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Raptor's Craft Download Catalog - Tested & Proven

Raptor9

By Raptor9
in KSP1 The Spacecraft Exchange

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Raptor9

Raptor9

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With two of my large projects complete and out of the way (SPH Revamp and Sat/Probe Revamp), that leaves me with one that I've been struggling with for a while, despite teasing progress screenshots several times.  I'm working to revamp my surface base modules.  There's not that many published anyway; just a handful of Mun outpost modules.  My goal is to create a new set of modules that work in as many places as possible, along with a new set of cargo landers.  The idea is that if the modules can be assembled and used on multiple planets/moons, then they can be saved as subassemblies, and then the cargo landers can be designed around the specific celestial body it's targeted for.  This will make a more universal outpost assembly process, and streamline the craft file organization.

Conceptually, the player opens the craft list in the VAB, selects the appropriate cargo lander for the target destination (which is already loaded on a rocket lifter), then picks a surface base module they want to deliver from the subassembly menu, and places the module on the cargo lander inside the lifter's pre-sized fairing.  For Munar bases, the lifter and cargo lander will most likely be an all-up launch like the current LV-3C 'Bullfrog'.  For interplanetary destinations, the upper stage will ship the cargo lander and base module to Munar orbit where it will be picked up by a NITE reusable interplanetary transport stage.

The revamp is influenced by the screenshots I posted a while back here and here, but those surface base examples were overly-ambitious, excessive in part count and details, and quite complicated in the assembly process leading to several bugs and modules getting damaged.  So I've reminded myself of the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) in redesigning the modules.  Trying to make the cargo offloading as simple as possible, the base assembly as simply as possible, and keep the part counts as low as possible; trying to find the delicate balance between part count, function, and looks.
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Along with this current project, there's a small handful of miscellaneous projects that are waiting on the 1.6 update to finalize.  The itemized list is at the bottom of the OP in the future plans section.  I'm also culling the part counts of some station module subassemblies.  Today I was able to trim 'Pioneer Station' (my ISS analogue) by nearly 50 parts.  Currently, the station as seen in the OP graphic is 515 parts, with two EMU's docked.  If you ditch the two EMU's (each is 24 parts) after station assembly is complete, and factor the refinements I'm making, the part count now stands at 420.  With two EV-2B's docked, that count climbs up to 476, but that's still a decent improvement considering if I had two EV-2B's docked with the existing 'Pioneer Station', it would be 571.

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Raptor9

Raptor9

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4 hours ago, Bottle Rocketeer 500 said:

Can you try revamping the larger passenger jet (C7-300, I think), possibly using this technique?

I've removed the large passenger jets from my catalog, because I've never needed to move 64 Kerbals...or even 20.  The new C7 300 is my C-17 analogue now.

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Dfthu

Dfthu

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14 hours ago, Fyrem said:

when IS 1.6 "expected" ? i heard quarterly release schedule, but i couldn't find if they mean "by end of each quarter" or "sometime during the first month of each quarter".

 

 

Considering 1.5 was released on October 11th I would say 1.6 would be released sometime in early January

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Raptor9

Raptor9

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15 hours ago, Fyrem said:

when IS 1.6 "expected" ? i heard quarterly release schedule, but i couldn't find if they mean "by end of each quarter" or "sometime during the first month of each quarter".

I wouldn't hold them to a precise time frame.  I think "quarterly release schedule" is more aspirational, despite the language used.

47 minutes ago, Dfthu said:

Considering 1.5 was released on October 11th I would say 1.6 would be released sometime in early January

I'm still hopeful to be playing with 1.6 by Christmas, but we'll see. :)

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Raptor9

Raptor9

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8 hours ago, Jestersage said:

Hey Raptor, do you expect yourself to at least try to use the Slim Mk2 Lander can, especially for LV-3A? (I know I will experiment with it for my Altair clone)

I've thought about that specific use, but at the moment I don't think so.  I do plan to keep it for my LV-1, but I want to retain the 3-Kerbal crew capacity for the LV-3A.  But, everything is subject to change when I get my hands on it.

