crycyrc

thank you all for your answers and precious time. @Jarin I might be interested in some information showing mods actually. I believe I can also learn how to calculate stuff by that. I don't really want to use automatic stuff that mechjeb offers. I wanna learn it by trial and error for a while so which one do you recommend? You said that it is not obligatory to use the autopilot feature of mechjeb but I am not really sure I understand what these 2 mods offer.

I just started learning KSP and I really have great deal of fun. I watch tutorial videos, read stuff and play to learn the game mechanics. However, my question is that whether I really need mods or not? Does the game itself provide adequate tools? I don't want to play it like cheating. I read some stuff about mechjeb doing many stuff for you such as autopiloting many things. I mean that could be helpful but I am not sure if I feel like playing the game. Therefore, the question is that if there is an essential mod or not? What do you recommend to a new player? I have never played earlier versions btw. Thanks.