KincaidFrankMF

They worked initially but gradually drifted out of alignment over time. It still flew, it just got jankier & jankier lol Mine was just a single-seater though, scientist + drone pilot, so it didn't need as much wing area. Lower ceiling, too. From memory, they're faster at sea level but a lot heavier - so mine topped out around 14k as a result. Just about enough with a tiny rocket carrying basically nothing but a 1k pod and an experiment case. Love the crazy wings on yours!

Funny how different your design is, given we took basically the same approach! Here's mine - I went for a seaplane with fan drives (heavy but fast). The rear cockpit allows access to the science bay, it has another one up front. As you can see, the foldable wings turned out to be a mistake given the wobbliness of hinges... Mine went even worse - the fan blades ended up rotated 90 degrees so they formed a circle rather than spokes, and gradually drifted outwards in a kind of ever-expanding giant chainsaw of doom. Which weirdly didn't affect the flight characteristics in any way The SWERV should help, but yeah the lack of tall mountains might make it impossible Thanks! Well, I have been struggling to get interest going for this one in KSP2...

Yeah, you've got it I was surprised no one posted the solution, but maybe more experienced players aren't looking for challenges as much as the newer ones. Did you see that one craft that got posted though? That is a beast.

Just saw your Eve SSTO vid @astrobond - that's incredible! Would never have thought that was possible. Wonder if you'd be interested in this? So far one brave soul's posted a brilliant, enormously complicated solution (I'm in awe), but no one's yet figured out the simpler way of doing it (Still tricky, but doable.)

Yep, definitely. Hopefully they'll get worked on soon. Ha! That's brilliant

Thanks! I found it was lighter to use extra chutes than try to convince landing legs not to snap... I just come down on the heat shields! They're tough as anything and give a reasonably wide, stable base. They handle 10m/s impacts no problem. The other thing to consider is the overall take-off weight from Kerbin, including the strategy for getting back home. Rather than bring along a heavy 10k command module, I just dock the lander to a mini "parachute stage" once it's back in orbit and refuel the swerv. There's a heat shield underneath the hitchhiker, so the lander can just decouple its engines and land a second time with the new chutes. Btw, is it just me or are fairings doing literally nothing at this point? Likewise cargo bays. Neither seem to help lifting off from Eve, where aerodynamic costs are really obvious.

I have absolutely no idea why I decided to wrap the docking port up in a faring, btw. I thiiiiiiiiink it's a leftover from an earlier design, back when I didn't realise you could still use docking ports as decouplers, and then I just liked the way it looks? But it's adding drag for no reason lol

Actually, after a bit of tweaking I can do better - 144t, made it to orbit with 600dv spare. I start the gravity turn much earlier - around 4-5k but keeping it very gentle. And all wrapped up for atmo entry... Love it. Mine seemed to separate ok without, but they often don't.

Ah, grumble seats. My guys travelled in comfort Did a bit of experimenting, and I still can't make vectors come out better than darts - even with the improved aerodynamics they're about 350dv short. Could just be a less efficient setup though - adapting a design isn't the same as building it that way from the ground up...

I haven't tried using purely vectors rather than darts (reduced part count might be another factor to throw into the mix) but can confirm the SWERV is amazing in this build. It's overkill, sure, what we really need is a mini SWERV with the same ISP but even so... it needs so little fuel that it ends up far, far lighter than a methalox alternative.

Good old-fashioned trial and error Very much the case. You need something capable of remaining perfectly stable during entry, that's nevertheless light and still stable when going the other way for blast off. I found dart-asparagus best for a one-kerbal science mission. Under Pressure is a whole other challenge - the lack of gimbal was a real problem for me, so I ended up using a vector sustainer core surrounded by dart asparagus boosters. But huge reaction wheels might have worked too (must admit I didn't try). The biggest surprise was how small you can make a craft for UP. My ten-kerbal lander was maybe three times the mass of the one-kerbal version (172t for atmospheric entry, 154t at take-off - and I'm sure it can be done lighter!)

Which is where the discussion started, with Mitokandria's excellent post. This is starting to get heated though, and it doesn't need to be. It's really, really obvious why a lot of folks are disappointed. And let's face it, even a "perfect" sequel would have split the community because we all want different things from it - again, why Mito is right to say expectations needed to be managed from the get-go with a razor sharp definition of what KSP2 was/is supposed to be. Personally, I just finished a very thorough 50% science playthrough, collecting every scrap of science in the Kerbolar system except for a couple of spots on Eve (and any discoverables I missed), and enjoyed it enormously. It's the most thorough game of KSP I've managed in ages, and the first for years that ended in achieving my goal rather than eventually getting bored and drifting off. By the standards of any other game, KSP2 has already achieved full VFM for me. For other people it is and always will be a bitter disappointment, and that's just as valid.

