Kerbal Space Program
- Thread starter Leonel
- Start date
SuperBeaverInc.
Groucho
So I've been doing some practicing on my landings, which before ranked anywhere from catastrophic to disastrous.
First was Muncury 2. On descent I noticed a problem: my engine was bigger than my landing gear. But no worry, I still nailed it.
And then even though the new update didn't break saves, I still started a new one to put all the skills I've learned the past few days to good use on.
Kerpollo 1 was a huge success, especially once I realized there was more than one set of landing gear available.
In other news, while putting my first space station, Skykerb, up right before the Kerpollo 1 mission to the Mun, Bob Kerman was sent on a space walk, and subsequently drifted off. He is currently stuck in orbit around Kerbin.
First was Muncury 2. On descent I noticed a problem: my engine was bigger than my landing gear. But no worry, I still nailed it.
Spoiler :
And then even though the new update didn't break saves, I still started a new one to put all the skills I've learned the past few days to good use on.
Kerpollo 1 was a huge success, especially once I realized there was more than one set of landing gear available.
Spoiler :
In other news, while putting my first space station, Skykerb, up right before the Kerpollo 1 mission to the Mun, Bob Kerman was sent on a space walk, and subsequently drifted off. He is currently stuck in orbit around Kerbin.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
The new crew mechanics have made me much more serious about mission success.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
Has anybody transferred their KSP over to steam?
hobbsyoyo
Deity
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2012
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- 26,575
It doesn't break saves? Awesome, though all my good saves were broken several updates back. How does the new crew system work? Did they add any more elements from campaign mode?
I have. It's straightforward and updating with Steam is soooo much better. However, when you transfer over you lose your old saves (at least I think) and you are locked into Steam-only from then on (can't get updates the old way). I don't see a reason not to transfer over, especially if you have to update anyways and eventually I think they are also going to migrate everyone over to Steam.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
What happens to your mods when a new version comes out and steam updates your ksp? I need to redownload them? Does it create a new KSP folder?
hobbsyoyo
Deity
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I have no idea really. I tried googling about it to find out myself but didn't turn up any useful information. I didn't reinstall my mods after the last time I had to update pre-Steam so none carried over to Steam. Also, AFAIK the mods aren't in the Steam store for easy downloading and installation so that's a bit of a pain.
I did a single mission with my Muntasm II delivery system to the Mün and back, didn't take too many pictures though. Fairly routine banging mission on a more cratered Mün. Here's what I observed:
You can no longer end a flight directly from an escape menu, unless they hid it somewhere non-obvious. There is a rewind button during the launch sequence that lets you revert to an earlier time period (i.e. before you hit the button, or go back to the VAB).
Instead, when you want to end a flight, you have to go to the Space Center. Then, if the flight has landed safely on Kerbin, you have an additional button that recovers the craft and crew, then you can reassign them to new missions. There is still a terminate button, don't know if that has changed function or what that does to the crew.
The astronaut complex is always full of recruits of varying intelligence. You can recruit as many as you like, and then it fills up again. Pretty sure there is no effective limit, but I didn't read the documentation so what do I know? It also keeps track of everyone who has died...I don't have any on this save yet, but we will find out.
I figure that will be more important as campaign mode is built, but right now it just tracks your progress.
You can assign any kerbonauts from your astronaut complex to a flight on the launchpad or in the VAB. Also, you can place kerbonauts in any crew-carrying rocket part, so you can fill up your habitation module easily, for example, or you can pick which command pod is piloted before you get to the pad.
A KSP save is just a folder with two text documents describing your current missions: one "persistent" that has everything that has been autosaved, and another "quick" file that has your last quicksave, and then a folder with all your designs. I'm pretty sure if you copied your file from your old KSP folder into the KSP/Saves folder (or whatever it's called), you could continue your game on the Steam version.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
Zeus 1: The Long Term Minmus Manned Orbiter and Deep Space Exploration Vehicle
Here it is ditching the final heavy lift stage. I ran out of fuel when making my desired orbit of Minmus, which was a pleasant surprise.
