Speedbuilding Challenges

[FuNx]

The basic idea is to see how fast you can build a ship that satisfies certain criteria. For example, I\'ve been able to build a ship that can fly to the Mun, land, and return to Kerbin using stock parts in under a minute.

Kind of a silly idea, but I thought I\'d throw it out there to see who else might be interested.

Video of build:

[ping111]

I commented.

[FuNx]

I commented.

I realize it\'s not a perfect run but it\'s more of a proof of concept to see if anyone else would want to participate in this kind of challenge.

[ping111]

I realize it\'s not a perfect run but it\'s more of a proof of concept to see if anyone else would want to participate in this kind of challenge.

Ah. I would, but I\'m a lazy bum.

[FuNx]

Ah. I would, but I\'m a lazy bum.

Haha, well at least you\'re honest. Thanks for giving it a watch.

[PD]

that was awesome. How many times did you practice that one?! I could never compete.. that was SPEEDY!

PD

[Darkshadow]

I couldn\'t do that, the assembly building has a way too low FPS for large builds on my computer. Still it might be possible to build the single stage munar rocket in a minute.

[PD]

^^That is a more accurate explanation of what\'s in the way of me doing a quick build too.

PD

[samstarman5]

On a whim I built the Speedy I. I didn\'t try to land on the moon but she was able to Free Return Trajectory with no hiccups and half a tank of fuel left in the 3rd stage, which I doubt would be enough for a safe landing. If I attached struts to the 1st stage to prevent the three engines from wobbling, I may get better efficiency. Maybe. Attaching radials and winglets to the third stage for a landing attempt would probably add on 10 seconds about.

Using the wonderful copy and direct page tools, ctrl-click and alt-click, I got her built in under a minute.

Behold:

All stock except the parachute which is NovaSilisko(which has the same stats as the stock parachute except the added feature of attaching parts to the top end).

[FuNx]

that was awesome. How many times did you practice that one?! I could never compete.. that was SPEEDY!

There were definitely a lot of unused takes, and even in the one I uploaded there are a few mistakes, like missing the first engine placement. (I blame lag, which brings me to the next quote...)

I couldn\'t do that, the assembly building has a way too low FPS for large builds on my computer.

Yeah, I can see how computer performance could play a big factor in this kind of competition, especially when recording a build. Still, I think it\'d be fun to watch and learn techniques that can help you spend less time in the assembly room.

If I attached struts to the 1st stage to prevent the three engines from wobbling, I may get better efficiency. Maybe. Attaching radials and winglets to the third stage for a landing attempt would probably add on 10 seconds about. Using the wonderful copy and direct page tools, ctrl-click and alt-click, I got her built in under a minute.

Ctrl-click is another timesaver I could have used but discovered after I uploaded the video. Also, from my experience the struts don\'t work well with symmetry quite yet. Hopefully in a future update this will get fixed.

I opted to use RCS thrusters instead of winglets because they greatly aid craft stabilization when trying to land on the Mun. Generally I point the craft\'s nose directly upward and use the IJKL keys to reduce any lateral motion, which allows landings like this:

From there you can easily launch back up again and return home safely.