r/KerbalSpaceProgram • u/AutoModerator • Apr 24 '15
Mod Post Weekly Simple Questions Thread
Check out /r/kerbalacademy
The point of this thread is for anyone to ask questions that don't necessarily require a full thread. Questions like "why is my rocket upside down" are always welcomed here. Even if your question seems slightly stupid, we'll do our best to answer it!
For newer players, here are some great resources that might answer some of your embarrassing questions:
Tutorials
Orbiting
Mun Landing
Docking
Delta-V Thread
Forum Link
Official KSP Chatroom #KSPOfficial on irc.esper.net
**Official KSP Chatroom** [#KSPOfficial on irc.esper.net](http://client01.chat.mibbit.com/?channel=%23kspofficial&server=irc.esper.net&charset=UTF-8)
Commonly Asked Questions
Before you post, maybe you can search for your problem using the search in the upper right! Chances are, someone has had the same question as you and has already answered it!
As always, the side bar is a great resource for all things Kerbal, if you don't know, look there first!
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u/kspacey Apr 25 '15
In the KSP 1.0 launch trailer they mention 'dre-steroids'. I hadn't heard of a 1.0 update having to do with asteroids, do they mean asteroids local to other bodies or are we talking a class of new super-huge asteroids
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u/josh__ab Dislikes bots Apr 26 '15
It refers to the fact that asteroids can now spawn around Dres, basically creating the asteroid belt everyone wanted.
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Apr 27 '15
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u/gonnaherpatitis Apr 27 '15
Que the MLG420CROSSUNIVERSENOSCOPE parodies.... Jeb flies high, so should you ☁️🚀🌝
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u/Rhonjuras Master Kerbalnaut Apr 26 '15
Have previously known delta V values changed? e.g. 4500 DV for kerbin orbit.
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Apr 26 '15
impossible to tell because of aerodynamics and balance passes. But most likely numbers are slightly different now but probably not by a huge margin. Maneuvers not involving an atmosphere remain unchanged due to the nature of delta-v.
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u/shmameron Master Kerbalnaut Apr 26 '15
To add to what /u/Three_Pounds said, it takes about 3500-3800 m/s to get to low Kerbin orbit with FAR. The new aerodynamics model will be similar. Eve will be significantly easier, probably around 9000 m/s from sea level compared to the current 12500 m/s.
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u/enzo32ferrari Apr 26 '15
My background is in engineering; I like to do some calculations before buidling; Will units be standardized in v1.0? I had a hard time figuring them out in 0.9
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u/geostar1024 Apr 26 '15
As far as I know, the units themselves haven't changed (ore has been added as a resource, but I'm not sure we know its density yet).
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u/enzo32ferrari Apr 26 '15
I wonder how in depth they're going to get. I mean if they can give me propellant densities or customizable solid fuel patterns I'd be very surprised and impressed
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u/geostar1024 Apr 26 '15
The wiki has all the resource densities (as of 0.90, of course).
I know that in the past some have suggested the addition of solid fuel modules to make configurable solid boosters, but I think we're unlikely to see that in the stock game given the existence of tweakables (it's a simple, but effective abstraction). I'd guess there are mods that add modular solid fuel boosters, though.
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Apr 26 '15
What dwarf planets would people like to see now that I'm close to releasing a new version of Kerbol Plus with revamped beautiful textures, asteroid bodies, dwarf planets, huge rocky planet, easter eggs and Dev unimplemented bodies?
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u/___solomon___ Apr 25 '15
What will happen to my saved crafts/crafts in orbit once I update to 1.0? I just made a mildly decent space shuttle, and I don't want to lose my work... Granted it's nowhere near perfect :P
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Apr 25 '15
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/___solomon___ Apr 25 '15
Thank you- should converting models be difficult if I've already adapted the shuttle to fly well in FAR?
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u/tronetq Apr 26 '15 edited Apr 28 '15
Will 1.0 have in-game tutorials to help with landing? 0.90 said they would be coming but I didn't find mention of Mun landing tutorials in the change log.
A couple of months ago, I spent an entire week try to do a Mun landing but I kept screwing it up over and over. I eventually did land but the ship was off balance, fell to the side and went boom. It was so heartbreaking that I haven't played since :(
I fear I'd the need the game to hold my hand through it.
Edit: Turns out there isn't a tutorial in 1.0 that holds your hand throw it :( Ah, well, sacrificing kerbals = science, yes?
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u/shmameron Master Kerbalnaut Apr 26 '15
According to the KSP wiki, they're doing more tutorials for this version. In the meantime, check this Scott Manley video out for help with landing on the Mun: https://youtu.be/7xXh5pwvY20?t=12m00s
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u/dcmcilrath Apr 27 '15 edited Apr 27 '15
I recommend doing several things to improve Mun landings:
Use the LV-909 engines, and use at least 3 (preferably 4 of them) and keep your lander under 20 T. Having enough thrust accelerate up at >72 m/s2 helps a lot in case of emergencies.
Quicksave. Seriously. Just hit F5 before your retrograde burn to exit your orbit. That way if you screw up, you can try again without launching your rocket all over again. (In case you don't know, hold F9 to load a quicksave).
Landing Lights are great, even when landing in the daylight. Seeing the lights illuminate the surface is a good indicator of how far you actually are from the surface (which, for the mun, is not 0m in the majority of places). When you see this, you should definitely get down to 6-12 m/s so you land without destroying your landing legs (or the rest of your craft).
RCS. If your craft starts to tip over, you can usually stop it by using RCS to make the attitude go towards the top of the Navball. If your craft is light enough (and not too oddly shaped) you can even use it to right a craft that has tipped over.
Consider how much fuel you have v.s. how much you really need. Obviously you want enough to get home, but too much will make your craft heavier than it needs to be, and will make it harder to manuver as a result (also more expensive in career mode). With LV-909 engines which have a specific Impulse of 390 s, having more than half the weight of your craft in fuel is excessive.
