Kerbal Space Program - Build Heaps Of Fail and Launch Them Into Space

[Jalif]

Started playing this again, wasting hours and hours on it.

Also somebody said this was in beta, toughed it was still on alpha?

its still alpha. they wont be moving onto beta stage untill all the features are implemented and it just down to polishing them.

Can't complain how it is going now - great mods out there with deployable solar panals, satalites and you can also count in oxygen.

Also Dev team (considering just few of them) are doing some great stuff atm.

[Xiang Jiao]

its still alpha

Yet it's a $15 download.

[Straight Hustlin]

its still alpha

Yet it's a $15 download.

And I've spent more time & gotten more enjoyment out of playing it then any $60 AAA title I've played in quite a while, whats your point?

[Jalif]

its still alpha

Yet it's a $15 download.

And I've spent more time & gotten more enjoyment out of playing it then any $60 AAA title I've played in quite a while, whats your point?

That pretty much. Also I got it for $7 when they first started pricing it B)

[Corwyna]

I tried this after quite some time and it is getting even better. You can do EVA now and there is landing gear in too. Lemme repost my first successful mission to outer moon and back.
Split into two posts, spoilers for cause it has a lot of pictures:

  Spoiler:

I was merrily typing to my guys while my fable craft was making an orbit in background. I tab back and find that one of my sections has fallen off for no apparent reason

It was bit early for that, but just in case I decided to drop rest of that section also:

Whole build is a bit of the overkill anyway.
This is how my orbit looks like:

Mission target is the moon on the left:

I have extended the orbit in direction of Minimus (the outer moon), but there should be brown line showing trajectory, the influence of the moon on my orbit.

I think the moon won't be there when I get there

Shit, I was right, by the time I get to my furthest point, the moon will be merrily fuck off too far...

Follow that moon!
This is not good. my orbit in not parallel to the moon and I don't know how to fix it. Time to learn how...

It worked! Maybe... I think I need to speed up now. My speed is 251 m/s and moon is going 274 atm.
For bonus points this is a lot of rocket turning, and mine turns like a brick. And once you get it to roll it is a bitch to stop it from rolling... Funny part is it would have been easier/lighter if I had less fuel. Who though having too much fuel would have been a problem...

OK, I might have pulled this off. I do not dare making a faster intercept, our orbits are not really in sync and I can make it worse much easier than making it better.

I guess Jebediah will have to surf porn for those 8 days.

After 6 days of chasing moon we got a better idea. Lets stretch legs!


You just have to get some lense flare with Kerbol (sun).


We are good. I'll have to start breaking once we reach periapsis (yeah, it feels cool when you say that)

I also managed to change my orbit to be parallel with moon orbit (won't post pics of that, boring). Idea is that I want to land on equator, much easier to get proper orbit to go back to Kerbin that way.

OK, I'm ready, collision course with Minimus is a go!


I'm trying to put that yellow icon on the dot on top. That would mean I'm going straight down without any speed to the side.


I don't need that part anymore. It has most of its fuel still


After fighting the brick for so long I'm having huge problems controlling my Mun lander in low gravity. It is too responsive!



Touchdown!


Time to walk a bit




Fuck walking, EVA suit with booster pack is awesome!




Note: booster pack on EVA suit is dangerous. I might have alt tab to Facebook and crashed at high speed into surface...


Its OK, lets pretend that didn't happen, load the last save and back to business.

[Corwyna]

The long way home

  Spoiler:

Orbit home, almost touching atmosphere (it ends at 63KM).


Unfortunately, while at speed up time inner moon affected my trajectory, landing me short...

Entering atmosphere

I tried hard, but didn't manage to recover, I couldn't even get it to lan on continent, I nended up rushing into the sea.
Lander stage jetted, parachute is on!

Jeb showing off, EVA 300 meters from surface

Splash

Mission over. Jeb doesn't look happy cause it is over.

[Paradox]

Are you using all stock parts or no? I really want to find a large number of non-retarded parts.

Also I am good at making ICBMs, not quite as good at making space rockets

[Corwyna]

Are you using all stock parts or no? I really want to find a large number of non-retarded parts.

Also I am good at making ICBMs, not quite as good at making space rockets

I'm using stock only. Not sure if you are using "demo" (old) version or current build.
It is always tricky to get proper build to get you to orbit with spare fuel, I've wasted days trying different approaches. But that is the fun part of it, tinkering with bits and peaces

[Paradox]

Why is it that the new large parts don't have any greater strength than the smaller parts? they keep falling apart I'm bad at this.

[Skraeling]

played demo for 5min bought game next day. shits fun.

[Corwyna]

Why is it that the new large parts don't have any greater strength than the smaller parts? they keep falling apart I'm bad at this.

You having problems at liftoff? Whole thing starts shaking and twisting? Try with less throttle, I had problems, I think drag would put too much force from above which would crash joints in the middle/upper section. Also, I would get into orbit with more fuel with less throttle, I think much of it was wasted on fighting drag.

[Paradox]

Why is it that the new large parts don't have any greater strength than the smaller parts? they keep falling apart I'm bad at this.

You having problems at liftoff? Whole thing starts shaking and twisting? Try with less throttle, I had problems, I think drag would put too much force from above which would crash joints in the middle/upper section. Also, I would get into orbit with more fuel with less throttle, I think much of it was wasted on fighting drag.

Yeah, this is good advice, I don't know what the formula is like for working out a good thrust to weight ratio or optimum speed or stuff like that. I now try to maintain a constant speed as I lift off and it does conserve fuel but I didn't really have too much of an issue with that.

But yeah just getting stuff to hold together as it goes up is the biggest problem for me.

[Corwyna]

Why is it that the new large parts don't have any greater strength than the smaller parts? they keep falling apart I'm bad at this.

