FAR Fighter Challenge BD Armoury AI: 2!!

[SpaceplaneAddict]

This is a continuation. Here's the old thread: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/132274-FAR-Fighter-Challenge-BD-Armory-AI

There's some awesome ideas, so go check it out.

FAR Fighter Challenge: BD Armory AI

Okay: time to add to the collection of AI fighter challenges. This one is focused on small fighter planes built for FAR, armed with direct-fire guns and missiles, in best-of-three one-on-one dogfights.

Entering is easy; just

post a link to your .craft file

, I'll run three dogfights with both planes under AI control (starting with both aircraft on the ground, one on the runway, one facing due west on the grass adjacent). Afterwards, I'll post the results as well as video highlights of the combat. The loser can choose to concede after one fight if the outcome is obvious. Whoever wins becomes the new defending champion, and holds the spot until defeated by a new challenger.

Your ship will need an AI pilot module from BD Armory, as well as a weapons manager.

Autopilot altitude settings will be left at default+500m (i.e. min altitude 1,410m, default altitude 2,000m) to keep the planes together and give enough room to fight. Other autopilot settings can be altered.

Keep in mind that dogfighting is a turning game, and excess speed makes turning slower. Also remember that Mach 3 at low altitude is generally suicidal from a heating point of view.

(edit to add: in order to keep the planes close together and to approximate the ability of a real pilot to increase their maximum speed as the circumstances dictate, fights will be run with maximum speeds matched as well as altitude. 399m/s will be the default maximum speed; this can be changed by mutual consent of the pilots if necessary)

Parts are limited to stock plus those found in the BD Armory mod [1]. The important [2] mods installed on the host machine will be as follows:

BD Armory (

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...Thread-May-30)

Dynamic Deflection (

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...aried-function

)

FAR (

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...dstein-7-29-15

)

If you don't have all three of these mods installed on your game while you're building and testing your fighter, it won't fly as you expect during the fight.

Part clipping for aesthetic or aerodynamic purposes is fine; stacking three engines onto a single node is not. Engines are limited to turbojets/turboramjets; no reaction wheels or RCS (including Vernors) are allowed. Cockpit torque must be disabled.

All aircraft must be Kerballed; no drones. Normal HOTOL jets, not floating AA gun platforms etc. Weapons are limited to a maximum of six missiles per aircraft and as many direct-fire guns as you like (turrets must be locked if used). Defensive "weapons" such as chaff are allowed, but only one each of chaff/flare dispensers

. Make sure that you test-fly your aircraft with the BD Armory autopilot before submitting it to ensure that it actually flies.

Rules are subject to modification in the interests of maximising fun if an un-fun dominating exploit shows up. Wheaton's law applies, but shouldn't be necessary. Leaderboards will be maintained in as many categories as seems appropriate.

[1] If you really want to fly with non-stock parts, that's fine, but you'll need to run the combat on your own machine. I'm keeping the part packs down to the minimum in order to minimise load on my CPU while recording video.

[2] There'll also be a few cosmetic things to improve the video (Kerbpaint etc) but those aren't necessary to build your ship.

[3] Radomes from BDArmoury are a

FULL STANDARD.

Your entry will not be run if it doesn't have one somewhere.

Current Champion: Van Disaster, Swallow F2, defeated GG HRF-12 Craft file:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xwj6ufhwwjm7vty/Swallow%20F2.craft?dl=0

Previous Champion: Gridghost, GG HRF-12, defeated D-10d, FS Kerolev 17 Craft file:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wp3lbed4t7cn0pv/GG%20HRF-12.craft?dl=0

Previous Champion: Dwerto, D-10d, defeated Hawk Moth f2b Craft file:

Previous Champion: Van Disaster, Hawk Moth. Defeated D-9, F-154.Craft file:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qkgp7utt8xn2t61/Hawk%20moth%20F2b.craft?dl=0

Previous Champion: TrainEngie, TE-11FS Shingo. Defeated D-6, CrisK Mini Flanker V2. Craft file at

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7xii68bw6s...uts.craft?dl=0

Previous Champion: Dwerto, D-6. Defeated F-119C/A, K-3, Nabf-3. Craft file at

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ojh75jh9m8...d-6.craft?dl=0

Previous Champion: Hodo, F-119C/A. Defeated MiK-6, ASK 1F-F. Craft file

at

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zrn8c74mwc...9CA.craft?dl=0

Previous Champion: Wanderfound, MiK-6. Defeated F-3C, F-152A, K-18, ASK 1F-F. Craft file at