Here is a view of the ship, which has four ion engines and a single liquid fuel engine that is a back up plan should Erdorf need to bug out for medical emergencies. Otherwise, he's expected to stay there for a while and then possibly go to Eve or Duna when his primary objective is completed.
His view:
I have something like 14,500 Xenon and more than enough power to run full blast on the ion engines indefinitely.
Here it is ditching the final heavy lift stage. I ran out of fuel when making my desired orbit of Minmus, which was a pleasant surprise.
Spoiler :
Here is a view of the ship, which has four ion engines and a single liquid fuel engine that is a back up plan should Erdorf need to bug out for medical emergencies. Otherwise, he's expected to stay there for a while and then possibly go to Eve or Duna when his primary objective is completed.
Spoiler :
His view:
Spoiler :
I have something like 14,500 Xenon and more than enough power to run full blast on the ion engines indefinitely.
SuperBeaverInc.
Groucho
I undertook a mission to rescue Bob Kerman, who was lost on a spacewalk from his station on Skykerb.
Kerblantis is the designation I have given to my rescue missions, and Kerblantis 1 successfully makes it into orbit.
Nedbert and Kelrey begin the process of closing the distance on Bob, and eventually they are able to get him within just a few kilometres.
With plenty of fuel on board, they begin thrusting the engines to slow themselves down to match Bob's velocity. It doesn't take long for them to close the gap.
As Bob sees his rescue approach, he activates his jetpack and begins to close in on his target.
With some careful maneuvers, certainly a lot more careful than the ones that got him lost in the first place, he is able to grab onto one of the railings covering the side of the ship. With a firm grip, he makes his way towards the door, and enters the pod.
With their objective completed, Kerblantis 1 heads back to Kerbin and splashes down in the ocean, bringing Bob's long ordeal to an end.
My first space rescue complete. I will eventually have to launch a second one to get the lander I have orbiting the mun without enough fuel to make it back to Kerbin, but I'll probably wait a little while before taking on that one.
Kerblantis is the designation I have given to my rescue missions, and Kerblantis 1 successfully makes it into orbit.
Spoiler :
Nedbert and Kelrey begin the process of closing the distance on Bob, and eventually they are able to get him within just a few kilometres.
Spoiler :
With plenty of fuel on board, they begin thrusting the engines to slow themselves down to match Bob's velocity. It doesn't take long for them to close the gap.
Spoiler :
As Bob sees his rescue approach, he activates his jetpack and begins to close in on his target.
Spoiler :
With some careful maneuvers, certainly a lot more careful than the ones that got him lost in the first place, he is able to grab onto one of the railings covering the side of the ship. With a firm grip, he makes his way towards the door, and enters the pod.
Spoiler :
With their objective completed, Kerblantis 1 heads back to Kerbin and splashes down in the ocean, bringing Bob's long ordeal to an end.
Spoiler :
My first space rescue complete. I will eventually have to launch a second one to get the lander I have orbiting the mun without enough fuel to make it back to Kerbin, but I'll probably wait a little while before taking on that one.
Luckymoose
The World is Mine
Why did you need all that stuff on a Kerbin orbit rescue? The extra weight really made it harder on you.
SuperBeaverInc.
Groucho
I've had the game less for a week, so I'm still working on the whole efficient rocket design thing. 
Zeus 1: The Long Term Minmus Manned Orbiter and Deep Space Exploration Vehicle
Here it is ditching the final heavy lift stage. I ran out of fuel when making my desired orbit of Minmus, which was a pleasant surprise.
Spoiler :
Here is a view of the ship, which has four ion engines and a single liquid fuel engine that is a back up plan should Erdorf need to bug out for medical emergencies. Otherwise, he's expected to stay there for a while and then possibly go to Eve or Duna when his primary objective is completed.
Spoiler :
His view:
Spoiler :
I have something like 14,500 Xenon and more than enough power to run full blast on the ion engines indefinitely.
I'm digging the cockpit view more and more. I'm going to try my next mission, including the landing on the Mün, completely from the cockpit view. Hopefully, not too many kerbonauts will die.
