Why does my Mun rover get stuck on certain slopes but not others?

[reaction_wheel]

Howdy fellow space program administrators,

I'm relative newb at KSP, having only played about 70-some hours. I landed a rover on the Mun via sky crane just north of the equator, and dropped in Bob Kerman via lander nearby, and then drove him about 20 km (mostly downhill) to get to the anomaly at 23ºE.

That all went fine, but when I tried to get Bob back to his capsule, the lander wouldn't go back up the slope! It'll get most of the way up and then grind to a halt, and then start sliding down the slope unless the brakes are on. The rover uses the stock M1 wheels and has enough panels to keep the battery charged the whole time.

I'd be willing to buy the notion that the rover wheels only have so much torque, but the thing I can't figure out is what's the limiting incline angle for this rover. It seems to do fine on steeper hills and get bogged down on slopes that seem less steep.

Can anyone shed some light on this? I'm attaching a pic of the rover so you all can see that I'm not a total idiot

RW

Edited October 18, 2014 by reaction_wheel
answered

[Jimbimbibble]

Have you tried going up the slope at an angle (as opposed to straight up the hill)?

[Slam_Jones]

I suggest either taking the slope at an angle (as Jimbimbibble suggested) or at some point adding monoprop thrusters to the back to give it a little extra push.

Alternatively, I think the ruggedized rover wheels are better at slopes than the ones you're using currently

[michaelhester07]

The Mk1 wheel you're using doesn't actually have the power to take a slope like that. I think it's more a matter of traction than power. The Ruggedised wheel has the power and the traction for easily a 40 degree slope. I'm "twisting the chassis" on a 60ton base with them like I'm flooring the gas on a muscle car off the line.

I'd try to find another way out of the crater and go around the long way for your rover, or switch to EVA thrusters and ditch the rover.

[reaction_wheel]

Taking the slopes at an angle did the trick. It took a LOT longer than expected, but Bob made it safely back to his lander in the end! Thanks to everyone who chimed in -- you guys are great.

[GoSlash27]

This is a known bug in KSP and it happens on all the planets and moons. For whatever reason, the angle of a slope doesn't define how much traction or gravity you have to contend with. I've had rovers slide uphill on slopes well beyond 60*, then hit a shallower patch and nearly fall off.

I think it's an error in the math; maybe radians vs degrees in resolving gravity... but that's just a guess.

The best thing to do when stuck in one of these patches is what's been suggested above: weave it back and forth to climb at shallower angles. And if at all possible, recognize when you're entering a problem patch and find another, friendlier patch to climb instead.

Best,

-Slashy