Jool 500 Kolonization Challenge

[septemberWaves]

Jool 500: The Ultimate Kolonization Program

Most KSP players have heard of the Jool 5 challenge, which involved landing on each of Jool's moons with a single launch and with a different kerbal on each moon. Well, with the release of version 1.1 and the incredible performance improvements that are coming with this new update, I feel like it's time for something bigger.

So I present to you the Jool 500 Kolonization Challenge. The idea of this challenge is to take five hundred kerbals to colonise all 5 of Jool's moons, in the most complete way possible. Although there is a way of scoring points (I will get to that later), the main challenge of this mission is the scale of it. It is not enough to simply launch 5 massive crew transports and land each of them on a moon. It is not even enough to bring a base and a rover along too. No, the goal of this challenge is to create a self-sustaining civilization in the Jool system. There are a number of different aspects of any colonisation program (satellite networks, resource gathering/transport, etc), and those wishing to undertake this challenge must consider them all.

I am developing a guide for the challenge in sync with my own attempt at it. That guide can be found here.

Rules

1. Mods are highly encouraged, and some are required for certain difficulty levels, but some (of course) are banned for balance reasons.
2. No cheating (e.g. the f12 menu, hyperedit, any other similar cheats).
3. Re-entry heating and resource abundance must be at 100%.
4. If a mod is removed from the list of allowed mods (which is unlikely), you may keep any craft that use it that were created before the mod's removal, but you may not launch any new craft with parts from that mod.
5. Calculate your score according to the system outlined near to the end of this post.
6. There is no cost limit, but cost of missions does affect score so keep track of it.
7. Money spent acquiring kerbals is not counted for this challenge, but if you need to get some of your kerbals through recovery contracts you may not use any part of the recovery spacecraft as part of this challenge.
8. You are allowed (and encouraged) to mine resources from Jool's moons for use in the colony. You can send fuel back to Kerbin to generate money, but this profit is not deducted from your total expenditure.
9. Part clipping is allowed, but don't do things like hiding 12 fuel tanks inside 1 fuel tank (or other similarly cheaty things). This rule is rather lenient, just don't do stuff that seems super cheaty.
10. Kerbals can't respawn, and there is a penalty for them dying.
11. You must end up with 500 kerbals inhabiting the Jool system. If any die, you must send more to complete this goal.
12. Reverting flights and quickloading is only allowed on test flights, or if a bug causes your ship to crash. Any times you crash or break something due to your own mistakes (or being too trusting in MechJeb's autopilot) that damage is permanent (so redundancy is recommended).
13. Kerbals can't be sent to Jool in bases, rovers, or other vehicles that would not initially be crewed in a real mission. Instead, you must make specific interplanetary transports for your kerbals.
14. Methods of minimizing costs without cheating (such as sending some of the vehicles in the cargo space of crew transports) are entirely acceptable and are the reasons behind some of the vehicle specifications.
15. You should check the rules fairly frequently (at least in the early stages of this challenge) because rules, mod lists, and (less likely but still possible) methods of gaining points are all subject to change in accordance with what I feel is adequate for the challenge.
16. Use of strategies in the admin building that make launches cheaper is not allowed.
17. FOR ANYONE USING THE ATOMIC AGE MOD: The turbojet is banned due to the fact that it doesn't consume any resources other than intake atmosphere. This may change if this engine gets a depletable fuel source, but for now it is banned in this challenge.
18. FOR REMOTETECH USERS: Disabling the time delay is allowed in Normal difficulty, but is not allowed in Hard difficulty. If you are playing in Hard then I recommend installing a mod with an autopilot function for maneuver nodes (MechJeb or kOS are what's currently allowed).
19. If you find a way of exploiting some of the rules to generate almost unlimited points for minimal funds (I don't think it's possible but I could be wrong) please inform me of it so that I can make corrections, and don't use this exploit as it would ruin the entire scoring system.

The Challenge

You are probably wondering how to complete this challenge. The method is fairly simple: follow the guidelines for the Jool program according to the categorized contracts below, document all important aspects of your missions (use Imgur or make videos), and try to complete as much of it as you can. You don't need to complete the CHALLENGES in every difficulty, but doing them will get you more points. Also, please try to make your spacecraft look nice. You won't be scored on it, but I feel that a good aesthetic makes people more interested in what you're doing in the game.

