The Three Bridges Cup!

[GusTurbo]

Here's my new attempt, without anything on the launch pad. I even tried a different route!

0.0 m/s at 00:29

[BagelRabbit]

These entries are absolutely amazing. Remember when I said that the theoretical minimum run time was ~30 seconds? That's been shattered.

I am accepting Aphobius's 0:27 attempt as well as GusTurbo's 0:29 attempt. Exceptional piloting skills, both of you! I still hold the record for doing this the fastest with a manned craft, so I still have some hope...

It seems as if my recommended bridge order is, indeed, the fastest. I'm not entirely sure if there's any faster way to do it (currently beginning trials in which the bridges are flown through from largest to smallest, may save some time at the beginning of the run) but I'm pretty confident that my original idea was a little faster. That's one of the parts I like about this challenge: It takes a whole load of experimentation to figure out what to do.

Also, Aphobius, I'm pretty sure that GusTurbo didn't intend to cheat, nor did he really break any rules. Please don't call people out on account of circumstances that they may not have realized were affecting gameplay. This thread has been very well-behaved so far, and I want it to stay that way.

Thanks.

[EDIT: I should also note, for those of you who look at this challenge and think that there's no way that you can place in one of the top spots, that there are also a good number of distinctions that no one has even tried for. Those are definitely worth getting, and they would look good on your KSP achievements list too.]

Edited July 7, 2014 by UpsilonAerospace

[GusTurbo]

These entries are absolutely amazing. Remember when I said that the theoretical minimum run time was ~30 seconds? That's been shattered.

I am accepting Aphobius's 0:27 attempt as well as GusTurbo's 0:29 attempt. Exceptional piloting skills, both of you! I still hold the record for doing this the fastest with a manned craft, so I still have some hope...

It seems as if my recommended bridge order is, indeed, the fastest. I'm not entirely sure if there's any faster way to do it (currently beginning trials in which the bridges are flown through from largest to smallest, may save some time at the beginning of the run) but I'm pretty confident that my original idea was a little faster. That's one of the parts I like about this challenge: It takes a whole load of experimentation to figure out what to do.

Also, Aphobius, I'm pretty sure that GusTurbo didn't intend to cheat, nor did he really break any rules. Please don't call people out on account of circumstances that they may not have realized were affecting gameplay. This thread has been very well-behaved so far, and I want it to stay that way.

Thanks.

[EDIT: I should also note, for those of you who look at this challenge and think that there's no way that you can place in one of the top spots, that there are also a good number of distinctions that no one has even tried for. Those are definitely worth getting, and they would look good on your KSP achievements list too.]

Thanks for putting together such an amazing challenge. I'm thinking 25 seconds is possible. I'm also interested to see what others come up with, particularly in the manned category. I may also try to get the first 3 kerbal design through the course!

[Aphobius]

I'm sorry GusTurbo for calling you a cheater, maybe you just have a really bad computer and it works at 1/2 speed even with that 50 parts craft (second video too). But it's ok, I like your design, even without slow motion it wouldn't be harder to control it, so the time would be about the same.

But just to show you what happens when you are not more restrictive with "cheats".

0.0m/s at 23 seconds

It's not against the rules and you can't say what's wrong with it, but things like this make the challenges unfun (is this a word? xD).

Probably I could get like 15 seconds with other design.

[GusTurbo]

I have a laptop that's several years old. It's not ideal for playing this game, but I try to make it work. Recording lowers my framerate even more.

My specs:

Processor: Intel® Core i3 M370 @ 2.40GHz

Memory: 4096MB RAM

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GT420M

Also, I don't really see how you "cheated" in your latest version. What's different about it than your previous videos?

Edited July 8, 2014 by GusTurbo

[Aphobius]

Yeah, don't worry. Well done for that design, I wasn't thinking it's possible to be so fast with the parachutes opened all the time. That's why I've made mine like that, but mine is very hard and annoying to control.

EDIT: You don't have to put my 23s time on the leaderboard, if someone else would have posted that I would have called him all kind of things. =)) =))

It is done in slow motion and speed up to normal speed in video editing software, I didn't bothered too much to hide it. I guess it's not against the rules, but I don't like things like this.

EDIT 2: Slow motion is annoying for most people, because they are not perceiving the motion of the craft so well anymore, but when you know what you are doing, it's helping a lot.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Aphobius

[GusTurbo]

Question for everyone here: who is using a joystick vs. keyboard?

I'm just using a keyboard, and I'm approaching the limits of my control capabilities.

[Aphobius]

I'm using a keyboard, in the 27s video it's obvious, but in the 23s video it looks like a joystick because it's in slow motion and speed up.

