Kerbal Space Program - The Bear and Badger

Mod74

OK, so there's probably just enough of us with this to justify a thread.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/220200/

On sale this weekend only for £12.05. There's also a demo

Kerbal Space Program is a multi-genre game where players create their own space program.

In KSP, you must build space-worthy craft, capable of flying your crew out into space, without killing them. At your disposal is a collection of parts, which must be assembled to create a functional ship. Each part has its own function and will affect the way a ship flies (or doesn't). So strap yourself in, and get ready to try some Rocket Science!

The game is being built first as an open sandbox. There are no objectives yet. You're free to build anything you can think of, and fly it wherever you want, even into orbit and out to other planets and moons throughout the Kerbal Solar System.

IMPORTANT: This is an Early Access game. i.e. it's not finished. The devs are letting people in to give feedback (and get cash obv)

Trailer:

Official site:
https://www.kerbalspaceprogram.com/

Spaceport (design/mod exchange):
http://kerbalspaceport.com/

Brooks

Idle Thumbs are maybe the best salesmen on the grid. Ammabouta purchase The Swapper, trufax.

Elmlea

I've got this. It's a bit broken in some places, but the astonishing satisfaction of successfully putting something in orbit was incredible.

Carbon_Altered

Had a go on the demo at lunch - did tutorial but still struggling a bit. How do I get those maneuvering jets to work in space - do I need to link them to the fuel tanks somehow?

Mod74

You have to turn RCS on, which IIRC is the R key.

You'll also probably have to turn the stability control off, which IIRC is T key

(btw, engaging stability control (assuming you add a stability module) on the launch pad with T makes it much easier to get into space)

Carbon_Altered

Thanks Mod. Think I may have had both turned on (or not installed one of them come to think of it).

I can get to space, but am yet to establish an orbit.

Mod74

Achieving orbit means angling over during ascent.

It's a multistage process that needs fairly tight timing. This vid might help

You could skip to 15:00

Carbon_Altered

Yay!

Got up, couple of orbits, then a successful splash down.

So what else can you do in the full version then? Get to Mun I presume? Other planets? Space stations?

And do you get more choice of components?

Mod74

I haven't played the demo so I'm not sure on components, but yeah, you can go to the Mun and all the other planets in the solar system (well, assuming you've got the time and will to sort the fuel needed to get there)

You can have space stations, lunar/mars rovers, satellites and space planes.

Carbon_Altered

Ah-ha. There aren't any other planets in the demo or space planes.

Thanks again for the help.

Carbon_Altered

Enjoying the demo a lot, but think £18 for the full game is steep, especially as it's not finished yet. It's in the sales occasionally, right?

Elmlea

It is, I just got it for something like $15 after.. err, "acquiring" a copy beforehand.

It also runs like an absolute dog when you get to larger spacecraft which is a total pain and is stopping my munar missions. Apparently it can only use one CPU core.

Carbon_Altered

So this is just a little bit satisfying when you get a craft of your own construction orbiting the Mun. The view is not bad too.

Elmlea

What did you build?

Carbon_Altered

Does my screenshot work by the way?

It was just a relatively simple rocket.

I should also add that this guy doesn't have enough fuel to either make it onto the Mun's surface or back home.

RIP brave spacekerbal

Carbon_Altered

And even if I had enough fuel to get home I forgot to add a parachute

Elmlea

Aww

I've had about 6 heroic deaths trying to get to the Mun. Your screenshot does work. What type of engine and how much fuel did you drag along? I keep hitting the diminishing returns of trying to get too much power or too much fuel, and not being able to establish in orbit in the first place.

Carbon_Altered

Here she is, like I said, very simple. Know what you mean about the fuel weight / power trade off.

Carbon_Altered

So that is:

4 solid fuel rockets
then
another 5 solid fuel
then
large liquid fuel
and finally
small liquid fuel
plus maneuvering thrusters etc

Carbon_Altered

Slightly modified version gets me into Mun orbit with a little bit of fuel. Gonna try landing next.

Mod74

Have you spotted the angle snap control in the build mode? Cycles through 2, 3, 4, 6 (and maybe 8 ) angles/units for adding bits. Makes it a lot easier to make more OCD satisfying rockets.

Carbon_Altered

I've been using the symmetry tool, but not the other yet. Will give it a go.

Attempted Mun landing went badly, ran out of fuel 1000 metres above the surface...

Mod74

I think symmetry and angle snap are the same thing. I'm going to have a crack at a Mun shot later.

Mod74

One thing I don't understand. Sometimes I make a capsule with rockets that can fire in space/no atmosphere, and sometimes they don't do anything.

I'm not sure if that's a bug or I'm using the wrong jet/fuel.

Carbon_Altered

Do you mean the maneuvering jets? If so you need a different sort of fuel tank for those. I think, but am not sure, that if you attach the jets to the outside of traditional liquid fuel tanks, that might work too, but have not tried. I just use those little bulbous tanks.

J1m1

I seem to recall that the external thrusters don't have to be connected to the actual fuel source to work. As long as the correct fuel source to in the stack somewhere, but be aware of decoupling a fuel source and leaving thrusters higher up in the chain.

Also, you guys should check out using an asparagus feed using fuel lines. You get much more from your fuel tanks using that method.

adkm1979

This is tough.

Elmlea

Yes x lots.

GooberTheHat

Just got this and loving it. Its so addictive. I have made it as far as the moon, but failed every attempted landing so far.

Just one more go.

Mod74

I need to have another crack, see what they've been up to since last visit.

vicinity_of_pie

I've been meaning to upload screenshots of this on Steam for ages now but my main problem is i've got 1200+ of them so it'll take forever to sort through to find the really good ones. (I have a habit of clicking F12 every few minutes and the hdd space to not worry too much about it).

So far i've landed on the mun and ~~the moon beyond that~~ mimus, both have had landers followed by several rovers. I've also got a large station in orbit around Kerbin which has been built up in several stages.

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