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Modular Base Creation Kit


Temstar

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I put together a modular base on the Mun using a crawler very similar to Temstar's, and I had to deal with the same issues. Obviously driving slowly and carefully is the number one necessity. I've found that when hauling a load, it helps to disable steering on the middle wheelset, and then disable the motors on the forward and rear wheels so you don't tip yourself while accelerating. If the module is particularly heavy, you might need to enable the forward wheels while accelerating forwards and vice versa, essentially in a "puller" configuration.

Additionally, if you have several modules you need to move a large distance and enough base crawlers, you can dock several together and form a truck or train sort of vehicle with perhaps two crawlers, under the front and rear-most modules. Enable steering and turn off the motors of the front crawler, and use the rear crawler as static drive wheels.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It seems a few of the builds are 'broken' in the new update (.23.5.464) Specifically the Base Kethane Extractor, Base Kethane Refinery, and Kethane Extractor. I looked through the .craft files but nothing jumped out at me since most of the other .craft files weren't greyed out in the VAB. I'm attempting to build an orbital refinery at Minmus with a mining lander... I designed a decent (If slow) lander but the refinery bit has me stuck. Any suggestions?

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No, I didn't know there was update to the Kethane pack, I'll try that first. Basically those three builds I posted above were greyed out and said the parts were either not R&D'd or were invalid. Hopefully the Kethane update will fix that. I'll post if it fixes the problem. Thanks!

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No, I didn't know there was update to the Kethane pack, I'll try that first. Basically those three builds I posted above were greyed out and said the parts were either not R&D'd or were invalid. Hopefully the Kethane update will fix that. I'll post if it fixes the problem. Thanks!

Kethane is up to 8.5, A few versions ago (read: 8.0 and up) there were some changes in part names and file structure which broke compatibility. If you haven't updated your kethane in a small eternity, then this is a likely culprit. All these modules are confirmed working up through Kethane 8.4 (KSP 0.23.0). I will look and see if the latest kethane does break them. If so, I can get an updated version of those parts out for people because this deserves to work.

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Kethane is up to 8.5, A few versions ago (read: 8.0 and up) there were some changes in part names and file structure which broke compatibility. If you haven't updated your kethane in a small eternity, then this is a likely culprit. All these modules are confirmed working up through Kethane 8.4 (KSP 0.23.0). I will look and see if the latest kethane does break them. If so, I can get an updated version of those parts out for people because this deserves to work.

Just about all of the builds are fine, just those three I mentioned in my original post are 'broken' or invalid. I looked through the .craft files for each, and noted some differences between the builds that still work (e.g. Y-Truss) and those three, I'm no modder but perhaps that's the problem. I updated my Kethane pack to 8.5 and am still showing those same three (Base Kethane Extractor, Base Kethane Refinery, and Kethane Extractor) greyed out.

What I am trying to do is modify those specific builds into an orbital refinery for Minmus. I agree completely, this is a great kit especially for casual players like me, and would like to help out in making it work.

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Inspired by the original designs in this thread I decided to make my own (just because building stuff in KSP is as much fun for me as it is to fly / land / crash things). A lot of the items (trusses, especially) turned out to be more or less exact replicas of their originals but since I'm using Interstellar, Kethane and RemoteTech I changed a few things around to make use of the additional options.

This is my Kethane mining station prototype, assembled just next to the launchpad.

JLGWxK3.jpg

Time to bring this thing to Minmus :)

TONS of thanks for the inspiration to Temstar! This will definitely extend my current career by quite a bit. I already spotted flattish area on Ike that has Kethane :)

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  • 2 months later...

Just downloaded and setting up a base on the mun with 23.5. This is going to be awesome. Problem was that i use RT2. And almost all are unmanned, so i first had to setup a satnet ... took a few hours... :P

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This is my Kethane mining station prototype, assembled just next to the launchpad.

Time to bring this thing to Minmus :)

Just curious about that little rover you have following you around, that looks desirable... mind if I get a close up, for science ofc.

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  • 2 months later...

It just me or does the Base Crawler really suck? lol. I thought it was just acting odd on kerbin surface, but on mun it's impossible to control? Turn the wheels and it flips over, accelerate or brake and it flips over. Am i doing something wrong or?

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It just me or does the Base Crawler really suck? lol. I thought it was just acting odd on kerbin surface, but on mun it's impossible to control? Turn the wheels and it flips over, accelerate or brake and it flips over. Am i doing something wrong or?

