Career mode got really hard in the latest version of this game

[swaggeringcuban]

I'm finding it really difficult to get into orbit because of that weird pendulum effect when I try to turn at 10k. It never used to happen, now it seems to happen every time. Making the rocket more bottom heavy doesn't seem to help. I don't see how it's realistic that after swaying back and forth a few times the rocket is suddenly easy to control again either.

The other thing is when I finally did get into orbit, I couldn't target Mun or make orbit plans. What do I have to do to enable this? Better pilot or something? I'm getting like 1 research point per mission if I'm lucky, miles away from those pipes I need to make asparagus rockets. I keep playing for an hour, getting nowhere, then giving up. It's demoralising.

[technicalfool]

Hi.

It sounds like the last time you played was prior to the 1.0 release, where there were some major aero reworks and changes to the contract system. Adding mass to the bottom of the rocket will likely not help. Adding fins to the bottom more than likely will, and the old "straight up to 10KM and do a dog-leg to the right" approach will probably not work for a large number of rocket designs. The aero rework rewards attempts at a more realistic gradual gravity turn now. In fact, gravity turns - where you allow gravity to gradually pull the nose over - are now actually possible.

Contracts now deliver vastly less science. You're expected to get your science more from performing experiments. You'll also not be able to create manoeuvre nodes (or see SOI changes for intercepts) until you have updated your tracking station and Mission Control building to allow for flight planning and for patched conics to be shown.

HTH

Edit: Oh yes, and the science lab, plus two scientists on board, now features a science-over-time mechanism that can provide you with vast amounts of science, so long as you can get some experiments processed in there to get some data to turn into that juicy, juicy science.

Edited October 11, 2015 by technicalfool

[Xaver]

Try tailfins to enhace the stability of your rocket in the atmosphere

[soulsource]

First of all: The new aero still isn't as good as FAR, but reading a FAR guide will help you a lot getting craft to orbit.

Short version is that the worst thing one can do is to attempt to rapidly turn a craft during flight, as the craft will likely get uncontrollable if the angle of attack gets too high. Instead make gentle turns, always staying close to (surface) prograde. How far you can get your heading away from prograde depends on craft design, but rule of thumb is to keep it within the circle marker on the navball.

Therefore instead of turning to 60° at 10 km, you now should do a gravity turn, meaning that you'll want to start to turn right after launch (how far depends on the TWR of your first stage). For a well made rocket design, it's enough to slightly turn east right after launch, and then not touching the controls at all (except for staging obviously).

Adding weight to the bottom of the rocket will make it more unstable, actually. Check the basic aircraft design guide. It now applies to rockets as well. You'll want drag at the bottom, and weight at the tip of your craft, therefore adding fins at the bottom is generally a good idea.

[swaggeringcuban]

thanks for the feedback, I'll try again

[GoSlash27]

^What Soulsource said.

We don't just climb straight up to 10km and hang a right any more. We make a very gradual and constant prograde turn pretty much right off the pad.

We don't use crazy- high acceleration. The rocket's easier to fly if you keep it under 2g.

We don't build blocky flat-faced rockets any more. We streamline them.

As for the targeting and maneuver nodes, you don't get those until you upgrade mission control and tracking.

Getting to orbit is still workable in early career.

As for science... did you know that each area of KSC has it's own biome? The rooftops too if you can figure out a way to get up there without collapsing the building.

Best,

-Slashy

[Mikki]

You can make sience in the KSC area, build a rover, drive around and make some EVA reports from different locations...

When you have unlocked some plane parts look for the biomes nearby, there is a lot of sience hidden...

[regex]

Build rocket with TWR of 1.3~1.5 on the pad. Launch straight up. When the rocket is going @70~80 m/s tilt over 5 degrees towards the desired arc and follow prograde to orbit. Once you're out of the second atmosphere band you can freely correct trajectory if needed.

[KerikBalm]

I'm finding it really difficult to get into orbit because of that weird pendulum effect when I try to turn at 10k.

Translated: "I'm doing it wrong, its really difficult when I do things wrong"

The old aero allowed for some very unrealistic behavior. In real life, if rockets deviat more than a few degrees from their flight vector in the lower atmosphere/around max Q, they too will flip and disintegrate.

