How do you assemble ground bases?

[ngianoplus]

I have become bored of KSP... I know there are a LOT of things to do in KSP, but I am just too discouraged by my failed attempts to make a mun base.

[astropapi1]

I'm currently doing a minmus base, because it's large flat ice lakes make it perfect for a modular base. What you're going for is a standard height for your docking port.

[ngianoplus]

My main problem is it is hard to move the modules around for assembly. I created a clever rover using the Kerbal Attachment System, but the docking ports just don't want to align and sometimes don't even want to "dock" together.

[KerbActual]

I'm working on a moon base. So far, it's just been plopping landers in the same vicinity of one another and calling it a base. As for docking stuff together, test your stuff on kerbin before you fly it, just to make sure the docking ports are the same height.

[ngianoplus]

Also, I meant to put a poll in here but I couldn't find the option to add one anywhere... strange

[Wait- Was That Important?]

Build two identical modules, launch them, dock them for practice.

Ultimately you want some sort of standardized "core" that you can customize but also dock to other "cores" so you always have the landing legs, docking ports, etc. at one height.

[Nibb31]

Put wheels on them and dock them on the ground.

[Smorfty]

I've played 130+ hours of this game and have never built any ground base and I'm perfectly happy

[BaneOfPilots]

The worst time you feel when you're building a base is either the docking ports aren't the same height, or somehow you forgot to quicksave and destroyed your rocket.

[Julexus Quandem]

I've currently attempting to create a Mun base. I've designed a crane that is on its way to the Mun that, using KAS, should be able to pick up and transport my modules so they are all near each other. At least the crane managed that for me on Kerbin. I'm not worrying about docking things together really, for that all your modules need to be wheeled to get them close enough and as the others say you have to get the docking ports all at the same height.

[Peenvogel]

The "best" way to mount things together on the surface, is using the robotic arm mod... I was able to build some really cool stuff with that, but it killed my save game... a friendly warning for whenever you come across this mod and feel tempted to use it. Other than that, I've no experience in building a mounted base.

[Joe_Bender]

Put wheels on them and dock them on the ground.

Thats neat!

So if you dont like your neighbor, you can just move your habitat to another part of the Mun Trailer Park.

LoLz

What mods are you using?

[Temstar]

Having done this, I recommend against this kind of assembly between rover and normal landing leg supported craft. The reason is that due to different gravity your rover's ground clearance is actually different between worlds. On Kerbin a rover might be of a certain height, but then you test and confirm a standing craft can dock with this rover on Kerbin and you fly it to the Mun you will end up realising that the same rover sits higher on Mun since its suspension is not as pressed down compared to conditions on Kerbin.

What I've seen people do instead is having the base all sitting on large landing legs with docking ports at same height - this is relative easy to test on Kerbin as landing legs are not affected by gravity. Then for moving around they have a very flat rover with a docking port facing up that can drive under the base module and dock with it once the module retracts it's landing legs and sit itself on the rover. The rover then drives the module around on the surface, place it where it needs to go and the module extends its legs again and lift both itself and the rover off the ground. The rover can then undock itself, drop down onto the ground and drive off.

[DMagic]

I was just posting about this in another thread, but in short, test everything on Kerbin. Make sure everything lines up and docks properly on or near the launch pad. Also, put wheels on everything. If you plan on making a mobile base then leave them, but if it's meant to be stationary put them on detachable points to keep the part count down. It's also useful to make all of your landing systems detachable, you can save a ton of parts doing this, and I think it looks better.

After putting everything together and separating the wheels. The mobile launcher is the only thing that needs to keep its wheels so that it can take off and return.

[Athlonic]

Wow wow wow wow !

This is just amazing !

Nice work here DMagic.

[CalculusWarrior]

Yeah, that's amazing! My Mun bases generally consist of separate modules, I've never tried to dock ground modules together, though I'm sure it can be more frustrating than designing spaceplanes at times

[DMagic]

Thanks, though I think I spent almost as much time testing the thing on Kerbin as I did actually assembling it.

