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Kerbal Space Program : like model rocket building but better and [no longer] free
- Thread starter FlyinJ
- Start date
Latest reddit challenge - land on the new tall peak just West of the KSC:
I'm looking forward to when the game has challenges built in
Full album.
I'm looking forward to when the game has challenges built in
PjotrStroganov
Member
Completely destroyed my Space Station while trying to shift tab. Luckily, I quicksaved the game yesterday...
SJRB
Gold Member
I have playing since the early versions and I have slowly got orbiting down and interplanetary travel as well.
Landing in one piece on the Mun had so far evaded me until now .......
Next up ..... docking and completing my heavy lifter design.
Very happy.
This is a very cool screenshot.
troopershades
Neo Member
I did something like this the other day. Was in a nice orbit and waiting to circle around to my node. Buddy of mine messages me on steam. Shift tab to reply. I go back and it shows my rocket now heading out to god knows where.
Steam Chat: It kills Kerbals.
PjotrStroganov
Member
Jup. It is considered to be the best unofficial trailer ever!
gutterboy44
Member
Hahaha. I just was introduced to those MLG420$$ whatever videos the other day with the forklift simulator one. It's pretty great too.
Whoops - need to remember to disable the engines while docked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIOyCL0XC0c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIOyCL0XC0c
gutterboy44
Member
Lol, holy shit that quick cut to the Kerbal inside is priceless.
Very, very good trailer. The sort that would sell the game to me, i think, if i didn't already know about this.
Indeed.
ElectricBlue187
Member
God that was epic. I gotta play this game someday
This was the video series that sold this game to both me and my roommate. We both bought a copy of that game after watching this video series 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht1c1z6TPiQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht1c1z6TPiQ
I had eight kerbals stranded around the mun in the giant crater in the equator.
So I built a rocket with a rover on top, sent two kerbals (one in the rocket, one in the rover) to catch them all and put them in one place so I can send a single giant lander to pick them up.
Here's my rover
all the kerbals are sit on the exterior command chair to minimize space on the rover.
So I built a rocket with a rover on top, sent two kerbals (one in the rocket, one in the rover) to catch them all and put them in one place so I can send a single giant lander to pick them up.
Here's my rover
all the kerbals are sit on the exterior command chair to minimize space on the rover.
gutterboy44
Member
That rover is great. It looked like the Tumbler from batman at first glance. The external seats are such a great addition, especially for rescue missions.
I had eight kerbals stranded around the mun in the giant crater in the equator.
So I built a rocket with a rover on top, sent two kerbals (one in the rocket, one in the rover) to catch them all and put them in one place so I can send a single giant lander to pick them up.
Here's my rover
all the kerbals are sit on the exterior command chair to minimize space on the rover.
What is the rocket design you have for bringing that rover to the Mun ? I am trying something similar because of my stranded Kerbals on the Mun as well. Designing a rocket that will get my rover to the Mun, however, is proving to be difficult...
PjotrStroganov
Member
I guess I have to get used to the term seconds per frame instead of frames per second.
To be fair, I have a shitload of lights shining and a few tanks half full of fuel waiting to be jettisoned.
SJRB
Gold Member
This was the video series that sold this game to both me and my roommate. We both bought a copy of that game after watching this video series
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht1c1z6TPiQ
I was watching this series myself just a few hours ago.
It's pretty insane how long it takes to build a decent base.
It can sit eleven kerbals, so it is going to be sent with a single pilot.
I can't pinpoint accurately where to land which is why I needed the rover in the first place.
Each kerbal capsule has its own four parachutes, since I've had lander modules fall apart in reentry before.
Rest of the rocket is a standard multi stage rocket, nothing fancy.
e: oh got the question wrong, give me a sec
The rover just falls on its wheels once it has landed and I activate that stage, due to it having a low center of mass. It can take that fall (on the mun, not on kerbin).
Nice nice. Actually I managed to get my rover on the Mun already
Rescued one Kerbal already so I'm gonna have to drive it to fetch the other Kerbal so they can both be together and sent to the rescue ship site ! This is so exciting, haha
SJRB
Gold Member
I've got two landers in orbit around the Mun, but I've made crucial construction mistakes with both of them. Forgot solar arrays, battery packs or not enough fuel to ever leave.
Not sure how to proceed, haha. I might land one of them so see if the basic construction is sound, then send a rescue mission or something. I can't leave Bill stranded on the Mun.
Not sure how to proceed, haha. I might land one of them so see if the basic construction is sound, then send a rescue mission or something. I can't leave Bill stranded on the Mun.
I've landed two rovers on the Mun with a third one coming.
The first was a little unmanned rover that landed under its own power. You can see the little thrusters and fuel tank underneath:
It had RCS, but I flipped and... it blew up.
I built the second one for one of the Kerbals I put on the Mun and used a small skycrane to land it. The skycrane managed to escape orbit and crash into Kerbin afterwards which I thought was pretty impressive.
Unfortunately I never actually tested this one beforehand. Turns out it flips every time you go up the slightest slope.
My third rover hasn't launched yet but it should do much better.
