Best ATV

[700NitroXpress]

This challenge is to see who can build the best ATV. This is all about performance.

ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) is taken in it's literal definition here, it must be able to travel across "All Terrain" (Except water).

You are not limited by size here, but keep in mind that smaller sized vehicles will handle better than large vehicles.

You are allowed to have an attachment that ejects like a parachute for air drops, or sky crane.

No cheats, debug menu or mods.

Your ATV Must:

1. Seat at least 4 Kerbals.

2. Have Vertical take off engines.

3. Must not use jet engines.

4. Have lights.

5. Be able to recharge it's power supply.

6. Be capable of landing in one piece.

7. Be capable of navigating all types of terrain.

8. Be capable of landing on all types of celestial bodies (atmosphere and moons)

9. Must be built using Stock parts only.

10. Must be capable of completing one bonus challenge.

11. Have at least 4 wheels minimum, 6 wheels maximum.

12. Be manned with all 4 kerbals when submitting screenshots or video for entries.

Bonus Challenges:

1. Land and drive your ATV on Mun.

2. Land and drive your ATV on any other celestial body.

3. Climb a mountain on Kerban.

4. Climb out of a deep crater on Mun.

5. Use the vertical take off engines to achieve an orbit around Mun.

6. Dock your ATV in orbit.

7. Refuel your ATV.

8. Conduct a mission to another celestial body other than Mun, land, get back into orbit by any means possible, return to Kerban, land at the space center.

9. Perform a wheelie and a stoppie in your ATV.

10. Base jump off of the VAB in your ATV, use parachutes to land.

Entries must include either video or screenshots of their ATV and the ATV preforming any of the bonus challenges.

Don't use someone else ATV, build your own from scratch. It's also a good idea to post your part count, weight, and max land speed on Kerban with your submissions.

Those who complete all of the bonus challenges get recognized on the first place list. Everyone else who doesn't complete all of the challenges gets on the second place list. The best preforming ATV out of the first place list will get recognized as the current champion of this challenge.

Good luck and have fun!

Here is an Example: The Nitro Express (You cannot copy this ATV)

Nitro Express: 9.25t - 150 Parts - Max land speed 24.1 mps

1st Place

Second Place

AKA the A 5 bonus challenges completed

Edited November 25, 2013 by 700NitroXpress

[Sirine]

What is ATV?

[piiscool]

all-terrain-vehicle

[sharpspoonful]

All Terrain Vehicle. Akin to these:

[Sirine]

all-terrain-vehicle

I see. thanks. is that include water?

[700NitroXpress]

I see. thanks. is that include water?

If it can land in water without exploding and all the kerbals survive, then that's a bonus, but it doesn't have to travel through water.

[700NitroXpress]

Everyone who's interested in this challenge, rules have been updated. Additional bonus challenges may be added over time. If you complete additional bonus challenges that I will add later, you win a medal (acronym of the challenge next to you name). Example medal (LDL*).

[Xeldrak]

Hah....now you guys had me confused. I thought this would be a challenge to build a Automated Transfer Vehicle...

[astropapi1]

Hah....now you guys had me confused. I thought this would be a challenge to build a Automated Transfer Vehicle...

We're on the same train.

[ThatDebri]

Oh god, you spelled kerbin kerban...

YOU WILL BE SENT TO HELL FOR THIS MISTAKE (just kidding)

[Heagar]

Hah....now you guys had me confused. I thought this would be a challenge to build a Automated Transfer Vehicle...

Let's say it in this manner: What he wants is a one stage lander witch is a rover at the same time.

As i see it, the docking capability after liftoff (e.g. mun's surface) and establishing an orbit around a moon/planet is only possible without beeing forced to overcome an athmosphere.

[700NitroXpress]

Let's say it in this manner: What he wants is a one stage lander witch is a rover at the same time.

As i see it, the docking capability after liftoff (e.g. mun's surface) and establishing an orbit around a moon/planet is only possible without beeing forced to overcome an athmosphere.

If you build a sky crane or a landing assistant for Duna and manage to get it back into orbit, then that would be impressive. However, you don't have to take off from a body with atmosphere to complete any of the challenges.

[Heagar]

If you build a sky crane or a landing assistant for Duna and manage to get it back into orbit, then that would be impressive. However, you don't have to take off from a body with atmosphere to complete any of the challenges.

If i understand you right, it is allowed to build two crafts instead of one: One "ro-ro-ferry" (the actual spacecraft) and a rover?

[700NitroXpress]

If i understand you right, it is allowed to build two crafts instead of one: One "ro-ro-ferry" (the actual spacecraft) and a rover?

You can build multiple craft, The ATV, sky crane, spacecraft, orbital assistant. That's all fine, the ATV just has to perform on the surface or in orbit for docking, it doesn't really matter how many craft you build to get it there. If you have to build something to help get it back into orbit or off a planet, then that's fine. You just have to achieve orbit with the vertical take off engines with no assistant craft to complete one of the bonus challenges. Doing so on Mun is possible even with a lightweight craft.