It's not absolutely required to complete every contract listed below (except for completing certain CHALLENGES), but the more you do the more functional your colony will be and the more points you will get for completing them.

Now for the categories:

    Satellite Network and Probes

1. Each moon, as well as Jool itself, should be explored by machines in advance of sending kerbals. Also, the colony will need a satellite network for communication.
2. Send a resource scanner to a polar orbit of each moon and scan for ore. Each moon needs a separate resource probe. (+1 point per moon)
3. Send at least 1 lander probe (max. mass: 3 tonnes, or 5 tonnes for Tylo) to each moon and transmit some science data back to Kerbin. (+1 point per moon; science from every biome gives an extra +2 points per moon (rovers are permitted))
4. Send at least 5 communication satellites (max. mass: 2.5 tonnes) to each moon as well as in orbit of Jool, to provide a communication network for your kerbals. Each satellite requires at least 4 antennas (with RemoteTech, at least one of these must be capable of transmitting data back to Kerbin, or to a satellite in Jool orbit that can transmit back to Kerbin). At least 3  for each moon must have orbital inclinations greater than 30 degrees, and/or eccentricities greater than 0.4. (+1 point per complete satellite network, +3 additional points for completing all 6 satellite networks)
5. CHALLENGE: GROUND COVERAGE. Ensure that the entire surface of the moon is accessible by satellites. This requires 4 satellites equally spaced in equatorial orbit with line of sight to each other, and 4 satellites equally spaced in polar orbit with line of sight to each other. (+9 points per moon)

    Bases and Outposts

1. For a colony to be a colony, it must have permanent residents. You must have space for a minimum of 50 kerbals on each moon (rovers do not count, these living spaces must be stationary), and a minimum of 10 kerbals at any one outpost. (There's no real difference between outposts and bases, 'outpost' just suggests a smaller base than usual).
2. Launch and land your bases in advance of sending your kerbals. Send at least 1 base to each moon (though more are recommended). It's best to send your bases as modules rather than assembling them on the surface. (+10 points for every base with at least 8 different and useful modules; +3 points for each biome; +3 additional points if every biome has a base (including the Sagen Sea on Laythe); +1 point for every 10 kerbals your base can support (not necessarily all at once, not including the 10 that are required in each base); +1 additional point if the base has at least 1 science lab; (points are awarded per base))
3. Life support replenishment is not required at each base, but can be useful where the biome's resources allow it. (+1 point for partial replenishment of life support; +3 points for full replenishment of life support; (points are awarded per base))
4. Transport between bases and moons can be a hassle, so it helps to have a place to refuel. (+1 point for ability to replenish fuel, +3 points for ability to replenish uranium and xenon; (points are awarded per base))
5. CHALLENGE: COLONIAL PLANNING.Have a base or outpost in every biome on every moon, have fuel and/or life support replenishment on every moon at at least one base, and have space for at least 100 kerbals in bases on every moon. (+50 points)

    Rovers and planes

1. The ability to transport kerbals and equipment between your various bases is important for a colony. You should send a number of transports to each moon so that kerbals can move around the surface without having to use rockets. All vehicles should be specialized to handle the terrain of the moon (amphibious vehicles and/or seaplanes are recommended for Laythe).
2. Short-range scouting rovers (or boats) (max. mass: 10t) are a must-have. Send at least two to every base. They must be small and lightweight, and must be able to generate power, carry at least one and at most six kerbals, and be equipped with a few science experiments. (+3 points for each base that gets a pair of small rovers/boats (you can send any combination of rovers and boats to your Laythe bases, as long as each base has at least two))
3. Resource transportation vehicles are going to be needed to keep your colony running. Each should be able to carry a resource container at least the size of the Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank. It would be convenient to make these vehicles modular. Send at least 1 container for all relevant resources (life support, fuels, etc) to every base, and at least 2 resource transports to move them around. (resources not generated/consumed at a base do not need containers; +7 points for each fully implemented resource transport system at a base; (points are awarded per base))
4. Long-range transports (rovers, boats, or planes) are required for your colony to be a success. Send at least 3 to both Bop and Pol, and at least 5 to Laythe, Vall, and Tylo. Each should be able to transport at least 10 kerbals, and should be able to transport two short-range scouting vehicles and one resource transport (with resource container). Ideally they should also be able to generate power. (+4 points for each long-range transport; +1 additional point if it can carry two resource transports; +3 additional points for any fuel-using transports that can replenish that fuel; +1 additional point for transports that have a science lab).
5. CHALLENGE: REDUNDANCY.All of the above, completed for every base on every moon, and with twice as many of every type of transport. (+35 points)

