Kerbal Space Program (PC/XB1)

**djzombie** · 2013-04-25 14:39

I did the tutorials in game, I have not watched any of the youtube videos. I just moved here and dont have internet hooked up just yet, so I'm at the mercy of my tethered cell phone, which is slow as fuck.

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2013-04-25 16:55

Originally Posted by djzombie

question, if i have struts attached to fuel tanks that are going to be decoupled, does decoupling break those struts?

I have been building so that every vertical fuel tank has its own engine. Do I still need to use fuel lines to connect the fuel tanks if I continue to do this? or is what im doing a bad idea?

Yes, decoupling breaks the struts. That depends on what you're trying to set up. If you want the outer tanks to run out of fuel before the inner tank starts depleting, then yes, you should run fuel lines from the outer tanks inwards. Take a look at (And ideally fly for a bit) the Kerbal X, one of the stock rockets. This should give you an idea of how to do asparagus staging.

**djzombie** · 2013-04-26 07:17

thanks, I took a look at the rocket construction tutorial video linked above and following along with it built the rocket in the video. that gave me a good idea of how much support is required for those bigger fuel tanks.

i think im set for the most part with construction, I think I just need to understand these maneuver nodes better.

so far what i got is dragging the hoop in front of you space craft will burn prograde, the one behind it retrograde, the other two to the left and right of the orbit are turning the direction of your craft i think.

the only thing I'm a little unsure about is do I start the burn when my ship reaches the maneuver node? or do I want to start the burn before that so that I am at the speed noted on the burn meter to the right of the compass/avionics, when I reach the maneuver node. I think a burn right at the node is what im supposed to do, but i've ended up with much larger orbits around the initial planet then i'd like, maybe im burning too slow? is it supposed to be full throttle burn?

my connection isn't being entirely sucky this morning so i think im gonna load up the other 2/3's of that series and that will probably answer my questions.

**Necronus** · 2013-04-26 09:11

Originally Posted by djzombie

the only thing I'm a little unsure about is do I start the burn when my ship reaches the maneuver node? or do I want to start the burn before that so that I am at the speed noted on the burn meter to the right of the compass/avionics, when I reach the maneuver node. I think a burn right at the node is what im supposed to do, but i've ended up with much larger orbits around the initial planet then i'd like, maybe im burning too slow? is it supposed to be full throttle burn?

It depends on how long the burn is. Basically, for any given maneuver, in an ideal world the entire amount of acceleration needed would be applied instantaneously at the maneuver point to get the exact path shown. But since the world isn't ideal you want to keep as much of the burn near the point as possible, but that is a skill you'll develop. Usually in short burns (40s or less), you can start at T-0 or maybe a few seconds prior, long burns you'll want to start notably sooner so that some of the inefficient thrusting is on both sides of the node (since the farther away, the more different your final path will be).

**djzombie** · 2013-04-26 11:49

so far i've been able to launch a rocket and now with my latest attempt just missed the moon, but i was out of fuel at that point.

i've been trying to build bigger rockets now, and its proving ineffecient, all the effort im taking to build bigger rockets is really just adding more weight in fuel that i have to carry up there, and as a result burn more fuel.

trying to launch this stupidly large craft, with the hopes of getting a satellite attached and launch if i can ever keep it in the air. Right now I think its just exploding midlaunch because its large and my computer will lag for just a second at which point when it comes unlagged all hells breaks loose.

edit: derped on that picture, thats my extended desktop i forgot to crop out

**Maaglin** · 2013-04-26 16:08

You don't need such a big rocket to get a satellite into orbit. A very basic, small rocket can quite easily get a satellite into orbit.

**Franzer** · 2013-04-26 16:22

I'd say the top of your rocket looks alright, i'd kill some of the wings though, probably not necessary. Keep in mind, the orange fuel tanks are the heaviest tank, and personally, i only use them for take off and getting past the first tier of atmosphere. The small to mid size rockets once in the atmosphere will last you significantly longer, and strapping on fuel tanks won't cost you much in terms of weight. Once in orbit, it really comes down to having your trajectory planned, and where you anticipate going/doing, this can save you tons of fuel.