Edited November 6, 2013 by 700NitroXpress

[700NitroXpress]

Here is an example of a transfer craft for the ATV, it consists of an engine and sky crane. The ATV is inside. You can see the marker for my base below on Duna, this is the intended LZ. The ATV will drop out of this box in mid atmosphere and land on it's own with the parachutes on the ATV itself. I'm going to record the landing process of this vehicle so you guys will have a video demo of what the challenge conditions are. I'll also add these to the initial post for others to reference.

Edited November 7, 2013 by 700NitroXpress

[AKA the A]

double posted

Edited November 13, 2013 by AKA the A
double post

[AKA the A]

Like so?

The Pentagon series mk2

Weighing 4.5t (4.1t without the crew, 2.1t completely empty), 103 parts, 758 m/s V delta in vacuum (632m/s in Kerbin atmosphere)

If you don't mind fixing the wheels, it can Land on Duna with the parachutes alone

Known issues - Kerbals apparently don't hold on to the seats very well, so docking with the crew onboard is a bad idea (the jolt from the docking is enough to eject them out and deorbit from a 20km Mun orbit, the same goes for ALL parachutes fully deploying at once (have to be staged, otherwise it shakes them out of the rover) and similarly driving over 20m/s is just asking for it...

[700NitroXpress]

Like so?

Looks good, very nice design!

So please post any additional screenshots in your current post as edits.

Or make a screenshot library on Imgur and link that for photos of the rest of the bonus challenges if you intend to do them.

From these screenshots, your ATV meets the core requirements and is confirmed to both run and drive on the Mun and on Duna.

So that's 2 bonus challenges that are confirmed completed.

Good job!

Edited November 13, 2013 by 700NitroXpress

[AKA the A]

So, wanted to try and do a video for the crater climb, but I managed to...crater it...and was too lazy to try again. Uploaded the video anyway, since I'm learning to use Vegas Pro 12.

Leasons learned:

1) Land in the crater, not drive to it...

2) Do NOT drive into it from the steepest wall available...

3) A 45° incline is probably a little too steep to climb anyway

[700NitroXpress]

Leasons learned:

1) Land in the crater, not drive to it...

2) Do NOT drive into it from the steepest wall available...

3) A 45° incline is probably a little too steep to climb anyway

Well, just to share some of my experiences of driving on the moon. I've had my Armadillo APC on the moon for a while now, it's way heavier than this ATV you have and it uses the same wheels. Getting down a steep crater is tricky, but if you use the rear and center tire to reverse all the way down and disable the front wheels, it can be done if you go slow enough. I didn't go faster than 7 m/s. I also used the RCS system to provide downforce to the tires using the translation controls. This pushed the vehicle down into the ground, which gives the tires more traction in the low gravity. When climbing up a steep incline, I switched the drive train to front wheel drive with the center tires also and disabled the rear tires that way it doesn't flip over. Also, you have vertical takeoff engines. So, if you also have rear thrusters, you can effectively use the rocket propulsion to your advantage to climb out of steep craters.

So my advice is: Use the drive train to your advantage depending on rather you're going uphill or downhill, don't go in excess of 10 m/s downhill, use your propulsion systems to your advantage when moving over difficult terrain.

Here is the Armadillo APC and it's driven half way around the moon across all of the terrain, up and down steep craters and all over the place. This was the inspiration vehicle for this challenge. But compact designs are really good too.

So otherwise, this video also confirms that you can preform a wheelie and a stoppie in your ATV so that bonus challenge is satisfied.

[Azereiah]

I'm definitely jumping on this challenge.

Any tips on making a vehicle with extremely high suspension? Mine is roughly two meters above the ground with a wide base, but it can't go in a straight line without being babysat. Just need to work that out and I'm set.

A bonus challenge idea: Survive 4x time warp over a hill?

[Javster]

I thought you mean the ESA ISS resupply craft!

[Blaster]

Top tip: Make a car

[700NitroXpress]

I'm definitely jumping on this challenge.

Any tips on making a vehicle with extremely high suspension? Mine is roughly two meters above the ground with a wide base, but it can't go in a straight line without being babysat. Just need to work that out and I'm set.

A bonus challenge idea: Survive 4x time warp over a hill?

There are those huge wheels in the utilities section, beyond that, I wouldn't know for stock parts. You would want a low center of mass anyway because that will give you better stability.

As for the bonus challenge... maybe. I'll add it to the additional bonus challenges list if it can be done without damage to the ATV. You would also have to specify what you mean by "hill". A hill to a kerbal would be small, but a large hill would send the ATV flying and it would get destroyed from the impact with the ground.

[Azereiah]

Low center of mass can be compensated for by forcing only the chassis to roll rather than the entire vehicle. Zigzagged Ibeams and junior clampotrons seem to work nicely for that. Low COM usually causes difficulty getting over sharper ledges safely.

For the bonus idea I was referring to the habit that some rovers have of exploding when changing travel surface angle when warping - bottoming out, etc. The hill height only matters if jumping. Preferable screenshot example would be the rover starting a steep climb from a flat surface at 4x, but a safe landing could work if a midair shot and result shot were uploaded.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Azereiah
Clarification