    Space Transport

1. Building this colony is great, but useless if your kerbals can't get between the moons, or from Kerbin to the Jool system.
2. Construct a fleet of spacecraft to take kerbals from Kerbin to the Jool system. Each interplanetary vessel should carry up to 100 crew members, and ideally should have a significant cargo capacity (at least the size of the largest MK3 cargo bay). Maximum of 5 large transports. (+5 points per transport; +1 point per 10 tonnes of cargo mass; crew do not all need to be sent to Jool at once, as the transports can make any number of trips between Kerbin and Jool (but please don't get ridiculous))
3. Large freight transports are going to be important for your colony. Each should be a highly specialized vehicle able to lift or drop at least 50 tonnes of cargo from the surface of the moon it is sent to (or 25 tonnes for Laythe and Tylo), and have the crew capacity for at least 3 kerbals. Each freighter should be able to get into a stable orbit of that moon with a full load of cargo (50 tonnes), to transfer to rendezvous with other freighters in Joolian orbit, and return to their moon with another full load (50 tonnes) of cargo. Send at least 1 to every moon. (+10 points for every transport; +1 point for every 10 tonnes of cargo capacity to/from the surface of that moon; +4 points for ability to replenish fuel; (points are awarded per transport))
4. You will need transport for colonists between the moons as well. You can integrate this into the freight transport system (+2 points per freighter-compatible module that can transport 10 kerbals) or you can make rockets specifically for this purpose. Each rocket should be able to transport at least 10 kerbals to/from any of the moons without being refuelled until it lands. Send at least 2 to each moon. (+8 points for each crew transport rocket; +4 additional points for each rocket with the ability to replenish fuel).
5. CHALLENGE: ADVANCED TRANSPORT. Rather than docking freighters from different moons to transfer their cargo in space, every freighter (still a minimum of 5 overall) must be able to transport cargo between any two moons without refuelling in space (the most difficult journey is probably Laythe to Tylo, but it depends how you build the freighters). (+45 points)
6. CHALLENGE: ORBITAL HABITATION. To enhance your crew transfer, make a station in orbit of each moon (that can support at least 20 kerbals) and replace your every-moon-capable rockets with a lander specific to each individual moon (must be able to take at least 20 kerbals to/from the station in moon orbit), and 5 inter-Joolian transports (each must be able to take at least 50 kerbals between the space stations without needing to land anywhere). (35 points)

    Other Things to Consider

1. You're probably playing with a life support mod, so be careful to include enough supplies in all of your vehicles and bases.
2. Safety is important. Make as many systems redundant as you can within a reasonable price range. Launch escape systems on crewed, escape pods, etc. (USI has some good stuff for safety and redundancy). -20 points for every kerbal that dies.
3. Be careful, rockets are expensive. You're allowed to re-send vessels, but if a vessel crashes you lose the points that you gained from that specific vessel and cannot regain them by sending another (this does not affect points gained by completing multi-vessel contracts).
4. Launches from Kerbin are unlimited, but keep an eye on prices.
5. There is no time limit, but be wary of running out of life support supplies. When playing with USI Life Support, any kerbals who run out of life support are counted as dead and suffer the same points loss, despite the fact that USI Life Support doesn't actually kill them.
6. If you think some of the specifications for some of the vehicles are unusual or arbitrary (like cargo bays in the interplanetary crew transports), try looking closer at what the intended vehicle would enable you to do and how it might be used to make things cheaper.
7. CHALLENGE: COMPLETIONIST. Fulfil all contracts and all CHALLENGES. (+500 points)

Scoring and Difficulty

The way you judge how well you do on this behemoth of a challenge is fairly simple, and takes into account how many points you score overall, as well as the funds you spent on the colonisation program. I'll go over difficulty first, as it influences your score with points multipliers. I will also go over game modes, since you can start in either Career or Sandbox modes.