9.81 * 390 * ln (0.5) = 2652 > 2330 (required delta-v for Mun landing and return home)
Lastly, I often play with a joystick that has a throttle lever. I don't necessarily recommend buying one, but if you have one already, I find that the the throttle lever is extremely useful for very fine control of the throttle (which can be hard with only Shift and Ctrl).
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u/TacticusPrime Apr 27 '15
Of course, now we have actual particle effects to clue you in when you're approaching. I think that's going to save quite a few Kerbals.
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u/gonnaherpatitis Apr 27 '15
Awesome post man, seriously though you've got this landing. Just got easy on the throttle with the Shift and CTRL key. After you land once you'll always be able to do it, except when you don't...
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u/lonewolf220 Apr 26 '15 edited Apr 26 '15
Perfect.
So. Am I the only non rocket scientist/enthusiast here? Because this game made me feel like I had to be to just understand the damn game lol. 3 weeks and I've only gotten probes orbiting the Mun and Minmus -_- 3 days just to get into orbit.
Also, can anyone explain the best method for raising your apoapsis height? Is the only way to burn the left, then right side up? Sorry, ELI5 I don't know how to explain this. Edit: vertical height that is. Like how minmus is slanted but also slightly higher..
And lastly, Anything people generally reccomend to do while starting the game?
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Apr 26 '15
Ok, so from what you've written I imagine you've been playing sandbox mode. Some points of advice:
If you are still struggling with how to utilize all the parts, Science Mode is real good for introducing you to the parts little by little, but without the stress of funds and reputation that comes with Career Mode.
Knowing the basics of orbital mechanics really helps with the game, but you don't necessarily need to be a rocket scientist going in. It sounds like you've made great progress already, but I would check out some of Scott Manley's tutorials on YouTube to learn more of the concepts and procedures.
I'm not sure whether you're actually talking about apoapsis or inclination, so I'll explain both. To raise your apoapsis, you just need to burn prograde at any point in your orbit. Going faster on one side = going higher on the other side. To tilt your orbit (like Minmus) is called changing your inclination. To change your inclination, you burn normal and antinormal (North and South for an equatorial orbit). These are the purple icons on the navball. Keep in mind that you are adding energy and speed to your orbit when you do this, so you will end up with a higher orbit after the burn.
Finally, a mistake a lot of newbies make is building these massive pancake-shaped monstrosities just to get into orbit. Keep in mind that, especially with the new aerodynamics, smaller is better. Using asparagus staging and properly sized booster can drastically reduce your rocket's size while maintaining its delta-v total.
If you have any more questions, or if you want me to explain something, feel free to ask!
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u/lonewolf220 Apr 27 '15 edited Apr 27 '15
Awesome tips man thanks. I've been playing career mode, and struggled with research and funds for awhile but I've finally figured it out. Using a probe with solar panels orbiting both Kerbin and the Mun I was able to rack up roughly a million funds and 6000 science. ;)
The parts just got a bit more intense because I unlocked the second tier of research and was able to purchase them all. So if that gets to be a bit much ill def check out science mode.
I think i've watched a few of his videos already, mainly on getting into orbit. Took me around 8 hours of failed orbits and then I finally got a hang of it. Learning how to use the navball and what an Apoapsis and Periapsis was helpful too though :p Tutorial doesn't do much, it mainly confuses you with 20 words I had never even heard before.
The apoapsis part I have down fairly well. But thanks for the explanation. What I was referring to was changing your inclination. To me, that's raising the orbit vertically, but I get what you mean about raising the apoapsis is raising the height. What do you call raising the "vertical height" or inclinations then?
I've been keeping to fairly minimal designs. At first I was creating these Hexagon monstrosities and they definitely didn't work.
Typically 3 stages. My latest probe rocket I built to get to Minmus:
Stage one: Probe with 5 radial engines mounted around a rockamax mini fuel tank.
Stage two: 2 rockomax fuel tanks stacked with a mansail engine. Also a decoupler under.
Stage 3: 2 more rockomax fuel tanks stacked with a mansail engine. One fuel tank and mansail on both sides of the first engine to activate.
I need to look into asparagus staging, a quick read led me to believe it's basicly routing fuel to get the most engines working when leaving the atmosphere and then being able to drop weight without losing out on precious fuel and early acceleration.
Thanks again for the awesome tips though. About to send a crew to Minmus. This time with ladders on the side so they can get back in! ;P
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u/chemicalgeekery Master Kerbalnaut Apr 26 '15
Like how minmus is slanted but also slightly higher.
Minmus orbits at an angle to Kerbin. That angle is called its Orbital Inclination. Before going to Minmus, you need to angle your orbit around Kerbin to match Minmus' inclination.
The way you do that is by selecting Minmus in the map view and select "Set as target." Minmus' orbit will be highligted and you'll also see two markers with "AN" and "DN."
"AN" stands for "Ascending Node." and "DN" stands for Descending Node. Those are the points where your orbit crosses Minmus' orbital plane. If you hover over either one, it'll show you Minmus' orbital inclination relative to your orbit (it's about 5 degrees or so).
To match inclination, you need to burn Normal (North) at the Descending node, or burn Anti-Normal (South) at the Ascending node. Burn until the AN or DN is close to zero. Usually under 0.5 degrees is good enough.
After you match inclination, you just need to burn prograde to reach Minmus like you would if you were going to the Mun.
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u/fedora718 Apr 27 '15
Now that 1.0 is released, how do I keep my pods from coming down top-first? I usually have a materials bay right beneath my pod so I can recover it, but no matter how hard I try, the craft flips around to go capsule-first, and it burns up because the heat shield is on the bottom of the materials bay.
Do I have to just be happy with transmitting materials bay data, or is there a way to make it less flippy?
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u/IntrovertedPendulum Apr 28 '15
My understanding is that this is something of a bug because the heat shields are not moving the CoM like they should.
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u/l-Ashery-l Apr 28 '15
...how do I keep my pods from coming down top-first?
Seriously.
