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Thwomp
Apr 10, 2003

BA-DUHHH

Grimey Drawer
:siren:Releases:siren:
  • As of 4/27, v1.0(!) is the most recent release and requires a purchase. You can grab it from the KSP Store or Steam.
  • The Demo is v.18.3 (as of 2/12) and can be found on the download link on the KSP main page (Steam too). It has the same basic game-play but is missing a load of content added since as well as being limited only to rocket parts, you can only have three concurrently running missions, you can't load any mods, and only the Sun, Kerbin, and Mun are available to visit.
:siren:Click here to skip right down to the Mod section:siren:
:siren:Click here to skip right down to Kerbal 101:siren:



In Kerbal Space Program, you get to start and manage your own rocket agency from the ground up. You'll begin Career mode with the very basics in rocketry and accept contracts to earn cash and build your reputation. You can then expand your space center, perform science experiments to research new parts, and recruit and train daring pilots who improve with each successful mission. The more successes you have, the bigger your program (and space center) will grow! Be careful though, failures will cause your reputation to crash and limit available contracts.

However, if you want to just chill out with all the parts and see what kind of monster rocket you can build, there's a Sandbox mode. Also included is a Science mode which is Career without the cash/contract/reputation systems. Boldly go with basic parts and return science to research better parts.


KSP is still under active development by Squad. However, v.90 represents a major milestone in the game. Major pieces of the Career mode are nearing a final state and the game is officially in "Beta". Purchasing will still get you future updates for free along with the ability to enhance the game with mods, of which there are many and you can find some of the most popular below.

Let's do this already!


Previous thead here


:siren:NEW STUFF IN V 1.0:siren:
  • Female Kerbals - Welcome Valentina and the rest of the female recruits.
  • New Aerodynamics - Flying through the atmosphere is actually realistic now. Planes make sense! Rockets go faster!
  • Stock Fairings - Since your rockets go faster now, they'll blow themselves to bits if they aren't all phallic shaped.
  • Re-Entry - Atmospheric heating is a thing now so bring a heat shield and stop cheating in Jool's atmosphere.
  • New Interiors - Every crewable part now has fully modeled IVA interiors. No more staring at walls!
  • Resources - New planetary scanning, drilling, and refining. Make your own fuel.
  • New Parts - A ton of new spaceplane parts and cockpits
  • More balanced Career Mode - The whole career mode has been given a once over to make it more balanced and logical. You shouldn't be able to skip over a bunch of contracts right out of the gate.
  • And much, much more. Full changelog is here

Thwomp fucked around with this message at 19:12 on Apr 27, 2015

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Thwomp
Apr 10, 2003

BA-DUHHH

Grimey Drawer
Mods

:siren:Especially after new KSP updates, it may take some time for all of these to be updated.:siren:

KSP features a vibrant modding community. Here are just a sample of some of the most popular mods out there.