    Difficulty Level

1. Easy (points multiplier x0.75): Play in sandbox or career (sandbox recommended); RemoteTech, Community Tech Tree, and any Life Support mods are not recommended; CHALLENGES are not required. This is the difficulty level to play at if you want to use stock parts.
2. Normal (points multiplier x1 in sandbox, x1.4 in career): Play in career or sandbox; must use life support (USI, TAC, or Kerbalism); RemoteTech and Community Tech Tree are optional; do at least 3 CHALLENGES. If you want to, you may disable the time delay on RemoteTech if you are using it.
3. Hard (points multiplier x1.75): Play in career; you must use RemoteTech, and Community Tech Tree; must use life support (USI, TAC, or Kerbalism); complete all CHALLENGES for your Hard mode entry to count. You may not disable the time delay on RemoteTech; mods with autopilot functionality are recommended for dealing with maneuver nodes.

    Game Mode

1. Depending on your difficulty level, you may start in Career mode or Sandbox mode.
2. Starting in Sandbox allows you to proceed with the Jool 500 challenge immediately. You must set re-entry heating and resource abundance to 100%, allow quicksaves and reloading (only for use in case of bugs), and disallow respawning of dead crew members.
3. Starting in Career is the more challenging option, as you will have to earn funds through contracts until you can start the Jool 500 challenge. You start in normal mode, but the maximum starting science and science rewards are allowed (since science doesn't count towards score), and otherwise the same settings as a Sandbox playthrough. Funds spent on missions to anywhere other than Jool are not counted, but if you plan on using any parts of those spacecraft to facilitate the Jool 500 challenge then you must count the funds spent on that spacecraft (the same is true for using gravity assists).

    Score Calculation

1. To calculate your score, keep track of the total cost of everything you launch from Kerbin (and subtract any funds you get back by recovering parts of launches).
2. Add up the total number of points you get by completing my contracts and CHALLENGES, and multiply this by the multiplier given by your difficulty level, and then by one million (1000000) to get your Score Magnitude (e.g. if you had a total of 512 points at the Easy difficulty level, your total is 0.75x512x1000000=384000000).
3. Divide that Score Magnitude by the amount of funds you spent to get your overall score for the Jool 500 Colonisation Challenge (e.g. if you had 384000000 Score Magnitude and you spent 1000000 funds then your overall score is 384000000÷1000000=384).
4. The larger your overall score, the better you did.
5. Keep in mind that spending more funds is not always a bad thing, so long as those funds get you additional points that you would not have gotten previously.

Mods

If you want to know about a particular mod, use ctrl+f to search for it on this page before making a reply asking about it.

    Required

1. Kerbal Alarm Clock (I only say required because of the amount of vessels you'll be dealing with at once)
2. USI Life Support, TAC Life Support, OR Kerbalism (except in Easy difficulty)

    Optional

1. All other USI mods (except Alcubierre Warp Drive) (these are highly recommended as they will enhance your colony immensely)
2. Any visual enhancement mods
3. Atomic Age
4. Behemoth Aerospace Engineering
5. Buffalo MSEV
6. B9 Aerospace
7. CactEye Telescopes
8. Color Coded Cannisters
9. Colorful Fuel Lines
10. Community Tech Tree
11. Connected Living Space
12. Cormorant Aeronology Shuttle Lifting Body
13. DarkSideTechnology
14. Deadly Reentry
15. DeepFreeze Continued
16. Deep Space Exploration Vessels
17. DMagic Orbital Science
18. Editor Extensions Redux
19. EvaFuel
20. Ferram Aerospace Research
21. Final Frontier
22. Fuel Tanks Plus
23. HabTech
24. Infernal Robotics
25. KeepFit
26. Kerbal Historical Institute
27. Kerbal Joint Reinforcement (highly recommended)
28. Kerbal Planetary Base Systems
29. Kerbal Stock Part eXpansion
30. KIS/KAS (highly recommended)
31. KSI (useful for hiring kerbals)
32. Lithobrake Exploration Technologies
33. Mark IV Spaceplane System
34. MechJeb, KER, or similar mods that are purely informative
35. Mk2 Expansion
36. Mk3 Hypersonic Systems
37. Moar Mk1
38. Modular Rocket Systems
39. Near Future Technologies
40. NRAP
41. Orbital Utility Vehicle
42. Pathfinder
43. RemoteTech
44. RLA Stockalike
45. SCANsat
46. Science Revisited
47. SpaceY and SpaceY Expanded
48. Stockalike Mining Extension
49. Surface Experiment Pack (requires KIS/KAS)
50. Tantares and Contares
51. Tarsier Space Technology
52. Taurus HCV
53. Universal Storage
54. VX Series II Engine Pack (Vanguard Astrodynamics)
55. Any dependencies these mods have (e.g. Firespitter, ModuleManager, Community Resource Pack)

If there is a mod that you think should be added or removed from this list, please bring it to my attention along with your reasoning as to why it should be added or removed. Please also notify me if any links are incorrect or outdated.

    Banned

1. Any mods that are not on the above list (unless I add them after being asked about them)
2. Alcubierre Warp Drive (and other warp drive mods)
3. KSP Interstellar Extended
4. Extraplanetary Launch Pads (and other mods that allow you to build spacecraft off of Kerbin)
5. Hyperedit (you are allowed to use it for testing your spacecraft, but not for any craft that are going to be used as part of the challenge)
6. Kopernicus
7. Any other mods that are unbalanced or cheaty in some way

Again, please bring to my attention any mods that you feel should be added or removed from this list along with your reasoning for the requested change.

Notes

1. If you are starting out with stock parts but planning on modding (with life support) later, I highly recommend sending as many probes, bases, and vehicles as you can before the mods are updated, without sending any crew. Then, when you do send the crew to Jool (which should be done as late as possible to reduce consumption of life support) use KIS/KAS to attach life support containers to your bases and vehicles. This way you don't need to wait for life support mods to update before you can send your transports or bases. Alternatively, in the case of bases, you can plan for the presence of life support storage modules and transport them once you install the life support mod.

Submission

Submit your entry to the challenge on this thread in the form of an Imgur gallery (or multiple galleries) or a video (or more likely a series of videos).

 

That should be everything for this challenge. If some aspects seem unclear please let me know and I will attempt to explain in a more effective manner. If I have missed anything important, please also let me know and I will edit this post to amend the lack of clarity. I hope everyone who chooses to attempt the Jool 500 Kolonization Challenge will enjoy it, and I wish you all luck in what is possibly one of the most extensive kolonization programs some of you have ever tried to undertake.

Edited April 29, 2016 by eloquentJane
Added FAR, Cacteye, Tarsier, EvaFuel, and Deadly Reentry to Allowed Mods.

[Wardstone111]

I am thinking about doing this when 1.1 comes out with more mods. Do you mind if I scrap USI lisfe support for TAC and USI Kolonisation for the modular one. If I go ahead I may inquire about a couple of other mods but off the top of my head they are the only ones I would like to swap.

[septemberWaves]

TAC Life Support certainly sounds like a good option. I will add it in as an option for Normal and Hard difficulties (I don't think it's fair to call TAC "easy" in any way). The reason I didn't add it initially is because I personally prefer to keep with the USI mods as I find them nicer, and I pretty much overlooked TAC. As for "the modular one", I think you'll have to be more specific, as I'm unsure what mod you're referring to. If you just mean USI Modular Kolonization Systems, that is the mod that I was talking about, but I forgot to add the word "Modular" (and anyway, anything that can be found on the main USI github downloads page except for Alcubierre Warp Drive is both permitted and recommended because they're an excellent set of addons).

Edited April 4, 2016 by eloquentJane
Corrected a spelling error.

[JT531]

I still don't understand how people can do this sort of thing while I'm still trying to design a Duna

lander.

[septemberWaves]

5 minutes ago, JT531 said:

I still don't understand how people can do this sort of thing while I'm still trying to design a Duna

lander.

I have two suggestions that might help you:

1) if you don't already have it, install MechJeb. I used to be pretty bad at KSP (I couldn't even dock stuff) but MechJeb's autopilot features are great because you can watch how stuff is done in a pretty efficient way (not always the most efficient but usually pretty good), and that helps a lot in learning to play the game. Also, MechJeb lets you easily find out delta-v and thrust-to-weight of your vessels which removes a lot of the guesswork done by the average player without the need for tedious maths. Honestly I personally still struggle in stock without MechJeb, but I can do stuff a whole lot better than I used to be able to.