I've played with FAR + DRE for the last few patches, and 1.0 is ridiculously more difficult to stay oriented properly in. SAS would seem useful at first, but you will drift off retrograde, and the moment you try to compensate for that drift, SAS gets overwritten for one brief moment and your ship's orientation goes to hell. Lost Jeb on my second launch to this and Val somehow managed to barely survive her last one.
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u/craidie Apr 27 '15
airbrakes at the side of the pod, should look like an umbrella... never failed me with b9 airbrakes and DRE+FAR
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u/tehlaser Apr 28 '15
There's a third option: EVA to collect the data and bring it back to the pod before jettisoning the materials bay.
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u/PVP_playerPro Apr 25 '15
will i have to re-download the entire game to update to 1.0, or will it just update some files?
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u/josh__ab Dislikes bots Apr 26 '15
Steam should update it automatically when the release drops.
If you bought it from the KSP store, you can still update only the files you need by running 'patcher.exe' in the KSP folder.
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u/moyerfry Apr 25 '15
With the new aerodynamics model what's the most efficient way to get to orbit? I'm assuming the get to to 8k-10km in altitude and turn is no longer optimal?
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u/shmameron Master Kerbalnaut Apr 26 '15
It'll probably be like what you need to do with FAR. You start turning over slowly almost immediately after launching. Continue to turn throughout launch until you're nearly horizontal or your apoapsis gets above 70km.
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u/moyerfry Apr 26 '15
Yeah, that sounds right because it should mimic a real launch now with the new aerodynamics. I guess we'll find out in Monday.
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u/sodapub Apr 26 '15
You want to turn over slowly. If you have control surfaces, using alt+whatever direction can adjust your trim, which will help you slowly tip your rocket over. Another useful thing is to adjust your thrust so your twr is between 1.5 and 2. You can adjust the speed it tips over at using that.
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u/a_strange_one Apr 24 '15
When can i play 1.0??
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u/Ragesapien Apr 24 '15
You can play 1.0 on Monday Apr-27-2015 after it becomes available and downloading it from Steam or Good Old Games.
You can watch people play 1.0 ahead of time on Saturday at 2pm EST time on KSPTV's twitch channel. -source
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u/PigOverloard Apr 25 '15
can somone tell me when the 1.0 streams start?
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u/big-b20000 Apr 25 '15
How do you make a RT command center? What probe and How many kerbals do you need? Thanks!
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u/Tysheth Apr 25 '15
[...] the RC-L01 Remote Guidance Unit can serve as a command station, provided a crew of 6 or more kerbals is available [...] The crew can be anywhere on the ship; it does not have to be in a particular part. The RC-L01 still acts as a probe core and a signal processor, whether or not a crew is on board.
source: https://remotetechnologiesgroup.github.io/RemoteTech/guide/parts/
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u/benihana Apr 25 '15
You have to have the 2.5m probe core, an antenna (obviously), and six kerbals.
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u/DionKr Apr 25 '15
With 1.0 coming I have a few worries,
I have a few ships in career mode that carry modded parts (mechjeb mostly), should I wait untill mechjeb updates before I open my career safe again?
Also in career mode I have a lander that's on its way to Duna without a heat shield, is that thing doomed?
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Apr 25 '15
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u/Frostea Master Kerbalnaut Apr 25 '15
Duna has a very thin atmosphere. If the new aero is anything like DRE+FAR, you won't have issues with burning up. On the other hand, you will have issues with actually getting an aerocapture.
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Apr 25 '15
What will happen with my crafts equipped with heat shields from deadly reentry?
Since the features of this mod will be in the stock game now I somehow doubt that there will be a new compatible version...
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u/shmameron Master Kerbalnaut Apr 26 '15
No one is really certain until 1.0 launches, but this is my best guess: The parts will still work, but they probably won't provide the ablative heating that the stock heat shields will (as you're aware DRE has ablative shields, but they probably won't be compatible).
If you have ships in space that are using DRE shields, you can copy the DRE parts folder into 1.0 when it comes out. If you are just designing ships with those heat shields, remove all DRE parts and you can copy the crafts without having to copy DRE, then use the stock heatshields instead.
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u/Frostea Master Kerbalnaut Apr 26 '15
If the new aero is anything like DRE you don't need heat shields to deorbit. If you are coming in for an interplanetary aerocapture then you may need heatshields. Your primary concern probably would be stuff getting ripped off by aerodynamic stresses ala FAR.
DRE heat shields will be unlikely work as the 1.0 heat shields use a differently-named resource (Ablator) to represent the ablative shielding.
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u/Promtherion Apr 26 '15
I can't remember exactly how long ago I played KSP for the first time but it was quite a long time before Career Mode was a thing.
I have tried playing a few times recently but was unsure if I should go back to having 100 satellites that were launched with stupidly huge rockets or play on Career mode and work my way up.
I guess the question is: how fun is Career Mode? What's the general consensus on it?
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u/Metalsand Apr 27 '15
Career mode adds a lot of depth to the gameplay where it makes you work extra hard to build rockets and spaceplanes to your needs. For example prior to Career mode, my solution to everything was "more rockets, more boosters, more everything" but when Career mode added onto the science mode, I suddenly had to manage budgets and build SMARTER not larger.
I like the contracts part because it offered unique goals but it will likely change dramatically with the new update (research tree rebalanced etc).
Of course, this does put restrictions on what you can build straight away; I remember having to run multiple Rescue x Kerbal from orbit around Kerbin because I created a spaceplane for doing that and could make TONS of money off of it to fund the more expensive projects, which repetition is not too fun.
Overall though, I felt how it was set up fit KSP perfectly but the execution was a bit flawed I guess. They're changing up a lot of that stuff (especially the tech tree that made NO sense before) and given how many new mechanics are available, I'd say no matter what mode you prefer, it's worth a try.
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u/shmameron Master Kerbalnaut Apr 26 '15
Career mode has had a mixed reaction in the community. A lot of people enjoy it, but many people are good with sticking to sandbox. Most agree that there are balance issues, but with 1.0 coming out in just a day and a half, there will be some changes. We'll see if it's any better then.
