Runway Project

Official links, rules, and FAQ

WELCOME

Welcome to Runway Project, a bi-weekly AI-driven KSP fighter jet competition put in motion by Scott “Munley” Manley! This page includes the official rules, links, FAQ, and all other information you should need to fly safe.

Season 4 Round 1: TBA

Building phase: Deadline soon, 12:00 Midday PST (19:00 UTC)

Rules:

Check the discord

LINKS

Official links

Official Score Sheet -therealjdb

Official Gallery -John F. President

Official Twitch

Scott Manley Community Discord Server

(must join to participate)

Other links

Season 2 AI Updates and Guide

Raw round footage playlist -Scott

Runway Stats: Season 1 -therealjdb

Season 1 Official Score Sheet -Scott Munley

MODS

Required mods

BDArmory for Runway Project (guide)

Module Manager

PhysicsRangeExtender

AP+

Tweakscale (If Allowed)        

                        

Recommended mods

Camera Tools

In-Flight Craft IDs

Smart Parts

Time Control

Vessel Mover

AP+ Tweak Patch 

RULES

These are the official rules for Runway Project. The rules are arbitrary and capricious and Scott has the final word.

1. Submitting.

  1. Create a craft that follows the official and round specific rules listed on this page to compete in combat runs.
  2. Create an image of your craft to be awarded style points (screenshots fine but more details better!).
  3. Use the following naming scheme:
  • Craft:        DISCORDNAME_S#R#                        -i.e.        Illectro_S9R9
  • Image:        DISCORDNAME_S#R#_Image                -i.e.        Illectro_S9R9_Image
  • Flag:        DISCORDNAME_S#R#_Flag                -i.e.        Illectro_S9R9_Flag
  • Team Flag:    TEAMNAME_S#R#_Flag                -i.e.        TeamMunley_S9R9_Flag

 

(Please do not change your submission name arbitrarily and capriciously, it causes a lot of hassle organizing and scoring)

  1. When submissions are open submit your entry via the link at the top of this page.

2. Building rules.

  1. You must use 100 or fewer parts.
  2. You must only use parts from stock KSP, BDArmory, Smart Parts Continued, Airplanes Plus, and the official DLCs (Making History and Breaking Grounds). Do not use parts from other mods. Do not use banned things listed in Rule 4.
  3. The controlling part must be a capsule/cockpit with a kerbal inside or the EAS-2 combat seat (not the EAS-1). If you choose a cockpit, the cockpit must be the root part.
  4. You must attach one Weapon Manager and one AI Pilot Flight Computer to the root part. No duplicates. Note that the combat command seat has these integrated.
  5. Action group 10 will be triggered at launch. Set engines to ACTIVATE (not toggle) on action group 10 so they start without staging. You can also add extra features like hinges/robotics to activate on action group 10.
  6. After the implementation of the web automation, air launch will likely be used for the majority of rounds. Though it is recommended that your craft can also take off from the ground (arbitrary and capricious). Design it so both take off methods will work.

3. Weapons.

  1. You must use BDArmory “guns”. This means the Vulcan (Hidden), GAU-8 30x173mm Cannon, and Browning .50cal AN/M3. Do not use turrets, missiles, lasers, or other unspecified armaments.
  2. You must use three or fewer guns, and the guns must only point forwards.*

4. Banned things.

  1. Banned parts:
  1. Banned exploits:
  • Editing armor sliders from their preset values    -banned for being too OP
  • KAL overloading    -using KAL-1000 Controllers to increase sliders past 100%
  • Part clipping abuse**    -overlapping full fuel tanks, hiding wings inside parts, guns/ammo in cockpit, etc.
  • Part offset floating    -using the offset tool to make parts float and not touch what they are attached to.
  • Center of mass abuse    -COM should be reasonably near a vulnerable part of your craft, not floating.
  • Physics abuse    -phantom force, summoning the kraken, etc.
  • Reaction wheel abuse    -using more reaction wheels than what is reasonable (~3 is a good number)
  • Weapon overheat abuse    -putting different weapons types in the same group to prevent overheat
  • Wing stacking    -putting wings on top of other wings to increase lift.

