Back to Bases

[Chads]

Hello!

I'm back to KSP after a few months' hiatus.  Unfortunately, due to a stupid decision, I lost my progress in career mode, and I've since started over.  However, that gives me the chance to do things better, I figure!

When I left, I was starting to get to the "build a base" type missions.  I have been wondering, how do most people get bases connected, if they aren't landing them in one piece?  I'd looked at putting things on wheels, but it was pointed out, that's not ideal, as the various gravities affect the struts differently, so what works on kerbin may not on the Mun, etc.

Any pointers greatly appreciated!  I'm mostly vanilla right now (KER, and a few other basics, but I don't have KAS/KIS, etc. re-added yet).

 

[DAL59]

Try assembling in orbit and then landing.  

[katateochi]

KAS/KIS are always great for easy linking of things (although recently I've found connecting things in docked mode with the winches results in explody doom, but the fuel lines are ok).  My problem with linking base parts together with KAS pipes is while the game is happy enough to transfer Kerbals between parts connected with a tiny pipe I always feel that's not quite right! 
The Pathfinder Mod has a part which is basically just a big KAS pipe, you connect it on EVA in just the same way by linking two of them together and that creates a passway that is large enough that you can believe Kerbals could walk along it.  Pathfinder also has a load of other base stuff and some nice parts, but does add some quite changing mechanics. 

Another KAS approach which is quite fun, although quite time consuming, is bring it all down it little sections and assemble it entirely with Kerbals on site. I've made some quite large bases like that and so long as you have enough Kerbals to meet the weight requirements (and don't mind herding a whole bunch around) it's quite a nice way to build and the end result has a more solidly put-together look than things joined with docking ports or pipes.
I also like joining base modules together with an Infernal Robotics construction rover which can move sections into place or just having sections able to raise/lower themselves to make regular docking easy. But docking can mess up the robotic parts and IR also requires a bit of a fiddle to get it working right in 1.3.1 (but it's totally fine once setup).

DMagic has a flexible docking port mod which enables docking without having to get lined up. I've not tried that one out though. 
Or a stock way that I sometimes use is; have the ports reasonably well lined up and have a set of landing legs that can just boop the module up by a little bit so it hits the target docking port.

[Geschosskopf]

2 hours ago, Chads said:

When I left, I was starting to get to the "build a base" type missions.  I have been wondering, how do most people get bases connected, if they aren't landing them in one piece?

Best advice is, DO NOT connect base modules.  Sooner or later, the Kraken will eat the base.  Especially if the base modules are on wheels or legs.  Best bet is to use a mod that allows wireless resource transfer between detached modules.

Of course, that's ONLY for bases you build for yourself, that you actually care about, not contract bases you'll never use yourself.  For that stuff, avoid all such contracts like the plague unless you can fit all the pieces on a single lander you can lift with your available rocket parts, and doing so doesn't cost more than about 20% of what the contract pays.  Otherwise, don't even do the "simple" contract bases.

[James Kerman]

Wheels are an essential part of my playstyle.

I have had a minor issue of the claw orientation changing over time but I have never had a real kraken attack since the wheels were fixed.

Edited November 7, 2017 by James Kerman
Edited for more information.

[Whisky Tango Foxtrot]

I connect a lifter vehicle to the top of the module as close as I can get to the COM. I then bring it down as close as I can get to the base. When I get close to the ground, I set the lifter's throttle to just enough to cancel out gravity and manoeuvre the module into position using RCS. Once it's docked, I extend the legs and send the lifter back into orbit.

This, of course, only applies to bases on airless bodies. I suppose similar techniques could be used for Duna, but I haven't tried it yet. I have another plan for setting up a multi-part base on Laythe but the components are still in transit, and I don't even want to consider what I'd need to do to set up a surface base on Eve.

[ARS]

Pack a base core module with it's own detachable engines and fuel section, along with all other base modules around it inside large fairing. Send them to orbit of the destination planet using heavylifter rocket, assemble them in orbit and land them like a lander before ditching the engines from base core module

[purpleivan]

The Kraken took a big bite out of my wheeled fuel base on Minmus.

However it's the only time this has happened to me, so the "wheels and claws" method of base building is still my go to technique, if potentially risky.

[KerikBalm]

9 hours ago, Chads said:

I'd looked at putting things on wheels, but it was pointed out, that's not ideal, as the various gravities affect the struts differently, so what works on kerbin may not on the Mun, etc.