You need to do a smooth gravity turn now, not straight up to 10, then 45 degrees.

Also, due to the new aero, if you build a streamlined rocket, you'll want ot start your gravity turn pretty much right away.

Making the rocket more bottom heavy doesn't seem to help.

As it shouldn't... that should make the problem worse.

I don't see how it's realistic that after swaying back and forth a few times the rocket is suddenly easy to control again either.

My guess is its that during that swaying, body lift is making your flight vector a closer match to the direction that you are pointing. Also, I assume you are climbing during that.

As the air gets thinner, as the engine pushes you so you start to fly in the direction that you are pointing, and as aero forces also work towards making you fly the direction that you point, I guess your rocket comes back under control.

Most people that are used to the new aero seem to have their rockets completely flip with no recovery like that... so it seems the rockets you've built are somewhat stable, you must simply pitch them over too fast.

A poorly thrown dart/poorly shot arrow will sway back and forth before the oscillations go away too... that's realistic.

The other thing is when I finally did get into orbit, I couldn't target Mun or make orbit plans. What do I have to do to enable this? Better pilot or something?

Upgrade the KSC facilities (mission control and tracking station).

Luckily, burn prograde as the Mun comes up over the Horizon still works (just forget about the old aero).

[Guest]

The aero got updated.

What I do is wait until I'm around 20000 meters, and then turn.

[magnemoe]

You can make sience in the KSC area, build a rover, drive around and make some EVA reports from different locations...

When you have unlocked some plane parts look for the biomes nearby, there is a lot of sience hidden...

Simpler than an rover is just to use an pod and some material labs and roll around like an rolling pin.

At the time you have rovers unlocked you should have been at the Mun at least.

My tips is to go to Mun for contract first, then go to Minmus for science as soon as you have solar panels. 2000 m/s spare in Minmus orbit let you land on all the biomes. Then you got rovers its an spot on Mun who has 7 biomes inside of 5 km. Another has 4.

And yes, scientists can restore goo and material labs. transmit then store result in pod and repeat at next biome.

[passinglurker]

Rather scum the ksc for science you can give yourself enough starting science in the difficulty menu to skip having to do that and get to the real game

[Alshain]

You can get to orbit at Tier 2, literally the second launch. However, I don't recommend that, it's possible but painful. I suggest doing it at tier 3 after you have the Swivel. You just have to build your rocket well and fly a good gravity turn. Don't try to turn 45 degrees all at once.

[eddiew]

The aero got updated.

What I do is wait until I'm around 20000 meters, and then turn.

That's very inefficient though correct launch profiles have been done many times on this forum, and they'll make your game easier

[The Optimist]

you need to upgrade the tracking station and mission control to make orbit plans and target celestial bodies, and you get science by attaching stuff like mystery goo and thermometers to your rocket and activating them when you're in a new place (surface biomes, flying over surface biomes, flight over planet, high flight over planet, space over planet) ect.

[Terwin]

As for science... did you know that each area of KSC has it's own biome? The rooftops too if you can figure out a way to get up there without collapsing the building.

You need not be on the roof.

Just touch your Kerbal or your craft to the building in question and you can generally get the biome for that building. (not all buildings have their own, see the KSC biome list on the wiki for a listing)

(needing to land on top of every building in the KSC would have made the home-bound caveman challenge much more difficult)

Be careful with the fuel tanks and other delacate looking structures though, as it is easy to hit them too hard and destroy them.

I like just putting a wheel/landing leg on the cement base-plate of those buildings instead of touching the actual structure parts.

I find that small landing gear + the first jet engine will get you around the KSC pretty easily, and retracting the landing gear is an easy way to rest the structure of your rover on the base-plate of a building for getting crew-reports and other vessel based science. (those little side-entry stairways make good places for EVA reports and surface samples for the buildings that have them)

[mikegarrison]

I just play with indestructable buildings, because the idea that the slightest brush of a rover or lander against a steel and concrete building will cause the building to explode in flames is just ridiculous. I suppose it is funny the first time, but it gets very tiresome after that first time.

[The Optimist]

RT-5 pancake orbiters no longer function

Parachutes rip at speeds more than 240 m/s or so