ULTIMATE Grand Tour challenge!

[endomen]

After months of planning, the Kerbals decided that they needed something to do. Something that would shock the whole of Kerbin...

They decided that they would send something to every planet in the Kerbol system.

Levels:

Basic

Send a probe to orbit every planet in the Kerbol system.

Advanced:

Send crew to orbit every body in the Kerbol system.

Expert:

Land crew on every body (except Jool and Eve) in the Kerbol system.

Bob level:

Expert + collect as much science as possible.

Val level:

Expert + with a plane.

Bill level:

Expert + with as little fuel as possible.

JEB LEVEL:

Expert + EVE LANDING!

(and no, HyperEdit isn't allowed.)

Allowed mods:

MechJeb

Infernal Robotics

DMagic Science

Any life support

DeepFreeze

OPT Space Plane (but not the dark drives)

KIS and KAS

Modular Rocket Systems

RLA Stockalike

Hullcam

Vessel Viewer

Kerbal Engineer

RasterPropMonitor

FAR

Tundra Exploration

ToolBar

Kerbal Krash System

Dang It!

Idiot Lights

Docking Port Alignment Indicator

Universal Storage

Fuel Tanks Plus

Deadly Re-entry

Scatterer/E.V.E

Banned Mods

HyperEdit

Vessel Mover

UKS/MKS

Stockalike Mining Expansion

Any mod not mentioned (unless you ask)

Good luck and have fun!

Post screenshots and level attempted, and whether any crew were lost!

Spoiler

Yes, you have to go to Eeloo.

 

[herbal space program]

This is going on currently, with multiple people participating.

[sdj64]

18 hours ago, herbal space program said:

This is going on currently, with multiple people participating.

Yes, but my grand tour (link in sig) qualifies for Jeb level on this one!

 

But actually, it's easy to miss especially for a new forum user.  It is not on the first page and doesn't even show up when you search "grand tour" in the forum search or Google.  

 

@endomen it takes a lot of time to do a grand tour, it might be worth while to attempt it yourself and show it off in an existing challenge or a mission report before trying to make a challenge thread on it.  Even if you only do your Basic level or even fail the mission you'll learn a lot!

[herbal space program]

1 hour ago, sdj64 said:

Yes, but my grand tour (link in sig) qualifies for Jeb level on this one!

But actually, it's easy to miss especially for a new forum user.  It is not on the first page and doesn't even show up when you search "grand tour" in the forum search or Google.  

I only know about it because it bubbled up to the top a couple of weeks ago and got a number of customers, including me, but I thought you should know about it as well, since you are at least somewhat competing for the same takers. You may actually wish to advertise your challenge on that thread, since anybody who completes that challenge will have completed some version of this one as well. I would also make one small comment about your scoring system, which is that mixing stacked categorical achievements with different quantitative measures like that doesn't really make any sense to me. How do you intend to combine both science and fuel usage into one score at the top levels? I think you should at least post some sort of a formula for that if you intend to go that route, so that people know how to maximize their scores, although IMO you'd be better off just not mixing apples and oranges like that at all. My suggestion would be to rank all successful completions within a given category by one parameter, like launch weight, fuel consumption, etc. Your challenge will be plenty complicated enough with just that.

[sdj64]

22 minutes ago, herbal space program said:

I only know about it because it bubbled up to the top a couple of weeks ago and got a number of customers, including me, but I thought you should know about it as well, since you are at least somewhat competing for the same takers. You may actually wish to advertise your challenge on that thread, since anybody who completes that challenge will have completed some version of this one as well. I would also make one small comment about your scoring system, which is that mixing stacked categorical achievements with different quantitative measures like that doesn't really make any sense to me. How do you intend to combine both science and fuel usage into one score at the top levels? I think you should at least post some sort of a formula for that if you intend to go that route, so that people know how to maximize their scores, although IMO you'd be better off just not mixing apples and oranges like that at all. My suggestion would be to rank all successful completions within a given category by one parameter, like launch weight, fuel consumption, etc. Your challenge will be plenty complicated enough with just that.

I did know about it already.  I also offer a grand tour badge for the Jool 5  and yes most people who complete the Ultimate Challenge also qualify for the Jool 5.  I was just trying to say that it's not entirely his fault and he had good reason to think he was creating a non-duplicate challenge.  This is actually much better written than the average 6-post member's first challenge.

I was involved in the discussion on @Just Jim's thread for a bit since the challenge appeared shortly after I finished my GT.  But it didn't qualify because no single part landed on every planet/moon.