5. Scoring.

  1. Combat points. Per round entries will compete in 8-craft free-for-all “combat runs” and earn combat points based on how well it does. Combat runs last for ten minutes or until one aircraft remains. The lineup is randomized in the first combat run and refined in successive runs by pitting similar scoring craft against each other. Each entry will fly in 4-5 combat runs per round. The maximum combat score is 10 based on percentile in flight time, kills, and clean kills.
  • Flight time: You will receive 1 point(s) based on survival time; 0 for dying first, 1 for dying last.
  • Kills: You will receive 1 point for killing a craft.
  • Clean kills: You will receive 3 points for killing a craft within 10 seconds of that craft taking damage.
  • Deaths: 1.5 points will be removed for being killed.
  1. Style points. Scott awards style points (Scott points) to each entry using submitted images/extras. The maximum style score is 10, however scott occasionally awards extra points for exceptional content. Style points can also be affected by the round rules (I.E. fastest plane earns 5 bonus style points, etc.).

6. Round specific rules.

  1. Each round will provide specific rules that take priority over and modify the rules above. Round specific rules will be listed in the status box at the top of this page.

* Gun number/position may be lenient depending on design (I.E. X-wings have one gun on each wing tip). However, DO NOT EXPLOIT this exception or it will be revoked.

** Part clipping for aesthetic purposes is allowed, given it does not exploit wing lift, fuel stacking, or any other exploit to give the entry an advantage.

ENTRIES THAT DO NOT FOLLOW THESE RULES MAY BE DISQUALIFIED.

FAQ

Can I compete if I missed the first round?

Yes! You can still compete if you missed round 1 or any other round. Some statistics won’t even be harmed. Just be sure to follow all rules and submit a valid craft before the round deadline.

Do I need to submit an image/video of my craft?

Images are heavily recommended, as we use them to give your craft extra “style points.” You do not have to submit an image, but expect to receive few to no style points! Videos for yourself (or your team) are completely optional but can definitely contribute to your (or your team’s) style point scoring.

When is the next round announced?

Rounds last for two weeks. Scott usually discusses the rules for the next round on Tuesday ~10:00pm PST after the submission deadline is up. The new round rules will be posted Soon™.

When does Scott stream Runway Project?

Scott usually streams the results for the round Tuesday after the submission deadline at 10:00 PM Pacific time. He occasionally streams live combat Sunday night on the Scott Manley Community Discord.

How do I post an image in the Scott Manley Community Discord?

To post images in the Scott Manley Community Discord first post the image on Imgur or somewhere else on Discord, then right click the image, copy the link, and paste the link in the Discord channel you want it in.

Does Scott use the Vessel Mover mod?

Planes are spawned in with Mission Editor from Making History, not Vessel Mover.

Is “X” allowed?

Armor sliders, Missiles, Modded parts, RCS, Probe cores, Breaking Ground Props, and the vanilla Command Seats ARE NOT allowed. While modded parts from BDA are allowed, the Saturn is an exception and in most cases will not be allowed. See rule 4 “Banned things.” if you are confused.

Armor PANELS (part) ARE allowed unless mentioned otherwise, but do not adjust armor SLIDERS (existing slider value on all parts) from their default values, even on the armor panel parts.

ONLY Pilot AI is allowed (not Ground AI)

Can I use “X” glitch / bug?

NO. PERIOD. All exploits, bugs, or glitches of any kind are strictly prohibited. See rule 10 if you need specific examples, but this is not a complete list. If you think something is abusing the game, do not use it. Sandwich wings are not exploiting bugs per se but are still frowned upon.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Press F2 in the spaceplane hangar to see gun convergence ranges.

Press Alt+F12 in flight to enable cheats like infinite fuel.

Expect the unexpected. Always.

Check part hitpoints before deciding which parts to use.

Steering adjusts how aggressively the plane tries to turn to the heading set by the AI.

OLD ROUNDS

SEASON 2

SEASON 2: ROUND 1 - Dawn of Flight

Round specific rules:

  • Aircraft must be ‘dawn of flight themed’, I.E. biplanes and WWI era fighters.
  • Entry engines must be AP+ pre-1940 prop engines:
  • (1916) 8A "Spud" Engine
  • (1917) 9J "Baron" Rotary Engine
  • (1928) RR "Count" K.XI Engine
  • (1933) WMB VI "Vortex Engine"
  • (1933) K-25V "Cyclone" Radial Engine
  • (1935) KB 601 "Tornado" Engine
  • (1938) K1710 "Whirlwind" Engine
  • (1939) K-14 "Divine Wind" Radial Engine
  • Weapons must only be fixed “Browning” .50 call guns. Maximum of two guns.
  • Entry must have fixed landing gear.
  • Command seats ARE allowed- if you use one you must use the EAS-2 Combat Seat.

