[PLUGIN, PART, 0.17] Bigtrak KSP Edition v.30 Liltrak

[Corax]

After looking at the Rokenbok toys I kind of want to make a scoop lift for the front and a dump container for the back now. Landing craft/rover base first though, well... maybe working headlights. Now I\'m not sure what to add next

Actually there was a dump trailer for the original bigtrak, the bigtrak transport (pdf). I wonder if a hitch plugin could be done...

[Evolution]

With parts like the kosmos docker node its actually possible to launch with the bigtrak vertical.

It is also how I placed guns on mine.

Make such a part and you can reduce the size of the fairing you need.

[semininja]

Well, I was planning on attaching a picture here, but it seems the attachments have died...

[maltesh]

I love how you can hide a standard Mk.1 pod on the interior of it, so that it is completely invisible except from underneath.

Though it is a bit tricky to get the attatchment right. But it handles like a dream on the Munar surface, and I can basically run it flat out at nearly 50 m/s, skipping across the rilles like a cheerful juggernaut, only rarely troubled by tumbling.

Though I would recommend editing the pod to be as indestructible as you can still wind up clipping the ground. And the concealed-pod attatchment closes off the bottom hardpoint, so if I do wind up flying one to the Mun legitimately, the build\'s going to be an interesting one.

[chickenplucker]

Thanks Commander Zoom, I\'m glad you like it

The trailer would be a riot, but I\'m pretty bad at codeing things so this will have to wait untill Tosh or someone else comes up with a solution.

Sidefairings sound like fun, when I get a chance I\'ll try to make a couple of diffrent payload attachments for it.

Maltesh, that is absolutely brilliant! I didn\'t know that you could sneak a pod in there like that. I\'ve added another attachment node just a hair above the bottom mesh so you can now safely tuck a pod inside the collision box to keep it safe. It seems to handle better with the center of gravity lowered as well. Cheerful juggernaut made me laugh, thats a great description of its personality.

I\'ve been working on getting the lights working and so far so good. Tonight the taillights should be working as well. Scratch that, they refuse to light up. I\'ll keep playing around with them some other night.

Edit:

Release early and release often, new zip with lights and inner attachment node is up

[madmat]

Promise you won\'t stop working on this Bigtrak. It\'s Brilliant. I find putting the 'smaller' Mechjeb unit on the very front node looks great and works well as a unmanned munrover/dozer.It\'s real easy to put on the mun too.Well balanced!

[zYnthethicz]

I can\'t get the pod to be inside the bigtrak, i mean, the attachment node is there but it won\'t let me put it there.

[Evolution]

There are two CP_Bigtrak folders.

[chickenplucker]

Thanks madmat, I will keep updating this guy for quite a while As long as there is interest in it I will keep making goofy attachments, I have been thinking about making a smaller and larger version yet.

zYnthethicz, try downloading the zip again and updating your parts. I goofed up and put two different versions in the last zip and you may have the one installed that doesn\'t have that node. The way I usually attach the pods is, spin the camera to the side, clip the Bigtrak on top of the pod without letting it touch any other sides while moving it there, then unattach it and move it down to the bottom node. For some reason this seems to work most of the time.

Good catch Evolution, that\'s what I get for working on stuff when I should have been sleeping

[RC1062]

There will continue to be interest in it. It makes for a great looking exploratory craft and I for one will be using it for other planets aswell. Keep up the good work!

[falken]

Absolutely loving this. I managed to wrangle this beaut to the mun, and here\'s a video!

[zYnthethicz]

zYnthethicz, try downloading the zip again and updating your parts. I goofed up and put two different versions in the last zip and you may have the one installed that doesn\'t have that node. The way I usually attach the pods is, spin the camera to the side, clip the Bigtrak on top of the pod without letting it touch any other sides while moving it there, then unattach it and move it down to the bottom node. For some reason this seems to work most of the time.

Thanks!

That worked, now it work flawlessly!

Keep up the good work.

[Volt]

Nice video, I\'m jealous of anyone who can get a lander down there with BigTrak or Truck right now. I might actually finally update this week and go through my whole mod clearout to try out the new terrain with the carts.

By the way, was the music from Mass Effect?

[chickenplucker]

Haha, thanks for sharing that video falken. I liked how the crew kept going from happy to terrified as stuff blew up.

Next attachment is going to be a floodlight pod thingy I think, then onto project cricket which will be some type of gear addon that will *hopefully* attach to the underside and have legs that swing down extremely fast making the whole rover jump like a cricket. Or explode like a cricket, we will see

[madmat]

A floodlight pod thingy would be a great idea. Have you thought about something like fold out solar panels, except they would be floodlights instead of panels, it would be awesome for lighting up munbases at night.

[chickenplucker]

Fold out lights would be really cool, but I\'m not the best with code so it may be a while before anything like that gets made.

New floodlights and floodlight pod out now. The pod is just a stand for the lights that matches the digital camera add on for the Bigtrak Jr. that I don\'t think was ever sold. The floodlights are seprate parts that you can stick on anything as long as you have the Cart plugin installed.

Fun to stick on rockets

Lights stuck on the pod.

They light up a fairly large area

Remember that none of this would be possible without Tosh\'s Cart plugin and all the hard work he put into that, so if you like the lights and the Bigtrak make sure to let him know

[semininja]

Two questions: 1) do the lights require a plugin? 2) Can you make a node-stack-able bottom light about the size of one of the headlights?

[chickenplucker]

Yes, and yes. May be the weekend before I find time to make the tiny light though.

[madmat]

Ahh, CP, I MAY be missing something here(quite possible) but i DL\'d the lights pack and only found the POD and no lights.Any ideas?

[chickenplucker]

They should be in there, I just double checked the zip and the part folder seems to be listing everything correctly. It should show up under the Utility tab with the Bigtrak and the rest of the accessory\'s. They face backwards in the part menu and look like the hatch texture when you see them. I\'ll try to dl the zip and test it to make sure its working soon, tied up atm.

[madmat]

Yep,, they were there. Sorry my bad. I always have a little chuckle when somebody says they can\'t find the parts without putting them into the PARTS folder. Guess what i did? Anyhow these work AWESOME. Love \'em.

[SmiteZero]

Yay! My second go-round at a craft that will take the BigTrak to the Mun and serve as a base.

Flashing lights!

There are some big hillocks up here...

I like this vehicle. It looks moon-ish (Needs a re-tex) and it\'s small enough to put on a rocket.

[zYnthethicz]

Those floodlights are awesome to use either on the nights or on the mun, great addition.

Now we need fairings.

[Anariaq]

I really now first gone to play with rovers. So after 5 attempt where 3 failed at launch ( all by sticky launchpad ) 1 landing attempt on Mun where I went trough the Mun. Weird bug in 0.14.4 The last attempt I successfully landed, and have alot of fun searching for the monolith. Though having to much fun I went over a hill with to much speed and crashed

But had an idea to have a attach point up at the top. So I could set engines over the bigtrak. So I could do the same as what curiosity is going to do.

My problem is that the engine works in reverse. Anybody know how to fix that? cant use mechjeb because of that.

[Y8]

Yes, I\'ve done the same to mine, actually a while ago, it\'s how i land all my Big Trak\'s now. Using a sky crane!

all you really need is the piece on top. I can\'t remember which pack it\'s from but the manufacturer, is Jebediah Kerman\'s Junkyard and Spaceship Parts Co