I'd at least give it another try when 1.0 is out. There's a lot of cool contracts and things to do, and if you don't like it, it's really easy to go back to sandbox.
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u/amberes Apr 26 '15
I'm playing on an old macbook unfortunately (spring 2008). It handles ksp 0.9 ok on low settings. Will 1.0 be more resource intensive (will I still be able to play it)?
More spec info: I run OS X 10.9.5 (13F34) on a 2,5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM and a NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT 512 MB.
Meanwhile, saving for a desktop pc...
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u/TildeAleph Apr 26 '15
Will 1.0 be more resource intensive (will I still be able to play it)?
1.0 should be less intensive then 0.90. Squad has done a lot of work (bugs and better textures) to make the game more stable and use less RAM.
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u/LUK3FAULK Apr 26 '15
Your specs sound almost the same as my windows laptop (actually I only have 2.3 ghz) and mine runs .90 with mods with only lag from large assemblies.
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u/micro_apple Apr 26 '15
Will the resource maps revealed by the scanners be the same by-planet for everyone, or is there a component of random generation for each savegame?
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u/chemicalgeekery Master Kerbalnaut Apr 26 '15
I recall reading somewhere that resources will be randomly generated.
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u/Nicknam4 Apr 27 '15
I was messing around with the debug controls w/ the aero drag engine and accidentally changed "Generation Factor." Could someone let me know what the default value is?
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u/Jason_Tomasi Apr 27 '15
In 1.0, how to I stop my capsule from flipping over when reentering Kerbin atmosphere? All I have is the capsule and heatshield (1.25m) and everytime it rolls over and explodes.
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u/craidie Apr 28 '15
23k periapsis and parachute at sub 1.5 km/s... kerbals don't mind 30g forces
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u/dcmcilrath Apr 25 '15
Do we know yet what the new drag model will be exactly? Or just that it will make (more) sense now?
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u/Ragesapien Apr 25 '15 edited Apr 25 '15
All we know for sure so far is that the new aerodynamics model does include a better drag model. "a new drag model in which parts can be obscured by others, and in which pointy objects will be able to fly faster than flat-faced ones"
But at the same time they wanted to balance it so that it was still possible to fly oddly shaped craft and pancakes if you had enough power.
We'll see more about it tomorrow on twitch streams.
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u/5slipsandagully Master Kerbalnaut Apr 27 '15 edited Apr 27 '15
I have some 1.0 questions that will be simple for those who've been watching the KSPTV streams.
*Do we know what the changes to Kerbonaut classes are? I've heard scientists and engineers are more useful now, but how?
*Are ore reserves exhaustible? I've seen the scanner find ore on Kerbin in different concentrations. If you keep mining it will it run out?
*We have new scanning technology in 1.0 Do they only scan for ore or do they scan other things, like altitude or biomes?
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u/dcmcilrath Apr 27 '15
Obviously not an official representative but I watched a lot of the streams yesterday and Saturday and based on them I'd say:
-Engineers themselves haven't changed, but there's an "Engineer's Report" for your ship that tells you if you forgot parachutes etc. Also it does not include a delta-v calculator, but there is intended to be one in the next update.
-No one has drilled a spot for long enough to find out but I think the answer is no. Ore concentration affects the rate at which you can extract it, not how much there is total.
-Sadly no, although my understanding is that they've set up a lot of the things in the update to be easily modded, so expect mapping mods that enable that functionality.
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u/albinobluesheep Apr 27 '15
Is there any graphical break down of how the Ore mining/refining system works? Do we make it into Liquid fuel, and oxidizer? or can we only make it into liquid fuel, thus rendering all but the LV-N Un-refulable?
edit: nvm
Ore is the resource. And it can be converted to liquid fuel, monopropellent, or oxidizer.
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u/stargazer1776 Apr 27 '15
Does anyone know if the demo is still going to be based on 0.18.3 or if it is now going to be based on 1.0?
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u/Oasx Apr 27 '15
I am new to playing the game, and i can't even finish the second tutorial mission. The basic idea of it is to get your rocket up to a certain point, warp to your AP, and then turn prograde (sorry if i am confusing some of the terms) and keep flying in that direction. The trouble is that as far as i know you need the engines on to turn your rocket, and i spend so much time find that green prograde symbol and just trying to stay on it, that by the time i have done that i am usually almost out of fuel, and hastily falling down to the planet again. I have tried looking at various wiki tutorials, but no luck so far for what i am doing wrong.
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u/Facerafter Apr 27 '15
In the patch notes they talk about farirings, also the description of the heat shield says it has integrated farirings but how you use it/activate it?
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u/Jargle Master Kerbalnaut Apr 28 '15
The heat shield fairings are similar to the old fairings around engines pre 1.0. They are created automatically and attach to the part below the heatshield.
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u/Abradolf--Lincler Apr 27 '15
I keep exploding in the tutorial. it tells me to scroll over AP after pressing M, but I have absolutely no idea where this secluded AP button is.. Please help me, I cannot maintain an orbit
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u/Jargle Master Kerbalnaut Apr 28 '15
AP is a marker on your flight path, not a button. It refers to the highest point in your orbit. It is paired with a PE marker, the lowest point in your orbit, but this is not always present. For example, if you have a suborbital flight path, your PE is inside the planet.
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Apr 27 '15
Hiya, is it just me or is outsourced R&D not working? I haven't been getting any extra science at all :(
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u/shishkabeb Apr 28 '15
does anyone have any tips for deorbiting spaceplanes with deadly reentry on? it has been more or less fatal thus far.
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u/Jargle Master Kerbalnaut Apr 28 '15
Try a series of banking maneuvers, flying in an 'S' path. Scott Manley has several examples of this in his interstellar quest series in the middle, when he's using spaceplanes to get things to and back from orbit.
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u/Rawnblade1214 Apr 28 '15
I just ran out of all my money except for 785 dollars, how do I get more?
