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[Kerbal Space Program] Will You Go to Space Today?

DivideByZeroDivideByZero Social Justice BlackguardRegistered User regular
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Current Version: 1.2!


Stock communications networks! Antennas that have a purpose! Wheels no longer broked! Improved fuel flow! Whatever KerbNet is supposed to be!

1.2 Changelog



Do you like rockets? Big rockets? Really big rockets? Smaller rockets? Big rockets with smaller rockets attached at odd angles? Exploding rockets? Crashing rockets? Planes? Rockets that fly like planes? Planes that fly like rockets? Flying through the air? Flying through space? Flying into the sun? Crashing into the ground? Crashing into the ocean? Crashing into the moon? Crashing into other planets? Doing SCIENCE? How about jet packs? Freeze-dried ice cream? Space pens? LEGOs?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, Kerbal Space Program may be the game for YOU.



What is KSP?

KSP is a space program management / rocket construction hangar / astrophysics simulator that lets you design, build, and pilot your own rockets, aircraft, spaceplanes, and [REDACTED]; (try to) fly them into outer space and other planets, and probably crash them there. A lot. It's developed by SQUAD, and runs on the Unity game engine. It came out of early access just over a year ago, and is in an ongoing state of development, with new features and bug-fix patches released every few months.

Your job is twofold: manage the Kerbal Space Center, design and build rockets and assign Kerbal astronauts to them; and launch and fly the actual space ships in the field. The setting may look cartoonish, but the physics are all painfully real. There are a million ways to kill a Kerbal in space, and you'll probably encounter every one of them soon enough.

The base game takes place in the Kerbol system, which is a rough analogue to our own solar system, but about 1/6 the size. The planet Kerbin is a lot like Earth, its Mun is a lot like our Moon, but there's also a second, smaller moon orbiting further out that's your first hint that you ain't in Kansas anymore. There are also six other planets and seven more moons to out there, each of which has between three and a dozen+ biomes to explore. Dare you visit far-off Eeloo? Or the moons of the gas giant Jool?

There are three main game modes: Sandbox, where everything is unlocked and you needn't worry about any currencies; Science, where rocket parts are restricted by advancement along a large Tech Tree, which you unlock by performing various science experiments on the ground, in space, and on other planets/moons; and Career, which is Science mode with the added complexity of Funding and Reputation: rockets now cost money, which you earn by completing Contracts, and the various buildings around your space center start with only basic functionality until they're upgraded.


What systems is KSP available on?

You can commence extreme lithobraking on PC, Xbone, and PS4.

On PC, it's available on Steam, and directly from the KSP Store. Both clients offer automatic patching. Purchases from Squad can be transferred to Steam but not vice-versa.


I heard this game is hard as nuts?

Yeah, kind of. Rocket science is hard, yo. KSP uses real world physics (in a pint-size universe) and not all the mechanics are particularly intuitive (like speeding up to catch up to a rendezvous target involves thrusting backwards and thrusting forwards slows you down). Fortunately! The game has several tutorial scenarios, and there is a wealth of knowledge on the forums, wiki, and youtube. Or ask in this thread for help! We promise not to jeer at your hilariously precarious looking rocket! (Because we built one just like it.)


Yeah, but is it moddable?

Is. It. EVER.

KSP is ridiculously moddable. The amount of content created by the fanbase dwarfs the base game by orders of magnitude, and most can be installed by simply extracting a zip file into the Gamedata subdirectory in KSP. Or, use one-click mod installation in CKAN. (YMMV)

What sorts of mods are there? Well there's rocket parts, informational displays, building tools, rocket parts, eyeball melting visual enhancements, rocket parts, full-fledged autopilots, rocket parts, additional planets, alternate solar systems, rocket parts, spaceplane parts, rocket parts, new SCIENCE! experiments, total conversions, rocket parts, multiplayer, communication networks, life support, rocket parts, space colonies, contract packs, ROBOTICS, oh and did I mention ROCKET PARTS?