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5mxvjnihkm...-6A.craft?dl=0

Previous Champion: Phearlock, F-3C Pidgey. Defeated MiK-3. Craft file at

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wb2f5mibw9...gey.craft?dl=0

Previous Champion: Dwerto, D-9. Defeated K-3B1 Arctic Skua. Craft file at

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f4uw6d6tv7...d-9.craft?dl=0

Previous Champion: Doke, K-3B1 Arctic Skua. Defeated TE-11FS Shingo, K-35. Craft file at

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...=1#post2214583

Fight recorders:

SpaceplaneAddict @

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtEJPlDnQBFUuCO6FlIFIww

Van Disaster @

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbimm1M0Y7ZzBEwxGEwvZ7A

Edited October 30, 2015 by SpaceplaneAddict

[gridghost]

List of previous fights:

Demofight:

Demo 2:

MiK3 vs LAF--1A:

MiK3 vs MiK4:

MiK4 vs MiK5:

MiK4 vs K-16C:

MiK4 vs F3-C:

MiK4 vs F3-C: (reduced mods):

F3-C vs MiK6:

round 1

round 2

round 3

MiK6 vs F-152A:

MiK6 vs K-18:

round 1

round 2

round 3

ASK 1F-F vs MiK6:

F 119C/A vs MiK6:

round 1

round 2

F 119C/A vs ASK 1F-F:

F 119C/A vs D-6:

round 1

round 2

D-6 vs K-3:

D-7 vs D-6:

D-6 vs Nabf-3:

TE11FS Shingo vs D-6:

round 1

round 2

round 3

TE11FS Shingo vs CrisK Mini Flanker V2:

round 1

round 2

round 3

TE11FS Shingo vs K-3B1 Arctic Skua:

round 1

round 2

MiK10 vs D-8:

K-3B1 Arctic Skua vs K-35:

round 1

round 2

round 3

Faukker DR-3 vs K-3B1 Arctic Skua:

CANUKWorks DF 101 Crysis vs K-3B1 Arctic Skua:

D-8 vs K-3B1 Arctic Skua:

D-9 vs K-3B1 Arctic Skua, 3 rounds:

Edited October 14, 2015 by gridghost

[Van Disaster]

Entries are temporarily closed while season 1.0.5 rules are thrashed out

Season 1.0.5 Challengers

• 
  

---

Season 1.0.4 Champion

Hummingbird F3

Post - Van Disaster - Season Champion - beat K-191 3/1, CANUKWorks J1G-38 'Midge' 3/0, K-201 10 3/1 - basic jet engine

Thanks to all season 1 contestants!

Season 1 Contestants - latest first

• K-201 10
  Post - E805BzRo - basic jet engine - lost to Hummingbird F3 1/3
  
• CANUKWorks J1G-38 'Midge'
  Post - DoctorDavinci - lost to Hummingbird F3 0/3
  
• Faukker Dr-4A
  Post - Magnavox - lost to K-191
  
• K-191
  Post - E805BzRo - Former Champion - Beat Swallow F2 2/1, DR-4A 2/0, lost to Hummingbird F3 1/3
  
• Swallow F2
  Post - Van Disaster - Former Champion - beat GG HRF-12, lost 1/2 to K-191
  
• GG HRF-12
  Post - gridghost - Former champion - beat D-10d, Kerolev FS-17 - lost to Swallow F2
  
• Kerolev FS-17
  Post - TrainEngie - Lost to GG HRF-12
  

CHECKLIST - some of these craft may not be legal out of the box:

• You have FAR and the Dynamic Deflection mod installed - none of these craft will perform properly without both. They won't load without BD Armory so that is assumed.
  
• Reaction wheels are all off
  
• Speed limit is legal: 399kmh
  
• Altitude settings legal: min 1410m, default 2000m
  
• Check the Dynamic Deflection settings for the craft's control surfaces if it is breaking up regularily or refusing to turn
  
• One chaff and one flare dispenser only
  

The craft are listed in chronological order, earliest first. Progressing through them seems both a fun challenge where you get to see all sorts of designs & a nice test of where your aircraft stands. If you'd like a shorter list, start at the Arctic Skua & work down.

