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Visual Mods for KSP 1.13?


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Hello all, I have a noob question about improving the graphics of KSP in 1.13.

I'd really like to get a mod to increase the detail of landscape and water, and add 3D clouds without significantly decreasing FPS. I've seen multiple mods for doing this, but I have no idea how to choose. I'm new to modding, and none that I've found have a simple guide for installation.  I really don't want to be embroiled in tons of complicated interconnecting/conflicting mods, so if there is a standalone mod for this, I'd prefer it. I'm looking for the simplest, least failure prone way. Can anyone tell me about or link to a good visual mod, list requirements, and explain how to install it?

Thanks in advance,

-Jeb!

 

Edited by Jeb!
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Thank you all for your input! I realize now CKAN is definitely the easy way to go for most mods, so I installed it and enabled SVE. Then I manually added Scatterer, since I can't seem to find it in CKAN. I love both of them, they add so much to the game! Unfortunately, my laptop can't handle SVE without putting the FPS down to about 1. Scatterer seems to work just fine though, and it's good enough for what I want now. Now I just need to figure out how to re-enter my SSTO without blowing up so Jeb can see the beautiful ocean again! :D You'd think 12 large radiators would be enough... but NO! :P lol

Thanks guys!

 

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9 hours ago, bewing said:

You also do not want to be installing mods by hand. You almost certainly want CKAN.

And since CKAN is finally getting its act together and playing nice with mod developers, I can finally start endorsing its use.

But I still sort of disagree. Installing mods by hand is dead easy. CKAN just centralizes things a bit. You don't have to be someone who writes your own MM scripts to install mods manually; it's just drag-and-drop.

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5 hours ago, Jeb! said:

Now I just need to figure out how to re-enter my SSTO without blowing up so Jeb can see the beautiful ocean again! :D You'd think 12 large radiators would be enough... but NO! :P lol

- Avoid using mk1 fuselage parts and cockpits (especially the mk1 front cockpit). It can work, but it is much more difficult than using the actually reentry-rated mk2 and mk3 parts.
- Don't be too timid. The upper atmosphere will cook you alive without slowing you down, so get through it quickly. If you foolishly try a 70 km AP, 50 km PE reentry, you will fail. Try 90 km AP, 30 km PE.
- Keep your nose up! In 99% of cases, the nose of a spaceplane experiences the highest heating and goes first (which is why the mk1 front cockpit is a bad idea). Which is why you want other parts of the plane as much in the airstream as possible. So do the pancake maneuver and put yourself belly first, perpendicular to prograde, while you perform reentry. At some point the atmosphere will force your nose forward again, but you should still keep your finger on the key and strive to keep it lifted up. If that makes you gain altitude instead of losing it, then roll sideways and fly consecutive S-turns instead. Just don't let the nose drop to full forward until you're below 1200 m/s.

Doing that, you should not need any radiators at all. :wink:

Edited by Streetwind
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7 hours ago, Jarin said:

And since CKAN is finally getting its act together and playing nice with mod developers, I can finally start endorsing its use.

But I still sort of disagree. Installing mods by hand is dead easy. CKAN just centralizes things a bit. You don't have to be someone who writes your own MM scripts to install mods manually; it's just drag-and-drop.

I don't mind the occasional drag-and-drop mod. It's the ones that require tons of other mods, entering code, and unseen conflictions that I don't have time for. If  I use CKAN, it solves most of the problems. Are there any other CKAN mods anyone would suggest? I have no idea what most of them do...

 

7 hours ago, Streetwind said:

- Avoid using mk1 fuselage parts and cockpits (especially the mk1 front cockpit). It can work, but it is much more difficult than using the actually reentry-rated mk2 and mk3 parts.
- Don't be too timid. The upper atmosphere will cook you alive without slowing you down, so get through it quickly. If you foolishly try a 70 km AP, 50 km PE reentry, you will fail. Try 90 km AP, 30 km PE.
- Keep your nose up! In 99% of cases, the nose of a spaceplane experiences the highest heating and goes first (which is why the mk1 front cockpit is a bad idea). Which is why you want other parts of the plane as much in the airstream as possible. So do the pancake maneuver and put yourself belly first, perpendicular to prograde, while you perform reentry. At some point the atmosphere will force your nose forward again, but you should still keep your finger on the key and strive to keep it lifted up. If that makes you gain altitude instead of losing it, then roll sideways and fly consecutive S-turns instead. Just don't let the nose drop to full forward until you're below 1200 m/s.

Doing that, you should not need any radiators at all. :wink:

Ah, good advice! I was definitely re-entering from too high. (Ran out of fuel and went from 70 AP to ~35PE. Yep.) Coming in from 90 to limit exposure makes moar sense. I'll try all these things. Thanks!

 

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