I only tried making a base out of separate components once, but I could never get it to look good. Everything was too spread out with no simple way to move; it wasn't very impressive or successful.

My other method for base construction is just to say screw it and launch it all at once. This requires a totally ridiculous launcher, and it's a pain to move it around in space, but I think it worked out pretty well.

From the painfully slow launch,

to a successful landing on Laythe, even if it is on a slope.

[Sethnizzle]

I've been thinking about this as well. My idea is to build a gantry crane using KAS so that I can more easily move the modules into position. Something similar to this but scaled down. http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/rubber-tired-gantry-crane-64460-2259729.jpg

[Julexus Quandem]

My crane never made it to the Mun as it was very difficult to both launch and land; even with much strutting it was a very wobbly spacecraft. I'm making a more successful attempt with the base parts on wheels connecting with docking ports strategy. I would recommend coming up with a consistent way of making your base parts so that they all have the same, well..., base. I'm using parts from the Kosmos space station mod with rover wheels attached and, with the help of the sub-assembly saver, I can use that same assembly (truss, wheels, docking port, 4-way) on all my base parts. I imagine something similar could be created with stock parts as well. To ensure the thing actually docks I did two things. One was to let the first part of the base free-wheel to the lowest local point with the hope that it will be a fairly flat place and second I placed 4 of the Place-Anywhere RCS thrusters around the docking port of the bit of the base that was going to "dock". Once I had manoeuvred the second part into place it was just a case of giving a few bursts of RCS for the ports to lock. I'm also trying to make sure my base parts have a similar mass so they will sit similarly on the rover wheels. Picture:

Edited May 12, 2013 by Julexus Quandem

[lyndonguitar]

Sorry for offtopic but, do your solar panels(if that's from the kosmos pack) retract after a reload?

[Zephram Kerman]

I don't have any screenshots of this, but I've been experimenting with the idea of floating bases. The main advantage is the side-mount docking ports can adjust up or down by moving fuel between the outrigger fuel tanks.

[DMagic]

Sorry for offtopic but, do your solar panels(if that's from the kosmos pack) retract after a reload?

Yep, at least they look like they are. I think you have to retract and extend them again to get everything working again after reloading. And even better, those upper panels tend to crumble after a reload. The first time I loaded this base 4 of the 6 central panels fell apart. As a precaution I just retract everything before I leave anything with the Kosmos solar panels. The HOME modules do the same thing sometimes, too.

I do like the Kosmos pack for base and station structural components though. They look better than the default parts, and they offer a lot of variability to how you can connect all your components.

[Louhikarme]

going modular worked for me and getting same height on wheels. its bit tricky, but worked on duna atleast. Still have tanker and scoutrover pit to be moved there

and during the night.

[The Tempest]

-snip-

The rover then drives the module around on the surface, place it where it needs to go and the module extends its legs again and lift both itself and the rover off the ground. The rover can then undock itself, drop down onto the ground and drive off.

I am having the most difficult time docking with this method, the docking ports don't line up and I'm using identical modules. One vessel's landing legs like to clip into the ground ever so slightly. Are the modules supposed to dock as the landing legs raise it up along with the rover? That's just not happening for me.

[Temstar]

I am having the most difficult time docking with this method, the docking ports don't line up and I'm using identical modules. One vessel's landing legs like to clip into the ground ever so slightly. Are the modules supposed to dock as the landing legs raise it up along with the rover? That's just not happening for me.

No if you get the height down correct you should be able to dock the module to the base directly while it's still being carried by the rover. Of course there is usually a small amount of height mismatch (usually the module being carried by the rover will be slightly lower). What I do is I will switch to the base and lower the nearest pair of legs on the end of the thing I'm docking with. This causes that part to droop down slightly due to gravity and allow a smooth docking.

One other trick is just to bump the two ends together with some force. The magnetic attraction will be able to over come very small vertical misalignments when you bump.

This is the rover I used for base construction:

This is the result: