Rover Testing Grounds - Best Yet

[SourBacon]

Hey all, I've noticed that many people (myself included) have expressed the need for better rover/land vehicle testing areas, and I've found the solution!

By destroying the launchpad (or various other buildings, I've found that the Mission Control creates an excellent obstacle course that I have yet to conquer), you can make your own testing grounds. This is what I use to test out my suspension (as seen in the above screenshot)

How do you all test your rovers?

Edited October 15, 2014 by SourBacon

[I_Killed_Jeb]

Excellent idea. Please have rep.

[Engineer of Stuff]

Wow. Destroying a million-dollar building just to test a couple of rovers on.

[problemecium]

Brilliant!

Now I just need an expendable building that I can blow up without losing any functionality... maybe a small area of R&D.

[Taki117]

If you are playing in Science mode you can blow up the Admin building and Mission Control.

[SkyRender]

I think the rover I devised can handle it. I call it the Tumbler, because flipping does not stop it for long. It has a pair of mini-SAS attached above the center of mass and out past the wheel wells. Whenever it flips over, I turn on the twin SAS modules and flip it right back over.

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Well, uh... I just HyperEditâ„¢ the rover into the planet I want it to explore... Hey, it's as close as we can get to a proper simulation!

I think the rover I devised can handle it. I call it the Tumbler, because flipping does not stop it for long. It has a pair of mini-SAS attached above the center of mass and out past the wheel wells. Whenever it flips over, I turn on the twin SAS modules and flip it right back over.

Intriguing. Could you shoot a few pictures, and possibly put up a download?

[dryer_lint]

Now I just need an expendable building that I can blow up without losing any functionality... maybe a small area of R&D.

Destroying the telescope-like building in R&D should make a good obstacle course without losing functionality. Don't take my word for it, though...

[SkyRender]

Intriguing. Could you shoot a few pictures, and possibly put up a download?

Sure.

The design behind it is astonishingly simple in principle. In fact, you can't make a rover much simpler than this.

The only real sticking point is that you must assign the reaction wheels to an action group (along with the probe core) and disable torque immediately. Otherwise it will live up to its name and only tumble when trying to rove. Placing the reaction wheels closer to the CoM will allow it to handle steeper slopes, incidentally, but will also put the wheels in danger of destruction during flip-overs (thus defeating their purpose). You can definitely scale it up as well; I'd estimate those tiny reaction wheels can handle up to 3 or 4 tonnes for flip-overs.

[SkyRender]

Amazing new breakthrough! Fresh from the labs, I present to you: the Big Tumbler, aka. the Safety Rover!

It features 4 mini-SAS reaction wheels and a roll cage, meaning that it's virtually impossible to damage!

Even the nastiest tumble doesn't dent this thing. It can withstand up to 80m/s of collision damage on all parts likely to collide!

Flipped over? Just activate the mini-SAS modules and roll sideways to right yourself! I suggest you have Kerbals around, however, as those tires do break at far less than 80m/s (though the wheels themselves sure don't!).

[DerekL1963]

Wow. Destroying a million-dollar building just to test a couple of rovers on.

F5 isn't quite ten characters.

[theguyinthemines]

parts without physics time!!

[Las-pen]

Wow. Destroying a million-dollar building just to test a couple of rovers on.

Correction: For testing multi-million-dollar rovers. Seems worth it

[Renegrade]

Err, am I in the Spintires forum suddenly? Hehe.

Still, that's an interesting and creative (if expensive) use for the destructible buildings

[Engineer of Stuff]

Correction: For testing multi-million-dollar rovers. Seems worth it

You do bring up a good point.

[Vagani]

Defo gonna use this

[MGCJerry]

I would actually like to see a non-persistant "Testing Facility" added to KSP that goes like this.

* In VAB or SPH, create a vehicle. (rover, plane, rocket whatever).

* Next to the Launch button is a "Test this vehicle"

* Click the button, and it asks where you want to test. There is a grouped list that includes the planets & moons (Duna, Eve, Gilly, etc), as well as a terrain list (Kerbal mountains, Duna Mountains, etc). Also maybe orbiting options for testing docking maneuvers.

* Click "Simulate", and KSP loads up the specified location in a "simulated" environment. Your rocket on a simple launchpad, or your plane on a simple runway, or your rover in the specified type of terrain. Testing your rover somewhere without actually having to do a full launch, but you could do the whole trip as well if you wanted.

