The Kerbal Dakar 2017 entry vehicles thread

[Thor Wotansen]

Apparently I've come up with a buggy that has a bendy frame.  I'm not sure how this works but hey, I could maybe have some pretty awesome looking limping into the finish but I don't think that should be a goal.

[Majorjim!]

7 minutes ago, regex said:

I came back to this in the morning, I was under the impression that racing would fall under different classes? Or is everyone competing in the custom-scripted, heavily clipped little jet-powered monsters category?

I have a rover shell that I will enter as pure electric and as a jet version. No clipping to speak of.

[regex]

16 minutes ago, Majorjim! said:

I have a rover shell that I will enter as pure electric and as a jet version. No clipping to speak of.

Clipping isn't really an issue for me, it's just a descriptor of what I was seeing. Shoot, I clipped a few things getting my buggy together. The point was really "is it even worthwhile for me to compete with a car designed more for stability than speed against cars designed ultimately for speed when single-player implies multiple do-overs to get it right?" So far it's looking like I read the challenge OP correctly and that others agree, there will be multiple categories. No worries.

[Thor Wotansen]

So close!!!!  And that was after only 3 attempts at rover gymnastics

[Azimech]

2 minutes ago, regex said:

Clipping isn't really an issue for me, it's just a descriptor of what I was seeing. Shoot, I clipped a few things getting my buggy together. The point was really "is it even worthwhile for me to compete with a car designed more for stability than speed against cars designed ultimately for speed when single-player implies multiple do-overs to get it right?" So far it's looking like I read the challenge OP correctly and that others agree, there will be multiple categories. No worries.

I do feel some things are missing in the rules ... terrain detail for example. I drive with max detail and scatter objects because I think it is fun. But ... terrain at a lower level might be easier. Maybe there should be different categories for those as well or everyone sticks to one detail setting.

Same with the jets category. Majorjim probably has a very light and small vehicle with a single jet. My BX has two jets and 8 wheels, my Star Racer YKR has 6 jets and 16 wheels plus a whole bunch of landing gears to protect the front, rear and bottom. There's big difference with being able to jump and land 200 meters with 50m/s while my BX will crash & burn if I try that.

[Slam_Jones]

I wouldn't mind entering an electric-powered buggy, but would it still be acceptable to write a kOS script for it?  I'm not a fan of holding 'w' for an hour and a half

The script would be basic... applying power to the wheels while landed, not applying power while airborne, plus maybe a simple addition to keep it pointed prograde.  And maybe an additional command to deploy/retract flaps for airborne stability.

Edited December 20, 2016 by Slam_Jones

[regex]

1 minute ago, Azimech said:

I do feel some things are missing in the rules ... terrain detail for example. I drive with max detail and scatter objects because I think it is fun. But ... terrain at a lower level might be easier. Maybe there should be different categories for those as well or everyone sticks to one detail setting.

I do the same and that's a great point. Probably a better topic for the challenge thread tbh, but seeing all these designs raised some questions. And I do realize the challenge is a WIP, so there's that.

[Azimech]

5 minutes ago, regex said:

I do the same and that's a great point. Probably a better topic for the challenge thread tbh, but seeing all these designs raised some questions. And I do realize the challenge is a WIP, so there's that.

True ... @Triop will read this anyway ... I think ;-)

[SpannerMonkey(smce)]

4 minutes ago, Slam_Jones said:

The script would be basic... applying power to the wheels while landed, not applying power while airborne, plus maybe a simple addition to keep it pointed prograde.  And maybe an additional command to deploy/retract flaps for airborne stability.

Why not it would not suprise me to learn that someone had plotted the way points into mechjeb and went for coffee leaving the rover to drive itself,     

Strange that i can do without a kos script, mechjeb or funktasticPilotmods and rely on fingers and eyes to do the driving . Maybe it's me doing it wrong and i should just go mad and MM patch the whole damn thing to OP levels , get a couple of twitches, spike the output ,using a similar formula to Azimechs marine curve lots of power but not stupidly fast,  patch out the fx , sound and exhaust damage hide them under a panel and say yeah right look it's electric, what next oh yeah those tr2ls, i could get the reworked ones i did in whenever for that unity example project, they had twice the travel,, more grip and some funky hierarchy, and they look exactly like stock, hmm what now, ah yes positive down force, no wings just hidden tweakble rcs that pushes the vehicle down just a tad,    I could seriously go nuts, and while a numbers junky could likely work out something funny was going on, it would look just so legal in a pic....(not serious btw )

But you know what i like the fact that although by some standards it's heavily modded ,it's not OP , it will at a push on a lucky run, downhill, no brakes, touch a ton and it's really not happy at those speeds at all ,   my truck has a weakness that's bound to show itself , I've done all i can to mitigate it, but at some point if I'm even a little careless it will rip both front wheels off, this is part punishment for having wheels so mounted that they reach the end of the suspension travel  slightly before anything else touches down = bad place, and bad design on the front lower half of the wide cage,( just needed to be a little deeper).  Believe it or not there are two much better replacements sitting in the folder fresh out of unity today, but i cannot face that setup again, I've got it as right as it can be. Last night (after throwing away two junos and going on a serious diet)  i did the course backwards in the dark till stage four at a steadyish  10/60ms it was great, the country side whizzing by , rocks and trees  looming up out of the dark, and a lot of it didn't look like that in daylight!  type moments. Going slower makes me happier as i have a chance of finishing, i don't care if I'm beaten by a crater crawler on the day, because if I do finish I'll have beaten me .   I'll shut up now

 

[Majorjim!]

