Hi, I need some help!

[Chano]

Hi, I Chano! I've been playing KSP since .90 (Beta) but I've only learnt how to actually play well when 1.0 was released. So here some questions I would like answered:

1. I'm starting to get better at making and flying Space planes into LEO (I've watched many YouTube videos and looked on the wiki), but I can't get the hang of making an SSTO. Are there threads that can teach me the basics of it?

2. I've pretty much know how to build and fly stable rockets, but how do I get my spacecraft to dock? I know I need docking ports and I've tried the scenario, but I just can't seem to understand the fundamentals of it.

3. Is it worth using the ion-drive? It's very slow and conventional rockets would easily have better thrust than it. although it does have very good ISP (Specific Impulse) and I was thinking about using then to transport probes across the Kerbin System.

4. Is it possible to build an Orbital kinetic strike vessel like one of these is vanilla KSP? I was thinking it would be really fun but I don't know how long this would take.

5. What are some good mods to use? I'm thinking of using mods that change the performance of the game or add new features but not the ones that add parts.

Anyways, that's it from me and thanks in advance!

[RandomRyan]

Hello Chano, and welcome to the Kerbal Forums!

well, i cant answer all of your questions so here's the answers

1.SSTO? well thats easy. do a simple looking plane(or load it) add more fuel,and here's what you need:

(a). a turbo ramjet

(. a rocket engine

©. some solar panels(for electric charge)

(d). a cargo bay (optional)

2. Docking? well i cant say how to but check Scott Manley's KSP 1.0 Tutorial. that'll help

3. hmm... the IX-6315 does have a ton of ISP, i prefer using the Ion Drive for small satelites.

4. Orbital Kinetic Bombardment System? I cant tell.

5. still cant tell

sorry if i did not make any sense.

anyway, welcome to the forums!

PS: i gave u some rep

[Mikki]

Hi Chano

I cannot answer all your questions but in the upper right you can find an advanced search option, make sure to read the newest posts (KSP version 1.0.4 at least...) to your questions about the gameplay issues, or how to do specific tasks properly...

Discovering orbital mechanics in KSP is a quiet long journey of trys and fails, i hope you have enough patience to experience it by yourself, you can allways search the forums for appropriate answers that fit your needs!

Happy landings...! Strap a parachute, or two to your vessel!

[eurybaric]

Rods From The Gods

This is a mod. However I don't see why you couldn't jerry rig it in stock. I mean, it's KSP.. You can jerry rig just about anything hehe.

Welcome to the neighborhood and Cheers!

[FleshJeb]

4.

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Edited August 29, 2015 by FleshJeb

[Chano]

Ok, thanks to everyone for help out!

[legoclone09]

Well, CKAN is great to install mods, you can browse through it and find nice mods, but Kerbal Engineer and/or Mechjeb are nice. I do recommend SETI for a tech tree, it is much better than stock. Also for spaceplanes I recommend KW Rocketry, but only have the 1.25m engines (the Wildcat, Maverick D and Vesper [or whatever it is]), those are great engines overall.

[AxleMC131]

Gotta love helping people out. I'm not hugely well versed in KSP to be honest, but I know a thing or two about docking!

Docking is one of those things that requires patience and a steady hand. It definitely takes practise too, so to get you started, here's my basic checklist when I'm trying to dock two spacecraft in orbit:

1. Choose which craft you will be controlling. Usually this will be the smaller, more manoeuvrable one, especially when docking a node onto a space station. The other craft will be the Target.

2. Make sure the target craft has a docking node in an appropriate alignment. If your target craft is an equatorial orbit, you can do this easily by pointing it (or the docking node at least) directly north, using the nav-ball as a reference.

3. Manoeuvre the craft you are controlling near the target vessel (within, say, ten metres depending on vessel sizes) using RCS.

4. Now align the controlled vessel to have a docking node pointing directly south on the nav-ball.

5. Manoeuvre the craft to be directly over the target docking node using the Translate keys. You can use Docking Mode if you like, but I've started using the I, K, J, L, H and N keys (Translate keys) as it still allows me to roll, pitch and yaw the craft if I need.

6. If you are having trouble lining the craft up by eye, make sure you have the target docking node (Yes, you can set a specific docking port on a vessel as a target instead of the whole ship!) as your "Target" (double-click on it), and use the nav-ball as a reference. Then use the translate keys to move your spacecraft until the Target marker and Prograde marker are directly overlapping each other.

7. Once the prograde and target markers are on top of each other, simply use the H key to translate forwards a little! If you've lined it up right, your spacecraft should hit the target port straight-on, and the magnets will take over. Even if you aren't lined up when your burn forwards, you can still use I, J, K and L to correct your position before you contact.

That's a really rough description of what I run through, and you shouldn't take anything I've said here as unchangeable fact, but I hope it works as a good guideline. As with a lot of things in KSP, everyone has a slightly different way of doing things, and you should absolutely choose whatever way works best for you. If you find a mental checklist like this one works best, then by all means use it!

Once again, it also takes practise, so don't worry if you don't get it right first, second, or even third time! At least with docking, you can always pull back and try again.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, yeah. Find Scott Manley on YouTube. He's the go-to YouTuber for KSP and all things Astrophysics! If there's something you don't understand, want a tutorial on, or just want to watch some classically Kerbal explosions, chances are he's got what you're looking for!

Edited August 30, 2015 by AxleMC131
Formatting error. Whoops...