Diagnosing Problems with your Rocket:

Rule #1: Moar Boosters
Rule #2: Moar Struts
Rule #3: Refer to Rules 1 & 2


KSP Vocabulary:

TWR: How stronk is rocket
Delta-V: How far rocket go
RCS: Docking fuel
Struts: Not optional
Met the Kraken: Rocket glitched catastrophically
Lithobraking: Rocket crashed
Rapid Unplanned Disassembly: Rocket blowed up
Asparagus Staging: The Way And The Light
Scott Manley: Scottish Rocket Jesus




Gallery

Here are some totally rad screenshots courtesy of the totally rad PAers from the last thread:

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Videos:


Tutorials:

Scott Manley's 1.0 Tutorial series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d74m3qThOoU&index=1&list=PLYu7z3I8tdEkUeJRCh083UT-Lq5ZIKI75

(Note that slight changes to aerodynamics since 1.0 mean certain techniques here may be hazardous to Kerbal health)

NathanKell's Realism Overhaul Tutorial/Livestream series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGqPWHCbvdY&list=PLI_cTKGllaWhVsKMRM_3axuFPcR6HYluL



Go forth, brave Kerbals! Conquer space! Build amazing things! And crash them!

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Posts

  • DivideByZeroDivideByZero Social Justice Blackguard Registered User regular
    Now, the elephant in the room: a large number of SQUAD staff, mostly former modders whose work has been incorporated into the game, quit the team last week. They include "Mike (Mu), Bill (Taniwha), Nathanael (NathanKell), Sébastien (Sarbian), Jim (Romfarer), Brian (Arsonide), Chris (Porkjet), Nathan (Claw)".

    What this means for the future of KSP is uncertain. The game came out of early access a year and a half ago, but was in no sense feature-complete. 1.1 was a step further, with the Unity 5 upgrade and native 64-bit support removing the memory limit that kep the game shackled in terms of modded content, BUT introduced a bunch of new bugs like horrendously broken wheels and landing gear physics. 1.2 apparently fixes all that, adds in the long-awaited comm relay system to compete with RemoteTech/AntennaRange, so I would say that the game as a whole is fairly close to feature-complete, if not there already. It could definitely stand a graphical overhaul, but actual content can largely be added by modders now that we have access to ALL TEH RAMS.

    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKERS
  • VeeveeVeevee WisconsinRegistered User regular
    Hey @Arsonide you still post here? Can you provide any insight into the direction KSP is headed?

    I'm under the impression the exodus last week was more of a "My work here is done, time to move on" event. Is that an accurate reading of the situation?

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    Going to need to update--once the mod scene mostly catches up anyway.

  • FoefallerFoefaller Registered User regular
    edited October 2016
    Dunno if it was a bug added this patch, but going EVA in space will send your craft spinning.

    Basically started over, so no idea if having a Kerbal pilot kept inside or probe to keep the SAS going would keep that from happening, but in what's probably your typical starting orbiter (pod, engine, couple small fuels and not much else), it's pretty damn disorienting.

    Foefaller on
    steam_sig.png
  • Commander ZoomCommander Zoom Registered User regular
    With some context added by time and further revelations, I now wonder if the thing with the rocket engine revamp by Porkjet went something like...
    "These are great, man. We'll get them added to the stock game right away."
    "Yeah, about that. I was kind of wondering - I've been doing a lot of work for you guys, you think maybe you could... pay me more?"
    "Hm, well, let's see... nope."

    And perhaps the attempted negotiations went around a few more times, but the upshot being, SQUAD couldn't/wouldn't make it worth PJ's while, and his contract allowed him to say "then you don't get to make these parts stock", and releasing them as unofficial content for modders was the compromise third option.

  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    So how about them comm sats?

    stlj48asbqo7.jpg

    Also I think I need mechjeb, I forgot how to land things.

