KSP Caveman Challenge 1.1

[IncongruousGoat]

A discovery noting about the Science Roller:

The basic science roller lacks batteries, since it is made before they are available. But, for those wishing to make a more sophisticated one to clear the entire space center of science without the need for airplane parts, take note of the following: It is inadvisable to put your batteries beneath the radiators used to shield the science bay. Due to shifting of the radiator components at high velocities, batteries will become exposed and explode. Best find somewhere else, like the flat unused side of the bay to put your batteries.

Edited June 24, 2016 by IncongruousGoat
Image issues

[Hodari]

I guess I'll have to try this out.  Is something like KER allowed or does that fall into the "luxuries" category?

[JAFO]

5 hours ago, Hodari said:

Is something like KER allowed or does that fall into the "luxuries" category?

That's very much in the "luxuries" category. Anything that supplies you with information not provided by a stock install is not permitted.

[Hodari]

20 hours ago, JAFO said:

That's very much in the "luxuries" category. Anything that supplies you with information not provided by a stock install is not permitted.

ok, thanks.  Guess I'll do a completely separate KSP install for this one then and get started

Caveman's log:  After the first night of this, so far so good.  Got about half of the 45 and 90 point tiers unlocked and all of the lower tiers.  Mostly on and around Kerbin, though I did manage to send one probe into solar orbit and get a manned Munar flyby and return.  Definitely starting to get tougher from here, but still fun. 

Started today off with a suborbital rocket mission to the north pole to grab the science from there and now flying a plane to the deserts to get that and then will have enough science to unlock Propulsion Systems(got a part test contract for the Spark last night and realized how useful those smaller engines and tanks could be, given the weigh limits of this challenge)

Caveman's log 2:  Unlocked spark and oscarb fuel tanks...got extremely lucky on my first attempt to land a probe on the Mun.  After escaping Kerbin's atmosphere, I was about to do my circularization burn, but then noticed that just as I was approaching Apopasis, the Mun was just rising above the horizon, so was able to do my transfer burn directly instead of needing to enter orbit first.  And then that transfer burn just happened to leave me on a collision course

Cavemans's log 3:  Made it to Minmus!  It took a couple reverts and a number of mid-course correction burns(The Mun being in the way didn't help any with this...), but was able to land on Minmus and get temp and pressure readings from a couple biomes there(along with low and high orbit data which also included a couple mystery goos).  Only 2 more nodes to go.

Caveman's log 4:  Aaaaaaannnnnnnd DONE!  Will upload screenshots in a few minutes

Edited June 25, 2016 by Hodari

[Moesly_Armlis]

On 6/21/2016 at 7:32 PM, IncongruousGoat said:

Slide rules are really cool.

There is a jockey around here that would also agree.

@IncongruousGoat Your badge is in the mail.  Sorry for the late posting but the rocks circling Dres have been calling to an old caveman like me.  Over the last couple weeks I have been planning an asteroid hunt around Dres.  The mission became even more interesting since KSP 1.1.3 added sparkly asteroids.  The mission has been simulated and uses technology far too fancy for a caveman.

Dresteroid Hunt Album

Sadly no true caveman can ever capture an asteroid because in order for any to spawn an upgraded tracking station is required.

edit: maybe this ^^ needs confirmation.

 

Edited June 25, 2016 by MoeslyArmlis

[Hodari]

Here's my entry for Vanadium level:

 

[IncongruousGoat]

Hello everyone! I'm back with a new submission, this time for Topaz. Topaz was... hard. Very hard. I had to change more than a few things about how I go at the challenge, and I lost at least 100,000 funds to failed launches, especially towards the end. My Minmus lander flies like a brick due to aerodynamics and a slightly offset CoM. And, as anyone who has ever tried to fly a brick can tell you, bricks don't like to fly. I crashed more of those than I successfully launched, including one that I fried on re-entry due to running out of power during return. But! I succeeded. Here's the mission album:

http://imgur.com/a/7P1eW

Or rather, the link to it. For some bizarre reason, I can't seem to embed it properly. Ah well. This should do, even if it isn't quite as elegant.

[Moesly_Armlis]

3 hours ago, IncongruousGoat said:

Hello everyone! I'm back with a new submission, this time for Topaz. Topaz was... hard. Very hard. I had to change more than a few things about how I go at the challenge, and I lost at least 100,000 funds to failed launches, especially towards the end. My Minmus lander flies like a brick due to aerodynamics and a slightly offset CoM. And, as anyone who has ever tried to fly a brick can tell you, bricks don't like to fly. I crashed more of those than I successfully launched, including one that I fried on re-entry due to running out of power during return. But! I succeeded. Here's the mission album:

http://imgur.com/a/7P1eW

Or rather, the link to it. For some bizarre reason, I can't seem to embed it properly. Ah well. This should do, even if it isn't quite as elegant.

To post albums from imagur I use the icon at the top right and paste in the album code 7P1eW

Topaz can be tough; no more quicksave or revert.

Your vessel naming scheme is very

 

Edited June 28, 2016 by MoeslyArmlis

[macktruck6666]

So would assembling rockets near the complex that are more then 30 parts or over 18 tons be against the rule?

