Brand new Kerbal owner..what addons do you recommend?

[TrackDayKC]

Ive been following KSP for quite some time, but have always waited to buy until it became "1.0"

Ive seen videos where people use addons, but have no real idea which ones i should try out first. Mechjeb and engineer seem obvious, as i am interested in seeing the math and numbers behind spaceflight. My ultimate goal is to create a Munbase, and space stations around both Kerbal and the Mun.

Any suggestions from you seasoned Kerbalnauts would be great.

[Ryds]

Hi there,

I'd limit the number of addons you get for a while as you get used to the game. The two you mentioned will definitely help you do that so get those. Also another two would be Ferram Aerospace Research and Deadly Reentry. The former gives you realistic aerodynamics and the latter gives a much better (and dangerous) heat model for you to cope with on return.

The craft you build with this are more realistic than those you can get away with in the stock game. The chances of you getting tgem in future if you stick with KSP are very high so I recommend starting now!

Thing is, both haven't been completed yet for 1.0,i expect they'll be out in under a week, so for the time being I recommend monitoring Engineer and copying the examples the Mechjeb gives you and you'll have a great starting place.

For Kolonization then check out all of Roverdude's packs, they are excellent but make sure you've learnt the basics first as the difficulty does scale with each mod you use.

Good luck and fly safe!

[CalculusWarrior]

Welcome to the forums! Given that the update just dropped, you may need to wait a little while for all the best mods to be updated. Engineer is a very good addon, invaluable for tweaking your stages so you get the maximum performance out of them.

Ryds, given that 1.0 now has both of those mods more or less made stock, I don't feel they're really all that necessary anymore. Of course, if you feel like the new stock aero or reentry system is not realistic/fun enough for you, TrackDayKC, by all means install them.

Edited April 28, 2015 by CalculusWarrior

[regex]

Get Kerbal Engineer, about the only thing you need to complete the stock experience right now. Well, maybe Kerbal Alarm Clock too. And a few others. But really you just need Engineer to provide the information that should already be in the game.

[FlowerChild]

Get Kerbal Engineer, about the only thing you need to complete the stock experience right now. Well, maybe Kerbal Alarm Clock too. And a few others. But really you just need Engineer to provide the information that should already be in the game.

The above represents one camp in a rather heated debate

I'd personally recommend not installing any engineering aids initially as you'll ultimately become dependent on them. I have about 2K hours into KSP, have definitely been to every body in the game (and at higher difficulty than stock provides), and I've never used one, so they are definitely not required.

What I would recommend installing however is a waypoint utility, like regex's (now maintained by blizzy78) excellent PreciseNode. Once you leave Kerbin's SOI (or even plotting an asteroid intercept within it), stock maneuver nodes are an exercise in frustration to deal with.

Edited April 28, 2015 by FlowerChild

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Get Kerbal Engineer, about the only thing you need to complete the stock experience right now. Well, maybe Kerbal Alarm Clock too. And a few others. But really you just need Engineer to provide the information that should already be in the game.

PreciseNode can also be invaluable for those overly precise interplanetary burns.

[Geschosskopf]

Essential mods IMHO that minimally impact stock gameplay:

Kerbal Engineer Redux for making sure you can get where you're going and back again.

Kerbal Alarm Clock, for when you've got lots of stuff going in different directions at once.

RCS Build Aid, so you can translate without rotating

Chatterer, so space isn't so quiet

It really helps to have Toolbar so all these things don't clutter up the display with their own buttons

Not quite happy with any part, stock or mod, and want to change it a bit? Get Module Manager. A huge number of mods rely on it anyway and often bundle it. But be sure to get the latest version from the source itself.

[Robotengineer]

Kerbal Engineer Redux (KER) and Kerbal Alarm Clock (KAC) are two I consider must haves, you can customize KER if you get Too Much Information syndrome, and KAC is great for when you go interplanetary. A lot of mods haven't been updated to 1.0 yet, so I would only download mods that have [1.0] in the title. RoverDude has many part & plugin packs that will help with base building. I would also recommend SCANsat when it comes out for 1.0. You might want to wait on mods if you just got the game, you will get more out of mods if you have played stock for a while, and know the in's and out's of the game. If you plan on getting lots of mods, get CKAN.

