Can you dock THAT??? Challenge 1: Get EVE back online.

[Pbhead]

SO. here is a challenge thread. The goal is simple: Dock two ships/parts/stations/separate things which are DAMN HARD to dock.

This will be updated as time passes with new challenges that either or come up with, or you come up with. So if you have an idea, or a challenge, you can PM me, or post in this thread, and we can work it into this OP.

Your score will be based upon how much mono you have left at docking, normalized to 500 points based upon how much fuel there originally was, with a 500 point bonus for actually docking. (example: 750 fuel, 250 used, score: 833.) . Higher is obviously better, with 1000 points being no-fuel-used-how-the-hell and 500 points being running-on-fumes-but-got-it! Damage or excessive main engine fuel lost fuel is sub-optimal, and score will be reduced by 25% for superficial damage, (damaged solar panels and the like), or a 50% reduction for damage which would cause mission failure. Not docking will result in a score of zero.

Docking challenge 1:

Commander:

We have a problem.

Our EVE lander, the most overly engineered ship in the fleet barely made it into orbit. On the final ascent stage, someone seemed to have licked one of the orange flavored rockomax fuel tanks. We did not catch this, because is was so high up on the launch pad, that it was a little hard to reach. We think that the frozen tongue matter left up there by tasting said fuel tank somehow caused a structural weakness. The result: While our incredibly brave kerbalnaut began the final maneuvers to enter into a parking orbit, the tank exploded, causing the ship to become unbalanced, in an horrific spin, and in an orbit which would cause cause the craft to reenter the atmosphere.

Fortunately, our fast thinking kerbalnaut was able to jettison the stricken stage, and use the fuel of the first stage of the lander to get the still-spinning ship into a stable orbit by burst-firing the engines when the ship was aimed pro-grade. However, this used up far to much fuel for the mission to still be successful without refueling.

It is currently sitting in an orbit with an apogee of approximately 125k meters, and a perigee of 71k meters. and has since been wrestled out of its spin.

Our engineers came up with a solution. The drive unit which was planned to be attached was also launched with a few extra fuel tanks, such that the extra fuel may be reused to top off the lander. The kerbalnauts sent up with the engine section have managed to get the ships within paint scratching distance, but here lies the problem: After multiple failed docking attempts, our brave heroes have been unable to get the ships to dock. We imagine it is due to the constant screaming, and nothing to do with the RCS system designed for when the ships were docked together, without 8 extra orange fuel tanks, and not as separate units. Nevertheless, we need these ships docked to rescue the mission! The ships still have about half their RCS fuel tanks left, but the lander has much smaller reserves than the drive unit. but we think you are up to the task!

Here is the situation:

Here is the file:

FILE: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/36550973/quicksave.sfs

(simply start a new game, place that file into the saves folder, and then press F9 from an f9able location (put a probe core out onto the launch pad). )

Notes: these ships are completely stock, version .20. The ships in question are eve lander and drive unit.

Hint: if you can manage to get just one of the docking ports docked, you can refuel the lander, and then jettison the refueling stage, which should make the drive section much more manageable to dock properly.

Another possibility: docking becomes a little easier the higher, and more circular the orbits, if you want to take the time, you can take both ships up to better orbits, which should be totally fine as long as there remains about 50,000 oxidizer in total. I probably wont notice if you launch a third ship with extra fuel, and honestly even if I did, I think that would be pretty smooth of you.

Requirements: Please post a screenshot of Resources remaining, and the save file of the docked ships. Anything else you would like to post for posterity sake, is fine as well.

My own attempts:

so close.

Good luck! You will need it!

Note: Initial fuel in save file: 1159.

Leader board:

1. Soranno: 776.5

2.

3.

4.

Losers Couch:

1. Pbhead score: 0

2.

3.

The OMG LAG WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?! board:

1.

2.

3.

Yes this is totally a thinly disguised way to get you guys to dock my ships for me. shhhh...

Edited May 27, 2013 by Pbhead

[SmallChange]

You've got what looks like a great challenge here!

One suggestion: You might want to think about using the save from a new game. Right now when your save loads, it looks for a Cybutek mod part. Also, you've got 14 other flights going in that save, one with another Eve name.

[Pbhead]

Oh, thats. ah. hmm. Ok. very sorry. I have updated the file. removed all the other flights, so it should be good now.

