Artifical limits that influence your designs

[Whackjob]

Frames per second limits my designs.

[chickenplucker]

@Gusturbo I was staring at the first picture trying to figure out where they were hiding at for a bit (slow connection, 2nd pic didn't load right away), that is impressive.

@Whackjob .... wow lol.

Here is my main launcher, the "Lawndart MkII".

You can see how its kind of spindly and tall due to the lack-o-zoom. Missions to Duna usually require sending the launcher up to my space station on a few fuel stocking trips before heading out.

Edited June 28, 2013 by chickenplucker

[Whackjob]

@Whackjob .... wow lol.

That was the Mk2. It had 80 engines. Behold the Mk3. It has 168 engines.

Slide show takeoffs.

[alacrity]

Fairing Factory!

My rovers never fit in there right. Miht have to concider down scaling the rovers...

Alacrity Fitz

Edited June 28, 2013 by alacrity

[MR4Y]

As many of you here, both the game's limitation and design flaws while building keep me from progressing further. Having to resort to mods makes some things even worse.

[PakledHostage]

I simply refuse to send Kerbal on one-way missions. Unmanned probes are ok, but planting a flag means the Kerbal is coming back.

I agree. My first goal is to bring my Kerbals home safely. The Kerbal public would not support my space program if I kept killing off their astronaut heroes. My second goal is range safety. My spent stages must crash into the oceans and I don't allow myself to use Nervas because of the potentially catastrophic environmental consequences of a launch accident.

And as with others here, another constraint is part count. I play the game on a crappy little laptop. That necessitates a lot of unmanned missions. In almost two years of playing, my Kerbals have only ever landed on the Mun, Minmus and Duna. Most of my kerballed missions don't go beyond LKO. Of course I probably play a lot less than many people here. I'm actually waiting for career mode to be implemented before I get active again. Maybe it will be ready by the fall when the weather forces me back indoors.

Edited June 29, 2013 by PakledHostage

[Kabloosh]

I like to leave failed stuff where it lies. If I got Kerbals stuck somewhere I always build something for a rescue mission. I'm pretty terrible at landing though.

[Whackjob]

Here's a favorite failed design of mine. This is a giant rover I'm trying to get exoatmospheric. First stage drops, and then all control flees.

But I think I can finally fix this. That rover might yet grace the Mun :3

[crazyforthedesert]

I absolutely agree. I mean, that really goes without saying. That's why I would like to be able to send remote-controlled missions with EMPTY crew capsules, as test runs and/or to provide backup escape capability, spare parts, etc.

[PakledHostage]

I would like to be able to send remote-controlled missions with EMPTY crew capsules, as test runs and/or to provide backup escape capability, spare parts, etc.

You can make your own with just a couple of key strokes. Copy the part you want to make unmanned, then change the part name and crew capacity in the part.cfg file. I have unmanned command modules for exactly that reason.

[chickenplucker]

Welcome to the forums crazyforthedesert

For the those types of missions where an empty rescue vehicle is needed, or its just an unmanned test flight I normally just have the kerbals that are in the pod bail out before launch. That way they are safe on the ground when everything goes to pot. Then I just end their flights and they cycle back through the crew rotation ready for another round.

Not sure what it is about these little green guys, they are just too happy to send to their doom. I just spent 57 minutes rescuing Bill who bailed out of a failed rocket, but had enough RCS to make it by himself into orbit. He is now safe and sound on the space station, although slightly traumatized.

[Flixxbeatz]

My rovers never fit in there right. Miht have to concider down scaling the rovers...

-snip-

Alacrity Fitz

I see busted wheels

[Festivefire]

You can make your own with just a couple of key strokes. Copy the part you want to make unmanned, then change the part name and crew capacity in the part.cfg file. I have unmanned command modules for exactly that reason.

I also do this, as thats how it was done in the days of the space race. every new rocket had a "boilerplate" capsule on it for testing, which was basicly a mechanical timing controler, and a bunch of lead to make up the weight for missing breakers, the pilot, life support, and instrumentation. I like to think that even the kerbals aren't irresponsible enough to send 20 pilots to the death testing a launch vehicle.

[espm400]

Well, I DL'd RemoteTech a couple weeks ago and am having some mixed results (some minor coms inconsistencies). As for major limitations; FAR, although a great mod, required a major change to rocket design and ascent profile, and more recently (yesterday) I got Ioncross Crew Support and Deadly Re-entry, so, some major changes ensued.