You having problems at liftoff? Whole thing starts shaking and twisting? Try with less throttle, I had problems, I think drag would put too much force from above which would crash joints in the middle/upper section. Also, I would get into orbit with more fuel with less throttle, I think much of it was wasted on fighting drag.

Yeah, this is good advice, I don't know what the formula is like for working out a good thrust to weight ratio or optimum speed or stuff like that. I now try to maintain a constant speed as I lift off and it does conserve fuel but I didn't really have too much of an issue with that.

But yeah just getting stuff to hold together as it goes up is the biggest problem for me.

Not sure which version you are running, is strut connector available to you (Structural & Aerodynamic section)?

Edit: picture is unrelated

  Spoiler:

[Straight Hustlin]

Why is it that the new large parts don't have any greater strength than the smaller parts? they keep falling apart I'm bad at this.

This was a lil oversight on the dev's part when they scaled up all the parts, you can get modified configs for them here http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/...?topic=17313.0 or you can modify the parts your self by editing the part.config in note pad & changing the "breaking force"* attribute

*IIRC that is what its called or something similiar

[Paradox]

Why is it that the new large parts don't have any greater strength than the smaller parts? they keep falling apart I'm bad at this.

You having problems at liftoff? Whole thing starts shaking and twisting? Try with less throttle, I had problems, I think drag would put too much force from above which would crash joints in the middle/upper section. Also, I would get into orbit with more fuel with less throttle, I think much of it was wasted on fighting drag.

Yeah, this is good advice, I don't know what the formula is like for working out a good thrust to weight ratio or optimum speed or stuff like that. I now try to maintain a constant speed as I lift off and it does conserve fuel but I didn't really have too much of an issue with that.

But yeah just getting stuff to hold together as it goes up is the biggest problem for me.

Not sure which version you are running, is strut connector available to you (Structural & Aerodynamic section)?

Edit: picture is unrelated

  Spoiler:

Yeah it's the full version 16.0, I've been abusing struts like nobody's business trust me.

Why is it that the new large parts don't have any greater strength than the smaller parts? they keep falling apart I'm bad at this.

This was a lil oversight on the dev's part when they scaled up all the parts, you can get modified configs for them here http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/...?topic=17313.0 or you can modify the parts your self by editing the part.config in note pad & changing the "breaking force"* attribute

*IIRC that is what its called or something similiar

Excellent, thanks.

[Corwyna]

I don't reed KSP forums so this is probably old news, but I find this by myself and I find it worth sharing:

  Spoiler:

Proof of concept: you can launch spaceplane from rocket pad =) Even more important, you can build spaceplane lander then finish up the carrier rocket.

HOWTO: Build your spaceplane/lander in spaceplane hangar and save it.
Open directory where KSP is. Find a file named as your lander in \Ships\SPH\ directory (that is where specplanes go) and copy it to \Ships\VAB\ directory (that is where rockets go).
Then go ingame to vehicle assembly building and load your spaceplane design. It will be loaded horizontally, like a plane, but as soon as you grab the capsule it will change direction to horizontal =)

Have fun

[Joshua Foiritain]

Did some playing today with the mechjeb autopilot mod. It is awesome \o/

After the glorious invention of computers kerbals designed automated navigation systems. Fatality rates dropped by 99% \o/

So a ship was designed and a brave kerbanaut (Wilrim Kerman) flew to the mun and landed. Granted it took 35 days because turns out kerbals cant use computers but he made it. Unfortunately he did not have enough fuel for the return trip.

Forgot to take pic of ship, heres the lander though;

  Spoiler:

So, a second, more powerful rocket was designed to retrieve the stranded kerbanaut. It started out gloriously, we made it to the mun in under 10 hours with a newly designed lander and landed within 9 kilometers from the original lander. (Rescue ship piloted by Thomlong Kerman)

  Spoiler:

However, turns out kerbanauts cant jetpack either and Thomlong Kerman overshot the first lander by 4 kilometers, jetpacking back burned through all the jetpack fuel (and required 200 meters of walking which takes forever on the mun).

After reuniting Thomlong Kerman refuelled his jetpack and started the return trip but managed to impact with the ground and die. Oops

  Spoiler:

Wilrim Kerman did make it back to the lander. Turns out this model only holds one crew member anyway. Oops again

  Spoiler:

Turns out the game deletes anything thats not attached to a command module after a while so the glorious lander base with solar panels is no longer on my mun

  Spoiler:

Back in orbit.

  Spoiler:

Heading home.

  Spoiler:

Hello KSC.

  Spoiler:

Return to earth went smoothly, landed near the launch base. The engine exploded as the capsule landed which worried everyone at Kerbal space command for a second but fortunately the capsule remained intact and Wilrim Kerman made it home safely.

Glory Achieved.

  Spoiler:

Next up will be either sending something big (station sized) into orbit or landing something big on the mun. I saw some pics of rovers and whatnot on the ksp forums.

Also; Is there any easy way to switch between EVAing kerbals and/or the ship without having to go through the tracking station?

[Jalif]

When forums are transfered, you should check out "Mechanical Mouse Industries" with upcomming Kethane plugin (psss... mine)

[Corwyna]

...automated navigation systems...

But that is removing 90% of the fun

[Paradox]

I'm of two minds about Mechjeb. I use it but I won't use any of the autopilot functions. I use it to see things like thrust to weight ratio, delta v of each stage and shit that I really should be told while I'm making the rocket. Everything else is gravy that I don't use.

I think it's good that it exists though, someone on the KSP forum did a comparison between the capabilities of the flight computers in the Saturn V + Cape Canaveral in the '60's vs mechjeb and mechjeb is still like a children's toy in comparison so I don't have anything against it but I still prefer not to use most of it's functions.

Jalif TMA Kethane, what is it?