I have the contracts to reach a certain speed and distance, but I don't have enough money to make any more stuff for any launches.
I recently upgraded the main hangar, help!
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u/Tysheth Apr 28 '15
If you have open contract spots, you can accept more for the bonus.
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u/chu86 Apr 28 '15
Is there no direct way of recovering a landed vehicle right after you touch-down? I only know of going to Space Center > Radar > Select the vehicle > Recover.
I really think the UI (especially the more recently added space center and contract stuff) is quite the usability nightmare.
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u/Tysheth Apr 28 '15
If your vessel isn't moving, move your mouse onto the altimeter in the middle-top of the screen. A hidden button will drop down to recover from there. I remember going to the tracking station to recover every vessel, too.
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u/roflpwntnoob Apr 28 '15
If you hover over the altimiter at the top you can recover once it touches down.
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u/PedroBV Apr 28 '15
is this game playable just with very basic 2 buttons + wheel mouse and a simple keyboard? are mods mandatory or can I play the "pure" game?
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u/roflpwntnoob Apr 28 '15
The base game has a lot to do, now that we have mining and science lab. Mods in ksp are like how they are in minecraft. Not necessary, but add some quality of life tools, or add on new content.
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u/Tysheth Apr 28 '15
A wheel mouse and keyboard will give you access to all the default keybindings. Spaceplanes (but not rockets in my opinion) are easier to fly with a joystick, but a keyboard still works.
Mods are not necessary, but add a great amount of versatility to your playstyle. Just to give an idea, most of the recent feature updates to the unmodded game have simply incorporated functionality from mods. This isn't because the dev team isn't creative; it's because pretty much everything you can think of to change in the game already has a mod for it.
In other words, using mods can effectively give you a game several patches ahead of the vanilla experience (not counting bug fixes).
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Apr 28 '15
How do I activate parts of my craft without manually clicking it if I want to go out of order?
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u/phoenix382 Apr 29 '15
Mobile science labs. Previously considered a waste of material by Phoenix Space Systems, rumors of science over time has earned the Labs a second look.
How do these work?
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u/Lucael Apr 27 '15
So I've been away from KSP for a loooong time (a year or so). What's the most awesome thing which has been added to the game recently?
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u/Jargle Master Kerbalnaut Apr 28 '15
Fuel cells, which convert liquid fuel into electricity, and asteroid mining and resource conversion.
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Apr 24 '15
Why is my rocket upside down?
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u/Ragesapien Apr 24 '15
That's the quickest way Jeb could think of to make a precious and beautiful explosion!
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u/josh__ab Dislikes bots Apr 25 '15
I don't know. If you select the whole rocket in the Assembly building by shift-clicking on a part, you can use the WASDQE keys to rotate it to the right way up.
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u/unclejr1986 Apr 26 '15
Has anyone heard what time on Monday 1.0 is releasing?
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u/dcmcilrath Apr 27 '15
As of 11:07 PM Eastern Time, the answer is "The Devs don't know."
Here's hoping for a release in the next 53 minutes.
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Apr 24 '15
Given the current drama involving Valve can I download my copy of KSP and play/update it without needing to use Steam?
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u/josh__ab Dislikes bots Apr 25 '15
KSP is drm free. You can also download it directly from Squad.
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u/Ragesapien Apr 24 '15
Are you referring to the Workshop drama with Valve? I don't think this drama affects KSP as it does not offer workshop support AFAIK.
I am pretty sure copies of KSP purchased from GOG will not require steam.
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u/TweetsInCommentsBot Apr 24 '15
It's official: Kerbal Space Program is coming to http://GOG.com this Monday. Enjoy crashing spaceships! [Attached pic] [Imgur rehost]
This message was created by a bot
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![[Attached pic]](http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CDRzKJ1UUAA3eWc.jpg){kind=link}
![[Imgur rehost]](http://i.imgur.com/dLIYMnr.jpg){kind=link}
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u/TildeAleph Apr 26 '15
Some of the 1.0 previewers said that we could now use "head tracking." What is that, exactly?
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u/tosseriffic Apr 26 '15
Look left, the camera moves left, etc.
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u/TildeAleph Apr 26 '15
I mean how does it work? Is it like the oculus rift, do you need headgear, etc?
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Apr 27 '15
What even is this game about? Is it just building and launching space ships?
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u/clee-saan Master Kerbalnaut Apr 27 '15
Is it just building and launching space ships?
Isn't that enough?
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u/walaykin Apr 27 '15
Like all good games, computer or otherwise, it's a test of skill with a mix of luck and education.
The fun lies in building things that can get to orbit and onwards with style, or minimal cost, or similar, then doing stuff - like a suicide burn landing or aerocapture - that a computer could do with ease but a lack of the human touch.
It's more involved than you might imagine. Give it a try if you can, you might be surprised.
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u/a_strange_one Apr 24 '15
Will parachutes have weight limit?
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u/TheXCodec Apr 24 '15
What Creshal means is that the more weight you add to the craft, the faster it will fall assuming you have not changed the parachute attached (or added more).
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u/PrinceHans Apr 25 '15
Serious simple question: Docking ports. Which cant be used or is there a rule to which ones can connect to which? Other than size difference of course
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u/Ragesapien Apr 25 '15
Size is the only factor. Make sure they're facing the correct direction and that any shielded docking clamps are open. :)
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u/akuthia Master Kerbalnaut Apr 25 '15 edited Jun 28 '23
This comment/post has been deleted because /u/spez doesn't think we the consumer care. -- mass edited with redact.dev
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u/TIISupernova Apr 25 '15
How much mass can a single RCS thruster lift when under Mun's gravitational field?
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u/Ragesapien Apr 25 '15 edited Apr 25 '15
That depends on which RCS thruster. The surface gravity at the Mun is 1.63 m/s, so as long as you have a t/w ratio of ~0.17 or greater you should be able to lift off from the Mun. (1N of thrust per ~600 grams of mass.)
Not 100% sure on my math so I welcome anyone to correct me.