2) there's various places to find out delta-v requirements for different planets/moons (Duna is around 1700-ish delta-v to get into low orbit I think), and it's best to massively overcompensate when you're building vessels. As you get more experience you'll learn how much fuel is required for how large of a payload from various different places, but until you know how to be efficient it's good to be massively over-engineered. Duna's not too difficult to land on and leave once you know how (and honestly the Jool 500 challenge shouldn't be much more difficult except for the scale of it all), but try to over-compensate if you can, and you'll see how much fuel you don't need to bring in future missions.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your lander!

[max_creative]

1 hour ago, JT531 said:

I still don't understand how people can do this sort of thing while I'm still trying to design a Duna

lander.

To get to places, use this.

To use an optimal rocket calculator use this. Note that this 1.0.5

For other stuff, look around here. Some are out dated. 

Also, your not alone. I'm designing a kuriosity rover as my first thing to another planet and two rovers, Phobos and Deimos to land on Ike to practice for Dres.

[Wardstone111]

Kerbal Planetary Base Systems is the other one. My memory of mod names an which one is which is awful. I always think of it as modular due to the many different parts. However, I will still wait until 1.1 editions.

[Wardstone111]

Sorry I keep thinking up new ideas. The KeepFit mod (when and if it updates) may also be a good idea for the hard difficulty. It is very much possible to keep kerbals fit in space but it is an extra level of difficulty. Also possibly SCANsat for optional mods.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Wardstone111
New idea

[Jetski]

Can't wait for 1.1 to drop so we can try stuff like this. I appreciate the care that went into creating this challenge.

[Jhawk1099]

500 kerbals in Career mode? Im going to need a lot lot more rescue contracts.

[septemberWaves]

1 hour ago, Jhawk1099 said:

500 kerbals in Career mode? Im going to need a lot lot more rescue contracts.

This is why I recommend the use of Kerbal Science Institute, because you can hire kerbals to specification, and without the massive price inflations of stock.

5 hours ago, Wardstone111 said:

Sorry I keep thinking up new ideas. The KeepFit mod (when and if it updates) may also be a good idea for the hard difficulty. It is very much possible to keep kerbals fit in space but it is an extra level of difficulty. Also possibly SCANsat for optional mods.

I've never used those mods, but I'll look into them, and I'll add them in if they seem balanced.

4 hours ago, Jetski said:

Can't wait for 1.1 to drop so we can try stuff like this. I appreciate the care that went into creating this challenge.

I'm glad you like the idea of it! It took a while to figure out, and it'll take even longer to actually complete it, but I feel like it'll be worth it.

[Wardstone111]

KeepFit basically makes Kerbals deteriorate in space unless you have parts to put them in to excersive them. SCANsat has a mapping system that allows you to see where different resources are and the better places to land. However, as the name suggests, you have to scan the body to scan it before you can see the data.

[septemberWaves]

I just checked out both mods after making my last reply and I've added them both because they seem like good options.

[Chronin]

I might do this on Easy or normal to start getting back into KSP. Let's see if I can do this whole challenge with 1 giant mothership

[septemberWaves]

I've decided that when all the mods I want are updated, I'll be putting together a general guide to the Jool 500 Kolonization Challenge. Not as an attempt to win the challenge, but more as a series of suggestions for possible methods of accomplishing all of the goals. I'll end up showing off some of the design ideas I had for some of the vehicles and talking about why I thought of doing things in the way I end up doing them, as well as explaining some of the more complex aspects of some of the mods that may be difficult to find comprehensive guides to.

I'll do this in a separate thread and add the link to the main post of this thread.

[septemberWaves]

3 minutes ago, Chronin said:

I might do this on Easy or normal to start getting back into KSP. Let's see if I can do this whole challenge with 1 giant mothership

I feel like doing it with one giant mothership, whilst impressive, might defeat some of the purpose of this challenge. Unless you mean using one incredibly huge interplanetary transfer vehicle to transport everything (crew, ground vehicles, freight transport, etc). But even so, the idea was to keep things somewhat realistic, and so making something that can accelerate what probably amounts to several thousand tonnes of equipment to Jool kind of seems unlikely. Although I suppose a mission of this scale seems unlikely anyway.