I'm starting to think it doesn't have off-Kerbin construction at all, just bases that look pretty but do nothing. Screw it, I'm going to try & combine them (waits for the entire install to collapse in a heap...)

Agreed, neither is realistic. Honestly don't know if it's possible to gamify a more realistic approach. Absolutely. KCT took a more realistic approach there IIRC. Redesigning launchers is fun though... It's that balance between sim & game, hard to get right at the best of times and impossible for everyone at the same time. Eep, that doesn't sound encouraging at all. I don't know a thing about the technical side of things, was hoping optimising would eventually do the trick... That sounds bad. On the plus side, KSP1 isn't going anywhere. At least there's now a single game version for modders to work with, rather than everything going out of date constantly.

That sounds AWESOME. I've just started a playthrough based on this -> https://youtu.be/UKbWx-bTOw0?si=bD_Sd9QOdEjK8ojX but haven't got far enough to see how the bases work. Wonder if it would be compatible...

Huh, feel like we played entirely different games there. Funny how different impressions can be. I agree the presentation of science reports is flat out 1/10 awful, but the meat & bones of it is a big step up for me. Most of the nonsense is gone (the hilarity of thermometers & goo wore a tad thin for me as the thousands of hours of gameplay went by...), replaced by mostly serious science that actually tells a story in places - like the little mystery over why Dres has an equatorial ridge, for example. I loved that stuff, it kept me wanting to explore further. And they've sprinkled in just the odd goo reference here & there for nostalgia's sake - perfect. I'm not seeing much from KSP1 that's been flat-out excluded at a foundational level? Other than currency? Building up the KSC, I guess, but that gets replaced by building new bases offworld. What are you thinking of? The engine certainly needs work, eep. Maybe it depends what you're looking for, like Mito said. For me, building offworld colonies into the core game would add hugely to the depth. In KSP1 I never bother with that stuff - space stations, bases, it all feels pointless. I'm trying some mods now that might change my mind, but what I need is for them to have an in-game purpose beyond just looking nice. If I can make a base that eventually has its own VAB & launchpad, and if I can use that as a springboard to other solar systems... that sounds epic! Definitely more SF though. I can see it being a step back if you're looking for more of a Realism Overhaul feel to things?

I'm getting a mix of both, which rather supports your point above

Yeah, me too, although I do think Mitokandria makes some excellent points. It's hard to judge the final game based on a work in progress - it could still broadly fit into the first kind of sequel, depending how things go. We still don't know, and that's frustrating in itself. I must admit I enjoyed the storyline in KSP2, and it did push me to get out there & explore the Kerbolar system, where I often find enthusiasm starting to wane after the early game in KSP1. But it's very, very on-rails and that fundamentally changes the feel of the game. It takes away a lot of the player's agency and that sense of building your own space program from the ground up. We may find a lot of that gets replaced, once we're able to build our space program in space, through colonisation, rather than on Kerbin. Also, it may not be all we get. I'd love to see a tertiary class of mission added that's a little more random and optional. However many primary/secondary missions get added, the completionists among us will still want to finish them all, and we won't get a sense of choice. It also leaves every playthrough feeling similar. Equally, the flaw in KSP1's approach of all random missions is that a lot of them are completely arbitrary & they start to feel increasingly pointless as you go on. A mix of the two approaches might give us the best of both worlds. Hell, someone's bound to mod it that way regardless, sooner or later.

