Kerbal Space Program

Discussion in 'Gaming' started by TheGodBen, Sep 9, 2012.

  1. Saturn0660

    Saturn0660 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    It's fun... Other then the Demo is SOOOOOO much easier then the full game. I think i've killed more Kerbals in the name of "progress" then anyone else on here.
     
  2. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

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    The demo is being updated soon.
     
  3. Saturn0660

    Saturn0660 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Good to hear indeed.. The full game is still insanely hard for me.
     
  4. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

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    Get the mechjeb addon. Makes things much easier and watching how it works helps in learning how to do things on your own.
     
  5. TheGodBen

    TheGodBen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    What are you having trouble with? Are you struggling to adjust to things like getting into orbit with the new balancing, or are you attempting new things like landing on other planets?

    One thing I'd advise is to go in baby-steps, like a real space program. Don't try to send a 3-kerbal lander to Mun like in the demo, the redone scale of part sizes makes that a lot harder. First, safely land a tiny probe there, similar to the ones I made in that image I posted. The smaller your lander, the smaller and simpler your entire rocket has to be at launch. If you can manage that, then send a 1-kerbal lander as they're about the same size as the 3-kerbal craft in the demo.

    Another trick is to try and land on Minmus before going to Mun. Minmus is slightly harder to get to as it's further away and requires a slight inclination change, but it is much, much easier to land on than Mun for three main reasons.

    1. The gravity is much lighter, which makes a huge difference. Landing is slower-paced and it's easier to keep track of all the variables.
    2. There are large "ice" lakes on Minmus that are perfectly flat, so you don't have to worry about landing on a slope.
    3. The lakes are at 0m elevation, so you know exactly when you're coming in to land. On Mun, the surface is often several km higher than the readout says it is and you have to judge your descent with your eyes, which is an extra hassle you really don't need when still learning how to land.
    In truth, Mun is actually one of the hardest bodies in the system to land on because it has relatively high gravity and no atmosphere. Moho, Vall, and Tylo are the only other bodies with no atmosphere and higher gravities than Mun.
     
  6. Saturn0660

    Saturn0660 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I guess my problem is it seems so much harder to build the ships. With the demo you just slapped it together and it was fine. I find myself having a hard time just getting into orbit. I don't know if i'm going with to big a ship and trying to hard. I did download Mechjeb. It's easier using that.

    I did manage to get Station Core that comes with the saves already in it. I't out of fuel and I just can't seem to get to it again. Even with a ship I made that gets into orbit fine. <-with extra fuel no less.
     
  7. TheGodBen

    TheGodBen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Two things come to mind:

    1. Are you using asparagus staging? It's the most fuel-efficient method of getting into orbit as you are dropping empty fuel tanks as they run out.
    2. You may be travelling too fast after lifting-off. If you travel too fast in the thickest part of the atmosphere then you lose a lot of fuel in fighting against friction. You'll want to quickly get up to around 100m/s after lift-off, then slowly increase the speed after that so that you're travelling at 250m/s when you reach an elevation of 10,000m. It takes some getting used to, but it does save fuel.
    As for intercepting other ships in orbit and docking with them, that's very tricky. Either watch Scott Manley's tutorial and practice, or let mechjeb do it for you. ;)


    [yt]v=AHkY3FusJIQ[/yt]
     
  8. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

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    Mechjeb doesn't do docking. ORDA does, but you still have to get close to the target craft first (less than 2.25 km, preferably less than 1km) and carry lots of monopropellant for the RCS.
     
  9. Saturn0660

    Saturn0660 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Heres a shot after dumping my engines. Stayed up for 7 days game time. Then did a de-orbit. kept them on till they ran dry. Stayed with me for a bit.
    Safe landing. :techman:

    [​IMG]
     
  10. TheGodBen

    TheGodBen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Now wait until re-entry heat is added and do it again. ;)
     
  11. Mad Jack Wolfe

    Mad Jack Wolfe Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I decided to get a close look at the Mun arches for myself. As you can see, I got a little closer than originally intended...
    [​IMG]


    There is approximately one metre distance from the lander's ladder to the arch. You can see the lander's spotlights on the base of the arch as well.
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2013
  12. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

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    Ah, that was your post on the ksp forum about a landing leg almost hitting the arch on the way down.
     
  13. Mad Jack Wolfe

    Mad Jack Wolfe Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Yes, I was almost certain there would be a crash landing. Held my breath until she touched down safely!
     
  14. TheGodBen

    TheGodBen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    It's a pretty good landing, I suppose, but you're missing out on all the fun of the 5km trek I enjoyed when I visited a Mun arch. ;)

    Seriously, nice landing.
     
  15. Mad Jack Wolfe

    Mad Jack Wolfe Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Thanks! :)

    That last 500m or so had me really hoping I had a quicksave handy. I think I'll opt for the hike (or jetpack flight) from here on out.
     
  16. TheGodBen

    TheGodBen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I don't know, I think you've displayed excellent skill at precision landing. The next logical step is for you to attempt to orbit through the arch. ;)
     
  17. Mad Jack Wolfe

    Mad Jack Wolfe Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Ha! I love it! That would be a very Kerbal thing to try next. :lol:
     
  18. TheGodBen

    TheGodBen Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Anyone else experiencing blue screen crashes since 0.18.4? I've had three now, which is highly unusual in Windows 7.
     
  19. Owain Taggart

    Owain Taggart Vice Admiral Admiral

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    So, I just bought this and wow, it's pretty hardcore. I can tell it's going to take quite awhile to get a handle on things, but I imagine it's quite rewarding finally doing something successfully.

    Anyone got any tips on how to start with career mode?
     
  20. sojourner

    sojourner Admiral In Memoriam

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    I play sandbox. career mode doesn't really do anything besides delay your access to parts.

    Get Mechjeb. It's a great addon that will greatly help in building and flying rockets. Even if you don't want mechjeb to do your flying for you, the information it provides is pretty essential in my opinion.