Giant Super Plane Challenge

[Gelix]

Hi everyone, I have a challenge for you! The challenge is to build a space plane with at least 500 tons. The plane has to be only stock parts. You may have mods installed but they cannot affect the plane in any way, shape, or form. One exception is mods such as Ferram Aerospace Research that modify the way the plane flies. The plane has to reach at least 80000m and has to land successfully. You do not need to prove that this was completed, but you must upload at least one screenshot of it in the air. If possible upload the .craft file!

                                                                                                                               Thanks, Gelix

Edited December 14, 2015 by Gelix
Incorrect Data

[s1l3nt_c0y0t3]

[Be more polite please, the KSP Moderation team]

[drtricky]

Sorry to say this, but that really isn't much of a challenge.

Edited December 12, 2015 by drtricky

[Hysterrics]

Hello and welcome to the Forums, Gelix! You should probably look at the Challenge Submission Guide to make you challenge more appealing to those looking for a challenge.

I wouldn't listen to silent, you're always welcome here! Just put more effort into challenges. Don't force challenges. A good challenge will likely come to you out of the blue.



 

[Gelix]

I fixed the challenge so that it is hopefully more of a challenge for you veterans. 

[BlueCanary]

You're probably best off changing the challenge so it's about making a very heavy or very large plane instead of part count, since that makes it more a "who has the fanciest computer?" challenge - I don't think mine would even run with a 500 part craft.

[drtricky]

You could meet the 500 part requirement by simply spamming parts that serve no purpose other than to increase the part count, like tordial fuel tanks in an mk3 cargo bay. I also agree with canary in that a bigger issue is whether most computers could even run any craft in general with 500 parts; I have a stock airplane with 200+ parts that causes my $700 laptop to get less than 15 FPS, the wings alone account for half the part count. And if it wasn't for the severe FPS drop, it would have even more parts because I still need to reinforce the wings!

The minimum engine requirement is also not a good requirement. You could stick on small, insignificant engines like the juno engines to meet the requirements and save on weight. A lot of times, however, more engines doesn't hurt.

Also, change the altitude requirement. Silent may have been a bit cocky, but 5000 m still isn't space. He is still right that a plane that maxes out at 5000 m isn't a space plane, it really is just a plain plane.

Edited December 12, 2015 by drtricky

[absprouse]

I've built a plane that can go to the edge of the atmosphere, has 25 engines, 651 parts, and can (almost) fly all the way around Kerbin. Unfortunately, 1.0 rendered it un-fly-able as it hat a lot of part clipping so not much wing surface.

This isn't really much of a challenge.

[YargJay9991]

Maybe instead of a 500 part count, make it 500 tons. That is more of a challenge.

On 12/12/2015, 1:43:57, s1l3nt_c0y0t3 said:

5000m isn't space. So this isn't a space plane challenge. It's just a plain plane challenge. There is a long running thread called the K-Prize about SSTO spaceplanes. Most of those would pass this challenge.

Look, I get that you're new here and want to participate. But if you don't know anything about the forums it makes it much harder for you to contribute in a positive fashion. I'd suggest you spend a month or two just reading the forums and getting to know the place before starting your own thread again.

TL;DR lurk moar.

Hey, he's new! Cut him some slack. How do you know he hasn't been reading the forums? Most peoples first challenges are very basic, but they could be fun. Besides have you ever built a massive plane?

Happy Flying

YargJay9991

Edited December 13, 2015 by YargJay9991

[CommanderCoye]

5 hours ago, YargJay9991 said:

Maybe instead of a 500 part count, make it 500 tons. That is more of a challenge.

Hey, he's new! Cut him some slack. How do you know he hasn't been reading the forums? Most peoples first challenges are very basic, but they could be fun. Besides have you ever built a massive plane?

Happy Flying

YargJay9991

Actually, I have.

 

 

(I had to buy a new computer. I'm serious.)