MechJeb 2.0 - An autopilot plugin pack. Offers a ridiculous amount of automated functions. I would, personally, advise you hold off on this one until you've made it to Mun and back on your own but some people have a hard time with orbital mechanics so it can be useful to show how things work. MechJeb assumes you at least have competent rocket designs. Dev/Beta builds can be found here
Protractor - Our own Enigma has put together a planetary rendezvous calculator to help get you to the other bodies in the solar system. Strap a TI-83 to your rocket and click the '?' button on the Protractor screen for a guide on how to successfully use it. Note: It only gets you most of the way there. Once you're in the general area of an encounter, use a maneuver node to plan your final intercept burn.
Kerbal Alarm Clock - Allows you to set an alarm for a certain event on a current mission (next maneuver node, next apopsis, etc). KAC will then stop any time warping on whatever other mission you are currently working on to remind you that it's time to go back and check on the original mission. Really handy for running simultaneous missions (average time from Kerbin to Jool is 1 year, same for waiting on the window to return to Kerbin from Duna).
Karbonite - Adds a resource (Karbonite) to the game that can be refined into fuel (among other things). The mod adds ton of specific parts to build satellites to locate, drills to harvest, and refineries to refine Karbonite. Gives you something to actually do in space (outside of crash and burn) with the possibility of self-sustaining outposts.
Kerbal Attachment System - Adds mechanized parts like robotic arms and winches to help attach stuff. Helpful for bases and large stations.
Ferram Aerospace Research Pack - Fixes a lot of what's wrong with KSP's default aerodynamic physics. If you want planes that don't suck, this'll help. Warning: you will need to re-learn how to launch and build rockets and the below Procedural Fairings mod is recommended. If you want a better aerodynamic model that isn't quite so punishing, try NEAR (get it?).
Procedural Fairings - Generates fairings to fit whatever payload you put on top of a fairing base. Will re-generate the fairing to fit your payload after you change it too (seriously, that's amazing). No need to futz with static fairing parts. Here's a tutorial on how it works. Bonus that it works with the above FAR mod for super-usability.
Kerbal Engineer - Provides good figures for the delta-v your rocket will produce while you build it. Also can tell you the delta-v on other planets/moons. Helpful for maximizing your efficiency.
Quantum Struts - Lets your Kerbals strut up your orbitally constructed rockets so that they don't shake or wobble to pieces while enroute to the far solar system.
RemoteTech - Want to really sperg out and get realistic? RemoteTech adds realtime communication as a requirement for unmanned probes/rovers. You'll need a relay network of satellites around Kerbin and around your destinations before your Kuriosity rover can take its first step or if you plan to transmit any of the sweet science home.
PartCatalog 2.0 - Organizes all your mod parts. Really helpful when you've got more and more mod parts installed and you can't tell stock engines from special station parts. Note: Ctrl+Click the icon in the VAB to switch between horizontal and vertical setups.
CKAN - A mod manager that keeps your installed mods updated. The user guide is here which will help you get it up and running. It's still being developed and works better when mods support it but more and more mods are incorporating it. Just grab the latest release of CKAN.exe and follow the user guide.

Flags
Save-As into GameData/[Your Game Save]/Flags



Thwomp fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Apr 27, 2015

Thwomp
Apr 10, 2003

BA-DUHHH

Grimey Drawer
Kerbal 101

Welcome to the SA KSP Learning Station. Below you'll find some instructions on the basics of KSP. While some of these are a bit dated, the basic information is still relevant.

Tutorial - Basic Construction, Flying & Orbiting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puC-YV_h9Us

Tutorial - Getting to Orbit in v1.0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q_8TO4Ag0E

Tutorial - Moon Landings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOMS8Y3ULdY

Tutorial - Flying Spaceplanes Into Orbit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUQXqG_edKQ

Tutorial - Orbital Rendezvous
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St515zjUZHY

Tutorial - Docking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srsiLZLPiv0

Tutorial - Advanced Rocket Design
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yky0UN8h0YE

General overview videos:

v.90 "Beta Than Ever" Preview/Showcase
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUOlH2qK4oE

IVA only Mun mission
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0c-gx03DpM

Flypast of Every Planet & Moon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxsVGrbNTmU

Doing Science!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIjqvLcsz8g

These are all courtesy of illectro, an honest-to-god rocket scientist and he's has many, many other KSP-related videos on his YouTube channel. Check it out if you want more Scot-narrated goodness.

Thwomp fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Apr 28, 2015

JB50
Feb 13, 2008

Just started playing again Sunday and downloaded a bunch of mods.

*sigh* time to delete gamedata and start over.

Cat Wings
Oct 12, 2012

JB50 posted:

Just started playing again Sunday and downloaded a bunch of mods.

*sigh* time to delete gamedata and start over.

Get CKAN. It makes mod managing a lot easier. Haven't tried it with mods not in its index, but apparently there's a way to get those working as well.

2Jets
Apr 25, 2010

You're gonna get no tip

sckye posted:


Doesn't really sound too hard. Wasn't RCS crazy powerful before they nerfed it?

Yes, but it wasn't as powerful as the Tony probe videos craft if you didn't know how to exploit it.

This update is hard though. Maybe too hard.