I'm not saying don't do it, just that it might not have the realism factor that I was hoping to aim for with this challenge. Also, you may find that it's better to make several smaller motherships simply to get the points for making them (the reason I gave points for each vehicle was to encourage the building of multiple transports).

Still, whether you reconsider or not, I look forward to seeing your contribution to this challenge as I'm sure it will be impressive (and one of the USI mods has some wonderful 5m parts for a "Starlifter-class" freighter if your transport(s) needs that sort of scale).

[Chronin]

17 minutes ago, eloquentJane said:

I feel like doing it with one giant mothership, whilst impressive, might defeat some of the purpose of this challenge. Unless you mean using one incredibly huge interplanetary transfer vehicle to transport everything (crew, ground vehicles, freight transport, etc).

That's more what I was thinking of. Make a giant ship that then separates and deploys bases, cargo, rovers, planes, satellites (the satellites would be sent deployed before the rest obviously), so on. My idea was that it would save some costs, but I'm not sure of that the more I think about it. I'll do some crude math later and see if it's feasible

[septemberWaves]

Honestly that sounds like an incredibly impressive achievement if you can pull it off. I fear for the safety of your computer though; even with the performance updates of 1.1, to complete all this stuff nicely and make everything modular and all that you'll probably end up with too many parts to handle.

[Chronin]

Well, I've played with 1,000 part stations in 0.90, and now that I've got a 4790k, I'll see if I can push the limits of 1.1. If it gets too bad, I may just resort to making it a couple launches

[max_creative]

I'm sending 72 ship to Dres. Yes, 72. And half of them are probably going to cancelled. But yeah. So I can do a Dres 500 colonization challenge. Stock. If the test vehicles make it to Ike, the mission is a go. Also, is the 500 a reference to the jool 5 challenge?

[septemberWaves]

47 minutes ago, max_creative said:

I'm sending 72 ship to Dres. Yes, 72. And half of them are probably going to cancelled. But yeah. So I can do a Dres 500 colonization challenge. Stock. If the test vehicles make it to Ike, the mission is a go. Also, is the 500 a reference to the jool 5 challenge?

500 is a reference to Jool 5, because Jool 5 involved sending 5 kerbals to the Jool system and landing on all of the moons, whereas my challenge involves sending 500 kerbals to the Jool system and colonizing all of the moons.

As for Dres, I will probably make other large-scale challenges involving other planets and moons, but for now I'm going to focus on Jool 500. 72 vessels to Dres sounds rather impressive; I suppose it requires a somewhat different set of skills (but a similar amount of patience) to the Jool 500 challenge.

Edited April 5, 2016 by eloquentJane
Corrected a spelling error.

[septemberWaves]

An update: I've started a new thread that will contain my guide for the Jool 500 Kolonization Challenge. The guide is currently not started, but I'll be discussing vehicle design in detail as soon as Hyperedit has a stable 1.1 release (so I can test stuff), and I'll start the challenge itself as soon as most of the mods I want are updated (it may take a while because I need MechJeb and Kerbal Alarm Clock, and the new UI changes seem likely to slow things down).

[max_creative]

52 minutes ago, eloquentJane said:

500 is a reference to Jool 5, because Jool 5 involved sending 5 kerbals to the Jool system and landing on all of the moons, whereas my challenge involves sending 500 kerbals to the Jool system and colonizing all of the moons.

As for Dres, I will probably make other large-scale challenges involving other planets and moons, but for now I'm going to focus on Jool 500. 72 vessels to Dres sounds rather impressive; I suppose it requires a somewhat different set of skills (but a similar amount of patience) to the Jool 500 challenge.

I have 4 in orbit.  I'm going to be here a loooooooong time.

[septemberWaves]

1 hour ago, max_creative said:

I have 4 in orbit.  I'm going to be here a loooooooong time.

MechJeb helps launch things quicker if you're in 1.0.5 and not opposed to using an autopilot.

[max_creative]

6 minutes ago, eloquentJane said:

MechJeb helps launch things quicker if you're in 1.0.5 and not opposed to using an autopilot.

I'm in 1.0.5 and am not opposed to auto pilot, but my dad is opposed to mods and downloading stuff.