• Kerbofighter MiK-3 GF C1
  Post - Wanderfound
  
• LAF-1A Salome
  Post - xrayfishx
  
• K-16 Phoenix
  Post - SpaceplaneAddict
  
• F-3C Pidgey
  Post - Phearlock
  
• P-996 Lazer
  Post - CommanderCoye
  
• Kerbofighter MiK-4
  Post - Wanderfound
  
• Kerbodyne MiK-6
  Post - Wanderfound
  
• F-152
  Post - Hodo
  
• F-152A
  Post - Hodo
  
• K-18 Conception
  Post - SpaceplaneAddict
  
• F-119C/A
  Post - Hodo
  
• Kerbodyne MiK-6A
  Post - Wanderfound
  
• ASK 1F-F
  Post - TrainEngie
  
• X- 18 Deception
  Post - SpaceplaneAddict
  
• D-6
  Post - Dwerto
  
• D-7
  Post - Dwerto
  
• Nabf-3
  Post - rudi1291
  
• TE-11F Shingo-Struts
  Post - TrainEngie - note: original unflyable, so I'm not linking it
  
• CrisK Mini Flanker V2
  Post - CrisK
  
• K-14
  Post - SpaceplaneAddict
  
• K-3B1 Arctic Skua
  Post - Doke
  
• D-8
  Post - Dwerto
  
• K-35
  Post - SpaceplaneAddict
  
• Super Dart Block 6
  Post - Magnavox
  
• Faukker DR-3 Mod 1
  Post - Magnavox - this isn't spelt in quite the same way in the actual craft
  
• Mosquito II F3
  Post - Van Disaster
  
• Mosquito III F1
  Post - Van Disaster - note unlinked improved version here - Mosquito III F2
  
• Stabber F1
  Post - Van Disaster - note unlinked improved version here - Stabber F2
  
• CANUKWorks DF-101 Crysis
  Post - DoctorDavinci
  
• EZ-Ryder
  Post - Van Disaster
  
• D-9
  Post - Dwerto
  
• Hawk Moth F2b
  Post - Van Disaster - Beat D-9 2/1 - fight here
  
• F-154
  Post - Hodo - Lost 0/3 to Hawk Moth F2b
  
• D-10d
  Post - Dwerto - previous version - Lost to GG HRF-12
  
• K-22
  Post - E805BzRo - withdrawn
  

Temporarily Withdrawn

• K-71 Slinger
  Post - RevanCorana
  
• Meme Fighter
  Post - SpacePlaneAddict
  

---

Checklist for Builders

Mandatory Items

• FAR, BD Armory, Dynamic Deflection mods installed
  
• Your craft has a radar, AI flight computer and a weapon manager
  
• AI flight computer set up to 2000m default alt, 1410m min alt, 399m/s top speed ( top speeds can be agreed between competitors for a specific fight )
  
• One chaff & one flare dispenser only
  
• The AI can turn the craft - this means checking the craft itself can actually turn and not setting the steering factor to minimum. Craft which just run or fly large circles will get disqualified when the fight coordinator gets bored of waiting.
  
• Do not put the Toggle Team action in the brake action group. It's clever & funny and well done for thinking about it, but we thought of it first, sorry
  

Recommended Items

• It's recommended you do a seperate install of KSP for this challenge with just the necessary mods. Editor mods should be fine, aesthetic mods should also be fine; any mods which modify actual parts should be avoided ( this includes StockBugFix and Ven's Stock revamp ) because your craft might not perform the same on a fight coordinator's install. Fight Coordinators really should be using seperate minimal installs for fairness.
  
• Weapons manager set to 360 deg view and max range - this will help starting engagements and your craft will be less likely to get jumped.
  
• Set up Dynamic Deflection for each control surface even if it's just to set it to 100% always.
  
• To help the fight coordinators, please set "Standby Mode" to On on the AI flight computer, and put "Activate Pilot" from the AI flight computer and "Toggle Guard Mode" from the Weapons Manager in the Stage action group.
  

Notes on fights

• Craft have to win three fights to win the complete round.
  
• Fights end when one or both craft are out of combat. If there is any doubt or the fight is judged a draw, then the fight will be rerun. The fight isn't over until craft literally can't fight anymore for whatever reason.
  
• Generally the last one in the air is the winner. However, if both craft are out of fuel or otherwise incapacitated and they're both below the minimum altitude, this will usually be a draw. If one manages to shoot the other in the final moments, then of course it won; how could you not reward winning in such style?
  
• If one craft is still flying but below minimum altitude and can't climb back up because of damage, and the other craft self-destructs, then that would also be a draw.
  
• If both craft collide and are damaged to the point neither can fly - even if one shot the other first and then collided with the wreck - that is also a draw.
  
