Shep is going to love this little rocket game

[Bluewolf]

My biggest problem with this is that when I add solid boosters to say, a simple SAS-Fuel tank-Liquid booster design, the side connectors and the solid boosters are on a different sequence. I try and move them into the same sequence as the main liquid boosters and the side connectors into the normal ones. This leaves two spare sequences which are unused and whenever I leave the game or go to a different rocket, this resets so the solids fire first when I want them to fire with the liquid booster. Is there anyway to properly fix this. This problem is impeding my craft as it wont let me properly stage the solid boosters properly.

[PeZook]

Yeah, that's another problem. Staging and grouping.

[weemadando]

Yup. Adding radial symmetry and more reliable control of staging would be awesome. But mainly the symmetry.

I still completely suck at this, but I'm getting closer and closer to competence.

Hurrah.

Really, I've just been enjoying building lopsided monstrosities (mount rockets off rockets off rockets on one side of the body) and creating crazed fireworks displays.

[weemadando]

Playing seriously for a moment. Module + decoupler + 2 fuel tanks + liquid motor + 2 stabilisers. Peak velocity of around 1050m/s, apogee of 125km.

[PeZook]

Hmm...my design is command module, decoupler, stabilizer, two fuel tanks, liquid fuel engine, decoupler, tricoupler, three SRBs, and it has similar performance.

[Mr. Coffee]

I've been getting really good results with a three liquid engine first stage with three tanks and a sas per engine and a second stage with three tanks and a liquid engine under the module. Baring a module exploding on lift off, I routinely get 4.5km/s at burnout around 1100-1200km altitude. I did a launch like that last night and on a whim just let the flight run while I went to sleep. Woke up five hours later to find the Kerbals cruising along at over 3.5km/s at around 14000km. Currently they're above 16000kms alt, Jeb's having a ball, but Bob and Bill look like they're having a total "Come to Jesus" moment.

[weemadando]

The United Soviet Socialist Republics of Kerbalistan are proud to unveil their new space faring rocket prototype, the STUPIDO-1.

Module. NO PARACHUTE. GLORIOUS LEADER COMRADE KERBALISTALIN WILL CATCH THE ASTRONAUTS IN HIS STRONG, LOVING ARMS.

Decoupler.

Solid Fuel rocket.

Decoupler.

Tri mount w/ solid fuel rockets.

Radial decoupler things off those solid fuel rockets attached to more solid fuel rockets.

Coming off the bottom of those solid fuel rockets. You guessed it comrades - decouplers with trimounted solid fuel rockets.

So, to summarise comrades:

First stage - 9x Solid fuel rockets.
Second stage - 3x Solid fuel rockets.
Third stage - 3x Solid fuel rockets.
Fourth stage - 1x Solid fuel rocket.
Capsule.

So far, we have conducted five tests. All with GLORIOUS SUCCESS. Please, come, come meet our quite fine and alive astronauts, over here at our space travel re-education centre.

[Mr. Coffee]

I think that's half the reason why Bill and Bob are always scared shitless. I never put a parachute on the crew module because the goddamn rocket is either going up or it's going to explode violently trying. Jeb, of course, has no problem with this as he had his brain removed and Mk. II Titanium Testicles installed during Kerbalnaut selection and training.

[HMS Sophia]

I think that's half the reason why Bill and Bob are always scared shitless. I never put a parachute on the crew module because the goddamn rocket is either going up or it's going to explode violently trying. Jeb, of course, has no problem with this as he had his brain removed and Mk. II Titanium Testicles installed during Kerbalnaut selection and training.

They're always scared shitless, no matter how stable or parachute filled the rocket is.

[Skgoa]

Hm. On the one hand, I would really love the simulational depth to be deeper. I mean it doesn't seem to matter that much what you do, as long as you put ludicrous amounts of engines/boosters on your rocket. But at the same time I wish the actual launch part of the game was simpler/more automated. And is it just me or does going horizontal not actually do what it should?

[Mr. Coffee]

Don't screw with my happy, new jack. Bob and Bill are afraid because they weaseled out of having their brains removed during Kerbalnaut Selection and Training. Jeb is like that because he had his brain scooped out and replaced by prosthetic titanium testicles.

Also, DerpFlinger Mk. III is at 25,000km and climbing still.

[atg]

Best I've been able to do so far is 497km. Rocket design was -

Capsule
Decoupler, SAS, 2x fuel tanks, liquid engine
Decoupler, SAS, Solid engine
Decoupler, SAS, tricoupler with 3x SAS & 3x fuel tank + liquid engine beneath

Can't seem to get it stable with any more stages though. Replacing the liquid engines at the bottom with solids also seems to result in firey death.

[PeZook]

Hm. On the one hand, I would really love the simulational depth to be deeper. I mean it doesn't seem to matter that much what you do, as long as you put ludicrous amounts of engines/boosters on your rocket. But at the same time I wish the actual launch part of the game was simpler/more automated. And is it just me or does going horizontal not actually do what it should?

The planned features look awesome, with lunar missions, space stations et al.

As it is, you can in fact go orbital. I intend to launch the three suicidal dolts on a full mission today, in fact

[Scottish Ninja]

I built something pretty ludicrous as the Venereal XII; Venereal XI was Capsule/Decoupler/SAS-Tank-Liquid Rocket Engine/Decouper/SAS-SRB/Decoupler/Tricoupler-SAS-3x Tank-LRE/Decoupler/2x SRB.

But the damn thing was tipping over on launch and had a nasty habit of slamming into the tower, breaking up, and exploding.

Though one time, miraculously, the capsule and upper stage fuel tank broke off and landed safely on top of the tower while the rest of the rocket exploded below them.