Kapcom, this is Valentina aboard Kerpollo 13 reporting all systems nominal. We have successfully flown upwards until reaching space, right where we expected to find it. Preparing to turn right and head for the Mun in around… four minutes. Stage 2 separation complete. Jeb’s outside, the big show-off, horsing around on his jetpack while we idle towards apokee. He’s getting low on propellant, so I’d better call him in. CRAKOOM crak crak crak hissssssssssssssssssss Kapcom, we have a probhzzzzz. Green alert, repeat, I am declaring a green alert. Yes, I know it means changing the bulb. Kzzzzzt multiple impacts, micromcrrrrrroids or maybe carelessly discarded snacks from Kerpollo 12. I’m reading extensive damage to the third stage. We have fuel leaks, the main batteries have shorted out, the MEM fuel gauge is on the fritz and I hzzzzzzt crk zzzzp definitely had more legs when we set out. Jeb’s going to be upset, he built that thing himself – he’s ever so proud of it. Hold on, I’m getting a signal– ….. Kapcom, Jeb reports bingo fhzzzzz. He’s running on fumes out there. He keeps telling me to leave him behind and save myself, but I’m not having any of that “women and kerblings first” nonsense. Crkrrrrrrk instrumentation malfunction, so I’ll have to plot an intercept using the Mark 1 eyeball – at speed. Only three minutes left to apokee but… I can do this. I have a plan. I’m going to save Jeb, complete the mission, and I will bring us home. Valentina, over and out. Rather than a standard challenge, this is a modified save file designed to throw you into the thick of it. To install, create a new folder called e.g. “Kerpollo 13” next to your existing campaign folder (which should be in C:\Users\"your name"\AppData\LocalLow\Intercept Games\Kerbal Space Program 2\Saves\SinglePlayer). Then drop the three files here into the new folder. Next time you start the game, you should find a new campaign waiting for you containing a single save. Mission Goals: BRONZE (Start here. No, really): Rescue Jeb and return safely to the ground. SILVER: + orbit the Mun. GOLD: + land on the Mun, collect the sacred Science (including an environment survey and radiation scan), and plant a flag. THE SCOTT MANLEY CHALLENGE: The ultimate test of piloting skill. Annoy friends/family/coworkers by suggesting they’re not a real kerbal unless they complete the scenario live, without pausing or loading at any point (unless you step on a bug. Save often). If you weren’t dashingly bald to start with, you will be by the end. Bragging rights: How much delta-v can you preserve on the final stage, before separating for re-entry? Mods required: None. Mods allowed: Cosmetic only. Nothing that would help. Ethos: There’s no trick here, you don’t need to bend in-game logic to breaking point or Kobayashi Maru your way through the scenario. All that’s required is problem solving and skill. (On which note, the KSC has no other rockets ready for take-off at this time – no rescue launches allowed!) You have everything you need to complete the mission. The scenario is designed to test your piloting skill. It’s exactly as hard as it should be. Notes: Future bug fixes may resolve the “broken fuel gauge” and instrumentation glitches while attempting to dock, so enjoy the real challenge while it lasts (or revert to 0.2.1). It’s not a bug if it’s a feature. The MEM docking port is intended as a clamp/attachment point. Kerbals aren’t actually expected to squeeze through there. The atmo sniffer is just for silliness. Known issues: Sometimes when loading the game for the first time, bits poke out of the MEM fairing for no obvious reason. Reloading fixed this for me. Sometimes phantom forces kick Jeb away at high speed. At the very start, he should be drifting away at < 1m/s (things may get worse after that). If not, reload. Bugs are inevitable at this stage of the game. Quicksave/quickload usually does the trick. Installation: Places the files here- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uE_NsFQsYRNoD9fPUOXU5efBBbnT3FtQ?usp=sharing -into a new folder alongside your regular campaign saves (usually found in C:\Users\"your name"\AppData\LocalLow\Intercept Games\Kerbal Space Program 2\Saves\SinglePlayer - unless you've found a cunning way to move them). Launch the game, open the new campaign and load the save. I do have the general computing skills of the average toddler, so let me know if I've messed up the file sharing or otherwise screwed up. I'm sure it can be fixed

I've had problems with the biggest landing legs too, maybe it's the jointed "knees". I tend to just come down on my heatshield(s) at that point and stuff it lol The other legs seem fine though. Spaceplanes are a popular option on Laythe - one of the few places you get to use them, and they're an efficient solution

That's so strange! Definitely doesn't do that for me. Could try reinstalling the game I guess?

Instead of a regular challenge, I've set up a scenario where your Kerpollo 13 spacecraft is damaged and in real trouble - you have to regain control of the craft, rescue Jeb, avoid burning up in Kerbin's atmosphere and then, for bonus points, complete your original mission by landing on the Mun in a damaged MEM. The trouble is, I have no way of checking if it will even work on anyone else's PC. I *think* installation should be as simple as dropping the folder in with your regular saves, but I need a couple of volunteers to check? Beyond that, any feedback welcome If you're interested, reply below or send me a DM and I'll email you the files.

59.5s? The first question is why it's taking that long in the first place... Is your GPU sub-spec, like mine? Or a craft with a massively high part count? Or lots of satellites in orbit...? I tried recreating the steps above (old machine, graphics set to low, 140-part ship) and got 19 seconds the first time, then 17 seconds after quitting to main menu & redoing. Small improvement, but still, you could be on to something. So I restarted the game, crossed myself, flicked holy water over the keyboard and set the graphics to "high". It then took 57 seconds the first time - much closer to your result - and then, after quitting back to the main menu, it took exactly 57 seconds to... crash. I think we'd need more detail about your game save to figure out whether this is just a one-off that's affecting you, or a broader issue.

That's the thing... As long as the game is designed with flexibility in mind, modders can add/recreate different ways to play, such as the old random KSP1 missions. Some people loved those, some hated them for being silly & grindy. I enjoyed the old & the new, personally, in different ways. I do really miss having part count and cash limits at the start of the game. Right now KSP2 is ridiculously easy early on. Hopefully resources will fix that, if not... someone will mod it eventually, I'm sure.

Extremely epic!