• If your craft shoots itself, thanks for the amusement but it can't win that way
  

---

Fight coordinators

• Install Vessel Mover
  
• Once you've used it to position the off-runway craft, open the AI pilot controller for that craft & set it to standby mode. Now you can activate the pilot & stage it, it should sit still with the engine idling. Open the Weapons controller and enable Guard mode. You can do most of that in the SPH also, enable standby mode and put Enable Pilot & Toggle Guard Mode in the staging group. Turn on the radar - sadly you can't stick that in an action group.
  
• Load the runway craft and do the same.
  
• Now all you should have to do is toggle the group of one of them, and they'll both take off.
  
• If they don't, just disable standby mode for the one that isn't moving.
  
• Start a fight & then revert if it's the first time you've loaded anything - this helps shake out any bugs.
  
• Don't zoom the camera in too far on the plane which it's following, or you'll basically block off the fight. If you are going to zoom in make sure camera shake is off
  
• DON'T STOP RECORDING UNTIL ONE AI CONTROLLER IS DESTROYED. Usually that's via a crash, but sometimes there's complete destruction in the air. Rarely a plane will land successfully, in which case call it as you see it bearing in mind the fight notes.
  
• If a craft explodes and the game crashes when you exit the flight scene - not just when you're in the flight scene - rerun the round - I'm pretty sure there's some dubious aerodynamics occasionally when the game is getting unstable.
  

---

Thanks to Wanderfound for starting the contest - hope you're back with us more often soon.

Edited November 11, 2015 by Van Disaster

[gridghost]

I've flown my GG HRF-2 mk2 against D6, TE-11F, K-3B1 Arctic Skua and the K-35 with resonable success, but i guess some of the new crafts will obliterate it with ease .

[Van Disaster]

I've flown my GG HRF-2 mk2 against D6, TE-11F, K-3B1 Arctic Skua and the K-35 with resonable success, but i guess some of the new crafts will obliterate it with ease .

It seems to be good at seizing the initiative which can win a lot of fights, but yeah it can get in a bit of trouble against some of the latest. Makes them work hard for it though.

I'm suspicious that starting one craft on the grass is giving the one on the runway an advantage after watching when they reach minimum altitude - I will investigate making a new runway with twin spawns via Kerbal Konstructs, I think if we add *just* a runway the footprint will be pretty low ( and fortunately I already made a KK runway for KSC, so it's not starting from scratch ). Between that & fixing my Moth -killing D-10s now - and work I have a lot to do though, so no holding your breath...

Edited October 5, 2015 by Van Disaster

[Kagame]

So, wait, are we still making F-16like knife-fighters (viz. Arctic Skua) or have there been any BVR engagements?

Wait, is the BDArmory AI even capable of BVR (e.g., beyond 3.5km) fights?

Hmm.

[Van Disaster]

So, wait, are we still making F-16like knife-fighters (viz. Arctic Skua) or have there been any BVR engagements?

Wait, is the BDArmory AI even capable of BVR (e.g., beyond 3.5km) fights?

Hmm.

Not sure if it's limited to 5km or 22.5km - either way the missiles are terrible & I've had a craft shoot one & run straight into it a few times.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Van Disaster

[TrainEngie]

Surely you can handle Adjustable landing gear, right?

[SpaceplaneAddict]

I'm going to be following how Wanderfound did it, to keep it simple and same.

Stock only sorry.

[Doke]

So, wait, are we still making F-16like knife-fighters (viz. Arctic Skua) or have there been any BVR engagements?

Wait, is the BDArmory AI even capable of BVR (e.g., beyond 3.5km) fights?

Hmm.

Ha. By the standards of this contest, I'd say the Skua is a BVR fighter. Not sure about possible ranges; I've had planes fire at longish range (3-4km?) but the AI really, really doesn't like to use AMRAAMs, so it's hard to say.

UPDATE: I just tested this, and the AI is able and very willing to fire BVR. My test plane launched 3 AIM-120s after picking up a target around 12km away.

EDIT: I should add that one of the missiles got a kill against the evading, highly agile prop plane I used as a target.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Doke

[Van Disaster]

The problem is keeping 12km away I've noticed the AI pilot doesn't see missiles at all occasionally, though. Not sure if the AI will fire ALARMS ( HARMS? ) at aircraft, might be fun to try though.

