The Stock Weapons Challenge

[Krog34]

Stock Weapons Challenge!

Contrary to public misconception, stock weapons ARE a thing, and I want to see your creations!

 

The Challenge: Build & Deploy a custom weapon using only stock KSP parts.

 

 WATCH THE STOCK WEAPONS CHALLENGE VIDEO TRAILER BELOW

INSTRUCTIONS
Build a STOCK weapon and deploy it against a specific target. You may only use parts from Stock KSP, no BD armory of course, other mods are ok as long as they don't provide any unfair advantages. You must use KSP Version 1.0 or later.
To complete this challenge you must meet the following requirements:
1) Picture, GIF, or Video of your weapon.
2) Picture, GIF, or Video of the aftermath of your deployed weapon.
3) You MUST call your target (ex: VAB building, or a specific craft, or "ENTIRE RUNWAY")
4) You MUST prove your weapon works (accuracy be damned!)
Impress me!

Edited December 5, 2016 by Krog34

[Matuchkin]

I am inspired...

[Matuchkin]

Just to confirm: stock homing missiles have to be switched to after firing, right?

[TheDestroyer111]

18 minutes ago, Matuchkin said:

Just to confirm: stock homing missiles have to be switched to after firing, right?

Yep, although I wouldn't call them "homing" but rather guided - if you don't use some sort of crazy and advanced sas-target-hold-based system w/aerodynamics, they are guided manually by switching to them and controlling them.

[Matuchkin]

1 minute ago, TheDestroyer111 said:

Yep, although I wouldn't call them "homing" but rather guided - if you don't use some sort of crazy and advanced sas-target-hold-based system w/aerodynamics, they are guided manually by switching to them and controlling them.

It isn't enough to tell them to hold target?

[TheDestroyer111]

On 12/5/2016 at 2:57 PM, Matuchkin said:

It isn't enough to tell them to hold target?

It is possible at all to make this useful only with very advanced and terribly complex aerodynamic setups and while releasing the missile at a specific airspeed, and even then a direct hit is drastically less probable than when manually guiding the missiles. So no.

//EDIT: While your missile apparently worked, target hold guidance is good only at short range and/or low relative speed. If you want to use the missile at long range for a target that doesn't have hugely exaggerated size (like your target), you have to use impractical aerodynamic setups or manual guidance. Also, that won't work well for "tank busters"

Edited May 14, 2017 by TheDestroyer111

[322997am]

Can I use bda for the physics range extension?

[Krog34]

6 hours ago, Matuchkin said:

It isn't enough to tell them to hold target?

It actually IS enough to click hold target and it will "guide" itself to the target.  I'm still working on the accuracy of the Stock guided missile but it is definitely possible.  Here are two examples of missiles guiding themselves to the target. One on solid fuel, one on liquid fuel.

Liquid Fueled Guided Missile

Solid Fueled Guided Missile (at 4 minutes 14 seconds)
https://youtu.be/AvTYTCiTuH8?t=4m14s

 

13 minutes ago, 322997am said:

Can I use bda for the physics range extension?

Hmm, I'll allow it. No BD weaponry though!

[DoctorDavinci]

So a completely stock orbital Rod of God platform would qualify for this challenge, yes?

[Matuchkin]

3 hours ago, Krog34 said:

Hmm, I'll allow it. No BD weaponry though!

There is absolutely no way to use BD weaponry in a way that isn't clearly visible and would get you disqualified.

[Azimech]

4 hours ago, 322997am said:

Can I use bda for the physics range extension?

You don't need to. In your physics.cfg you can change it yourself (1.2+ only).

 

VesselRanges
{
	prelaunch
	{
		load = 10000
		unload = 12500
		pack = 3500
		unpack = 2000
	}
	landed
	{
		load = 10000
		unload = 12500
		pack = 3500
		unpack = 2000
	}
	splashed
	{
		load = 10000
		unload = 12500
		pack = 3500
		unpack = 2000
	}
	flying
	{
		load = 10000
		unload = 22500
		pack = 25000
		unpack = 2000
	}
	orbit
	{
		load = 2250
		unload = 2500
		pack = 350
		unpack = 200
	}
	subOrbital
	{
		load = 2250
		unload = 15000
		pack = 10000
		unpack = 200
	}
	escaping
	{
		load = 2250
		unload = 2500
		pack = 350
		unpack = 200
	}
}

Use at your own risk ... but I've been using altered values for months now, it's pretty safe.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Azimech

[Krog34]

4 hours ago, DoctorDavinci said:

So a completely stock orbital Rod of God platform would qualify for this challenge, yes?

If it's stock and it is designed to inflict damage on other things, then yes it qualifies 

[Pds314]

I may make an entry. I'm hoping to take out planes with a big cannon that throws shrapnel into the sky in the km/s or so range.

That, or a gravity-fed semi-auto cannon to take out buildings and vehicles, although good lord the recoil will be terrible, especially if it needs to fire continuously.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Pds314

[Torquimedes]

21 hours ago, Krog34 said:

It actually IS enough to click hold target and it will "guide" itself to the target.  I'm still working on the accuracy of the Stock guided missile but it is definitely possible.  Here are two examples of missiles guiding themselves to the target. One on solid fuel, one on liquid fuel.

Does a launched weapon retain its SAS state after separation, or do you have to directly control each weapon's probe core for its SAS to work?

[nascarlaser1]

How complicated does this weapon have to be exactly? 1 kickback SRB, 4 fins, a nosecone, and 2-3 launch clamps when angled right, can be a heck of a land to land missile. It could even achieve land to air or land to water if designed properly (never tested though, I've only used to blow the KSC sky high.)

[c4ooo]

I have been experimenting with crashing missiles from orbit into the VAB / SPH. Sometimes with a heavy rocket at high speed doesn't do anything, while sometimes the KSC explodes from a very small rocket at slow(er) speeds

[Krog34]

34 minutes ago, nascarlaser1 said:

How complicated does this weapon have to be exactly? 1 kickback SRB, 4 fins, a nosecone, and 2-3 launch clamps when angled right, can be a heck of a land to land missile. It could even achieve land to air or land to water if designed properly (never tested though, I've only used to blow the KSC sky high.)

It can be a dumb bomb dropped from a craft or a SAM missile, or some kind of ICBM. Anything designed as a weapon, used as a weapon, and destroys things counts (STOCK!)

 

3 hours ago, Torquimedes said:

Does a launched weapon retain its SAS state after separation, or do you have to directly control each weapon's probe core for its SAS to work?

So far my testing shows that a detached missile reverts to the default SAS control. So far the only way I can get them to guide themselves is by switching to the missile or making the missile the "Main part" and that way the camera will follow it (still have to switch back to your main ship after launch though.)

[Krog34]

19 hours ago, Pds314 said:

I may make an entry. I'm hoping to take out planes with a big cannon that throws shrapnel into the sky in the km/s or so range.

That, or a gravity-fed semi-auto cannon to take out buildings and vehicles, although good lord the recoil will be terrible, especially if it needs to fire continuously.

I want to see these weapons! I've been tossing ideas around on how to make a flak gun of sorts myself

[Pds314]

36 minutes ago, Krog34 said:

I want to see these weapons! I've been tossing ideas around on how to make a flak gun of sorts myself

I'm planning on using the Landing leg cannon methods. I've made some before with muzzle velocities in the 10s of km/s, but they have a habit of smashing themselves to bits, since up to a certain point anyway, it seems like the cannon recoil velocity is constant, and equal and opposite momentum is applied to the projectile. I.E. 20 tonne launcher moves back at 10 m/s, 0.2 tonne projectile moves forward at 1000 m/s.

Edited December 7, 2016 by Pds314

[AeroGav]

On 06/12/2016 at 9:26 PM, c4ooo said:

I have been experimenting with crashing missiles from orbit into the VAB / SPH. Sometimes with a heavy rocket at high speed doesn't do anything, while sometimes the KSC explodes from a very small rocket at slow(er) speeds

Scott Manley did a video on this, at really high speeds objects can step through the building's hitbox and collide with the ground instead, failing to damage the building despite being on target.

[Torquimedes]

On 12/5/2016 at 10:07 PM, Krog34 said:

If it's stock and it is designed to inflict damage on other things, then yes it qualifies 

Has anyone tested how inflicting damage on another craft works without mods?  It seems to be counterintuitive.  I used the largest fuel tank as a target, and a weapon which impacts the tank at 20 m/s.  The weapon is obliterated, but the fuel tank is unscathed.  All parts involved have a "crash tolerance" well below 20 m/s.  Even using a girder as an impactor, it just bounced off the fuel tank and the rest of the weapon broke instead.

I know that tank would explode if it was in flight and brushed the terrain at anywhere near 20 m/s.

[Jhawk1099]

9 minutes ago, Torquimedes said:

Has anyone tested how inflicting damage on another craft works without mods?  It seems to be counterintuitive.  I used the largest fuel tank as a target, and a weapon which impacts the tank at 20 m/s.  The weapon is obliterated, but the fuel tank is unscathed.  All parts involved have a "crash tolerance" well below 20 m/s.  Even using a girder as an impactor, it just bounced off the fuel tank and the rest of the weapon broke instead.

I know that tank would explode if it was in flight and brushed the terrain at anywhere near 20 m/s.

Perhaps if the target is in flight as opposed to on the ground it will take damage. I can't tell you how many times I got a little to crazy with the time warp and crashed a craft into my space stations and destroyed everything 

[DoctorDavinci]

So I'll just leave this here ........

Save file link can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dg08csiaqi35duj/AADVpyWmfu9n8kw-wJ4ectJfa?dl=0

I might try a catapult next

[Opus_723]

I've tried building a suborbital guided missile, and I've had some success. But I'm trying to increase the impact speed. So far the best sea-level impact I can get seems to be about 1400m/s. If I try to use the engine to surpass that, the fairing overheats and explodes. And the heat shields are far too blunt. I was hoping to at least crack 1500m/s. Any  tips on surviving atmospheric flight at those speeds?

[Krog34]

On 12/11/2016 at 0:23 PM, DoctorDavinci said:

So I'll just leave this here ........

Save file link can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dg08csiaqi35duj/AADVpyWmfu9n8kw-wJ4ectJfa?dl=0

I might try a catapult next

YES! Nice weapon! This is exactly what I want to see!