Do the return science from the Mun missions still come up a lot? Because if they do someone's getting a one way ride, I'm sick of grinding for parts.

HonorableTB
Dec 22, 2006
Yesss, looks like it's time to reinstall Kerbals!

Gaj
Apr 30, 2006
I just start up .90 and gah the hardness! When we do we get manuever nodes back?

Tippis
Mar 21, 2008

It's yet another day in the wasteland.

Jewcoon posted:

Get CKAN. It makes mod managing a lot easier. Haven't tried it with mods not in its index, but apparently there's a way to get those working as well.

This. I'm honestly a bit surprised that CKAN isn't in the mods list given how insanely indispensable it becomes once you start exploring the other mods to any extent.

eth0.n
Jun 1, 2012

Gaj posted:

I just start up .90 and gah the hardness! When we do we get manuever nodes back?

Second tier of Tracking Station, plus second tier of Mission Control.

Queen_Combat
Jan 15, 2011
CKAN is love, CKAN is life.

Chamale
Jul 11, 2010

I'm helping!



What's new in .90? I stopped playing a couple months ago when I got frustrated by a mission-killing glitch, but now might be a good time to start it back up.

Great Enoch
Mar 23, 2011
Edit: Didn't read the thread, nvm.

Great Enoch fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Dec 16, 2014

Thwomp
Apr 10, 2003

BA-DUHHH

Grimey Drawer

Tippis posted:

This. I'm honestly a bit surprised that CKAN isn't in the mods list given how insanely indispensable it becomes once you start exploring the other mods to any extent.

Geirskogul posted:

CKAN is love, CKAN is life.

An oversight I've now fixed.

Nth Doctor
Sep 7, 2010

Darkrai used Dream Eater!
It's super effective!


Is CKAN only showing mods that have updated for .90? The list seems somewhat paltry.

My kid needs to go to sleep pronto tonight, I've been waiting for .90 to drop to get back into slinging green mans at celestial bodies. :getin:

Ciaphas
Nov 20, 2005

> BEWARE, COWARD :ovr:


eth0.n posted:

Second tier of Tracking Station, plus second tier of Mission Control.

I'm beelining for those personally, because oh my god I'm going nowhere without maneuver nodes and patched conics. :gonk:

Rockets are gonna be a mite lightweight for a while as a result, though.

Tenebrais
Sep 2, 2011

Chamale posted:

What's new in .90? I stopped playing a couple months ago when I got frustrated by a mission-killing glitch, but now might be a good time to start it back up.

Most notably, buildings now upgrade to unlock features that we previously took for granted (like going EVA or using maneuver nodes) so the start of the game is much more challenging to work within the limits. Also astronauts have specific skills and gain experience. The VAB has been overhauled.

Did you quit after .25? If not the buildings are also destructible and there's now a selection of viable spaceplane parts.

Tenebrais fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Dec 16, 2014

Chamale
Jul 11, 2010

I'm helping!



Tenebrais posted:

Most notably, buildings now upgrade to unlock features that we previously took for granted (like going EVA or using maneuver nodes) so the start of the game is much more challenging to work within the limits. Also astronauts have specific skills and gain experience.

Did you quit after .25? If not the buildings are also destructible and there's now a selection of viable spaceplane parts.

I remember buildings being destructible, I stopped playing two months ago. It just felt like longer because I played so much. Sounds like now is a good time to pick up the game again with a new career.

Thwomp
Apr 10, 2003

BA-DUHHH

Grimey Drawer

Chamale posted:

What's new in .90? I stopped playing a couple months ago when I got frustrated by a mission-killing glitch, but now might be a good time to start it back up.

The new version is a big leap, even the last version. Mainly the updates center on Career Mode which now has all sorts of progression.
  • Build Up Your Space Center - You now start with a literal barn and the very basics. Even tools like maneuver nodes and the orbital map have to be unlocked by upgrading your Space Center.
  • Train and Upgrade Crews - The Kerbal pilots can be improved upon to unlock new skills and bonuses.
  • A new craft editor - Better sorting, placement, and construction.
  • New Biomes - Every planet now has biomes to explore for Science (including possibly new areas of Kerbin, Mun, and Minmus.
  • More new spaceplane parts
  • New Contracts

Kilonum
Sep 30, 2002

You know where you are? You're in the suburbs, baby. You're gonna drive.