Season 2: Round 2 - The Floor is Lava

Round specific rules:

Runway Project Season 2 Round 3 Missile Defense

Round specific rules:

This round consists of two distinct parts: Target Hunting and Missile Evasion.

Target hunting: Goal: Create a missile within a certain size and mass in order to shoot down targets.

 Missile Construction Guidelines:

Must be saved in the VAB before being sent (important!) Must weigh under 20 tons, and have a diameter of at most 5m in the VAB. The largest cross section MUST be aligned with the width axis at the time of measurement. Tweakscale is allowed. Probe cores must be the root part of the missile. Uses a singular AI and WM module on the craft that are rooted to the probe core, set to ramming mode. Only source of damage allowed are Kinetic and Explosive warheads. No weapons allowed except the Small Warhead. All Stock and AP+ parts allowed, provided that they fit in the dimensions and mass budget. Multi-Stage allowed.

Missile Evasion: Goal: Create a large, bomber style plane that will attempt to evade, absorb and shoot down missiles.

 Target Construction Guidelines:

Must weigh over 30 tons. The FUSELAGE must be at least 25m long and the wingspan must be at least 25m wide. (flying wings have both counted as one) The total, distinctive wing area from a top view MUST surpass the area of two Airliner wings. (flying wings have the entirety of their top-down view counted) The Fuselage must be at least 2m in diameter. (size 2 AP+ parts for scale) The target craft total size may not be intentionally reduced beyond the limit at any point after the competition starts. (Swing wings must have their minimum width to be 25m) The target may have at most 6 fixed guns with a max range of 1000m, as well as a single 50. Cal turret with at most a maximum range of 750m. ALL PARTS MUST BE PHYSICALLY CONNECTED WITH PHYSICAL PARTS (looking at you Lavie) Only High-Bypass Turbofans and Prop engines are allowed, no Turbojet engines. No tweakscale. Deadline: Tuesday October 6th for both craft. Fly safe

Etc but i can’t be bothered to space this out right now
Plus some rule amendments but /shrug

SEASON 1

Patches by @TheCrudman!

ROUND 10 - “21st Century”

  • Your entry must be a flying car and use rover wheels instead of landing gear.
  • Style points are gated by lap time around the KSC (track provided, faster time = more style points possible)
  • Race rules

ROUND 9 - “I Don’t Give A Flying F”

  • Your aircraft, when viewed from above, must be built in the shape of a letter. Yes, a letter. From the alphabet. The front of your aircraft must be the top of the letter.
  • The letter must be one of the 26 letters of the English (Latin) alphabet. Upper and lower case letters are permitted. The appearance of the letter is up to you.
  • Points will be based on how few other planes use the same letter. Unique letters will earn more points. Fancier letters can be expected to earn more points.
  • Teams may choose to spell entire words for a chance at extra points.

ROUND 8 - “One of a Kind”

  • Craft must not use any duplicate parts.
  • Landing gear can have duplicate parts, and 3 ammo boxes per jet engine.

ROUND 7 - “Rapid Deployment”

  • Craft must fit inside of a provided fairing, to be deployed at 10km and fight at high altitude.
  • Every one minute the lowest craft is eliminated.

ROUND 6 - “Don’t Stop Me Now…”

  • Planes propelled by something that cannot be throttled: A single Solid Rocket Booster (RT-5 “Flea”) SRB is on Infinite fuel
  • You may not adjust the amount of fuel in the booster
  •  You can adjust Throttle limit while building You may not throttle the booster in flight
  • There may be Pinata, there may be fastest player deaths, expect twists.
  • Expect absurd rules No RCS, no jets.
  • Style points gated by part count (Lower part count = more style points possible)

Rounds 1-5 (The Chaotic Time)

  • Kerbals lived in chaos. Craft build requirements were set forth in vague fashion and could not be easily enforced. The Kraken devoured unwilling competitors at Scott’s will. Staff tediously validated crafts and images by hand, before scripts had been created. Let us not repeat this time, but rather improve upon it!

Round 5 - “Seaplanes”
Round 4 - “Need for Speed”
Round 3 - “Goliath Engines”
Round 2 - “Big Gun Small Plane”
Round 1 - “Aeris 3A”