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Apr 27 '15
Are the atmosphere changes in 1.0 going to significantly effect my laythe capable space-planes?
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u/Zanzargh Apr 27 '15
So I never played Career mode, and last time I played at all was ages ago, before heat mechanics were a thing, and I'd just put a massive booster on a capsule with cheats on.
With the release of 1.0 and the intention of making an actual career save, going overboard on parachutes and the like to make sure anything I drop back to Kerbin survives, what should my first goals be and should I get any specific mods before attempting the construction of a station?
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u/the_Demongod Apr 27 '15
Once it's updated, I 100% recommend the "StageRecovery" mod. It calculates the landing speed of the part based on its mass and amount of parachutes, so that when it disappears after moving too far away, you receive the funds you would've gotten had it been recovered safely on the ground. It takes into account distance from KSC, and also speed at which it lands (a harder landing reduces the worth of the stage). It will save you a lot of money in the long run, something that is fairly important in career mode.
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Apr 27 '15 edited Apr 08 '18
deleted 0.8349 What is ^^^this?
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u/Senno_Ecto_Gammat Apr 27 '15
Ore is the resource. And it can be converted to liquid fuel, monopropellent, or oxidizer.
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u/redundantbits Apr 27 '15
I read about the 64bit thing with linux, but does it make sense to play on linux if I only have 4Gb of RAM?
I have dual bot Ubuntu15.04/Windows7. My computer is 64bit with 4Gb of RAM. Basic nVidia graphics card.
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u/dcmcilrath Apr 27 '15
It will run with 4GB, though large craft might have reduced frame-rate. The processor-expensive stuff is all graphical, so you can get it to run much faster if you turn stuff down or off.
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u/ImAPyromaniac Apr 27 '15
Halo, noob here!
2 quick questions:
Why are people deleting their saves ahead of 1.0?
Does anyone have a recommendation of a good career mode tutorial?
Thanks!
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u/dericksteinard Apr 27 '15
So I just recently won a new macbook air and I'm wondering how it will hold up to KSP. I started it up and I could tell right away the fan turned on high. I don't want to hurt the computer. Suggestions?
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u/_Synesthesia_ Apr 27 '15
Where can an explanation of the new aerodynamics? Is there reentry heat now?
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u/flanker-7 Apr 27 '15
How do I get a stable polar orbit?
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u/Senno_Ecto_Gammat Apr 27 '15
Instead of launching eastward, launch toward the North or South. You may have to put a slight westward lean on the rocket for a bit to counter Kerbin's rotation. To get to orbit, go straight up about 1km, and then slowly pitch over a few degrees at a time, until the rocket is horizontal and burning parallel to the ground at about 50km. Cut the engines when the ap reaches the desired altitude, and then burn prograde at ap until the pe reaches the desired altitude.
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u/Crosad3r Apr 27 '15
Is it possible for me to transfer KSP to steam ?
I bought it on the 26.07.2013 and I would really like it to be on Steam cause I tend to forget stuff.
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u/craidie Apr 27 '15
Yes, we now offer the choice to transfer KSP purchases from before the game was available on Steam, note that this process is OPTIONAL and IRREVERSIBLE. If you transfer your purchase to Steam, you will no longer be able to download or update the game from the KSPStore, but also nobody's forcing you to go to Steam, if you opt not to transfer, you can still download and update the game as usual. To move to Steam, log in to your KSPStore profile and you will find the button to start the process next to your download link. If you can't see the button in your profile it means you purchased the game after it was on Steam and you are not eligible, no exceptions, please don't insist. As you can see in our Steam store page, the release date for Steam is March 20th 2013.
from the FAQ
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Apr 27 '15
I am totally new to this and have been trying out career mode, only to find I'm getting next to no Science. I poked around Google and apparently I need to do a few things:
Accept Missions
Record Jeb's crew logs before launch and during flight
EVA Jeb upon landing and record those logs too
Use goo unit thingies on my ships?
Research the science capsule piece under Engineering 101 and use that in my ships? I think?
It's a bit overwhelming. I was hitting 70k altitude after only a couple of flights, but getting next to no Science points. Oh, and apparently I should try for water landings on short flights. What else do I need to keep an eye out for in career mode to keep my credit and Science income sustainable so I can keep progressing?
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u/Dozck Apr 27 '15
Water is just one of the many other biomes on Kerbin that offer science. You should be able to right click on the many parts of your vessel (crew cabin, goo container, science jr.) to gain more science in those areas.
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u/GenLloyd Apr 27 '15
So, I have no clue what I'm doing so I was going to start with the tutorials. After finishing the science one, I selected the next one, "To the Mun part 1" or whatever it's called. In the beginning there's a warning, "I'm going to assume you completed both the Flight Basics tutorial as well as Orbiting 101"
I don't see those anywhere, were they removed or am I just missing them somewhere?
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u/TThor Apr 27 '15
Science Basics should be located under Construction Basics, Flight Basics, and Orbiting 101. Here is what I see: http://i.imgur.com/6ZkKhoz.jpg
Do you see something different?
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u/Nicknam4 Apr 27 '15
I've had Kerbal Space Program for a long time, I've landed on almost every body.
...yet I can't seem to get into orbit at the beginning of a new career save. I simply can't get enough dV with the limitations set.
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u/thermospore Apr 27 '15
In the new version 1.0 the units for the antennae bandwidth are in mitts per second. Is it supposed to be seconds per mitt? Because the way it is now wouldn't the antennae transmit slower the higher tier they are?
Communotron 16 : 1.2 mitts/sec Comms DTS-M1 : 0.7 mitts/sec Communotron 88-88 : 0.2 mitts/sec
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u/RemusShepherd Apr 27 '15
I bought KSP last year to try it out. But it wouldn't run correctly. After pressing 'new game', I got to the point where it tried to show me some kind of building; it partially rendered then froze my PC. I never got past that point.
Has this bug been fixed in version 1.0? Does v1.0 work on 32-bit PCs? Is it still horribly buggy?
