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Do something cool (and legitimate) with the KAL-1000


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The current spate of replies by user @imcute where they complete various challenges by abusing the KAL-1000 not checking parameter limits got me thinking: what legitimate, cool things can you do with a KAL-1000? I'm by no means an expert, having just the bare minimum of experience with the KAL-1000, so the current challenge is quite open-ended:

Build something in the game that is automated in a legitimate manner by the use of one or more KAL-1000s.

By "legitimate" I mean that your entry should not be using the KAL-1000 to set any game parameter to a value outside the limits for that parameter that are enforced by other parts of the game. For instance, if you use a KAL-1000 to control the thrust of an engine, that thrust must stay between 0 and 100 percent of rated thrust. Movement of robotic parts must stay within the limits set for those parts. Using a KAL-1000 to have an SRB respond to throttle input from the user while in flight is forbidden. If you want to fly an SRB powered craft with a pre-programmed, non-constant thrust profile (as was done in real life with, e.g., the Space Shuttle), go right ahead. And so on.

I hope this rule makes it clear what I mean by legitimate use of the KAL-1000. But I realize this rule is not 100% watertight, so please don't rules lawyer the challenge and, when in doubt if something is allowed, please ask.

The challenge is aimed at @imcute in particular, who, in a different thread, stated that they thought the only reason for the KAL-1000 existing in the game was to exceed parameter limits. But other people can join as well. If you have an older craft that uses the KAL-1000 in an interesting way, feel free to post that as well.

Other challenge rules:

  1. To keep a level playing field, please only use parts from the base game and DLCs.
  2. Informational and visual mods allowed
  3. Autopilots other than the stock SAS, as well as other mods that automate parts of the game, such as kOS, are not allowed. The idea is to use only the KAL-1000 to automate your craft.
  4. No Kraken drives, cheating, editing of game files (which amounts to writing your own mod) or otherwise exploiting the game engine in unreasonable ways.
  5. Using the Alt-F12 menus to set the location of your craft is allowed, as is using the informational displays that can be found there, such as the AeroGUI or the thermal data for parts. Please document any such use, though. Don't use the Alt-F12 menu to modify standard game physics, though.

Submissions to the challenge preferably as a short video showcasing your craft.

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1 hour ago, imcute said:

i did not know that u could read the throttle

You can't, not directly. But there is a way to make it work, which I'll leave for you to discover. Consider that part of the current challenge.

Edited by QF9E
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I didn't experiment with KAL-1000 much, but I did build this simple helicopter for Jool STS-1 Mission. Fully electric, pontoons for water landings and a single seat

WLXDP9Z.jpg

KAL-1000 was used to set up the controls for prop angles. I don't have a video of my own, but instead I will share the video of a tutorial I followed to build my helicopter

 

 

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6 minutes ago, imcute said:

why?i mean,u can fly ur ssto well in jool atmos

why would u want a helicop

I was doing a Jool STS-1 Mission, which is part of a STS Challenge thread. One of the mission requirements was to bring along a craft capable of flying on Laythe for exploration. However, as a self-imposed rule I was exclusively using Mk.2 parts, and Mk.2 cargo bays don't have much space in them, so fitting a small jet plane was impossible. Building a helicopter proved to be a good workaround

4 minutes ago, Superfluous J said:

Pinpoint landings in atmo are by no means easy and walking long distances is a pain.

While true, it wasn't the main reason why I built the helicopter. Hell, I didn't even fly it that much: I basically built it strictly to satisfy challenge requirements. However the helicopter itself proved to be working wonderfully, so I was satisfied in the end :)

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1 hour ago, imcute said:

then make an ar202 case

I don't know what that is. Google tells me it's a car wheel. I feel a helicopter would be more fun and more practical than a car wheel.

1 hour ago, imcute said:

use mk3 then

 

They couldn't or it would break their self-imposed rule.

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3 hours ago, imcute said:

ur drawing on the ground and jailing urself

@imcute You will stop telling others that they are playing the game in the wrong way. I've been trying to be patient with you and take a constructive stance. But my patience is coming to an end.

Everyone knows that bringing a small plane to Laythe is easier and more practical with a Mk3 Shuttle. But that is the entire point: to see if you can complete the mission without doing the obvious thing. If you do so, you even risk becoming a better KSP player.

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14 minutes ago, QF9E said:

Everyone knows that bringing a small plane to Laythe is easier and more practical with a Mk3 Shuttle

WHAT?

i dont think so

edit:oops misreaded this as Everyone knows that bringing a small plane to Laythe is easier and more practical than bringing a Mk3 Shuttle

45 minutes ago, Ben J. Kerman said:

cranes

 

45 minutes ago, Ben J. Kerman said:

Kania trucks

these things are not helpful about science mode or going to space

15 minutes ago, QF9E said:

without doing the obvious thing

i dont understand

Edited by imcute
oops
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I built this all electric tilt rotor plane for permanent deployment at Laythe (and also variants for Duna and Eve).  It must be all electric because it is not known whether there is any usable ore on land (and jet engines don't work on Duna and Eve anyways).

https://imgpile.com/images/wtdzfW.png

https://kerbalx.com/TheFlyingKerman/Electra-2A

The KAL9000 is used to like prop pitch with rotor tilt angle, to make controlling the plane manageable.

 

 

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Without wishing to flex too hard on this thread, I have managed to find a number of good uses for KALs, particularly since the final update when they fixed some irksome bugs that prevented it reaching its true potential:

Given the number of videos, I've spoilered them to keep this post in check, and sub-divided into categories

1. Robots!

Spoiler

Test 1: Ballerina

Test 2: Walking (plus a sea shanty)

Test 3: Hip hop (getting up and sitting down)

And then the combined run:

 

 

2. Logic Gates

Spoiler

The basics:

 

A calculator!

 

 

3. The Piece of Resistance: Meta KSP

Spoiler

And the accompanying how to guide:

 

 

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2 hours ago, dnbattley said:

Without wishing to flex too hard on this thread, I have managed to find a number of good uses for KALs,

Those are brilliant! I honestly never gave the KAL-1000 much thought and I never even considered linking multiple KAL-1000s together, let alone to make them into a calculator.

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  • 2 weeks later...

A while back I used pistons, fireworks, and rotation servos with a KAL-1000 to make a fully automatic multi-burst-mode recoil-compensating rotating GAU-8 Avenger which I then mounted on an A-10 Warthog.

Ammo is low unless you turn on infinite fuel. And while I was using KAL abuse to increase the projectile speed of the firework launcher for visual effect (and to actually be able to destroy buildings), that's not necessary to the design. 

Spoiler

screenshot24.png
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screenshot26.png
screenshot28.png
screenshot33.png
screenshot35.png
screenshot36.png
screenshot38.png

I could have made the rear part of the fuselage shorter and put the Wheezleys inside of 1.875-m fairings to make it look more realistic.

EDIT:

Video-20220707-171038.gif

Just like on the real A-10, the rotation ensures that the barrel which activates is always exactly centerline of the aircraft, which prevents the recoil from producing any yaw on the vehicle. It has 7 barrels just like the real GAU-8.

Edited by sevenperforce
Added gif
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On 6/26/2022 at 7:09 AM, dnbattley said:

Without wishing to flex too hard on this thread, I have managed to find a number of good uses for KALs, particularly since the final update when they fixed some irksome bugs that prevented it reaching its true potential:

Given the number of videos, I've spoilered them to keep this post in check, and sub-divided into categories

1. Robots!

  Hide contents

Test 1: Ballerina

Test 2: Walking (plus a sea shanty)

Test 3: Hip hop (getting up and sitting down)

And then the combined run:

 

 

2. Logic Gates

  Hide contents

The basics:

 

A calculator!

 

 

3. The Piece of Resistance: Meta KSP

  Hide contents

And the accompanying how to guide:

 

 

The logic gates and the meta game are AMAZING.

It's a shame the KAL can't accept inputs other than from the user, though. That would really make things exciting.

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2 hours ago, sevenperforce said:

It's a shame the KAL can't accept inputs other than from the user, though. That would really make things exciting.

Imagine if we could use the pressure readout of the barometer as an input... dynamically adjust control surface authority/deployment to pressure, or ballast systems that adjust to depth. Ore % readout to make an auto-searching ISRU rover that finds the spot with the highest ore yield in the landing area. Thermometer readout to adjust airbrake deployment and/or pitch angle to manage reentry heat, or reduce throttle for super- and hypersonic planes to stay within thermal tolerances.

Ah but a Kerbal can dream...

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39 minutes ago, swjr-swis said:

Imagine if we could use the pressure readout of the barometer as an input... dynamically adjust control surface authority/deployment to pressure, or ballast systems that adjust to depth. Ore % readout to make an auto-searching ISRU rover that finds the spot with the highest ore yield in the landing area. Thermometer readout to adjust airbrake deployment and/or pitch angle to manage reentry heat, or reduce throttle for super- and hypersonic planes to stay within thermal tolerances.

Ah but a Kerbal can dream...

One thing you can do with a KAL-1000 currently, which is pretty cool, is to use it to mimic the landing probes used by the LMs in the Apollo program. Put one KAL-1000 on the LM, loop it, and program it to set the landing engine thrust limiter to zero. Attach a piece with very low impact resistance, offset it so that it hits the ground before the landing legs, and then attach a second KAL to that piece. The second KAL is also looped but has higher priority and sets the landing engine thrust limiter to 100%. Have them both activate at staging.

At touchdown, that piece will break, severing the connection with the second KAL and allowing the first KAL to take over and shut down the engine. 

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36 minutes ago, sevenperforce said:

At touchdown, that piece will break, severing the connection with the second KAL and allowing the first KAL to take over and shut down the engine. 

Automated lithobraking. If that isn't a kerbal application, I don't know what is.

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