Jewcoon posted:

Get CKAN. It makes mod managing a lot easier. Haven't tried it with mods not in its index, but apparently there's a way to get those working as well.

Last time I tried CKAN (an hour ago) it crashed any time I tried to use it to update mods

Count Roland
Oct 6, 2013

Does anyone have a link to the Quantum Struts mod, that explains what it does in detail? It lets you put struts while in orbit... ok, Kerbal Attachment System lets you do the same. How does it work, and why is it so good?

e: the existing forum thread for it is rather sparse in details
http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/93818-0-90-QuantumStrutsContinued-1-2-Magical-Struts-for-Rigidifying-Outside-the-VAB!

Count Roland fucked around with this message at 20:09 on Dec 16, 2014

Queen_Combat
Jan 15, 2011
Quantum struts attach to anything in front of them, so you can put them around a docking adapter and they'll attach to a docked ship.

Also, put dV and TWR in the game, squad.

sckye
Apr 6, 2012
Radial decouplers are still bugged to poo poo for some reason, so once again this mod is pretty much essential - http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/97285-0-25-Stock-Bug-Fix-Modules-%28Release-v0-1-5c-10-Dec-14%29

Collateral Damage
Jun 13, 2009

Is there any mod that gives invisible struts? I want my planes to be sleek and sexy but they won't hold together without struts all over the place. :(

Queen_Combat
Jan 15, 2011
I think B9, or maybe RLA stockalike.

ZekeNY
Jun 13, 2013

Probably AFK

Kilonum posted:

Last time I tried CKAN (an hour ago) it crashed any time I tried to use it to update mods

Did you get the latest development version? It's been working pretty well for me.

Count Roland
Oct 6, 2013

Collateral Damage posted:

Is there any mod that gives invisible struts? I want my planes to be sleek and sexy but they won't hold together without struts all over the place. :(

Maybe you could offset them to the inside of the craft?

And how are the radial decouplers bugged? I've never had an issue with them. Except for explosions and the like, but that is what seperatons are for.

Legendary Ptarmigan
Sep 21, 2007

Need a light?
I think to head off a bunch of questions, we should put what each tech tier of building unlocks in the op.

Toast Museum
Dec 3, 2005

30% Iron Chef
Does part placement have vertical snapping yet?

Okan170
Nov 14, 2007

Torpedoes away!

Toast Museum posted:

Does part placement have vertical snapping yet?

You can turn on angle-snapping and offset in increments which kind of works like it. However it also seems to shift the object you're moving sometimes. Still, I'm missing some of EditorExtensions' functionality, I think they need a rewrite though.

Tenebrais
Sep 2, 2011

Toast Museum posted:

Does part placement have vertical snapping yet?

Yes, with the new offset tools.

Zurui
Apr 20, 2005
Even now...



I was in the VAB and somehow got stuck with SPH symmetry. Is there a hotkey I accidentally hit? How do I switch back?

nimper
Jun 19, 2003

livin' in a hopium den

Zurui posted:

I was in the VAB and somehow got stuck with SPH symmetry. Is there a hotkey I accidentally hit? How do I switch back?

R key toggles symmetry modes i believe

Alaan
May 24, 2005



Pff maneuver nodes, patched conics, who needs 'em. This was basically just my incredibly half-assed attempt to see if I could still do a blind Mun run. I got into my first orbit, noticed I had way too much gas left. So I did the good ol' wait for moonrise over Kerbin and hit the gas til you get an orbit intersect. I swear it's easier if less precise than planning out a burn beforehand.

Jeb did have to wait around in space for about 3 days to get back to Apoapsis to have enough fuel to actually get back to the Mun though cause it was an ugly exit orbit.