[IncongruousGoat]

2 hours ago, MoeslyArmlis said:

To post albums from imagur I use the icon at the top right and paste in the album code 7P1eW

Topaz can be tough; no more quicksave or revert.

Your vessel naming scheme is very

 

I'm aware of how to embed Imgur albums. It wasn't functioning properly at the time of my post, is all. Perhaps the issue will resolve itself, given time. Perhaps that album specifically was problematic. Whatever the case, everything seems to have been fine in the end.

[Moesly_Armlis]

1 hour ago, macktruck6666 said:

So would assembling rockets near the complex that are more then 30 parts or over 18 tons be against the rule?

That question implies you have not read through the entirely of this thread.

Yes building outside the VAB and SPH is encouraged.  With the new wheel physics it might be more of a challenge.

Edited June 28, 2016 by MoeslyArmlis

[JAFO]

Congratulations on joining the caveman ranks, Hodari

And congratulations on getting your Topaz badge, IncongruousGoat. I need to get around to trying that challenge myself, soon.

 

3 hours ago, MoeslyArmlis said:

Yes building outside the VAB and SPH is encouraged.

As is building ships in orbit, although not being able to transfer fuel around tends to make things rather difficult. Mind you, all caveman levels (with the exception of "Order of the Troglodyte") can be achieved without going over the 30 part, 18 tonne limits. It's even possible to land a Kerbal on Minmus and return them to Kerbin within those limitations. Much more fun than just sending probes.

Edited June 28, 2016 by JAFO
Cannot figure out how to use that '@' thingy with names!

[GoSlash27]

My first run in 1.1.3.

http://s52.photobucket.com/user/GoSlash27/slideshow/KSP/Caveman challenge/113?sort=3

Normal difficulty.

 I was hoping to complete this in 6 days in- game, but I ran into a snag with my munar flyby probes; the science jr has a nasty habit of exploding on reentry. This cost me 6 1/2 days of failed missions. If anyone else is planning on returning a science jr, from the Mun or higher, I recommend slapping a radiator on it in addition to all the usual precautions.

Other than that, not much to report. I focused on getting as much science as I could from Kerbin itself. While this is tedious in playing time, it is very efficient in game time. The landing gear didn't give me any hassles with the cart or my puddlejumper, but my long range plane had difficulties in rough terrain. Just a hair heavy for the gear.

 Also, I didn't bother taking any contracts. The world's first awards provided plenty of cash.

Some useful tips:

-The flagpole and corner lab of R&D are unique biomes.
-docking 2 manned craft in low orbit will yield 5 science; 2 for the rendezvous and 3 for "beginning a space station".
-While the abandoned space center shows biomes, they are not unique. Don't fly all the way out there hoping to collect science.

Best,
-Slashy

*edit* I also enjoyed @IncongruousGoat 's naming scheme. I was hoping to see a "StateMachine" and I didn't leave disappointed

Edited August 3, 2016 by GoSlash27

[Terwin]

Here is my first 1.1(.3) caveman attempt.

Easy, using 2 roller designs, and 4 rover designs.

The only engine ever used was the size 0 jet engine, and no wings were ever used.

All 'in flight' science was gathered by jumping, either jumping kerbals, or jumping rovers using the ground as a ramp.

I call it acrophobic.  ~2.5 hours.

http://imgur.com/a/DIRWQ

 

[Terwin]

Here is my Second 1.1(.3) caveman attempt.

Normal.  Not interested in repeating my home-bound game from 1.0, I went ahead and dropped a few pods on the Mun.

http://imgur.com/a/ZZzdd

If I ever go back to this game, I'll need to research the klaw so I can pull down Jeb and his two tourists.

 

Is this challenge still active?  According to his profile page,  @MoeslyArmlis has not been online since July 14

Edited August 7, 2016 by Terwin

[GoSlash27]

Terwin,

 I'd say we're free to continue on our own recognizance. We all know if we're "cavemanning honestly" and any of us can answer questions from new players.

Best,
-Slashy

[Terwin]

Third Caveman 1.1(.3) attempt:

Moderate, much the same as the normal game, just a few more mun probes and no bothering with airplanes or most contracts.

I was a little concerned that my polar mun probes might not be able to land as I did not change the inclination until I was in the Mun SOI, but there turned out to be enough d-v for everything to work out.

http://imgur.com/a/OT4lA

[Terwin]

Does anyone have a link to the badge with easy/normal/moderate stones?

 

[ManEatingApe]

I hadn't Cave-manned in a while, so the recent 1.2 release provided a perfect opportunity to test out the new features. As there's some significant changes from 1.1.3 this isn't an official entry, just some observations.

Overall I feel that the changes positively impact the Caveman experience, and make things a little easier, specifically:

• The aero model has been tweaked to be more forgiving. This didn't really affect my run, as none of my craft were fast enough!
• The science tree now has a more logical progression. The thermometer is unlocked from Engineering 101 (instead of the Science Jr), the Barometer comes next in the Survivability node, and the Science Jr is unlocked from Basic Science. This is handy as you no longer have to unlock the otherwise useless Space Exploration node just to get the Barometer.
• Perhaps most game changing of all - the new Experiment Storage Unit is also unlocked from Basic Science. You can now collect multiple crew reports and only need a single Thermometer or Barometer for science harvesting, really helping to keep part count down.
• I didn't use it but the Spark has been buffed to 20 kN thrust and 320 seconds ISP. Packs quite a punch!