 

At first glance, it might make more sense to have each level build on the previous.  But looking at it again, the levels are named appropriately.  Bob = scientist = collect science, Bill = engineer = less fuel (engineering challenge), Val = ace pilot = plane, Jeb = crazy daredevil = Eve landing!

[Just Jim]

21 hours ago, herbal space program said:

This is going on currently, with multiple people participating.

 

25 minutes ago, sdj64 said:

I did know about it already.  I also offer a grand tour badge for the Jool 5  and yes most people who complete the Ultimate Challenge also qualify for the Jool 5.  I was just trying to say that it's not entirely his fault and he had good reason to think he was creating a non-duplicate challenge.  This is actually much better written than the average 6-post member's first challenge.

I was involved in the discussion on @Just Jim's thread for a bit since the challenge appeared shortly after I finished my GT.  But it didn't qualify because no single part landed on every planet/moon.

At first glance, it might make more sense to have each level build on the previous.  But looking at it again, the levels are named appropriately.  Bob = scientist = collect science, Bill = engineer = less fuel (engineering challenge), Val = ace pilot = plane, Jeb = crazy daredevil = Eve landing!

 

I've been reading thru this, and this one appears to be different than mine in a couple ways. 
My challenge comes straight from a career mission contract itself, which was called The Ultimate Challenge:

According to the wording of the contract, one must land the same ship, or as some have discovered, the same command pod, on every planet and moon, except Jool, of course, then land that same ship on Kerbin. 

While this Ultimate Grand Tour Challenge is similar, there are several different levels that are not nearly as hard as doing it all in just one ship, and I think this is a good idea, especially for someone trying it for the first time.

I see no problem with this challenge and mine co-existing just fine. 

[herbal space program]

29 minutes ago, sdj64 said:

I did know about it already.  I also offer a grand tour badge for the Jool 5  and yes most people who complete the Ultimate Challenge also qualify for the Jool 5.  I was just trying to say that it's not entirely his fault and he had good reason to think he was creating a non-duplicate challenge.  This is actually much better written than the average 6-post member's first challenge.

I was involved in the discussion on @Just Jim's thread for a bit since the challenge appeared shortly after I finished my GT.  But it didn't qualify because no single part landed on every planet/moon.

 

At first glance, it might make more sense to have each level build on the previous.  But looking at it again, the levels are named appropriately.  Bob = scientist = collect science, Bill = engineer = less fuel (engineering challenge), Val = ace pilot = plane, Jeb = crazy daredevil = Eve landing!

Oops, I thought I was responding to the OP here.   I'm not criticizing them for posting this or failing to find the other challenge, but it's similar enough that I thought they should know. It is after all a really big thing to do, and takers will be limited. Of course smaller things will also get on the board here, so maybe it will get more takers than the other one. For example, for me to make my Ultimate Challenge submission, I'll have to visit every body with ISRU planetary scanner probes, so that would actually satisfy the first level. That's in part why I suggested advertising it over there. Anyway, I guess I'll submit whatever I do for that challenge to this one as well.

Edited July 21, 2016 by herbal space program

[John FX]

On 19/07/2016 at 6:34 PM, endomen said:

After months of planning, the Kerbals decided that they needed something to do. Something that would shock the whole of Kerbin...

They decided that they would send something to every planet in the Kerbol system.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Yes, you have to go to Eeloo.

 

Reminds me of a challenge I did not long after joining the forum

I was the first person to put a flag on every body in the system as I had crew on the way when flags were added.

EDIT :

On Jeb level, do you have to bring the crew back?

Edited July 23, 2016 by John FX
too much quote

[Jetski]

Done.  Jeb level, no crew were lost.  Some pics are out of order as the new Imgur is lame. @endomen just to be clear, it doesn't say anywhere on the OP that the Kerbals have to make it home

One launch, spammed tiny landers everywhere, used a capsule for Eve, service bays with heat shields/chutes for Duna and Laythe, ions for Moho.  Did Tylo last, using the mothership main engine to slow down then a final Terrier stage to safely land the can there.

Now I have 14 stranded Kerbals along with a few scraps of landers, which I've used to set up a Rescue Challenge!

 

Edited July 23, 2016 by Jetski

[The Raging Sandwich]

Is the Alcubierre Drive mod banned to?

[Kergarin]

This should be at least Jeb level and maybe Val level, too?

It was build for @Just Jim's Ultimate Challenge thread, and is ABSOLUTELY stock.