[SmallChange]

No worries! Like I said, it was just a suggestion!

[soranno]

making an attempt at this challenge now, will add my results shortly... well maybe not shortly.. these things are big and fricking slow:)

EDIT: Complete, with 641 units of monoprop left... and although I`m delighted to have achieved this docking, I damn near had a stroke in the process, nevermind almost snapping my keyboard in half.

on reflection.. super challenge! I never want to fly another of your ships ever ever ever ever ever ever

editedit: forgot about the persistence file, here it is: http://www./?zvvl9ck768066i5

Edited May 27, 2013 by soranno
update of results

[Pbhead]

Wow, and congratulations!

Your points calculate out to be 776.5

And i dont see any damaged bits. so seriously. wow.

Do you have any hints or tips on how you did it?

[soranno]

yes, no damage at all.. although that could easily have been different.

I streamed the whole effort live, so you are welcome to observe the recorded video of the docking, although it is more than 90 minutes long

http://www.twitch.tv/hoshizora/b/408892768

highlights are at around 38-40 minutes, when things nearly when completely wrong

around about.. 1:25:00 to 1:30:00 when I got so close it nearly broke me

following on from that the next 10 or 15 minutes were the final docking sequences.

basically just amounted to finding a balance in my control to counter the imbalance of the rcs. after that it was just.. grim determination and patience.

The frame rate I was getting made it so very difficult to actually work out what was moving where, putting on time warp to see things more clearly was the only option most of the time.

In the end it was basically a brute force push.. the thing was docking with me whether it wanted to or not

em.. please bear in mind that maintaining my sanity was dependent upon me swearing a lot and.. ahem.. commenting on the nuances of the ships throughout~ no offense intended

[Pbhead]

well. i know what i am doing for the next two hours!

This is hilarious and great btw.

Very impressed you managed to get it in two hours, it took me a lot longer than that for me to fail multiple times. When I pressed the quicksave I had here actually had the ships closer, but when i reloaded the quicksave (after running out of rcs), it seems that the ships decided to move to their positions in that screen shot.

The legs are for landing on eve.

There are action groups... but nothing that has to do with RCS. biggest one is the giant ladder staircase which is hotkeyed to 5.

this is great. contining to watch.

rtgs are less laggy than panels? interesting, and probably worth the weight.

ah haha. i am sorry you dont like me. D:

ya. definitely going to add more RCS ports on all future designs.

Edited May 27, 2013 by Pbhead

[soranno]

hahaha, sorry. Just ignore most of it, just hot air.

the only thing that I was thinking to reduce lag is to reduce part count, and as there is very little power consumption on the ships, one or 2 rtgs will provide all the power you need indefinitely and you can then remove all the panels etc to reduce the part count.

But don`t concern yourself with my rantings, I find that designing ships in KSP is often all about the aesthetic before worrying about part counts and lag etc, and when the game is improved still further maybe even ships like these will be able to run with all their parts smoothly

by the way, i quite marvel at your engineering of those two monstrosities. I have never managed to put something together on such scale, nor attempted the most ambitious of all, landing and return from eve. I wish you the best in your journey to the purple planet!

Edited May 27, 2013 by soranno

[SmallChange]

I'm really impressed with the scale of these two beasts as well! They put most of my stuff to shame!

Haven't got 'em docked yet. Man, this one is challenging! Fun too. Would I be correct to assume these guys are part of a a bigger Constellation-esque mission?

[Pbhead]

ya. i know its mostly hotair, its still great though.

Thanks for the complements, and they are most certainly monstrosities. Even more so on the launch pad!

I think I posted the eve lander in the VAB on the forums somewhere, yes. Link That is a little old, The final one that launched had 24 more orange tanks and a billion more struts. or so.

Here are the craft files, if you are as nuts as I am.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/36550973/eve%20drive%20unit%20mk%202.craft

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/36550973/eve%20lander%203.craft

Interesting that you turned the lights off at night time. i found them helpful for that part.

That was a fantastic video, thanks for streaming it!

Edited May 27, 2013 by Pbhead

[soranno]

oh haha, I was hoping leaving the lights off would ease the frame rate issue and I could actually see much better than the video would have you imagine.

Thank you for viewing and your kind words, and also for the challenge that push me to the edge~ looking forward to more