Kolsyreikon - Disable the enemy vessel!

[Ascensiam]

Warning: This is a difficult and very performance demanding challenge!

Welcome to the first of a series of challenges that i have decided to launch.

It's a very delicate and complicated one, but first you should have some immersion.

Mission Briefing

Welcome, recruit, as you may know, we're at war with the Federation. The Duna colony is currently under siege and in threat of being bombarded, however, thanks to the heroism of the local garrison commander, the enemy fleet had to spend all of their space-to-surface missiles on destroying the Duna defenses. Duna is in the middle of finishing a surface-to-space cannon, but this will take at least 1½ year. In the meantime, the stalemate at Kerbin is going nowhere, the Federation has sent a freighter to resupply their Duna blockade fleet, and enable it to bombard the Duna colony before the surface defenses are ready. Of course, the colony will capitulate, but this will mean a humiliating and costly defeat for us, as well as the loss of Duna, should this happen.

Fortunately, before the freighter was able to leave Kerbin, we struck a blow with an EMP missile and threw it into an unstable orbit. On the other side, if we sent in a vessel to finish it off, their fleet, orbiting on the other side of the planet in comparison to ours, will react and intercept immediately.

As such, we've entrusted you, yes, you, with designing and launching a vessel that can utilize makeshift engineering and low-tech to permanently paralyze the enemy freighter and render it useless. If you succeed, the Duna defenses will be completed without the enemy fleet resupplying, forcing them to retreat to Kerbin, and thus decisively turning the war for Duna in our favor.

We've done satelite imagery of the freighter before sending you off, they can't tell you much, but it's better than nothing.

It hasn't done anything except define the freighter's orbit and detect it's own detection systems. They are as follows:

Primary Detection - This will detect any vessel larger than the Orange Rockomax tank and will activate all intercept methods (ending the mission) after 30 seconds.

Secondary Detection - This will detect anything, and will activate all intercept methods after 30 seconds.

High Command has also expressed their desire for a full visual image from close range of the freighter, for further analysis, this is critical to your mission as well.

Beyond this, the enemy fleet and satelites will detect anything maintaining a significant electrical current, as such, your vessel cannot produce or consume an electric charge during any time outside the atmosphere. They are looking for anything that isn't our own main fleet. Beyond this, they will most likely respond ASAP if they detect your launch, so be fast!

Rules

You have 24 hours to complete your run from the point of launch, or the enemy will repair the freighter.

You may not come within 70000 metres of the freighter with anything bigger than an orange rockomax tank. Debris count too!

You have 30 seconds to hit the freighter with whatever you've got after passing 2000 metres.

You may not produce or consume electricity after passing 70000 metres altitude once.

You must provide the end flight log.

You must capture an image of the enemy freighter through IVA.

You may not use mods than can enhance your destructive capability in the attacking phase.

You may not select the freighter on the tracking station until after having done your run.

Scoring - You must at minimum capture an image of the freighter from IVA and hit it. All else is score extras.

Comp stomp - Destroy the probe body controlling the freighter = 300 points

Power cut - Make the freighter unable to produce electricity = 200 points

There is no escape - Detach the freighter's escape pods = 250 points

Destroying an Orange supply container = 50 points

Open wide! - Remove the lid = 200 points

*Pop* - Cause the entire vessel to disappear due to physics cascade = Honorable mention

No soldier left behind - Get the pilot(s) out of 2km range again within the 30 seconds and return them to Kerbin safely = +20% point modifier

Mission Accomplished - Made the freighter incapable of interplanetary travel (accomplished at least one of the two topmost options) or took out all orange tanks = +20% point modifier

Scoreboard

Added if this challenge proves to be interesting to you.

My own attempts

Moderators aren't excepted from the do it yourself too rule, i launched a small vessel that unfortunately had to kamikaze to be efficient, i tried to cause extra damage by decoupling decouplers in the last second.

It wasn't very effective, blowing up mostly unimportant parts, but it proved that proper timing and good design can penetrate deep and cause serious havoc. You may want to quicksave for those times when you miss, but when you hit it, it is very satisfying.

Mission Persistence File = Download

(I strongly suggest doing the challenge on a different save than your main, or otherwise back up your current persistent.)

Good luck soldier!

Edited April 30, 2013 by Ascensiam

[KasperVld]

This sounds like a fun thing to try, sign me up

[Munstation]

I'll have a nab at this then, Got the attack phase fighter done already.

EDIT: Tried it, found I messed up the missiles.

Ah well, atleast I can refine it next time.

IMAGES:

Edited April 26, 2013 by Munstation

[Caldari Navy]

So am I correct in thinking that I can have a ship bigger than an orange Rockomax aslong as it stays outside the ist detection zone?

If so can any debris from the vessel small than the rockmoax tank enter the zone without detection?

And if both of my assumptions are correct then would a large fighter Carrier do the trick which can carry x amount of fighters and stay outside the primary detection zone

Edited April 26, 2013 by bucklebill

[Ascensiam]

So am I correct in thinking that I can have a ship bigger than an orange Rockomax aslong as it stays outside the ist detection zone?

If so can any debris from the vessel small than the rockmoax tank enter the zone without detection?

And if both of my assumptions are correct then would a large fighter Carrier do the trick which can carry x amount of fighters and stay outside the primary detection zone

Anything outside the 70000 metre mark can exist as long as it does not consume or produce electricity in order to ''fly low''

You should notice that you only have 30 seconds as soon as you are detected, allowing for usually only one attack.

[Caldari Navy]

Anything outside the 70000 metre mark can exist as long as it does not consume or produce electricity in order to ''fly low''

You should notice that you only have 30 seconds as soon as you are detected, allowing for usually only one attack.

Surelyn you mean like balancing Comsumption with Production to keep the electricity amount the smae.

[olopi]

Gonna do this one later today/tomorrow.

....If I can get an Intercept...

[RFK128]

Quick questions before I try this. By smaller than a rockomax tank are you talking about mass, or physical dimensions, it is an important difference to my design.

[SmallChange]

Not producing an electrical charge would limit you to the Aerospike as the most powerful, and the Mk 55 Radial engine as the next most powerful. All the other, more powerful engines produce an electrical charge.

[Ascensiam]

Quick questions before I try this. By smaller than a rockomax tank are you talking about mass, or physical dimensions, it is an important difference to my design.

Dimensions, it would be strange if a visual detection system had an easier time due to mass.

Not producing an electrical charge would limit you to the Aerospike as the most powerful, and the Mk 55 Radial engine as the next most powerful. All the other, more powerful engines produce an electrical charge.

You've got that right.

[Goddamnit- Clown]

About to start an attempt on this, just want to clear something up about the detection rules.

Primary Detection - This will detect any vessel larger than the Orange Rockomax tank and will activate all intercept methods (ending the mission) after 30 seconds.

So a large ship (bigger than a jumbo tank) triggers the 30s timeout at 70km but smaller things only trigger it at 2km. That makes sense to me, but there seems to be a rule stating outright that:

You may not come within 70000 metres of the freighter with anything bigger than...

So can we take big things inside 70km so long as we're ok with the 30s limit being started? I'm assuming we can, but it's just that 30s isn't much time to do anything useful with something that big at that distance. Will make a start now, presumably, also, the electricity generated by a crewed module is kosher so long as it's not used?

Edited April 30, 2013 by Goddamnit, Clown

[SirJodelstein]

Jebedia to mission command: Booyah!

Bill Kerman to mission command: Sir, our hero is back in town, we have set down 20km from the space center and are waiting for a taxi. Prepare a big party, the footage from the fighter cam indicates a successfull strike at the target. The weapon systems seem to have worked even better than we expected from the crash test series on the runway. Transmitting data for evaluation.

The attack fighter "Dark Needle", featuring the three weapon systems: 4 Lance rods, a massive steel impactor and a huge bomb, all driven by separatrons

Boom! Attack velocity 150m/s was achieved before entering the near detection zone, so Jeb could escape safely

Disintegrating carrier

Jeb had enough delta-v left to return to LKO, where the return capsule was waiting. Touchdown after just after 16 hours.

More data:

WeaponTesting.png

initial rondevouz outside far detection range

Return vehicle docking and Jeb-EVA-transfer

back on Kerbin

Note: IVA imagery not available because the Mk2 cockpit has no working iva model yet.

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Thank you, Ascensiam, for this great mission!