DWS is absolutely correct.

Source: Start a new game yourself. Put a Mk1 command pod on the launch pad and click the "EVA" button on Jeb's portrait.

[Wild Cobra]

I'm going to try this. I think I can figure out how to expand my science without upgrades. Makes it hard though.

So... Today is my starting time.

- - - Updated - - -

Ut-oh...

With the new 1.05.1024 uploaded, and a dozen or so more parts, does this change things?

[Carionis]

Started today as well. Had to start from scratch anyways because of the update. I'm very curious how it will go. Tech level 3 is already ulocked, now comes the hard part. Farming those ~900 science for tech level 4.

[Carionis]

Decided to go non-caveman for now. The new contracts added by 1.0.5 make stuff interesting, but by simple farming you could achieve caveman.

Trying to do the challenge has been very educational though. I managed to get a satellite into munar orbit without any flightplanning etc, which was great. However, Since I only started with KSP about 2 Months ago, I feel like I have to earn more experience before attempting to do the challenge properly.

[Wild Cobra]

I have a silly question.

Why is the a Caveman challenge, and not a Kaveman challenge?

[GoSlash27]

All,

Just for kicks, I decided to start out 1.05 Caveman style. It's a bit tougher due to the atmospheric adjustments, and I'm concerned about attempting to return science to the surface for fear the tasty science will go all 'splodey.

Nevertheless, I have 225 science points left to unlock everything. If transmitting from the surface gets grindy, I'll risk a return.

Best,

-Slashy

[RocketPropelledGiraffe]

Well, I stopped my attempt in frustration yesterday... Almost like a rage-quit.

To get the "final" 900 science points you basically have the decision between monotonously collecting everything in 15 different Mun landings (meh...) or to try something more interesting (yay!!) - so I went for the Jool system.

After launching 5 different probes to finally get an encounter (Caveman not need launch window, caveman just send MOAR PROBES!) I realized that the small solar panels do not yield enough energy to power the Okto probe core at 70 Gm distance from the sun... No chance to collect and transmit the science... soooo frustrating.

Maybe I will start another attempt when the frustration is gone. Let's see...

Good luck to all you caveman, and be sure to stay in the inner solar system!

[GoSlash27]

Oh, yeah! A probe transmitting from the surface of Minmus will yield 116 science. I only have one more launch to go.

*edit* well... maybe two. I'm going back to the Mun to replace my surface probe. It's battery capacity is woefully inadequate.

Best,

-Slashy

Edited November 14, 2015 by GoSlash27

[GoSlash27]

Caveman challenge for 1.05 complete in 90 days. It's still doable.

In fact... it seemed *easier* this time. Maybe because I've been through it once before....

Anywho, I took the "world first" low hanging fruit, science from the pad and runway, and then went to orbit. That unlocks a bunch of stuff.

Then I recovered science from orbit and did the KSC tour. Somewhere along the way Val got me a crew report on a Mun flyby.

After that, it was just recovering science from space (high Kerbin/ low+high Mun, low+high Minmus)

followed by transmissions from surface probes (2 on Minmus and 3 on Mun).

I never needed to farm science on Kerbin, take any contracts, or dock so it wasn't a grind at all.

Best,

-Slashy

- - - Updated - - -

All,

I won't be maintaining a cave wall or administering this challenge, but I'll leave the sig badge up on the honor system.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g13/GoSlash27/KSP/Caveman%20challenge/Captain_CavemanII_zpsnnfdjuwr.jpg

Good luck and have fun!

-Slashy

Edited November 15, 2015 by GoSlash27

[LiquidAir]

I missed the cutoff...
Here it is anyhow...

I started in 1.0.4 and stayed with it after 1.0.5 came out; I don't think the new version would have changed things much. Here's what I did:
1. Jeb launches on a booster with some mystery goos.
2. Jeb goes to orbit with goos.
3. Bob drives a cart around KSC with goos and a processing lab.
4. Bob drives a cart around KSC again, this time with thermometer and barometer.
5. Bob flies a small plane to the desert with the full complement of science and lots of thermometers for low atmosphere science.
6. Bob goes to orbit with goos, thermometers and barometers.
7. Bob flies by Mun with goos, thermometers and barometers.
8. Bob flies by Minmus with goos, thermometers and barometers.
9. A small biome hopper probe lands on Mun and hops twice.
10. A small biome hopper probe lands on Minmus and hops twice.

Ended on Day 44.

The only grindy bit was driving the cart around KSC twice.

Edited December 6, 2015 by LiquidAir
Fix gallery link