At least I now had a reason to do some Mercury style missions, just to gauge which re-entry profiles were survivable. However, although they aren't stock, these mods severely limit you to much more realistic rocket designs and flight profiles, and frankly, I love 'em.

[Superluminaut]

When playing stock my designs are most often limited by the inability to place payloads mid rocket. For example like the lunar lander on the Saturn V, its not pretty trying that in KSP.

[Blauerdaemon]

I simply refuse to send Kerbal on one-way missions. Unmanned probes are ok, but planting a flag means the Kerbal is coming back.

Same for me so my manned (kerbaled?) ships all need to have some sort of rescue-System and long-time-missions need to have at least some spare oxidizer for the crew and room for twice the crew.

Nuclear engines are not allowed as they are to dangerous to have near Kerbals or in Kerbin atmosphere.

[GusTurbo]

When playing stock my designs are most often limited by the inability to place payloads mid rocket. For example like the lunar lander on the Saturn V, its not pretty trying that in KSP.

What do you mean? Lots of people make Apollo style craft.

[boa3532]

My 4 yr old, then midrange, laptop keeps me from going big. Thus my company name is MicroEnginerring Space Innovations (M.E.S.I) It really gets the creativity juices flowing.

[khyron42]

My designs are limited in a few ways:

- Mostly stock parts. The only addons I'm using are Deadly Reentry, Kethane, ISA Mapsat, and Ioncross crew resources.

- No outright suicide missions. Accidents happen, but overall I've only lost two kerbals on the current save ( Forgot to turn on the CO2 scrubber on one flight, and way too low thrust on my powered Duna lander caused it to plow into the landscape.)

Combining those two makes the second one more challenging. The oxygen needs for interplanetary flights could be cheated on by switching vessels, but so far I haven't done that.

[koshelenkovv]

My restrictions:

- Delicate EVA suits cannot withstand atmospheric reentry and supersonic flight (over 300 m/s), so I launch and return Kerbals in pods/cockpit only.

- EVA suit can sustain life only for 24 hours, so Kerbals must return to pod quickly. (Except for Kerbin and Laythe)

- Escape system or special sequence on case of launch failure

- I always save stranded astronauts

- Under 100 parts and under 200 on launchpad (old computer)

- Mostly stock, except for Kerbal Engineer (which is absolutely necessary), Firespitter, and rarely KAS, which all get updated fast.

Recently I've stumbled upon a greenhouse part, which can feed and supply 2 Kerbals with oxygen. I thinking about restricting pod supplies to 2 weeks. Longer travels will require greenhouse.

[Ralathon]

What do you mean? Lots of people make Apollo style craft.

The problem is getting the fairing around the LEM right. You're stuck with 1x1 structural plates right now. I am yet to find a mod with fairings that allows open tops...

[AlexanderB]

What's that? I've been looking for a mod for a few days now that has fairings, but not new engines and that sort of thing.

They're fairings that you can design yourself through a web page. I make modular segments so I can use the same bits for all sorts of payloads..

It's a web app that creates parts for arbitrary fairings. I've even managed to create... not sure if interstage is the right word, but fairings that aren't necessarily a nosecone. Haven't tried using it with 0.20 yet, so I don't know if it still works.

http://nathannifong.com/FairingFactory/

They need some manual fixing to work with 0.20

The problem is getting the fairing around the LEM right. You're stuck with 1x1 structural plates right now. I am yet to find a mod with fairings that allows open tops...

Fairing factory allows open tops, just use one or more cutoff lines on your fairing and leave the top section off..

For best results, use a 3M centre strack so your 2.something wide lander fits neatly into a mildly cone shaped fairing. (similar-looking to the real thing.)

[Superluminaut]

What do you mean? Lots of people make Apollo style craft.

The problem is getting the fairing around the LEM right. You're stuck with 1x1 structural plates right now. I am yet to find a mod with fairings that allows open tops...

Yes that's it, so I suppose its partially a personal aesthetic limit. It can also be a functional limitation, for example if your mid rocket payload has solar panels on top leaving no place for a decoupler.

One think you can do is use fairing factory and place a second base tile on top of the fairings.

But I'm too lazy/anal for the whole custom fairing measurements deal.

[birrhan]

Easy. No rover sweats or ladders in lieu of capsules. At least maintain the illusion of needing an enclosed capsule to get into space.

[Fried]

as my comp can handle almost everything ( up to 1000-1500 parts on a good day ) the biggest limiting factor is the height of the vab (I refuse to use any asparagus staging at all) and the camera not being able to go directly beneath or directly above. this makes all my ships giant with stages in the 300 part count. there is an up side though, I almost never run out of fuel.