10 minutes ago, regex said:

 So far it's looking like I read the challenge OP correctly and that others agree, there will be multiple categories. No worries.

Yup multiple categories for sure.

3 minutes ago, Azimech said:

There's big difference with being able to jump and land 200 meters with 50m/s while my BX will crash & burn if I try that.

LOL mine cannot do that.. You will see this in the vid I'm gunna upload.

[Slam_Jones]

Well, I must admit, I wasn't expecting so much passive-aggressiveness regarding kOS!  Mine are the only comments showing it in video or pictures, yet there's at least two semi-snide comments about kOS at this point. (within the past two pages no less)

So: is it okay to use it or not?

Edited December 20, 2016 by Slam_Jones

[Azimech]

1 minute ago, Slam_Jones said:

Well, I must admit, I wasn't expecting so much passive-aggressiveness regarding kOS!  That's at least two off-comments about it at this point.

So: is it okay to use it or not?

I think Triop should decide. A lot of people are in favour of space tech to control their car's behaviour, others are not. I won't use SAS or kOS because I feel it will make me a better builder and driver and I like to look at real vehicles. Others might say having jet engines in a car has got nothing to do with reality and they're also right, and my opinion is I need the acceleration & speed to make it at least a little bit interesting. So I think it depends on how many people will want to join and if the extra work of creating sub categories is worth it.

[SpannerMonkey(smce)]

4 minutes ago, Slam_Jones said:

(almost) snide comments about kOS at this point.

No snide comments just my thoughts, it won't make the tiniest bit of difference  to me in the end,  we'll have both achieved something, you managed to write a script to automate throttle etc while you just steer,  epic,  and I'll have hopefully resisted pushing the W key out of the back of the keyboard   

[Azimech]

6 minutes ago, SpannerMonkey(smce) said:

No snide comments just my thoughts, it won't make the tiniest bit of difference  to me in the end,  we'll have both achieved something, you managed to write a script to automate throttle etc while you just steer,  epic,  and I'll have hopefully resisted pushing the W key out of the back of the keyboard   

Using ALT-W enables trim ... if you don't have SAS or control surface using pitch, it will just enable the motors to drive forward. You can still use backwards and brake. Voila, no kOS needed ;-)

[regex]

I see no other option than a sore "W" finger by the end of this, especially in the bone-stock electrics category. I'll also be using it liberally as people pass me by.

Edited December 20, 2016 by regex

[Thor Wotansen]

Bone stock electrics really don't need control surfaces, they don't go fast enough to really benefit from them, so the Alt w option works great.

[regex]

1 minute ago, Thor Wotansen said:

Bone stock electrics really don't need control surfaces, they don't go fast enough to really benefit from them, so the Alt w option works great.

Letting go of "W" is also a braking mechanism. I am also a masochist.

[Majorjim!]

28 minutes ago, regex said:

I see no other option than a sore "W" finger by the end of this, especially in the bone-stock electrics category. I'll also be using it liberally as people pass me by.

If the other jet cars are like mine they will be passing you in a shower of sparks and debris! 

 I am sure only in elec mode do I have a chance of being competitive.

 

[regex]

Just now, Majorjim! said:

I am sure only in elec mode do I have a chance of being competitive.

fite me

I may actually make a jet car for a second entry, seems like that's a popular option. Not exactly my cup of tea but I have to wonder if I can make it as controllable as I want it.

Finally something to make me want to play KSP again...

[Draconiator]

I WAS thinking a hybrid...a single Juno for the smoother sections and switching it off for the more hilly ones.

[GDJ]

4 minutes ago, Majorjim! said:

 I am sure only in elec mode do I have a chance of being competitive.

All my cars are Electric (Fuel cell, Fuel/Oxidizer) and they routinely do 40-45 m/s. Not a problem running these.

Besides, what really counts is getting across the finish line, and if you can do that unscathed, then you're ahead.

[Thor Wotansen]

I did the 2nd stage in 14:17 and only lost 2 lights.

[Draconiator]

Yup, this is why I'm not using jets during the whole course.

 

You can see the chassis I made though, which is pretty cool.  neeeeeed morrrrrre rigidity....

[Majorjim!]

37 minutes ago, regex said:

fite me

If I understand you correctly, sure. Twood be a pleasure.

[Azimech]

49 minutes ago, regex said:

fite me

I may actually make a jet car for a second entry, seems like that's a popular option. Not exactly my cup of tea but I have to wonder if I can make it as controllable as I want it.

Finally something to make me want to play KSP again...

Glad to have you back on board :-D