[WIP] Mass Driver

[Grijze Pilion]

Now this is sweet -- i'll use this a lot. Is that visible from space?

[Yedin]

Woooowwww...

[Tw1]

I tried this, but the problem is that at 13km Kerbin's atmosphere is still very dense, so it's best to clear it as soon as possible; firing at 25 degrees requires over 6000 m/s to make it to space, while firing at 45 degrees as I am now requires only 2700 m/s.

I realised that would be the reason, and edited my post, but looks like the silly internet didn't show me you'd posted already.

I managed to throw kerbals higher than the Mun. If that angle could be adjusted, they could be put straight into a more useful orbit, without the complexities of aerobraking.

Or, I'll just turn it down a bit, and give the kerbal a modified mini-orbiter.

So far, it seems to work alongside more conventional technologies ok. I still needed rockets to launch the 25 ton rescue craft, it didn't get high enough when fired.

The gullible kerbals who walked near it ended up spending 12 days in space. Rescuing them was a good little adventure.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Tw1

[skykooler]

Now this is sweet -- i'll use this a lot. Is that visible from space?

Yes, you can see it from LKO.

[Yedin]

Suggestion: Since this uses KT, you could add a runway before the driver, and just choose that as the launch point. This makes it easiest to shoot stuff off.

[The Destroyer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_HARP

I would love something like this. Basically, it's this, a highpowered cannon, except more "compact" and the angle and speed can be changed. Loved the Orbiter mod.

The only thing I want with this mod is for the cannon to be on a 45 degree angle. Easier orbit.

[skykooler]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_HARP

I would love something like this. Basically, it's this, a highpowered cannon, except more "compact" and the angle and speed can be changed. Loved the Orbiter mod.

The only thing I want with this mod is for the cannon to be on a 45 degree angle. Easier orbit.

The problem with making things more compact is the way KSP's drag model worked. Launching from 1km altitude, I couldn't get to space even if I set the launch velocity to 8 km/s - and setting it higher caused so much drag that things would actually be launched backward, into the ground.

And it does already launch at a 45 degree angle.

[boberts314]

skykooler, I dare say I've now got you pegged as the ambitious sort.

Would Kerbtown allow this sort of thing to be generated from in the game? I'm thinking of like a part that when activated would "construct" a facility like a mass driver or launchpad or spacedock at its location.

[BlazingAngel665]

skykooler, I dare say I've now got you pegged as the ambitious sort.

Would Kerbtown allow this sort of thing to be generated from in the game? I'm thinking of like a part that when activated would "construct" a facility like a mass driver or launchpad or spacedock at its location.

I second this idea, kinda like in simcity where you have to ship a bunch of resources somewhere to build the Spacecenter. Also make some the resources like "rare Kerbin magnets" or something that has to be mined off world.

[Mekan1k]

Ok... This would make space travel SO DAMN EASY. Subscribing! (I hope this becomes it's own independent mod in the future)

[Tau Xi]

This reminds me of the Basset Space Center mass driver from Ace Combat 5.

*nerdgasm*

Well done, and good luck developing this further.

[skykooler]

This reminds me of the Basset Space Center mass driver from Ace Combat 5.

*nerdgasm*

Well done, and good luck developing this further.

Oh that's what that game was. The resemblance is not just coincidental; I played this game once at my cousin's house, and only recently realized that I could make a KSP version, so this is it.

(And then had to make it three times as big because of KSP's atmosphere physics.)

Edit: This is the original version I'm talking about:

Edited August 10, 2013 by skykooler

[The Destroyer]

I love this thing.

It got that to the Mun landing. With about 100 liters of fuel for all engines left.