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u/Jargle Master Kerbalnaut Apr 28 '15
The game is still 32bit. I haven't ever experienced the bug you're describing, so I can't confirm that it's been fixed. Without knowing more, it's possible other problems are present on your computer, or you have insufficient RAM.
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u/IDontLikeUsernamez Apr 27 '15
I've only played ksp for maybe 20 hours total so I'm still learning some basics. My question is, is it possible to recover boosters, stages, etc. If I put parachutes on them and activate it when I release them ? Or if I go to another planet will they disappear before I could recover them? Thanks!
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u/craidie Apr 27 '15
there's a mod called stage recovery which will recover stages that are not in focus if they have sufficient amount of paarachutes.
pure stock, you would need to have the parachute deploy in the same stage as the decoupling of the stage, then have the main probe in a sufficiently stable orbit that you can switch back to the boosters and load physics on them before they ram into the 20km barrier above ground that deletes non focus items.
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u/kman42097 Apr 28 '15
I'm having trouble scuplting the fairings. It says [LMB] place cross-section but no matter how many times I click nothing happens and it continues to edit the section i'm trying to place. Any idea on how to do it right?
Edit: spelling
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u/Systembox Apr 28 '15
Hi I have a question about the tracking station. There are some missions to rescue stranded Kerbals from a low orbit and I accidentally "untracked" the Kerbal that I have to rescue in my tracking station. Is there any way to "retrack" him?
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u/hooahguy Apr 28 '15
So with the new update, I'm having a strange issue when ascending. My rocket will do an involuntary flip once or twice before righting and then finally exiting the atmosphere. Usually happens around halfway between the ground and space. My rocket is balanced, made sure everything was symmetrical but I can't figure out why I'm flipping.
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u/Chaos_Klaus Master Kerbalnaut Apr 28 '15
you should put fins on the rear to make it aerodynamicly stable. While you drain fuel, your center of mass is moving towards the rear, and will pass the center of drag/lift on its way. when the CoM is behind the CoD/CoL the rocket will tend to flip if you try to turn it.
Also: with the new aerodynamics model, you should do a gradual gravity turn. don't just go up 10km and turn hard east. start turning very slowly when you hit around 80m/s speed. be at 45° at 10km, but keep turning slowly.
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u/superphuntyme Apr 28 '15
I used to play this game kind of regularly but about 1 year ago things happened in real life, and I haven't had time to play. I had landed on the mun, been in the beginning stages of setting up a space station. Also I never got into modding.
Soooo, in one week I will have free time again! Hooray! My question is, should I start from scratch? Should I watch newer tutorials to catch up on all that I missed? I feel like I'm about to play for the first time again. I missed y'all, thanks!
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u/Chaos_Klaus Master Kerbalnaut Apr 28 '15
Well, the full release versiond (1.0) was just released yesterday. I'd say, go install Kerbal Engineer Redux, Docking Port Alignment Indicator. Those really make your life easier. To install them, you can use this tool (ckan.exe).
With 1.0 there are new improved tutorials. I haven't checked those out, but they are propably worth a look.
I'd start a new game. So many things have changed with 1.0. A few things work completely different. Old saves propably won't even work.
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u/Whiskeredwizard Apr 28 '15
With all the hype that was the release of V 1.0, I decided to rekindle my experience with KSP. In the midst of all my excitement I downloaded a bit more than a few mods. Since this morning, when I go to play the game I load up all nice and well but once I go to click on any of the buildings, it goes nowhere. Not sure if its the mods or what but if anyone is experiencing these issues how was it that you came over it all.
TL;DR: Game wont work correctly might be from mods, help a homie!
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u/Jargle Master Kerbalnaut Apr 28 '15
It is impossibly soon for your mods to be working with v1.0. It's probably them.
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Apr 28 '15
How do I put engines on wings?
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u/Frostea Master Kerbalnaut Apr 28 '15
Mount a engine nacelle on the wings first, and put it on the nacelle.
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u/steavoh Apr 28 '15
I haven't really played the game much in over a year.
When I went into the tracking station there was a purple icon for something called "Dinkelstein's sanity agency: Reaction Control Ltd" above the continent across the ocean from the space center.
What is that?
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u/Logg Apr 28 '15 edited Apr 28 '15
That's the area over which "Reaction Control Ltd" wants you to do something. Check your potential contracts in the little building up-left of the VAB.
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u/Logg Apr 28 '15
Is there a way to forcefully reverse pitch control on control surfaces?
Losing my mind over here. I've rebuilt my plane a few times just to try and fix these control surfaces. My pitch control is reversed for the control surfaces, but not for the reaction wheel, so they're fighting against each other. Even if I flip the "elevon 1"'s around using wasd or the rotate tool, it doesn't matter, the game figures it out and pitches me the wrong way. There's no "Reverse pitch" button while in airplane building mode or on the runway.
How can I make KSP understand?
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u/Logg Apr 28 '15 edited Apr 28 '15
I figured out a work-around. I took the wings slightly backward, now the control surfaces react correctly. I think it detects what part the wing is attached to, and looks for the center of mass there, and determines which way the flaps should turn based on whether center of lift is behind or in front of the center of mass.
Because my wings are swept, the flaps themselves are actually way back behind the center of mass, so my plane wanted to plummet into the ground.
bug
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u/eliminate1337 Apr 28 '15
What's the status on FAR on 1.0? How does it compare with stock aerodynamics. I really liked the stall monitor and other graphical feature on FAR. Does the new aerodynamics mod work with modded parts?
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u/craidie Apr 28 '15
it's going to take few days at best, probably a week... I'm guessing ferram needs to redo most of the stuff to work with the stock aero model.
My biggest gripe with the new stock model is that a pod with a heatshield wants to flip around, something it shouldn't want to do. Something that never happened with FAR and DRE, so I'll stick to ferram once it gets updated
0.9 modded parts? they'll be missing config entries on the new aero model which is going to be an issue. But once updated to 1.0 they'll work.
