1 Button Bill

[Thunderous Echo]

Back in the day, KSC had not yet realized that you could put multiple buttons in one command pod. Thus, in every mission, the piloting kerbal had to EVA between command pods throughout the flight.

The rules:

Each command pod in your craft has only one keyboard button*. If you wish to press that button, your kerbal must be in that command pod. Only one kerbal per craft is allowed.

Binding two keys to one pod is fine, as long as you always press both keys simultaneously.

For proof: I'm just doing honor system. Please be honest.

What this means:

For example, to get into orbit, you will have to get into your 'spacebar' pod, hit the stage button, then into your 'D' pod to do your gravity turn. Whenever you want to stage, you will have do get back into the 'spacebar' pod, hit space, then get back into your 'D' pod. You will also need a 'shift' pod and 'ctrl' pod for throttling. Any action groups will need their own pods. For docking, you will need to get to your 'M' pod for map view, then the 'R' pod to turn on RCS, then your 'del' pod and turn to docking mode, then go to 'W' and move forward...

Mun landings should be fun.

(You don't need two spacebar pods, that was just for demonstration.)

*Buttons you will need pods for:

The official key bindings wiki page is here: http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Key_Bindings

You only need pods to press buttons under the "Flight Controls" and "Docking Mode" tabs.

You will also need pods for Map View(M) and Docking Mode(del)

SAS can be toggled at any time.

All other keys can be pressed at any time.

Please do not use mouse clicks to get around the rules, such as toggling engines, activating decouplers, etc.

But for mouse clicking, all UI-only actions that don't affect the craft's flight - stuff like pausing, going to the map, opening the resources panel, are allowed at any time.

The Challenge:

All points assume you have flown the mission legitimately and recovered all kerbals safely.

Orbited Kerbin: 1 pt.

Flag on Minmus: 2 pts.

Flag on Mun: 3 pts.

Perform a docking: 2 pts.

Flag on celestial body outside Kerbin's SOI: 5 pts.

Also, if someone could make a plugin for KSP that adds a pod with this functionality, that would be amazing. 1 trillion points

(I will be trying to do this as well, so you have to beat me to it)

Leaderboard:

1.

2.

3.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Thunderous Echo

[chengong]

inb4 this challenge fails and gets locked because OP didn't read the sticky.

[goduranus]

you should make it so that multi-crew pods can have multiple buttons, one button per crew.

[chengong]

you should make it so that multi-crew pods can have multiple buttons, one button per crew.

Then it would be super easy, just have like 6 pods.

[Pecan]

The first major problem with this challenge is attempting EVA during high-acceleration atmospheric manoeuvres. 'Pure', untethered, EVA is probably a non-starter but you may be able to do it by climbing up and down ladders. I suspect that you will need to climb quite slowly in order to stop the Kerbal being torn-off the ladders by atmospheric drag.

The other major problem is the requirement for a video of the launch. I for one don't have the broadband capacity or personal patience to watch those.

Of course, a crew-transfer mod that allows movement of crew between positions without EVA makes this pretty trivial

[Rhomphaia]

The first major problem with this challenge is attempting EVA during high-acceleration atmospheric manoeuvres. 'Pure', untethered, EVA is probably a non-starter but you may be able to do it by climbing up and down ladders. I suspect that you will need to climb quite slowly in order to stop the Kerbal being torn-off the ladders by atmospheric drag.

Since you can toggle SAS at any time, easiest method would be to build a deliberately unbalanced launch vehicle, with enough control authority that SAS can compensate. Then steer by toggling SAS.

[cantab]

The first major problem with this challenge is attempting EVA during high-acceleration atmospheric manoeuvres.

So don't. Arrange things such that you never need to make any control inputs in atmosphere. Whether that's by a carefully-craft launcher that performs a true gravity turn, by burning straight up into space then straight sideways to orbit, or something else entirely.

Some aspects of the rules do I feel want resolving though. At the moment if you enter timewarp your only way to exit it is to unplug or hard-reboot your PC! You also have no way to make control inputs in map mode, which while not a dealbreaker will probably get very old very fast, and mapless missions are another challenge. I suggest saying that all UI-only actions that don't affect the craft's flight - stuff like pausing, going to the map, opening the resources panel - "free". (Increase timewarp maybe shouldn't be free since it can be used to stop rotation.)

Also, say whether or not control overloading is allowed. For example, I could bind stage and throttle up to the same key, allowing me to launch at full power in a single operation. On the one hand control overloading might subvert the challenge a bit, but on the other hand it opens the potential for some clever solutions.

Edited September 21, 2014 by cantab

[Himynameisjake]

While I hate this challenge, I'm going to end up doing it to show you how dumb it is.

[Thunderous Echo]

Thank you for your input. I will change the rules to fit your qualms. I have underlined what I have changed.

Also, for all of you who found a way around the rules, that's totally kosher. I want to see you try that. Go ahead, Rhomphaia and cantab.

And yes, climbing up and down ladders while throttled up is part of the challenge.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Thunderous Echo