Speaking as someone that used this thread as inspiration, I'd say you are using it wrong. Turn off the engines on the "back" wheels (back of course is relative) and you will see how you don't tip over at all (at least accelerating). Torque and momentum arm, plus the point at which the force is applied, is something to be considered when your wheels provide much more traction force than the local gravity pulling at your CoM. Ideally, use only power in the central ones, that way you can also slow down when you get there. And take things slow! This is precision work, not a race. Also, quicksave often.

Rune. BTW, is Temstar still around?

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Speaking as someone that used this thread as inspiration, I'd say you are using it wrong. Turn off the engines on the "back" wheels (back of course is relative) and you will see how you don't tip over at all (at least accelerating). Torque and momentum arm, plus the point at which the force is applied, is something to be considered when your wheels provide much more traction force than the local gravity pulling at your CoM. Ideally, use only power in the central ones, that way you can also slow down when you get there. And take things slow! This is precision work, not a race. Also, quicksave often.

Rune. BTW, is Temstar still around?

Appreciate the quick reply, and I've tried killing power. I'm not sure whats going on here. I've tried messing around with it even on kerbin, and it is just all over the place it seems. Hardly touch controls and it either flips or spins itself over incredibly easy. I've tried removing the middle set of wheels as well, which seemed to make it a little more manageable, but it's still impossible to drive.

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  • 1 month later...

Can anyone help me compensate for the lander legs? I brought the base crawler up to the hab module, but the docking ring on the bottom of the hab module is too low to allow the crawler underneath. I'm in career mode, so I've got money invested in this and don't want to scrap the module. Is there a tweak I could do in the part configs or something just to get it mounted on the crawler?

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Can anyone help me compensate for the lander legs? I brought the base crawler up to the hab module, but the docking ring on the bottom of the hab module is too low to allow the crawler underneath. I'm in career mode, so I've got money invested in this and don't want to scrap the module. Is there a tweak I could do in the part configs or something just to get it mounted on the crawler?

Just click on the landing gear and choose (lock suspension)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Very cool!

I found that the NSC Adapter makes a perfect leg setting jig :D

And with creative use of an antenna we have a solid pointer as to where to put side mount docking ports (I suggest chopping this up and creating subassemblies as needed).

tjpphKw.png

9HofeXi.png

Jig craft file

Edited by Ens Gijs
updated jig
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  • 8 months later...
Beautiful base, how much time it takes to finish a base like that?

I loved the rover.

Dude, Temstar has been MIA for the better part of a year now (:(). Check the dates, you did quite the necro there... I have no idea if his craft files are even compatible with the newer versions. If, however, you want something like this, I started running with this idea at about the same time he posted it, and have something very similar, only built and tested in the latest version. Here, you might want to check it out, I call it Base-In-A-Box. Regarding your actual question, you can set up one of mine in, say, Mun, in the time it'll take you to fly and land three ships there, plus about half an hour-one on the surface fiddling with all the modules and connecting them, if you want to be quick about it.

Rune. Feel free to make your own, of course.

Edited by Rune
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  • 4 months later...
On ‎26‎/‎09‎/‎2013 at 3:49 PM, Temstar said:

 

Fuel Tanker Rover

kairti.jpg

Mixed propellant tanker rover designed for transportation of fuel between surface bases.

Launch Vehicle role: placing payload in LKO

Note: using up fuel in the rover will cause CoM issues as the landing stage is designed to land the rover full or nearly fully fuelled. To ensure landing stage does not use rover fuel switch off the fuel flow from the rover's main tank. The landing stage does not have enough delta-V for TMI and landing without refuelling, so it's recommend that you either hang onto the final stage of the booster rocket and refuel in LKO so as to use the rocket for TMI, or refuel the landing stage in Mun orbit before attempting landing.

Note that this craft file is a SPH file. Also, use action group 1 to toggle between all wheel drive/all wheel steering and cruise mode (rear wheel drive, front wheel steering)

 

Amazing job ! Great inspiration for my future mining base.

What do you use and how do you land the Fuel Rover ?

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Keep in mind this kit was originally created for 0.21, some fine tuning might be needed for today's KSP.

That said, the fuel tanker rover was loaded using a giant landing stage from which it was suspended under:
20t49dd.jpg
Once landed, it's just a little drop to get the rover down.

The rover attaches to surface bases via a special rover docking bay:
bgodg0.jpg
Docking is either via the top-down docking port as in this picture, or it drives the horizontal docking port on its back end onto the matching one on the rover docking bay.

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