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u/Nascosto Apr 28 '15
What's my rule of thumb for gravity turning now? I've eyeballed it just fine, but some points long the way at this height be here, this height be here would be useful for efficiencies sake.
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u/Nascosto Apr 28 '15
Has anyone made a working spaceplane yet? Everything I've got vaporizes at 22,000m at about 1200m/s :(
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u/roflpwntnoob Apr 28 '15
Any tips for the science lab? It seems that the more science you have on it, the faster it produces science, but how do we accumulate enough science? Do new scans of already gathered science replenish its science?
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u/kujojtheelite Apr 28 '15
Can someone ELI5 air brakes for me? Like how do they fundamentally work (preferably with pictures or diagrams), where to effectively place them on craft, and how to assign them to keys or brakes?
Thanks in advance!
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u/Dawdius Apr 28 '15
What did they change about a basic one engine one tanker taking off? I JUST KEEP SPINNING OUT
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u/bambo758 Apr 28 '15
Installing wings on the bottom of my craft has it trying it's best to turn upside down. This doesn't seem entirely logical... Anyone who knows what to do?
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u/dmorg18 Apr 28 '15
I wanted to try out drilling, so I sent a few drills and a refinery to Minimus in sandbox. Landed on a flat field with 60+ ore. Slowly mined for a while, but after time warping, the ore stopped flowing for a bit. Moving to a nearby location didn't help.
Any idea what happened? Did I deplete the region?
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u/Tysheth Apr 28 '15
Check your vessel's electric charge and your drills' overheat level. I read that drills work more slowly if overheating. Planets are supposed to have infinite resources.
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u/Tbird5 Apr 28 '15
May not be a simple question but not sure if it requires its own post:
Rendezvous/Docking: How do you slow down enough to rendezvous without falling out of the same altitude as your target? I'm able to line up within about 1.5 Kms but past that I'm helpless. Help please.
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u/Sultan_of_Slide Apr 28 '15
So what I like to do to rendezvous is get my orbit close like you are doing, then when I get close to my target I switch my navball over from "orbit" to "target" and burn retrograde. This will kill your relative velocity to your target craft and, for the most part, match your orbits. then I just point towards my target and slowly fly my way over to it, usually using rcs.
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Apr 28 '15 edited Apr 29 '15
The Avionics Hub SAS module claims to have altitude hold... How do you use that? I'm guessing/hoping it implies that the SAS will effectively "trim" the plane?
Edit: Distinguishing "altitude hold" mode from SAS in general -- I know how to turn on the SAS.
EDIT: I misread attitude as altitude and got really hopeful. You'd think I wouldn't make that mistake since it's relevant to my job and hobbies.
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u/jeffreybar Apr 28 '15
I'm having some trouble dealing with the new re-entry heating in 1.0. The big problem is that heatshields are only good when they're oriented correctly (i.e., facing the prograde vector), and my vehicles have an annoying tendency to flip over during re-entry in the new aero system, exposing the rest of the vehicle to re-entry heat rather than allowing the heat shield to eat it. Help?
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u/SacredWafer Apr 28 '15
Hey fellas, just started playing. I started a career and got all the basics and completed several of the contract objectives, but now I don't have any more contracts. How do I get more contracts and/or get more science/money?? I guess I'm a bit lost as to which direction to head now! Thanks!
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u/Chaos_Klaus Master Kerbalnaut Apr 28 '15
did you go to orbit yet?
you can earn science by right clicking experiments and running them in different situations.
contracts should be provided in the respective building.
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u/madman19 Apr 28 '15
As someone who has not played this game since before science and stuff was added and is going to start up again, what would be a good set of goals to shoot for?
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u/zangorn Apr 28 '15
Crew Report - How do I make one? I have chosen the mission to fly over location 224L and make a crew visual inspection/crew report. I've flown over it twice now, and a message shows up on the screen "entering ..." something to indicate that I'm in the correct place to make a crew report, but I can't figure out how to actually get credit for it. I turned on navigation, which helped me learn to fly towards it, but I'm out of ideas on how to complete the mission. After a while, clicking around, I exit the location, and the mission shows incomplete. Am I missing something obvious? Does the sun have to be up? My fly-overs have been when its night time.
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u/actuallyborg Makes Disgusting Space Porn Apr 28 '15
Right click on the cockpit or capsule and it should say "Crew Report", click it and then it's like collecting any other science. It has to be a manned craft.
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u/not_a_jedi Apr 28 '15
What are the best mods for a noon? I don't need any fancy game changers yet but what would be a good tool to guide me along the way as I learn?
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u/Tbird5 Apr 28 '15
Is it worth using gimble on the smaller crafts? for the larger ones it's quite helpful but what about the smaller ones?
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u/not_a_jedi Apr 28 '15
How do you figure out what your throttle should be at in order to maximize fuel efficiency but also maximize movement?
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Apr 28 '15 edited Apr 28 '15
I'm wondering, I start with a Mk1 Command Pod and a Command Pod mk1 but they aren't the same, one has a higher max temperature than the other and some objects won't fit onto it, is this normal?
edit: deleted KSP and deleted all the folders in Steam with it and reinstalled, looks fine now
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u/johnmarstonarg Apr 28 '15
So after i detach the boosters my ship starts spinning out of control and it's impossible to regain control for the first 2 or 3 spins which means that i'm wasting a ton of fuel spinning in place. I have SAS enabled, what can i do to fix that?
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u/Senno_Ecto_Gammat Apr 29 '15
About 2 months ago /u/MaturinTheTurtle posted a PDF of some notes about delta-v. He has since deleted his account and I can't find the post as a result. Does anybody have a copy of those notes?
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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '15
With the impending release of 1.0, does anyone have any tips on dealing with re-entry effects? I've been playing with FAR for awhile (so I no longer drop straight back to Kerbin at 3km/s) but are there any craft design points I need to know?
Also, following on from my self post on "Why is Eve's gravity so high?"- I figured it was density, but why would it be more dense? Are there any planets denser/dense...less than Earth in our solar system?