    6ksl346nyhoc.jpg

    Oh and some old Eve and Duna shots, really need to download the graphic and parts updates again when they get out.

    cwwc28u8d1c1.jpg

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    I really like the new stock experiment holder. Who needs a comm system when you can manually deliver science packages home?

    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • StrikorStrikor Calibrations? Calibrations! Registered User regular
    Looks pretty landed to me!

  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    Oh yeah I forgot about this little jet/glider:

    dmznkp15ajp8.jpg

    I made it for some observation missions that were really spread out. Once it got to a good cruising altitude it could stay at supersonic speeds with almost no fuel use by dipping up and down constantly.

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    Really balanced too, easy to fly even when the fuel was low. Once I was done the choices were fly back to the landing pad or go to the south pole.

    9t3vg52cm11y.jpg

    In truth the most recent mech jeb has not been able to land anything on Kerbin for me. As soon as it gets below 1000 meters all the atmos drag calculations go haywire and it points directly down or up at full throttle.

    I had a massive single stage to orbit rocket I could manually land but the autopilot just would not land the thing.

    I am hoping to rebuild this guy for some heavy duty exploration:

    7gtyunq2p1um.jpg

    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • SceptreSceptre Registered User regular
    I set my difficulty options to limit my starting comm centers to KSC, really enjoying the new relay system.

  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    Oh hey the dev version of mechjeb works with 1.2 neat. Could not work without those Dv calculators.

    Okay so these new relay vrs direct comms I finally figured out, now the satellite contracts are not just about getting cash.

    Here is the Communico series of Kerbal comm sats, with variants like the Munico and Minico, guess where those go?

    h0pfb14gzap6.jpg

    I even got one in a keosynchronous orbit. Okay a retrograde keosynchronous(?) orbit which does not really count.

    lhzgiwmv3a6i.jpg

    Pretty though.

    But alas that era has come to an end and we need more high grade satellites, like this Polar Relay. It goes up to 9Mm to provide Minimus and such a good relay.

    iip82kkvtm7t.jpg

    I have the final stage rocket on the nose, so it flips once it is in orbit, neat!

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    I even got it in the right plane as the...

    Why does the ascending node say 180 degrees.

    Okay glad I put enough extra fuel on here to get to Duna and back for no reason. Lets just turn this around, only an extra 1000 dv at 9Mm.

    Why isn't the contract...

    j860lcx6yp0k.jpg

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    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • webguy20webguy20 I spend too much time on the Internet Registered User regular
    Oh Kerbal Space Program!

    Steam ID: Webguy20
    Origin ID: Discgolfer27
    Untappd ID: Discgolfer1981
  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    Okay glad I put enough extra fuel on here to get to Duna and back for no reason. Lets just turn this around, only an extra 1000 dv at 9Mm.

    Why isn't the contract...

    j860lcx6yp0k.jpg

    Man, if I had a dollar ...

  • Gnome-InterruptusGnome-Interruptus Registered User regular
    Elvenshae wrote: »
    Okay glad I put enough extra fuel on here to get to Duna and back for no reason. Lets just turn this around, only an extra 1000 dv at 9Mm.

    Why isn't the contract...

    j860lcx6yp0k.jpg

    Man, if I had a dollar ...

    ... to buy that thermometer

    steam_sig.png
    MWO: Adamski
  • DivideByZeroDivideByZero Social Justice Blackguard Registered User regular
    Alt-F12, duders.

    Alt-F12.

    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKERS
  • InfamyDeferredInfamyDeferred Registered User regular
    edited November 2016
    I can't for the life of me transfer fuel into this space station on the left and I'm not sure what I'm missing:
    WyWlMPm.jpg

    InfamyDeferred on
  • TerrendosTerrendos Decorative Monocle Registered User regular
    I can't for the life of me transfer fuel into this space station on the left and I'm not sure what I'm missing:
    WyWlMPm.jpg

    Isn't there a specific building upgrade you have to unlock in order to do transfers? Or maybe that's a modded KSP thing. Maybe check that?