Alaan fucked around with this message at 21:38 on Dec 16, 2014

sckye
Apr 6, 2012

Count Roland posted:

And how are the radial decouplers bugged? I've never had an issue with them. Except for explosions and the like, but that is what seperatons are for.
They have torque that forces them to spin inward and collide with your rocket. Yes, you can use sepratrons, but that doesn't mean it's not a bug that needs fixing.

Here's a demonstration of how they should work and how the linked mod makes them work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Edepn-1zw

And here's a demonstration of how they actually work right now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuK_hB67W-s

Not ideal. :v:
I know - whoo, explosions, fun, carnage. As nice as that is, I'm kind of on a budget on hard mode.

The EVA bug is also annoying, but thankfully both are fixed by that mod.

Danith
May 20, 2006
I've lurked here for years
Is the new version supposed to look like this, or is this the result of a mod or a settings file being messed up? Textures are horrible even on the max graphic setting -

Bhodi
Dec 9, 2007

Oh, it's just a cat.
Pillbug
I put a few hours into Hard last night. Hard is hard. This isn't my first space rodeo and I'm barely able to make ends meet. It doesn't seem like you can even make some of the part tests cost-effective without chaining multiple contracts together and even then it's mostly a wash. Even turning on quicksave and revert, it's just too grindy for me. I'll probably reset it to medium.


The fact you need to / can upgrade is super non-obvious. I finally figured out you had to right-click on the buildings, but I feel like the game really needs to focus some overlay UI for places like the space center overview. Even just a side window that lists all the buildings and an upgrade button beside it would make it obvious you need to / can click on that tiny building to open a window, and the tiny building next to it is another piece of the center. I feel like I'm back in King's quest trying to pixel hunt a key.

Obviously, I'm also of the "show DV" opinion, even if it's just during construction. With the tonnage limit of the initial launchpad, I really need to know what the minimum amount of gear is I need to make it into orbit and back.

The final thing I noticed in my few hours is how difficult it is to right click on the command pod to take a crew report while trying to keep the rocket from spinning out of control because you took along Jeb (no SAS). This is pretty silly, there really should be a button with a dropdown of available commands on the various pieces of the rocket in the corner where the contracts and other info is.

Bhodi fucked around with this message at 21:42 on Dec 16, 2014

Arsonide
Oct 18, 2007

You're breaking my balls here

Bhodi posted:

I put a few hours into Hard last night. Hard is hard. This isn't my first space rodeo and I'm barely able to make ends meet. It doesn't seem like you can even make some of the part tests cost-effective without chaining multiple contracts together and even then it's mostly a wash. Even turning on quicksave and revert, it's just too grindy for me. I'll probably reset it to medium.


The fact you need to / can upgrade is super non-obvious. I finally figured out you had to right-click on the buildings, but I feel like the game really needs to focus some overlay UI for places like the space center overview. Even just a side window that lists all the buildings and an upgrade button beside it would make it obvious you need to / can click on that tiny building to open a window, and the tiny building next to it is another piece of the center. I feel like I'm back in King's quest trying to pixel hunt a key.

Obviously, I'm also of the "show DV" opinion, even if it's just during construction. With the tonnage limit of the initial launchpad, I really need to know what the minimum amount of gear is I need to make it into orbit and back.

The final thing I noticed in my few hours is how difficult it is to right click on the command pod to take a crew report while trying to keep the rocket from spinning out of control because you took along Jeb (no SAS). This is pretty silly, there really should be a button with a dropdown of available commands on the various pieces of the rocket in the corner where the contracts and other info is.

You can do science using an action group bind, makes it a bit easier. Access to action groups are available via facility upgrade though.

Count Roland
Oct 6, 2013

Arsonide posted:

You can do science using an action group bind, makes it a bit easier. Access to action groups are available via facility upgrade though.

Gah.

Speaking of action groups, I've been wondering for a while: is it possible to create/alter action groups while in flight? Is there a mod that does this maybe?

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Icon Of Sin
Dec 26, 2008



I thought Werner von Kerman mentioned something about right-clicking buildings to upgrade them in an info box that came up as soon as you started career mode?

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