* The "simulation" ends when you crash, or are done testing, then you get a similar screen like you currently get for launches.

* No Kerbals harmed, not a lot of money spent (longer simulation = more $$$$).

Just like doing a regular launch, but being able to chose your "start" location, but is not a persistent launch.

* Destroying the testing facility removes the ability to test (and whatever kerbals you assigned to it).

* Difficulty option to enable/disable 'testing'. So you elites can turn this kid gloves stuff off, and the people who want to simulate can use it.

I know KSP is in beta with the final scope in mind, but this is an idea I just got. Sure, there's always hyperedit and the like but I think it would be cool to add a simulation to KSP as well. Simulation in a simulation since its inception.

[severedsolo]

I would actually like to see a non-persistant "Testing Facility" added to KSP that goes like this.

* In VAB or SPH, create a vehicle. (rover, plane, rocket whatever).

* Next to the Launch button is a "Test this vehicle"

* Click the button, and it asks where you want to test. There is a grouped list that includes the planets & moons (Duna, Eve, Gilly, etc), as well as a terrain list (Kerbal mountains, Duna Mountains, etc). Also maybe orbiting options for testing docking maneuvers.

* Click "Simulate", and KSP loads up the specified location in a "simulated" environment. Your rocket on a simple launchpad, or your plane on a simple runway, or your rover in the specified type of terrain. Testing your rover somewhere without actually having to do a full launch, but you could do the whole trip as well if you wanted.

* The "simulation" ends when you crash, or are done testing, then you get a similar screen like you currently get for launches.

* No Kerbals harmed, not a lot of money spent (longer simulation = more $$$$).

Just like doing a regular launch, but being able to chose your "start" location, but is not a persistent launch.

* Destroying the testing facility removes the ability to test (and whatever kerbals you assigned to it).

* Difficulty option to enable/disable 'testing'. So you elites can turn this kid gloves stuff off, and the people who want to simulate can use it.

I know KSP is in beta with the final scope in mind, but this is an idea I just got. Sure, there's always hyperedit and the like but I think it would be cool to add a simulation to KSP as well. Simulation in a simulation since its inception.

Obligatory "there is a mod for that" post - Kerbal Construction Time has something very similar. Admittedly it's more for not having to wait a week for something to build only to have it not work, but it works almost exactly as you described. (except there is no building)

[Rainbowtrout]

Maybe move the rover off of the runway, break the runway, and do a distance test?

[Roflcopterkklol]

My test of a good rover is throwing it at a mun crater.

[Engineer of Stuff]

I would actually like to see a non-persistant "Testing Facility" added to KSP that goes like this.

* In VAB or SPH, create a vehicle. (rover, plane, rocket whatever).

* Next to the Launch button is a "Test this vehicle"

* Click the button, and it asks where you want to test. There is a grouped list that includes the planets & moons (Duna, Eve, Gilly, etc), as well as a terrain list (Kerbal mountains, Duna Mountains, etc). Also maybe orbiting options for testing docking maneuvers.

* Click "Simulate", and KSP loads up the specified location in a "simulated" environment. Your rocket on a simple launchpad, or your plane on a simple runway, or your rover in the specified type of terrain. Testing your rover somewhere without actually having to do a full launch, but you could do the whole trip as well if you wanted.

* The "simulation" ends when you crash, or are done testing, then you get a similar screen like you currently get for launches.

* No Kerbals harmed, not a lot of money spent (longer simulation = more $$$$).

Just like doing a regular launch, but being able to chose your "start" location, but is not a persistent launch.

* Destroying the testing facility removes the ability to test (and whatever kerbals you assigned to it).

* Difficulty option to enable/disable 'testing'. So you elites can turn this kid gloves stuff off, and the people who want to simulate can use it.

I know KSP is in beta with the final scope in mind, but this is an idea I just got. Sure, there's always hyperedit and the like but I think it would be cool to add a simulation to KSP as well. Simulation in a simulation since its inception.

HyperEdit is good for that.

[SourBacon]

I tried this too, destroying the entire runway for testing. The issue is that there are only three different panels so the terrain repeats itself every 200m or so, meaning that once you get past the first three you can easily get past the rest.