Well, you can use retractable gear/struts to move docking ports up/down to get the connection. Or you can build each module light relative to its suspension, so that there is very little compression even at 1G, then for pretty much all other bodies (eve excepted), the suspension compression is irrelevant.

All stock:

Mini-bases/A pretty stable rover:

Spoiler

These modules make use of retractable gear to lift the docking ports if they don't align:

Spoiler

This is 2 fully stock modules, deployable from mk3 bays, connecting to a fuel tank that can attach to KPBS mod based parts

Additional fully stock modules with retractable gear for aligning ports:

Here you can see the small landing gear sticking out:

KPBS which has retractable motorized wheels:

Spoiler

The individual modules in this design have no wheels, I have modules that attach to it and then extend their wheels (they are on the left, although you can't see the bigger extendable wheels due to a little part clipping, and them being retracted)

And my earlier, fully stock bases, assembled on Mun:

Spoiler

These earlier designs used many small wheels, because in 1.02 or whatever the larger wheels wouldn't work if there was even slight part clipping, and they couldn't fit in the mk3 bay

To help prevent kraken attacks when coming back to the base after its been put on rails, you should increase the distance from the ground so that no part is underground before physics kicks in and joints start bending and sagging, etc... so leave the gear extended before moving away from the craft (or pick a very very very flat place, like earlier pics of my Rald planet, and Duna which was a 3x radius and SMA rescale but only a 1.5x height map rescale, which reduces all slopes to 50% of the stock values, and of course makes the distances between changes in slope 3x greater, so its much easier to find a flat enough space to build a base)

I use claws so I can attach to craft that weren't carefully designed to align with the base docking ports. The mk3 dropship is fine because the fuel tank can drive up the ramp, but for smaller SSTOs, its better.

So there is a nice little 100% stock base on a 100% stock body... but I've moved on and I use TAC, 3x rescales, KPBS, etc etc... You can look at my models earlier in this post for reduced part count using bigger wheels, and the mining rig is beefier with 6x drills instead of 2. Also that base was made before relays were implemented, so you can see pictures earlier in the thread that the mining module has a RA-15, and another module to add 3x RA-100s, which can essentially turn the base into a ground station nearly equal to a lvl 3 DSN ground station

 

[Blasty McBlastblast]

My tip is to always test-assemble any bases on the space centre lawn before launch, then assemble at site secure in the knowledge that everything will fit... (usually!)

There are heaps of ways to deliver your base to site, the following video (not mine) is probably the greatest KSP build I've ever seen! 

 

[Chads]

4 hours ago, Blasty McBlastblast said:

My tip is to always test-assemble any bases on the space centre lawn before launch, then assemble at site secure in the knowledge that everything will fit... (usually!)

There are heaps of ways to deliver your base to site, the following video (not mine) is probably the greatest KSP build I've ever seen! 

 

 

That's pretty amazing!  I'm not sure I get how the crane works (how the rotating part fits into the seat of the base), but certainly something to strive for!

[Raptor9]

On 11/6/2017 at 3:21 PM, Chads said:

I'd looked at putting things on wheels, but it was pointed out, that's not ideal, as the various gravities affect the struts differently, so what works on kerbin may not on the Mun, etc.

Fortunately, there is a handy tool in the Alt-F12 menu that allows you to hack gravity to whatever levels you want.  If you check the various surface gravities on the KSP wiki, and then move the gravity slider to the appropriate level, you can properly tune not just suspension settings but also docking port alignments.  This way you can practice assembly at the KSC to ensure everything is properly designed.  Some sample values for the "Hack Gravity" slider would be 0.17 for the Mun or 0.30 for Duna.

My go to method in the past was to use modules that are on wheels, but with deployable landing struts that lift them slightly off the ground, like outriggers on heavy construction equipment.  I would recommend using docking ports to connect the base though.  I would limit Claw-usage to assembly equipment, and avoid using multiple Claws for connecting all the modules together.  The graphic below shows the start of a Mun outpost.  The wheeled/docking port method, tested at the KSC, made assembly a piece-of-cake when I actually got to the Mun.  Plus, when you get this technique down, it makes moving fuel and ore between surface-landed craft easier.  If you look at the right side of the closest lander, you can see a small docking clamp I use on all my landers and refueling craft at a standard height to allow surface refueling.

[Chads]

Cool.  I think I probably spend way too little time on Kerbin.  I tend to like to launch and go.  But, it makes sense that testing things out, in a properly simulated environment, would be a good idea.  I tend to follow the flow of the original space programs, and should really reconsider that.