The Kerbal Space Program Thread

Hamerstein

Hamerstein
nats said:
Yeah its because drag isnt simulated properly yet - tanks behind other tanks all add to drag the way they wouldnt in real life. So it actually makes it easier to do a wide rocket than a tall one unlike reality. But they will no doubt sort that.

For the moment though you cant beat 'asparagus staging' to efficiently get into orbit with big rockets. You need to use liquid fuel tanks as boosters not solid rockets, and you link them in such a way that the fuel is flowing from the first to the second and so on so as they are jettisoned your rocket is getting lighter whilst having less engine power but still lots of fuel - but the atmosphere is also getting thinner as you get higher so you have the thrust to get off the ground but the fuel to keep going longer. Look for it on google.

To find out how much fuel you need to get anywhere you really need the Engineer Redux mod which tells you what your DeltaV and TWR (thrust to weight) ratio is for each stage and the total for your rocket. Then you use the DeltaV map to plan your fuel for the journey (I usually add 1000 on top of these figures as I am very inefficient):

http://www.skyrender.net/lp/ksp/system_map.png

Make sure you always have at least 1.4 TWR for launch, which is the power of your engines, anything less wont get you off the ground fast enough. Also ensure you have a TWR of around 2, preferably 3 or 4, for in space engine stages unless you want to be waiting for ages to carry out each burn.

And my last hint is that if you aerobrake when you come back to Kerbin you can reenter the atmophere with no fuel use at all. Plan to go skim around the atmosphere at around 30km, rather than hit the planet directly. It may take you two goes around but you can get back safely to ground with no fuel use. And when they introduce damage due to excess heat of reentry this will be the way to do it!

Its a detailed game, but flaming addictive, and you learn loads about space travel and rocket design into the bargain. I am loving it.
Click to expand...

Thanks muchly for this Nats, I did read that I needed some mods but all the links were to the forums (which were down whenever I checked). I'll play some more tonight :)
 

Hamerstein

Hamerstein
Courtesy of some good advice (my latest design looks absurd - but it works). Jebediah Kerman became the first Kerbal to land on the Mun - and get home again! :)

Now I have to figure out an orbital station...
 

nats

Banned
nats
For anyone needing help with this game the best videos I have seen were by Scott Manley and here they are, he's is a bit of a Scottish nutcase but he certainly explains things very well:

Introduction to the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgPr4q5tj-Q

Moon landings:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVPMTQfOvYQ

Docking:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHkY3FusJIQ

I have managed to get to the Mun and Minmus, land a rover and get back. Now I am constructing my space refuelling station for my trip to Duna which is like Mars. Its a great fun game.
 

Majere

Majere
Time Toilet

Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear oh dear.

Now look what you have gone and done. Ah well, will keep me busy until next spring.

So - has anyone done a mod to get Elite-style ships in there?
 

Styggron

S
Kerbal Space Program Thread

After searching and searching on here, as I was sure we had a Kerbal Space Program thread I came up at a loss.........

So without further adeiu, here it is.

A dedicated thread to Kerbal Space Program stickied for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy. :)
 

Adie123

A
Thanks Styggron for starting a KSP thread.

My introduction...

Im a backer for Elite Dangerous and will join the fun on the first round beta testing. I havnt posted at all in frontiers forums due to a few reasons. 1) I believe in david and his team in doing a great job and dont want to add to the mountain of posts already here. 2) im heavily involved in Kerbal Space Program as an experimental tester and i also mod. These things keep me busy.

I'd like to kick this thread off by sharing an image album of the mod im working on. I hope you like...

http://imgur.com/a/qAWQo#0

The [WIP] project thread of this mod is here at the kerbal space program forums.

thx everyone and have a merry xmas and happy new year

p.s. Role on first round beta! :D
 
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Alpha Protocol

Alpha Protocol
I've watched some of Scott Manley's videos on KSP. While it looks very cool, it looks pretty complicated. Got any tips for someone who might give it a go?
 

Ayo

Ayo
Alpha Protocol said:
I've watched some of Scott Manley's videos on KSP. While it looks very cool, it looks pretty complicated. Got any tips for someone who might give it a go?
Click to expand...

My tip is just to get in there and start firing rockets in the air :) It's great fun to learn what works and what doesn't, so go nuts!

Basics: For thrusters to work they need fuel. To get Kerbals (and science experiments) back to Kerbin safely you probably need a parachute. The more mass you are accelerating, the more fuel you will need (which increases your mass so be careful not to take too much fuel). Solid fuel boosters cannot be turned off once fired (you have to let them run out of fuel) they come with fuel and thruster.

I wouldn't worry about making the most efficient rockets and launching them in the most efficient way until your more proficient at the basics.

Look up how getting science points work if your in career mode, because that is very important and not really explained in the game (I haven't even looked at the tutorial so maybe it's in there idk.)

You can get science points without going into space so you can unlock better parts early if you'd like.

While travelling through the lower atmosphere (up to 10,000m), you should keep your speed below 200m/s (the faster you go the higher the air resistance.) 10,000m is a good point to start turning your rocket towards the horizon if you want to get into orbit. Firing thrusters at the apoapsis (the highest point of your projected orbit) when facing the direction of travel, is the most efficient way to raise your periapsis (lowest point in your orbit.)

Once you've reached the first big milestone of getting something in orbit around Kerbin, you should learn how to use manoeuvre nodes to figure out when and in which direction to burn to get to Mun or Minmus. Or even better, don't use manoeuvre nodes at all until you understand how burning in a particular direction changes your orbit.

Landing on one of these moons will be your next big milestone.
 
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Styggron

S
Great game.
I really wish the tutorials didn't just leave you out in the lurch though, they tell you a little and then zip....and you get stuck....

Oh well........ can't wait for the manual one day. :)
 

nicomak

nicomak
you should give you simple goals to begin with, first make a rocket that goes into space and come back safely with chutes, then one that can orbit the planet, then one that go orbit the mun & back, one that can land there and then one that can come back)... then same stuff for other planets, starting with duna.

that's what i've been doing. trying rdv&docking in the middle somewhere.
that's when i did the video that i put in my previous post. i've made some tuto but all in french so probably not very useful for you.

try looking at tutorials on youtube, there's plenty. but the simple idea that you will be using over & over again is that pushing prograde increases the size of your orbit on the oposite side, and pushing towards retrograde, reduces your orbit, again, on the opposite side.

you can also use mods, i like engineer redux, you have to add one little part on your rocket and it gives you many info, including your Delta V, you need about 4500 of delta v to get into orbit for instance. mechjeb is an autopilot, but you can use it to have a demonstration on how to do many things.
http://ksp.olex.biz/ this website is useful if you plan to leave kerbin or get back to it.
 
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Kerrash

Kerrash
Styggron said:
Great game.
I really wish the tutorials didn't just leave you out in the lurch though, they tell you a little and then zip....and you get stuck....

Oh well........ can't wait for the manual one day. :)
Click to expand...

Hey Styg, In the most recent live stream I started a new play through of KSP in career mode. I will be playing it in between E: D updates ;)

Kerrash Landing #29
 

psykokow

psykokow
Hey Styg., heres that other link to the older Kerbal thread... may be some info in there worth merging or at least here's a link to it..

Kerbals Thread Aparently there is an EVEN older thread somewhere too.
 

Sir.Tj

The Moderator who shall not be Blamed....
Volunteer Moderator
Sir.Tj
Merged the threads for ease of viewing.

If you find the 1st one I'll merge it in to if you want.

EDIT: Found it. :D
 
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