The problem I have with ion engines is how weak the thrust is--even my minimalist ion probe with a single xenon tank, a single ion engine, a small probe core with instruments, and a couple big solar panels, it barely responds. Although you have four engines, I can't imagine the thing responds quickly with a command pod, a liquid tank, and a conventional engine.
You have a naming convention too? I've been using a X-# system, where X is a letter designating the type of mission (Ship and single-use lander, sTation, Probe, Lander if it is a reusable system, and so on) and the # is a three-digit assigned mission number (increments up from 1). I put the design in parenthesis and add a letter to distinguish repeats. So the Strangelove rocket I posted above was S-002 (Strangelove), and my most recent Mün mission was S-005 (Muntasm II-B). I have a station in 12k orbit above the Mün called T-002 (Münar Orbital Base) and a small lander with just enough fuel to drop to the Mün and get back into orbit so it can redock with the station called L-001 (Trash Can).
Doesn't it feel awesome to rescue a stranded kerbonaut? I actually look forward to the challenge of rescue missions, given you have to aim for a particular spot on the planet/moon or match a particular orbit, then get the guy, and then get home.
SuperBeaverInc.
Groucho
I have a whole list of names for potential missions, all of which I've taken a real space missions and I've stuck some form of Kerbal or other game related words into.
So far in this particular save game:
Kerputnik - Satellites orbiting Kerbin (Sputnik, though I got the name after seeing someone else use the name somewhere)
Kerpollo - Manned flights to the Mun (Apollo)
Skykerb - Space station orbiting Kerbin (Skylab)
Kerblantis - Rescue missions (Atlantis)
Voyagkerb - Satellites around the Mun and Minmus (Voyager)
Kerbing (Viking)
Diskerbery (Discovery)
Muncury - probably saving it for a Mun base (Mercury)
Kerbiosity - Rover program (Curiosity)
Kerbiner (Mariner)
Kerlumbia (Columbia)
Admittedly some of the names don't sound as good as others. If anyone thinks of any other good ones, I'll add them to my list.
My names tend to be a little more profane or straight-up innuendo, like some you can see in the screenshot. 
I'm working on a one-kerbal pod now that can fly a kerbonaut to the most distant planets and back, but not land. Just a fly-by. Need to tweek the craft a bit and figure out whether to reuse a name or come up with a new pun...
I'm working on a one-kerbal pod now that can fly a kerbonaut to the most distant planets and back, but not land. Just a fly-by. Need to tweek the craft a bit and figure out whether to reuse a name or come up with a new pun...
trader/warrior
Deity
Mine usually just end up as boring generic acronyms like for example HCLV meaning High Capacity Launch Vehicle, wich then gets added to over successive versions and variants to stuff like HCLV4-SSBM mk.2 meaning HCLV version 4, Space Station Base Module mark 2. That way I can pretend there is some sort of method to my madness.
My new Space Program got off to a rough start as during an abort test I made the mistake of aborting straight up, resulting in the base rocket smashing into the pod killing Jebediah Kerman. I was intending on never reverting and always rescuing my Kerbals, but I don't think I could do without ol' Jeb being alive.
On a different note, I got this microrocket to the Mun:
My new Space Program got off to a rough start as during an abort test I made the mistake of aborting straight up, resulting in the base rocket smashing into the pod killing Jebediah Kerman. I was intending on never reverting and always rescuing my Kerbals, but I don't think I could do without ol' Jeb being alive.
On a different note, I got this microrocket to the Mun:
Spoiler :
hobbsyoyo
Deity
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2012
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If your abort rockets can't pull your ship to saftey straight up then put more rockets on the thing. You really don't want to have to worry about steering in an abort situation. Alternatively, angle your abort rockets to pull your capsule sideways. This never works for me very well though, it always sends the craft tumbling wildly. If G forces are ever made to be able to kill a Kerbal in this game, you don't want them doing 150rpm in the capsule meant to save them. 
SuperBeaverInc.
Groucho
After several tries I was able to successfully dock Kerbing 1 (bottom) with Skykerb 2 (top). I'm fairly certain I managed to do half an orbit around Kerbin by the time I got them docked. I probably made it a bit harder on myself since this was my first attempt at docking and Skykerb 2 has no RCS and its docking ports are all on its side.