I also built a wheeled skycrane to make it easier to land and place base parts if it ever comes to that. Seems to work OK on Kerbin so it should do fine of the Mun.
The first was a little unmanned rover that landed under its own power. You can see the little thrusters and fuel tank underneath:
It had RCS, but I flipped and... it blew up.
I built the second one for one of the Kerbals I put on the Mun and used a small skycrane to land it. The skycrane managed to escape orbit and crash into Kerbin afterwards which I thought was pretty impressive.
Unfortunately I never actually tested this one beforehand. Turns out it flips every time you go up the slightest slope.
My third rover hasn't launched yet but it should do much better.
I also built a wheeled skycrane to make it easier to land and place base parts if it ever comes to that. Seems to work OK on Kerbin so it should do fine of the Mun.
PjotrStroganov
Member
I'm currently trying ISA Mapsat. Do I have to scan an entire planet for a map to be saved? If i quit while a map is incomplete, it doesn't seem to save progress.
I read some of the comments on that mod that suggested it wasn't capable of saving.
Whoa, that's an awesome use for those radial engines. I've avoided using them conventionally because of how inefficient they are, but as a giant skycrane? Genius!
PjotrStroganov
Member
I've spent some time with it and it does seem to save the maps. It looks like it is updating a png map in the mod folder.
gutterboy44
Member
The map mod is pretty cool but you can get some serious performance issues when it enables during launch or other unwanted times.
Managing to rendezvous and dock for the first time is easily one of the most rewarding things I've ever done in a game.
It took like two hours though, so is there some way to automate it? The process of docking and approaching the module was fine, but matching the velocity and inclination was a pain in the ass. Admittedly part of that might've been the 50x warp speed limit.
It took like two hours though, so is there some way to automate it? The process of docking and approaching the module was fine, but matching the velocity and inclination was a pain in the ass. Admittedly part of that might've been the 50x warp speed limit.
PjotrStroganov
Member
Managing to rendezvous and dock for the first time is easily one of the most rewarding things I've ever done in a game.
It took like two hours though, so is there some way to automate it? The process of docking and approaching the module was fine, but matching the velocity and inclination was a pain in the ass. Admittedly part of that might've been the 50x warp speed limit.
Mechjeb is your friend.
Yeah, map drawing should be turned off at launch. It really slows down the game to a halt.
Ovek
7Member7
Only major change I'd suggest is switching out the command pod for a Mk 1 Lander Can. It weighs 7.5 times less, and would therefore be way easier on that single engine. Aside from that, it looks like a nifty design for a first successful lander. Good idea with the girders too, I need to use those more often >_>.
Ovek
7Member7
I will give it a go with a quick mun landing to see how it goes...
Oh and here is the mighty craft creatively named K1 that gets my lander to places
MechJeb is essential for me. I don't use any of the automated features yet aside from auto-launch, but the TWR and delta-v information it provides while building a rocket is invaluable.
Nostremitus
Member
Ok, so this thread got me to try out the demo... What's the career mode like? Is it worth the entry fee?
I put around 8 hours into the demo this past weekend.
I put around 8 hours into the demo this past weekend.
Career doesn't exist and probably won't for a very long time. It's still just sandbox creativity at this point.
troopershades
Neo Member
No career mode yet but it's coming. Right now you just have a pool of Kerbals to pick for manned missions.
EDIT: so close.
EDIT2: IMO its worth it. Building rockets and seeing how they fly is fun for me even if there's no career mode at the moment.
Nostremitus
Member
double post
Nostremitus
Member
Gotcha, thanks.
All of the extra pieces that I'm seeing that are different than the demo... are those in the actual game or are they mods?
Thanks.
There are a ton more pieces in the actual game, along with more places to go. It's worth getting if you like the concept even a little bit.
According to this: http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Parts the demo has only 25 parts while the full game has 165.
Any KSP players who are posting screenshots and/or vids on their Steam profiles, feel free to add me: http://steamcommunity.com/id/slacker/ I'd love to see what people are creating. I post screens pretty often too.
My latest disaster was a manned mission to the Mun with a rover on board. I had planned on landing, detaching the rover, then flying the lander a few meters away so the rover would be clear to drive off. I ran out of fuel while landing though and tragedy ensued.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hE0mRUM41c
My latest disaster was a manned mission to the Mun with a rover on board. I had planned on landing, detaching the rover, then flying the lander a few meters away so the rover would be clear to drive off. I ran out of fuel while landing though and tragedy ensued.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hE0mRUM41c
Ovek
7Member7
My latest disaster was a manned mission to the Mun with a rover on board. I had planned on landing, detaching the rover, then flying the lander a few meters away so the rover would be clear to drive off. I ran out of fuel while landing though and tragedy ensued.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hE0mRUM41c
Suppose you could have transferred the fuel from those very small yellow tanks on your rover in to your lander, it might have given you enough fuel to get it out of the way... maybe
Suppose you could have transferred the fuel from those very small yellow tanks on your rover in to your lander, it might have given you enough fuel to get it out of the way... maybe
Good thought! Of course, then when I fliipped the rover within about five seconds the mission would have been over anyway. Could have saved Riblin's life though.