[regex]

What I would recommend installing however is a waypoint utility, like regex's (now maintained by blizzy78) excellent PreciseNode. Once you leave Kerbin's SOI (or even plotting an asteroid intercept within it), stock maneuver nodes are an exercise in frustration to deal with.

PreciseNode can also be invaluable for those overly precise interplanetary burns.

Believe it or not, I actually like the stock maneuver node system (even with RSS!) and I haven't installed PreciseNode since handing it off, especially now that Engineer can show you the maneuver node ejection angle (the real reason why I made PN in the first place). The stock system has had some great improvements lately, like remembering what orbit you're on when dragging it around and such. About the only thing I think it needs is finer control on mouse-wheel. Anyway... Edited April 28, 2015 by regex

[musicpenguin]

As of now I would probably wait a few days for the mods the be released for the ALL NEW AND IMPROVED 1.0

[Renegrade]

My own technique when starting KSP was absolutely ZERO mods. Once you're able to build and navigate well, and have a fair idea of what KSP is, you'll know then what mods you need.

I always recommend playing a game in the stock way first, as that's how the developer intended it to be played. That also gives you a better idea of what mods do once you install 'em, as you'll have a baseline to compare against.

There are some issues with the stock game, but they aren't fatal. It's quite enjoyable enough (these days) on it's own.

About the only thing I think it needs is finer control on mouse-wheel.

why oh why did they put ACCELERATION on that function??

the initial, unaccelerated rate is just about perfect, but then the accel kicks in and #lolbadideasfromthe80scomeandbiteusinthearseagain

[klgraham1013]

Kerbal Engineer is the main must-have mod. Don't listen to the naysayers. A few others that should be stock are Kerbal Alarm Clock and Transfer Window Planner.

[giltirn]

I hate the stock maneuver node system. Making small adjustments to setup an encounter is extremely difficult. With PreciseNode you can easily fine tune your orbits with nice, clear numbers rather than non-linear mouse movements.

Edit: Also, I agree that Engineer is a must have. I hate trial and error, Engineer actually lets you understand what you are doing!

[regex]

why oh why did they put ACCELERATION on that function??

the initial, unaccelerated rate is just about perfect, but then the accel kicks in and #lolbadideasfromthe80scomeandbiteusinthearseagain

Dude, seriously. It makes me want to punch babby.

[Commissioner Tadpole]

Kerbal Engineer Redux (KER) and Kerbal Alarm Clock (KAC) are two I consider must haves, you can customize KER if you get Too Much Information syndrome, and KAC is great for when you go interplanetary. A lot of mods haven't been updated to 1.0 yet, so I would only download mods that have [1.0] in the title. RoverDude has many part & plugin packs that will help with base building. I would also recommend SCANsat when it comes out for 1.0. You might want to wait on mods if you just got the game, you will get more out of mods if you have played stock for a while, and know the in's and out's of the game. If you plan on getting lots of mods, get CKAN.

SCANSat still works for 1.0, the only problem is that Big Map has been corrupted in the transition. So you'll have to rely on Small Map, which fortunately still works perfectly.

[Taki117]

I second Kerbal Engineer, at least until you learn to fly. I also advocate knowing the math behind the dV readout, just so you know what it's doing behind the scenes.

[draeath]

KSPTOT isn't really a mod - though it does have a data hookup plugin (entirely optional) - that's stupidly handy to have for planning purposes.

[FlowerChild]

Believe it or not, I actually like the stock maneuver node system (even with RSS!) and I haven't installed PreciseNode since handing it off, especially now that Engineer can show you the maneuver node ejection angle (the real reason why I made PN in the first place). The stock system has had some great improvements lately, like remembering what orbit you're on when dragging it around and such. About the only thing I think it needs is finer control on mouse-wheel. Anyway...

Oh wow...I didn't even know about the mouse wheel functionality. Thanks

[Jean Deaux]

I'm a very big fan of MechJeb. It does most of what Kerbal Engineer does plus it helps new pilots out with some autopilot abilities until they figure it out for themselves. Later, when you're tired of the tedious task of keeping the nose on point for those 3 hour ion burns, it's very handy for that. Alarm Clock is another very handy tool. I avoid most mods mainly due to the fact they usually bring in a lot of bug/stability issues, though I'd love to load most of them up if but they all played along nice together.