**djzombie** · 2013-04-26 16:24

yeah, that thing was a death trap, poor bill kerman. i had one launch of that one that exploded as soon as i hit the launch button

this is my current, was going smoothly with this one til i accidently detached my last engine.

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2013-04-26 17:18

the Wing pieces you've got on the side don't actually do anything like that. The ONLY thing they do is generate lift, which doesn't happen when they're pointing straight up. Put a Control Surface on the back, and they'll be able to aid in stability... though tbh I prefer the standard canards and winglets. And you don't want too many or it will get more difficult to control. Also, a mainsail can generally lift 1 1/2 orange tanks plus a small payload by itself (Seems to be the sweet spot where you have enough fuel to do stuff and can still lift a decent amount on top of that), so for your earlier version, you had just too much fuel stacked on top.

**Necronus** · 2013-04-26 18:37

I know its not entirely related, but since its a little known game I thought I'd mention it for anyone interested. For those of you into board games, there's basically an equivalent to Kerbal that came out a few years back called High Frontier with all the same aspects ... building rockets, calculating burns and fuel/weight ratios, and minor industrialization. I bring it up because my large framed poster version of the board is going to be arriving within minutes (I never knew UPS delivered after 7PM)

High Frontier

Spoiler: show

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2013-04-26 21:40

I love board games! That one seems like even more to wrap your head around than usual, though. ksp is pretty forgiving.

Also, yay Dominion!

**Wulfgang** · 2013-04-26 21:48

We have one guy in the Impact Gaming Community that is amazing at this game and has done all kinds of crazy shit. He killed some sort of a space squid at some point. I have never played but his posts are hilarious. He plays on Twitch a lot.

http://www.impact-gaming.us/forum/Ge...ogram?start=10

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...psedf05d17.jpg

**djzombie** · 2013-04-30 22:49

the modding community adds a ton of shit to this game.

mods im using:

remotetech(satellites)
damnrobotics(wahtdyathink?)
fustek station parts(space station parts)

and of course mechjeb

this album gives you a good idea of what you can accomplish with remotetech
http://imgur.com/a/G3nAZ

**djzombie** · 2013-05-10 13:58

got an album uplaoded to drop box of launching a satellite into orbit around kerbal, i almost have a continuous ring of contact via satellites, i think one or two more in orbit in the right spot and it will be perfect.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/12swbztzoar6hin/ZS0CBW_JIi

for some reason can't seem to link dropbox images here

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2014-05-06 18:17

http://kerbal.curseforge.com/news/9-...forces-on-mods

Kerbal Space Program and Curse Join Forces on Mods!
Kerbal Spaceport will now be part of Curse Forge modding community

Squad, the developers of the award-winning space agency sim game Kerbal Space Program, announced a partnership with Curse.com to partner on a new website for Kerbal Spaceport, the host site for the game’s popular modding community.

Starting today, modders will be welcomed to start updating and uploading their KSP game mods to http://kerbal.curseforge.com. The existing website, http://KerbalSpaceport.com, will remain open for modders to transfer their mods to the new site but will no longer be accepting new mods. Players will go to Curse.com to find Kerbal Space Program mods.

“Modders have helped make Kerbal Space Program a more open, more rewarding game experience for our players,” Squad chief operating officer Adrian Goya said. “Curse is an important partner because their team is passionate and experienced in caring for and growing online game communities, such as our amazing playerbase for Kerbal Space Program.”

"We've got a great platform and a tremendous team that will be supporting the amazing modders forKerbal Space Program," said said Bryan McLemore, Curse's Author Platform Evangelist. "We also expect the millions of gamers who frequent Curse every month to see Kerbal Space Program as a great addition to our existing community."

Kerbal Space Program recently won the 2013 Game Developers Choice Audience Award, which is voted online by gamers from all games nominated, including indie and AAA titles. KerbalSpaceport, the home for KSP mods, has more than 2,000 pieces of user-generated content to allow for players to customize their KSP experience. As part of Curse Forge, modders will now have a bigger audience to share their mods and will have the opportunity to participate in ad-generated revenue sharing.

Mixed reaction from the community thus far. It's good, in that the old Spaceport was awful and riddled with garbage, but it's bad in that a lot of people hate Curse. For some good reasons.