  • InfamyDeferredInfamyDeferred Registered User regular
    I've got the building. It even works if I build a replica of the ships on the launchpad. Must be bugged... I ended up just editing the save file.

  • Gnome-InterruptusGnome-Interruptus Registered User regular
    I've got the building. It even works if I build a replica of the ships on the launchpad. Must be bugged... I ended up just editing the save file.

    Sometimes the docking bits will break, and it wont read the ships as fully/properly docked.

    steam_sig.png
    MWO: Adamski
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    I'm still incredibly behind for updating, as usual.

    How does the mod scene look in regards to 1.2? Have mods generally caught up?

  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    Yeah, pretty much. Some are reporting that they're incompatible with 1.2.1 but generally they'll work fine anyway if they worked with 1.2.0

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited November 2016
    Time to import my campaign and everything else then!

    EDIT: Wow, apparently MechJeb's update still hasn't been formally released yet. There must've been some substantial changes with 1.2 and 1.2.1--usually Anatid's the first thing updated, or close to it.

    Well, guess I'll wait more. I really like the UI changes I've seen so far though.

    EDIT EDIT: Okay, MJ is up, but not Deadly Reentry. Guess I get to wait a bit longer.

    Synthesis on
  • Void SlayerVoid Slayer Very Suspicious Registered User regular
    edited November 2016
    Oh, there is also a new resource transfer obeys crossfeed rules option under advanced options. Someone was having a hard time transferring fuel earlier and I thought that might be the problem. So if there is no route to transfer it your out of luck.

    You can also have Kerbals go unconscious if they sustain too much G-forces, and parts explode under too much G-force and pressure, as if there was not enough to worry about.

    Lots of great new options.

    Edit: You can also up reentry heating to 120% and see if that is close enough for deadly reentry.

    Void Slayer on
    He's a shy overambitious dog-catcher on the wrong side of the law. She's an orphaned psychic mercenary with the power to bend men's minds. They fight crime!
  • harvestharvest By birthright, a stupendous badass.Registered User regular
    I started a new career save with this planet mod:

    http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/152136-121-galileos-planet-pack-official-release-v101/

    6PdzyI6.jpg

    It's a bit more challenging than stock because the sun is weaker and the space center isn't on the equator. It's fun to explore new places for a change.

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  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    harvest wrote: »
    It's a bit more challenging than stock because the sun is weaker and the space center isn't on the equator. It's fun to explore new places for a change.

    Elite: Dangerous's system charts make anything look good, haha. Though if I were going to do non-stock, that looks gorgeous.

    For the time being I'm more worried about getting all my mods updated, my career imported into 1.2.1 with everything working, and KSPRC working.

    Weirdly enough, some preliminary imports of my career have dockingport2 (the standard-sized Squad docking port) showing up as missing, even though it's there--presumably one of my mods fucking with it. Anyone else encounter that?

  • InfamyDeferredInfamyDeferred Registered User regular
    52 ton trip to the bottom of Eve's ocean and back, using every trick in the book and a couple I didn't know existed:

    https://youtu.be/Tk73lZTwR6c

    (apologies for the creator's humor)

  • FoefallerFoefaller Registered User regular
    A perfect example of one of the hardest-to-learn lessons of KSP; Build Smarter, Not Bigger.

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  • m!ttensm!ttens he/himRegistered User regular
    Wow I never thought to use wing surfaces on some rotational part as a massive propeller. That whole video was pretty amazing!

  • InfamyDeferredInfamyDeferred Registered User regular
    Ugh, my Moho probe won't talk through the nearby relay and insists upon connecting directly to KSC
    Then it loses signal when I ditch the orbital stage + medium antennas

  • InfamyDeferredInfamyDeferred Registered User regular
    edited December 2016
    If the relay's got a direct antenna and a relay antenna, a probe should be able to relay through it using just a direct antenna, right? The relay's got a good link to KSC.

    Edit: ...Apparently the HG-55 isn't a relay antenna at all. I deflect all blame onto the Communotron sales rep!