[Aphobius]

Are you not updating the leaderboard anymore?

A little video that I've made, not necessarily related to this challenge.

[GusTurbo]

Wow! That's a tiny gap to fly through, nice job.

[BagelRabbit]

Are you not updating the leaderboard anymore?

A little video that I've made, not necessarily related to this challenge.

I've updated the leaderboard, sorry for the delay. Also, amazing job at flying through that small gap! I think that there was a challenge for this a while back, but I can't seem to find it.

Question for everyone here: who is using a joystick vs. keyboard?

I'm just using a keyboard, and I'm approaching the limits of my control capabilities.

I used a keyboard, which is pretty evident in my run. I think I could do it faster with a joystick, but I'm not sure if I even could ban using a joystick.

Here's an "official" little Three Bridges Cup image that will go at the top of the thread. U liek?

[Aphobius]

19s

[GusTurbo]

I like the image for the thread.

Also, 19s is absolutely bonkers.

[BagelRabbit]

19s

Please don't get any better at KSP. I'm not entirely sure if my mind can handle a sub-19-second run.

Wonderful job, I'm adding this to the leaderboard. I think that the Kerbal Cup is all but won, though the race is still on for the most distinctions! I'm scoring that as follows (let me know if there's a better way to do this):

If there are seven people who are competing (as there are now), fastest time gets 7 points, second-fastest gets six, etc. Each "distinction" earns you one point, except for the Kerbal Ace distinction, which gives you one point per Kerbal.

In that case:

Aphobius: 8 points

GusTurbo: 7 points

Me: 7 points

Andrew Hansen: 7 points

Mareczex333: 8 points

Avera9eJoe: 5 points

Razgriz86er: 3 points

This will NOT replace the Kerbal Cup's original scoring system, it's just a different way of scoring things that I think better shows the quality of some of these entries in more ways than one. Should I put this scoring method up on the OP along with the original method, or should I not include it at all?

[GusTurbo]

I think it would be good to include, because it gives Mareczex some much deserved recognition.

[Aphobius]

That shadows look a little strange, but that control surfaces are not clipped, they are just the shadows from the control surfaces from above.

You could add that leaderboard, but I think you've forgot my light class.

It's a little hard to catch it, but it's there, 0.0m/s at 14s.

Edited July 13, 2014 by Aphobius

[GusTurbo]

It's a little hard to catch it, but it's there, 0.0m/s at 14s.

http://i.imgur.com/W520HOk.png

That shadows look a little strange, but that control surfaces are not clipped, they are just the shadows from the control surfaces from above.

You could add that leaderboard, but I think you've forgot my light class.

Wow, no one is going to beat that!

I'm looking to do a new entry in a different class, so I can get some more points for that.

[BagelRabbit]

It's a little hard to catch it, but it's there, 0.0m/s at 14s.

http://i.imgur.com/W520HOk.png

That shadows look a little strange, but that control surfaces are not clipped, they are just the shadows from the control surfaces from above.

You could add that leaderboard, but I think you've forgot my light class.

Congrants on a nearly unbeatable flight.

The reason that I didn't include you in the light-craft division was not because I was forgetful. Rather, it is because you must show the mass of the craft if you're going for the Light or the Heavy classes. Because you didn't do this, I can't put you down for the "Light" class. As soon as you present me with a screenshot, I'm more than happy to give you the distinction.

I'm adding the alternate scoring method now. Also, I want to experiment with the RCS engines... could they allow even faster speeds?!

[Spacepigu]

I will do it with a blimp! certainly won't win any speed awards, but it will make it through and through!

[BagelRabbit]

I will do it with a blimp! certainly won't win any speed awards, but it will make it through and through!

I have faith in you, Spacepigu! Good luck creating a stock blimp... I'm sure it can be done with enough wings and control surfaces.

If you do manage to do this, I'll probably add a "Blimp Class" onto the leaderboard. You definitely would deserve recognition for this achievement.

By the way, this competition is still open, if anyone wants to enter

[Spacepigu]

Thanks for the support! will do!

[Spacepigu]

My times 9:39 in a blimp class. Barely any use of engines! yay!

Rendering video now.

[GusTurbo]

Haha, I can't wait to see the blimp video.

[Spacepigu]

It is pretty slow though, so be warned.

It is a blimp after all.

Surprisingly though, it is pretty tiny, or it wouldn't have been able to get under the first arch

[manni01]

@UpisilonAerospace or BagelRabbit I know an idea for the challenge. "The lowest speed while flying through each of the bridges". The contestant would have to give three values, which is the velocity the craft has exactly while flying through a bridge. The winner of this category is when you add up all three values (m/s), and the person with the lowest value wins. Tell me if I need to explain more