Personally, while I'm glad they finally picked a solution to the Spaceport, I would have preferred another method. But whatever. What really bothers me, though, is that the client doesn't support KSP, so they're not taking full advantage of the services Curse has to offer. If I have to go through and check each mod and install it myself, nothing has really changed at all from my end. I already had a system for keeping track of my mods.

**Psion** · 2014-05-06 19:06

As far as mods go, I personally recommend Better than Starting Manned, or BTSM for short. It's from the same maker as better than wolves, and is extremely well balanced and challenging gameplay.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...-April-28th%29

It's designed to be a standalone mod, other than deadly reentry as a required add on, and the option of precisenode. (aesthetic only mods are fine.) Other mods like FAR break the balance of the game though, so it's best not to use them. I know most people think more is better, but you might be surprised at just how much BTSM adds, both in gameplay and new parts. It also forces you to get better at building rockets, from learning the basics of maneuvering, to learning to be more efficient in your weight, to learning that steep reentry from the mun is bad, mkay?

Near the endgame you also get access to new parts that let you start setting up space stations and space bases that produce valuable resources such as life support, mono propellent, and fuel. I actually started on the mod rather than vanilla, and i'm glad i did. i've put in hundreds of hours into the mod and still enjoy it.

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2014-05-06 22:16

yeah, i've been watching that one, but i'm not sure how well it would fit with some other mods i consider vital, like Infernal Robotics. I'm also quite fond of Kethane.

**Psion** · 2014-05-06 23:16

That's the thing. BTSM adds so much gameplay that it doesn't NEED those other mods. it's best to think of it as a total conversion, totally different game. just try it on a separate save and you'll see. BTSM is designed with balance in mind though, so adding other mods that change gameplay basically ruin the experience. (the sweet, painful experience ;3 )

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2014-05-07 00:52

idk, i'm still kinda hesitant. a lot of the mods i have, i have because they're just so damned cool. eye-candy type stuff. maybe you can answer some questions?

-Non-click-fest science: In BTSM all experiment results can either be transmitted at 100% efficiency in a single transmission, or MUST be returned to Kerbin for certain experiments.

how does this affect the science module thingy? in stock, it lets you reset experiments and gives you higher transmit efficiency.

also, do you know if infernal robotics will work? since those parts are purely structural, i can't imagine they'd disrupt the experience too much. i just want to make sure they'll work.

Yknow, I guess I could just rip out the parts i just can't live without from their respective mods and build my own companion mod.

**Psion** · 2014-05-07 02:13

In BTSM there's a science module that lets you return things like goo canisters to it, then transmit it to kerbin, but that's a level 9 tech, and requires a kerbal in it i beleive. as far as science goes, everything that can be transmitted is done so in one go, there's no repeats of an experiment required. you get a gravioli report over kerbins water, you transmit it, you never have to do another gravioli of kerbins water again. some things like goo canisters require returning to kerbin or the science module though. and a lot of things are timed experiments, requiring you to be in the proper orbit for the allotted time, before it completes and you can transmit the results. Oh, and electricity is an actual resource, instead of a trivial thing you never pay attention to in stock. some of the experiments have a huge amount of mitts and thus drain a lot of electricity, requiring foresight on how much batteries/solar panels to use.

I'm not sure the science module lets you reset goo canisters, though. certainly without it goo canisters are one shot only, as you kill the goo as part of the experiment.

and as far as infernal robotics work, structural parts are probably a big no no. one of the things in btsm is, you don't unlock things like cubic struts or those place anywhere nodes until near the very end of the tech tree, requiring you to use foresight in building your rockets. structural parts with side placement or the like can seriously unbalance the game. Sure they might "work", but they might not, and the mod author certainly won't provide any tech support or compatibility for them.

trust me. try just BTSM with deadly reentry continued, and precise node. you may find out you actually CAN live without those mods. i certainly haven't missed any of them.

BTSM doesn't provide "cool" parts. it provides an incredibly fun and "cool" experience, and that can't work with unknown variables thrown in via other mods it's not designed around.

Thread: Kerbal Space Program (PC/XB1)

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