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Jestersage

Jestersage

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2 hours ago, Raptor9 said:

I've thought about that specific use, but at the moment I don't think so.  I do plan to keep it for my LV-1, but I want to retain the 3-Kerbal crew capacity for the LV-3A.  But, everything is subject to change when I get my hands on it.

Right -- mine requires 4-person (or more) no matter what, so a switch from  LEM + Cabin to Mk2 may make sense.

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Jester Darrak

Jester Darrak

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14 hours ago, Jestersage said:

I think your LITE and NITE may go back to Poodle now...

Some time ago I suggested to keep the Poodle on the LITE and put the Wolfhound only onto the NITE to keep the LITE closer towards the ACES (taking the dV losses anyway). Seems like Squad read that and made the Poodle into just that: a perfect ACES analogue upper stage engine.

You turn, @Raptor9! :D

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Raptor9

Raptor9

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1 hour ago, Jester Darrak said:

Some time ago I suggested to keep the Poodle on the LITE and put the Wolfhound only onto the NITE to keep the LITE closer towards the ACES (taking the dV losses anyway). Seems like Squad read that and made the Poodle into just that: a perfect ACES analogue upper stage engine.

You turn, @Raptor9! :D

...well played.

In all seriousness though, you may be right.  I just now finished downloading and installing 1.6, so about to dive in to it and see what I have to work with.  I've seen some of the stats from the DLC engine rebalance, but I'm also wanting to tweak the LITE to get a little more performance out of it as well.

What it will probably come down to is how much payload I'm wanting to push on either the LITE or NITE in addition to their respective mass and propellant fractions.  Kind of how the Terrier has much better ISP than the Spark, but on smaller craft, the lower mass fraction of the Spark leads to better performance over the much more efficient Terrier.  We'll see how things are looking as I dive into the latest version over the holidays.

Speaking of which, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Kwanzaa and (a slightly overdue) Happy Hanukkah to all those fellow KSP-ers out there.  I wish you peace in mission control and a Yuletide of beaucoup flag-planting. :)

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Jestersage

Jestersage

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1 hour ago, Raptor9 said:

What it will probably come down to is how much payload I'm wanting to push on either the LITE or NITE in addition to their respective mass and propellant fractions.  Kind of how the Terrier has much better ISP than the Spark, but on smaller craft, the lower mass fraction of the Spark leads to better performance over the much more efficient Terrier.  We'll see how things are looking as I dive into the latest version over the holidays.

Speaking of which, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Kwanzaa and (a slightly overdue) Happy Hanukkah to all those fellow KSP-ers out there.  I wish you peace in mission control and a Yuletide of beaucoup flag-planting. :)

Yeah, notice Wolfhound now have a bit better TRW, but for most of my crafts, Poodle actually yield better Delta V than the Wolfhound (?!)

Happy Holidays to you too!

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Mr. Peabody

Mr. Peabody

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2 hours ago, Raptor9 said:

Speaking of which, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Kwanzaa and (a slightly overdue) Happy Hanukkah to all those fellow KSP-ers out there.  I wish you peace in mission control and a Yuletide of beaucoup flag-planting. :) 

Joyeux Noël!

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Raptor9

Raptor9

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10 hours ago, Jestersage said:

Hey Raptor, with the new Mk2 Cabin, are you going to keep doing the "finalized lunar lander", or the "1962 edition"?

I'm gonna go with the finalized version.  The windows and EVA door obviously won't be anything like the real LEM, but the overall appearance will probably be "churched up" like I did with the legacy Mk2 can on the 1.4 version of my LV-1.

10 hours ago, Jestersage said:

Also, do you know if the 1962 edition use a single stage or have the same dual stage design?

I don't remember, but I'm sure there's info on it on astronautix.com.