SpaceplaneAddict: are you going to start fights again soon? I can't remember which of the pre D-9 craft was an actual entry which didn't get taken out by the Skua, other than my own which definitely aren't. I'll update notes once you decide.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Van Disaster

[SpaceplaneAddict]

The problem is keeping 12km away I've noticed the AI pilot doesn't see missiles at all occasionally, though.

SpaceplaneAddict: are you going to start fights again soon? I can't remember which of the pre D-9 craft was an actual entry which didn't get taken out by the Skua, other than my own which definitely aren't. I'll update notes once you decide.

Of course! Not yet though, I'm kind of time-strapped at the moment. Hopefully 1 by the end of today

[Kagame]

Update: Made something that's essentially an F-86 with an extra engine and a better tail arrangement. So far, it wipes the floor with the K-22 and comes out on top more than not when it goes up against the Skua. "Hyperagile" doesn't even begin to describe this thing! If it wins against the D-10, I'll go ahead and post the craft file with a full Imgur album of its kills.

Update: OK, everything blows up with KJR installed.

Odd.

DOUBLE EDIT WITH LETTUCE:

D-10 kicks the KF-2's ass, due to their totally different stall speeds- it flies literal loops around it.

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD!

Also: Man, but I had the damping down low here...

Edited October 6, 2015 by Kagame

[Van Disaster]

KJR should *not* be installed. I'd probably test it against a selection of post-Skua stuff too - the D-9 is the current champ, not the D-10.

[TrainEngie]

OK, everything blows up with KJR installed.

Same when I used KJR. sooo... don't use KJR.

[Van Disaster]

KJR is fine - I've used it in every main install since it appeared - but it would come under performance enhancers for here, same as StockBugFix stuff.

My latest Hawk Moth dev version seems to be 9/10 vs D-10, I just wish I could make it less bouncy...

[TrainEngie]

TE-17FS Itsuki... Maybe I should have called it "Kerolev FS-17" for its resemblance to the MiG-21 and Hodo's F/119...

Mods seen in this picture (besides obvious Kerbal Engineer, FAR, and BD Armoury)

Dynamic Deflection (required)

Flight Manager for Reusable Stages (no idea why)

NavHUD

[SpaceplaneAddict]

Nice one engie, can you keep that until I can get through the current queue? I'm really getting clogged up.

Van Disaster: Could you also do some of the fights? I mean, if coordination is a problem, we can just PM each other. I just have little time, lots to do

[Van Disaster]

Nice one engie, can you keep that until I can get through the current queue? I'm really getting clogged up.

Van Disaster: Could you also do some of the fights? I mean, if coordination is a problem, we can just PM each other. I just have little time, lots to do

If one of my craft isn't in one - which rules out the next one, and perhaps two or three.

[gridghost]

And I guess my craft (GG HRF-2 mk2) is up against the champ after the K-22 if i understand this correctly?

[Van Disaster]

And I guess my craft (GG HRF-2 mk2) is up against the champ after the K-22 if i understand this correctly?

If you're happy with it enough to declare it an actual entry - people upload planes just to mess with ( I think I put four up before an actual entry craft - they'd all have been champions but not for long ) so I think it's best to explicitly declare you're good to enter. I also only put craft from the old thread in my post & added the notes about the competition list just as a reminder, it'd be far better to keep track of this thread in the OP to this thread.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Van Disaster

[gridghost]

Well, i'll revisit the build tonite and test it against the d-9 and some of the others and declare it afterwards (or withdraw it). Thanx for the clarification.

[Wanderfound]

So, wait, are we still making F-16like knife-fighters (viz. Arctic Skua) or have there been any BVR engagements?

Wait, is the BDArmory AI even capable of BVR (e.g., beyond 3.5km) fights?

Hmm.

The problem with high-speed BVR fights is that they make for exceptionally dull video, both to watch and to record. The fights are either finished with the first missile or go on forever, and 90% of the recording ends up being the planes circling each other at long distance. Turning is slow at high mach, even at 15g.

[SpaceplaneAddict]

Ayup. /\

||

[crashsolo36]

BROUGHT OVER FROM OLD FORUM.

OK so i showed u guys the J45-M1 it's done but its a single engine all u guys are dual engines so unless we have a single engine match diff from a dual engine she stay in the hanger for a while, Now i'm working an the J45-M2. Yup Dual Engines YEY!!..

Now the orange color is not because i was flying at sunset, if because i was flying at mach 4.4 (1400m/s) maxed at 1421 then the antenna over heated lol.

after i work on getting some good g-turns it lets see if i can take on the champ.