So I came up with a mad plan: just tack on an extra SRB at the bottom, tower side, to blast Venereal XII clear of the tower.

Miraculously, it worked! All three 'nauts survived the eventually suborbital flight, and landed a good distant around the world. Well, they did bounce down the mountainside they landed on, but hey, that didn't kill them, either.

EDIT: Quick flight tests also show that a "tractor" style rocket design is probably not practical.

[Imperial528]

Just downloaded it, decided on torrent DL since the others weren't working for me (no idea why).

All I have so far is a simple rocket, named the Pigeon, it's a booster, coupler, capsule, parachute, no wings.. I was going to call it the passenger pigeon, but alas, there are no mass drivers in this game to make it extinct with, so I decided that my kerbalnauts would survive, this time...

Now I'm just going to try and fuck shit up.

For science, of course.

[HMS Sophia]

Hey Atg, check this out

My build is:

Capsule
decoupler, Sas, liquid fuel, rocket
decoupler, triple coupler, triple SAS, triple liquid fuel tanks (x2), rocket.

I'm currently at... nearly 700km's, and I'm not falling yet...

ETA: 728km's total altitude, with a two stage rocket. Now I just have to remember to trigger the parachute on the way back down...

[HMS Sophia]

Hey Atg, check this out

My build is:

Capsule
decoupler, Sas, liquid fuel, rocket
decoupler, triple coupler, triple SAS, triple liquid fuel tanks (x2), rocket.

I'm currently at... nearly 700km's, and I'm not falling yet...

ETA: 728km's total altitude, with a two stage rocket. Now I just have to remember to trigger the parachute on the way back down...

ETA: Huh. That was cool. sub-orbital horizontal flight, travelled a total of 666km's across land, and 108km's vertically.

bugger, hit quote not edit...

[Marko Dash]

is there any way to zoom out in the VAB to make these larger rockets?

[Kryten]

is there any way to zoom out in the VAB to make these larger rockets?

Hold down the mouse wheel, and move your mouse backwards or forwards.

[Crossroads Inc.]

Yup. Adding radial symmetry and more reliable control of staging would be awesome. But mainly the symmetry.

I still completely suck at this, but I'm getting closer and closer to competence.

Hurrah.

Really, I've just been enjoying building lopsided monstrosities (mount rockets off rockets off rockets on one side of the body) and creating crazed fireworks displays.

Yeah after downloading this I spent much of last night till 3am trying to recreate the Rocket in the first post. I cannont imagine how long it took to get the symmetry placed as near perfect as it was in that rocket and to use those "balancing" rockets to hold it in place.

Trying to build my own from scracth I found a bit of a problem. A simple rocket goes a lot faster. But liquid fuel seems to be Very "heavy" and provides far less thrust then solids. Often times once my solids burnt out, the Liquid stage would slowly run out of speed before falling to earth.

This led to increasing more and more solids, and then more liquids, over and over.

By 4a, I had a rocket over 60 meteres tall.
Stage one was 9 Solids linked to 3 "tri-supports" and 3 more linkt to struts above them.
Stage two was another 6 solids linked to a centra core ofd another tri linked rockets which makes up "stage 3"
Stage three yet another 6 solids which fired in conjunction with a central core of 3 liquid rockets.
Stage "4" consisted of another 3 solids bolted at the top of the central core of the liquids.

ALL of that was to get a grand total of 4 liquid rockets, 3 in a central columne and one directly linked to the command modual, ajust that high enough so it didn't fall back to Earth

Unless I am missing something I have found it impossible to get any rocket configuration off the ground using only liquid.

[HMS Sophia]

I do it regularly.
Capsule
single fuel with rocket
triple fuel rocket

Connectors and SAS between them all.
What you can't do is mix solids and fuels, not really.

If you're doing a big rocket, have solids at the bottom, and the top two stages being fuel only. They're particularly good at high altitudes.

However, I prefer pure liquid fuelled rockets. I don't like the short burn of solid rockets.

[Mr. Coffee]

Go to the SA forums, under games, and look for the Kerbal Space Program thread. Look around and you'll see a lot of additional modules some of the Goons created as well as how to mod the parameters of the engine modules to make your shit hit c and beyond (Apparently the sim doesn't like FTL and will curl up and die if you get to stupid about it. Think the limit is somewhere arund 8300c). The quad decoupler is the best damn thing ever. Made a two stage rocket with the quad decoupler that tops out just a hair under 5km/s @ 750km and breaks 1000km altitude in just under 8min.

[HMS Sophia]

Here is a funky one. Pure liquid fuel with proof of launch.

Sat on the pad

Just after launch

Early first stage detach, just because I like the picture.

The rocket can get much higher than that. I detached the first stage after burning less than a quarter of it's fuel.
I like this one. It's nice and simple, and it can easily make 200km's up.

[Mr. Coffee]

Actually,Barnest, you're pretty close to my Derp FLinger Mk III design with that. Just add two more fuel tanks to the upper stage, and another fuel tank per egine on the lower with a SAS per engine and you'll have a rocket that'll hit 4km/s at 600km+ before burnout. Just keep the first stage at 100% till you hit 50% overheat, then throttle back to 85% till stage burnout, then hold the last stage at 90% throttle till you hit the last fuel tank and firewall the throttle. Let the sim run over night while you're sleeping and you'll be somehwere around 25,000-30,000km out no problem.

[OmegaChief]

Hilariously my own independant Posideon design also matches that, only with one less fuel tank per stage then Coffees.

Say Coffee, do you have the problem with the Derpflinger where it'll take like 20 seconds of engine fire on the pad to lift off? Or did you find a way around it?