[Phoenix Aerospace]

Hello. I was playing around with your Mass Driver, and it seems as if it does not play nice with Ferram Aerospace research. Now, I'm no programmer (well, not a good one, at least), but it seems that due to the way FAR calculates drag, the Mass Driver is vastly overpowered compared to when it is used in the stock version of the game. I recommend that you lower the values for acceleration so that the Mass Driver is back to a reasonable level of balancing (or better yet, allow us to change the acceleration in the .cfg), and release a separate version for us FAR users. In addition, I encountered a bug where, after launching a craft from a pad placed next to the Mass Driver via Kerbtown, the craft is simply teleported to the end of the Mass Driver and left to free-fall. On several occasions, I also noticed that this left the craft unable to be staged, or to have parts activated, either through the spacebar, action groups, or drop-down menus. I have several other mods other than Kerbtown, Mass Driver, and Mechjeb; namely Procedural Fairings, Firespitter, Kethane, and B9, but nothing that I think would cause conflicts with either Mass Driver, Kerbtown, or FAR. Thank you for your consideration.

Imgur album further detailing my misadventures:

http://imgur.com/a/S8tNe#0

[Mekan1k]

Download link please?

[The Destroyer]

Download link please?

Big clap for going to page 2!

[7499275]

Okay just an idea, since you will be working with Kerbtown and I have no idea where that mod is headed exactly... So just hear me out. You have this launcher located somewhere on kerbin away from the KSC maybe the KSC 2? Anyway... Along with what Kerbtown has add a road way or rail way system and have to build a custom transport to fit that rocket or space plane. For example the Soyuz has a custom rail car to transport it from VAB to launch pad.

That same basic idea, I just think it would be cool I like seeing things complicated and realistic lol

[skykooler]

Hello. I was playing around with your Mass Driver, and it seems as if it does not play nice with Ferram Aerospace research. Now, I'm no programmer (well, not a good one, at least), but it seems that due to the way FAR calculates drag, the Mass Driver is vastly overpowered compared to when it is used in the stock version of the game. I recommend that you lower the values for acceleration so that the Mass Driver is back to a reasonable level of balancing (or better yet, allow us to change the acceleration in the .cfg), and release a separate version for us FAR users. In addition, I encountered a bug where, after launching a craft from a pad placed next to the Mass Driver via Kerbtown, the craft is simply teleported to the end of the Mass Driver and left to free-fall. On several occasions, I also noticed that this left the craft unable to be staged, or to have parts activated, either through the spacebar, action groups, or drop-down menus. I have several other mods other than Kerbtown, Mass Driver, and Mechjeb; namely Procedural Fairings, Firespitter, Kethane, and B9, but nothing that I think would cause conflicts with either Mass Driver, Kerbtown, or FAR. Thank you for your consideration.

Imgur album further detailing my misadventures:

http://imgur.com/a/S8tNe#0

The reason for the craft being uncontrollable is that its flight state is not changed; it needs to "launch" first (i.e. roll some distance along the ground). I will see about fixing this. As for the apoapsis, that's about where it is without FAR (minus the inclination change) - the high apoapsis reduces the necessary delta-v needed to circularize, so even large payloads should be good with a single fuel tank and one of the little Rockomaxes.

Everyone: I will be out of town until next Tuesday, so I may not be able to reply to issues until then.

[Mekan1k]

This thing.. IS EPIC! It goes up past 8 km into the atmosphere! I was running a circumnavigation flight, and I had a plane get a wing sliced off with a light tap.

[pina_coladas]

Ferram Aerospace stuff

I was actually going to suggest you make a FAR version too. It could have a much shallower curve and be much less tall (one could almost say more realistic...). It would be really cool to use with the procedural fairings mod!

[Mekan1k]

This thing is visible from space!

[Devo]

Very good /clap

[Hooligan Labs]

Totally beat me to it! Great job! I'll have to try it out soon.

[SpaceK531]

Now all we need....

is a train mod

[Railgunner2160]

Ahhh, The Galaxy Railways!! I love that show!!! Did you hear the news that the Union Pacific railway has negotiated for the return of UP Bigboy 4014, they intend to restore it to functional condition!! It'll be nice to see the locomotive they based Big One off of....

Edited August 15, 2013 by Railgunner2160