 

I started a fresh Career game on Moderate difficulty (90% science rewards) and was able to complete the challenge with just 3 Kerballed missions.

1st mission:

Spoiler

Contracts Launch our first vessel, Escape the Atmosphere, Gather scientific data from Kerbin, unlocked all level 2 and 3 nodes

  

2nd mission:

Spoiler

Contract Orbit Kerbin, unlocked Advanced Rocketry, Aviation and Basic Science.

Had just enough dV to reach high Kerbin orbit, to get an crucial extra biome.

  

3rd mission:

Spoiler

Contract Explore the Mun, unlocked remaining nodes.

Orbited the Mun, went biome hopping on Minimus, then quickly peeked out of Kerbin's SOI into Sun orbit. KSP veterans will also recognize this as the quickest way to get a 3 star Kerbal, a nice side benefit

  

 

Full Caveman 1.2 album here

Edited October 17, 2016 by ManEatingApe

[JAFO]

I'm impressed.. just 3 craft/launches to unlock all the nodes! I'm pretty sure that must be a new record.

Love that funky looking first craft, too.. nice to see I'm not the only one who's used fins on a capsule to keep it retrograde during re-entry. They're a nuisance at launch, though, eh?

[ManEatingApe]

6 hours ago, JAFO said:

Love that funky looking first craft, too.. nice to see I'm not the only one who's used fins on a capsule to keep it retrograde during re-entry. They're a nuisance at launch, though, eh?

Indeed! Stability was best described as...marginal. It had to be keep pointed directly up, and the slightest deviation resulted in disaster. I also let the craft gain some altitude before triggering the last 2 stages so the atmosphere was as thin as possible.

 

My other approach with the Mk 1 + Flea is to start spinning the craft wildly at AP, and hope for the best. While definitely a very Kerbal approach, it can be a little hit and miss. The Mk1 + Flea really does want to nose down and is quite aerodynamic. The number of times poor Jeb has dived directly into the ocean at 300 m/s... 

 

[Moesly_Armlis]

Just returning from other caves.  My vacation

Tried out the 1.3 release and it looks very interesting for us caveman.  We have better science equipment earlier on and new parts to help explore: science container and rover wheels.  The problem to overcome is the deep space communication network needed for probes on interplanetary journeys.  Already I lost probes that lost the link to KSP which three crashed into the ground and another just decided to go and visit Moho.

Spoiler

 

Just finishing the circulariization burn and blink loss of communication and now stuck full throttle.  About two minutes after the fuel was used up and blink communication was re-established.

Not all was lost.  The maximum range of the communication satellite was identified.  It had one Communotron 16-S, two Communotron 16 and a HG-5. the range was 13 million kilometre.

The range is unknown as I do not have the formula for calculating distance.  Suppose I measure it on screen with a ruler. Anyway I just was wondering if a caveman tech DSN is possible.  I started sending out antenna array.  First four HG-5 , then an eight , followed by 24.  All had insignificant range.

Now this array has 48 HG-5 and has some range.

At 96 it could be possible.  Is there another solution?

The new design challenge is to build an array that allows caveman to communicate interplanetary.

Stacking Antenna

Square Root of the Antenna Combined Range multiplied by the Tracking DSN level

For the 98 HG-5 array

SQRT(96*5M*2G) = 979 Mm

Distance to Eve nearest planet is 13.338Gm - 9.504Gm = 3.834Gm.  This is going to take some considerable effort to accomplish.

 

There is going to be a new caveman challenge posted.  I am just about finished my hard play through and so far it has been very enjoyable.  The one feature I am looking forward to is the auto strut.  Constructing vessels on the lawn will be less of a headache because the finished product will be less flimsy and now fuel flows through docking ports.  Previous I had to use two docking ports to attach a Thumper now with the auto strut it is solid with just a single docking port and auto strut to root (now grandparent root).  To attach another fuel tank it needed fuel lines attached to the docking ports and there was always miss feed (one tank did not drain while the others did).  Great job on the update overall!

 

---

Edited October 19, 2016 by MoeslyArmlis
can caveman communicate interplanetary.

[JAFO]

1 hour ago, MoeslyArmlis said:

Tried out the 1.3 release and it looks very interesting...

 

You already have access to 1.3? Can I borrow your time machine when you're not using it?

 

[Moesly_Armlis]

5 minutes ago, JAFO said:

You already have access to 1.3? Can I borrow your time machine when you're not using it?

 

Are you sure? It requires special batteries that can produce 1.21 GW of energy

[JAFO]

On 9/1/2016 at 2:07 AM, Terwin said:

Does anyone have a link to the badge with easy/normal/moderate stones?

Now that @MoeslyArmlis is back, I imagine you'll get your new badge before long.