[Gelix]

Tell me you didn't really have to buy a new computer just for the challenge!  I changed challenge to 500 tons! And now it IS a SPACE Plane!

Edited December 14, 2015 by Gelix

[Mister Dilsby]

13 minutes ago, Gelix said:

Tell me you didn't really have to buy a new computer just for the challenge!  I changed challenge to 500 tons! And now it IS a SPACE Plane!

Just to head off the next set of geniuses who tell you what's wrong with your challenge--per the Challenge Submission Guide @Sequinox referenced, you should probably actually take a short break from posting, do the challenge yourself, and then post a detailed set of rules based on your experience. Playing through the challenge yourself will help you think of things like:

--is this challenge fun to do?

--is the difficulty level appropriate?

--does my ruleset make players do the challenge the way I want them to do it?

#3 is maybe the hardest. You have to think about how people are going to 'break' your challenge. Question everything! Like:

--What is a 'plane'? Is a Saturn-V with wingstrakes a plane? Does it have to be jet plane? Etc.

--Does it have to be crewed? Land?

...etc, etc. 

You're not going to really think of all the things you want to have in your challenge until you do your challenge. The alternative is... well... this thread going on a long time with lots of people telling you how to write a challenge and not a lot of people flying 500t spaceplanes to 80km. Good luck!

[CommanderCoye]

46 minutes ago, Gelix said:

Tell me you didn't really have to buy a new computer just for the challenge!  I changed challenge to 500 tons! And now it IS a SPACE Plane!

I built a massive plane back in 2014. My motherboard shorted out. 

[Gelix]

 I see!

[Hysterrics]

Actually, a challenge for a Mk3 spaceplane with levels such as...

-Easy - Make it fly
-Medium - Make it suborbital
-Hard - Two Stage to Orbit
-Extreme Single Stage to Orbit

would not be that bad. I would recommend changing the challenge to that and make the post look prettier with formatting.

[EvermoreAlpaca]

http://imgur.com/a/VCHfM

I built this plane as a fuel tanker for my laythe base.  It launches from kerbin with a weight of 511.5 tons, and can supply @225 tons of fuel to an LKO station.  It is fully reusable and suprinsingly easy to land.  It also flew all the way to laythe and landed without assistance.  It also has the delta V to do a Kerbin-Laythe Round trip without refueling via Eve assist.

Edited December 14, 2015 by EvermoreAlpaca

[Val]

535 t craft that delivers 6 orange bottles (216 t) to 80 km orbit.

Craft file

No KJR or struts used (except to secure cargo)

Edited December 14, 2015 by Val

[SuicidalInsanity]

1260 ton rocket powered SSTO tanker, 150 tons of fuel to 100km orbit

Edited December 14, 2015 by SuicidalInsanity

[Val]

29 minutes ago, SuicidalInsanity said:

1260 ton rocket powered SSTO tanker, 150 tons of fuel to 100km orbit

Insane

[Scarecrow]

How much is 500t in kg.  I have a 56,000 kg aircraft but I have a sneaky feeling that is only about 56 tons looking at those other entries?

[Val]

1 hour ago, Scarecrow said:

How much is 500t in kg.  I have a 56,000 kg aircraft but I have a sneaky feeling that is only about 56 tons looking at those other entries?

You are correct. 1,000 kg = 1 t in metric.

[Red Iron Crown]

People, it is never appropriate for one user to tell another to stop posting. We were all new once, just about all of us have posted things that we later discovered weren't the usual fare around here, and I like to think we are a better community than one that smacks around new people.

By all means offer advice on how the challenge can be improved, but keep it constructive and non-insulting, please.

[Gelix]

Congrats to @EvermoreAlpaca, @Val, and @SuicidalInsanity! You all qualify!

 

[SpaceplaneAddict]

I've never really successfully used the mk3 fuselage......

[Gelix]

23 hours ago, SpaceplaneAddict said:

I've never really successfully used the mk3 fuselage......

Me Neither!