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Raptor9

Raptor9

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About half of the catalog has been updated to 1.6.0 on KerbalX, but I would like to point out that a lot of the graphics will still have the pre-1.6 parts on them.  This doesn't mean I haven't swapped out the legacy parts with the latest revised ones when necessary...but the amount of time that it takes to create renders using KVV, then updating the graphics, uploading them to Photobucket, and then updating the image links on KerbalX and here on the forums; it's a lot of work for very little pay-off.  Plus it seems that Squad is systematically working their way through the parts list and trying to get a handful of parts revised every few months until all parts have reached a more uniform memory footprint and aesthetic style.  So I really don't want to update the hundreds of graphics every several months if more possible revisions are in the pipeline.

So the main thing to remember is if one of my craft is listed as 1.6.x on KerbalX, and it includes one of the legacy parts that received a revision (like the LV-909 for example), the new part has indeed been swapped in appropriately.  If a craft receives a different piece of equipment that alters it's performance or function, than I will update the graphics as necessary.  For example, I've replaced the LV-909 Terrier engine on the 'Scorpion Orbiter' with the 48-7S Spark engine.  Therefore, I will revise the graphic accordingly to reflect the functional changes.  Some significant changes in the Rocket Market are the 'Titan 3M' and 'Titan 4N', along with the 'Lightning' and all the LITE-based craft.  Since the ADTP-2-3 adapter is now a fuel tank, this has actually increased the delta-V reserves of the 'Titan 2M' and NITE upper stages, along with the SVR-20 'Ranger' external fuel tank.

To continue the discussion with @Jestersage and @Jester Darrak, the LITE has indeed reverted to the Poodle, but the NITE remains with the Wolfhound.  As a consequence the EV-2L, HLV-5 landers, and PD-32/64 depots have also adopted the new LITE design.  Re-engining the LITE is only half the story however.  The LITE itself also received a needed reduction in weight and part count by ditching the EAS-4 struts below the large docking port.  The result is a negligible delta-V difference compared to the heavier, Wolfhound-based LITE stage, and allows for easier craft management in the VAB/SPH and lower overall part counts with several LITE's in physics range.  The PD-32 and PD-64 propellant depots also received a bit of an overhaul to allow better flexibility in servicing other craft, with lower part counts and purchase costs.  The HLV-5 landers, especially the HLV-5A, are also dramatically lower in part counts and look better IMO.

That's the main news regarding the catalog for now, but that's not all of it.  Along with these revisions, there are still plenty of others ranging from big to small, that will hopefully continue to improve the performance and look of the catalog; along with upcoming new craft that I am working on in addition to the station and surface base modules. 

TL;DR: Updated craft/non-updated graphics, more craft changes to take advantage of new parts, more projects gaining progress so stay tuned for 2019. :)

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septemberWaves

septemberWaves

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I'm getting back into KSP after quite a long break. Your forum thread was one of the first I checked; I'm glad you've continued with your spacecraft designs and as always I am consistently impressed. I really like your new landers in particular.

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Beetlecat

Beetlecat

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Spectacular Xmas gift of all the 1.6-updated craft! Thank you @Raptor9! Your devotion to fleet maintenance is nothing short of outstanding.

In 20 years when I think back on this game (unless it's still being played/updated.!?!?) One of the aspects I'll appreciate most is your comprehensive library of craft and planes. It's been a treat watching them grow in number and sophistication over the many iterations and KSP updates. Thanks again for sharing your work with us!

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Jester Darrak

Jester Darrak

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Although I'm somewhat busy/occupied these days I did a little peek at the revised EV-2C (my favorite EV) and I must say that the new Terrier engine fits perfectly. I never was a fan of the EV-2C with either the Swivel or the old Terrier. But then again it shows how much planning and thinking @Raptor9 puts in his crafts. A visual overhaul might be quite dramatic (See: Poodle engine) but none the less it still works out with minor corrections, looking even better than before. You sir are either a fortune teller or a genius. Probably both.

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