How To Build A Mega Rover Right In Space Engineers?

[@allanwidner9276]

Pretty sure any of those suspension schemes on the server I play on would give the admins heart attacks.

[@kalebmarkone9572]

This channel is super underrated I want to find a way to get more people to find this channel

[@quantumchief]

Thanks

[@itswindyyy]

Finally, someone that also leaves their creations out on their save like a display! I thought I was a odd one out hoarder.

[@quantumchief]

No I do it allot as well, much to my pcs dismay

[@itswindyyy]

@@quantumchief Haha, usually my newer saves are nice and clean, but the old ones have a creation on every kilometer of the planet

[@quantumchief]

@@itswindyyy yep

[@Muave-t7m]

You are not alone I am also a hoarder of stuff in my worlds

[@fakshen1973]

You're using four rows of wheels. You can shring the wheel base by four blocks by staggering the wheel suspensions one block behind the interior suspension blocks. That removes the need for a dedicated span of armor blocks. I've also found that keeping the strength of the perimeter suspensions tuned to a high enough strength to carry your rover will work. Take four corner suspensions and see if you can support the entire mass of the vehicle on the strength of those four corner wheels. You can raise up all the other wheels so they don't contact with the ground. If you can get four corner strength to balance and support the mass of the vehicle without bottoming out the suspension, lower the four corners so the height is a little more than mid. Now lower the strength of all of the suspensions and set their height to be the tallest of them all. What will happen is that the low strength wheels in the middle will fall to meet the voxels under them. If a wheel is touching voxel, you get any of the friction and torque it provides. Your wheels should start filling voids as you go over them. The biggest issue is that you have to tune the four corners any time you have big changes in mass. Here's a sample of a vehicle that I have in the workshop that combines those ideas.. I can't guarantee that the script controlling the suspension still works. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqrWZ2iKfLWlebc

[@Pystro]

If you can have *three* outer wheels, then I wouldn't see any problems with making the suspension on them as stiff as it can go. (...Except for possibly the wheels bouncing off the ground. But you can also just make them stiff enough for the heaviest load you might want to carry.) Also this would probably work the better the closer the wheels are together (because the ground can only curve so much, and because the less mass needs to be moved to keep those 3 wheels on the ground, the better). I would make a module with 7 wheels and designate the front and rear most wheel of the 4-wheel side and the middle wheel of the 3-wheel side as "corners" of the triangle. The remaining 4 wheels can then be set up like your interior wheels. And the whole 7-wheel setup would be one module that is hinged in the pitch and roll directions; but I'd not make them move up and down; that's just 2 extra sub-grids for a single direction of articulation. I'd instead use 6 of those modules and connect the rear two with roll articulation and the front left two (and front right two) with pitch articulation. Again, creating (effectively) three points of contact. ...At least that's how I always thought I'd make a mobile base. (Except for the "make the outer wheels stiffer" idea. I hadn't thought of that.)

[@DayneTreader]

Just saw the thumbnail and I'm letting you know that that is the best way to make a super-sized rover.

[@maartenvandenberge7116]

with the suspention, rather then just using the steer of the wheels also rotate the pods, that helps with preventing klang collisions as well as making it more nimble, also if the modules have a single connection point where they connect to the suspention bit you can have a welder pod to make them and just mount them onto the rover chassis, so you can replace them when needed

[@Dagonius.]

Some really nice concepts there. Good job!

[@chadp6307]

Once you start using rotors/hinges/pistons for more flexibility, you create weak points that are more prone to failure. The more sub-grid "wheel clusters" you use, the more opportunities for failure you'll introduce. Clang appreciates your generous offerings, but he is greedy and wants more. I think that first example you showed is probably the most stable/sturdy, and like you said, once you put some weight on it, it will keep all the wheels on the ground better than the demonstration.

[@quantumchief]

Yea, from what I’ve heard so far I think that’s what I’ll do just remove the roll on the wheels

[@aycfes]

15:26 that's either an attempt at steering or at tilting some of the mechanism horizontally to make it smaller

[@magnagazoo4863]

I think the first thing to do is make the guts of the rover with everything you need for a mobile base. Then you can see what is needed for the rover size wise. I have a 6 wheeler with rocker suspension that has all you need for a mobile base.

[@ennellyvonswortts4223]

I managed to build a rover larger than yours, and has better constant ground contact. though if grid contact is enabled, it tends to blow the suspension appart....

[@tschysas]

you were really close to a perfekt solution with only a subgrind controll "mod".... really close :D i managed it to make it... its gigantic... but it works and you can go 80m/s on ground with it

[@guillermoelnino]

A video for me!... if I still played SE.

[@lander1591]

I'd lose the underside wheels and the cambre hinges.. Having the wheels go sideways is really not what you want.

[@quantumchief]

Maybe

[@magnagazoo4863]

I went down this suspension rabbit hole before their were hinges and later after. Are you using a script to add spring action to the hinges? I was aware there was one out there but never tried it. I think there is a prototype still in my workshop.

[@Comicsluvr]

I'm not sure if you're using mods for your series or not but there is at least one wheel mod (steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2745706747) that adds larger wheels with an attachment point on top of the wheelbase to get even more height. The wheels in this one can be 7x7 or 15x15. There is another mod (steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2467276141) that adds truly monstrous 25x25 wheels on a typical base. As a builder of many large-wheeled vehicles, I feel your pain! Your initial design has the right of it though...the best way to build really big (without the larger wheels mentioned above) is to hinge the thing in the middle. However, both halves should also rotate to allow for different degrees of slope from the front to the back.

[@quantumchief]

i don't really want to use mods for building as i like the challenge but something that can bend over the landscape is an interesting idea

[@AlvinBrinson]

Rotors and Hinges always klang out on moving vehicles for me.

[@liquighost7988]

having those wheels in the middle seem kinda unnecessary and really power hungry what are you losing from just having standard 8 wheel setup?

[@liquighost7988]

also im pretty sure in terms of performance large grid wheels are still pretty weak if you could make small grid tank track like wheel modules you may be better off

[@Acirno]

Are you using the rotor spring script?

[@quantumchief]

I haven’t it’s just limited ranges and I’m using the torque of the hinges

[@Acirno]

@@quantumchief I have a design that is simply hinges with the wheels on the end and rotor spring on the hinges. It loosens the wheels up and allows quicker suspension travels and at times greater travel. Easy in survival, and A 4x4 that can climb mountains with out thruster boost cause all wheels are making contact. I don't get on discord but I can put my latest up on steam if interested at a look.

[@quantumchief]

@@Acirno sure yea ill check it out if you send me the link

[@stavinaircaeruleum2275]

...DAS script can autolevel uneven loads....