    InfamyDeferred on
  • SurfpossumSurfpossum A nonentity trying to preserve the anonymity he so richly deserves.Registered User regular
    Hello everyone.

    I managed to get a rocket to leave the atmosphere yesterday.

    xqmk4kcl24d7.jpg

  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    @Surfpossum

    Did it then immediately return to the atmosphere, light on fire upon reentry, slam into the ground at mach 2, and explode amazingly violently?

  • SurfpossumSurfpossum A nonentity trying to preserve the anonymity he so richly deserves.Registered User regular
    I don't know if I have proper re-entry and stuff enabled, but I actually have not lost any command modules (yet) except for when I didn't realize that staging was based off the first piece you place and that it counts downwards.

    The first time I pressed space there was a small noise but nothing else; perplexed, I hit it again, causing the rocket to fly up and promptly rip itself and the parachute apart.

  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    Surfpossum wrote: »
    I don't know if I have proper re-entry and stuff enabled, but I actually have not lost any command modules (yet) except for when I didn't realize that staging was based off the first piece you place and that it counts downwards.

    The first time I pressed space there was a small noise but nothing else; perplexed, I hit it again, causing the rocket to fly up and promptly rip itself and the parachute apart.
    Doing it right.

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    I for one occasionally get a chuckle from Human Space Program.

    If you're looking to capture the cosmetic style of the early American program, Bluedog Design Bureau is right up your alley. I've started using it for my cheap early rockets.
    9dgqj2lqr705.png

  • DivideByZeroDivideByZero Social Justice Blackguard Registered User regular
    Found some more screenshots from this summer's Realism Overhaul career

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    bRFq5BCl.png

    These are the first probes in the Zeus and Cronus programs, en route to Jupiter and Saturn. I think when I last left off, Zeus-1 was a few months out from Jupiter SOI after a 4-5 year transit.

    If Realism Overhaul is good for one thing, it's making vanilla KSP feel like total EZMode. Like whoa. Like I have seen some shit. Fuck you Mun, I've landed probes on the Real Moon without bothering to get into orbit first, come at me bro.

    First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKERS
  • ElbasunuElbasunu Registered User regular
    RIP John Glenn.

    g1xfUKU.png?10zfegkyoor3b.png
    Steam ID: Obos Vent: Obos
  • ElvenshaeElvenshae Registered User regular
    What? Damn. He was one of my favorites.

    I dressed up as him in elementary school.

  • VeeveeVeevee WisconsinRegistered User regular
    edited December 2016
    He died doing what he was best at: being a badass and exploring the places you wish you could.

    Veevee on
  • TheKoolEagleTheKoolEagle Registered User regular
    So I have started playing KSP again, and I'm pretty bad at it. I'm only using mechjeb and KW rocketry, but I have a question - if I attach parachutes to detachments, will they set down properly and be able to get recovered? It doesn't seem to work, but maybe i'm just doing a bad job of landing them?

    uNMAGLm.png Mon-Fri 8:30 PM CST - 11:30 PM CST
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    So I have started playing KSP again, and I'm pretty bad at it. I'm only using mechjeb and KW rocketry, but I have a question - if I attach parachutes to detachments, will they set down properly and be able to get recovered? It doesn't seem to work, but maybe i'm just doing a bad job of landing them?

    What you're looking for is stage recovery. You could, feasibly, attach enough parachutes to everything launched and actually recover them in the tracking center, piece by piece, but some landed debris objects still vanish after a certain distance. Additionally parachutes set with decoupling don't always work for various reasons (power requirements, glitching, etc.). Stage recovery basically tracks every piece of debris on a reentry path, checks for parachutes (as well as control systems, fuel, and working engines if you have them) and if they within a certain velocity on landing with the parachute deployed, calculates their value with distance and condition matched in. Does all recovery automatically too.

    It is a nonstandard modification of course, but it's the best way to go about doing it.

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