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what is the best engine in KSP?


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There is no such thing as best engine, at least not best overall. There might be a best engines for a particular job/scenario.

If you are talking about favorite engine, that is a different matter altogether. I myself like the Aerospike and the Vector a lot, both a nice mix for atmo and vacuum. I'm also a big fan of the Puff engine on smaller craft.

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There really is no "best" engine in KSP. Every engine in the game fills some sort of role. Some roles are more niche than others, so those engines might not be used very often. Other engines might fill a broader range of roles, and therefore may seem to be more popular because they can be used in more situations. But in the end, the "best" engine in KSP is the one you use to meet whatever need you have.

For example, some people might think the Mammoth is the "best" engine in the game because it is the largest and most powerful stock engine. Yet, if all I want to do is launch a small satellite into LKO, using a Mammoth is overkill and unnecessary. A Swivel or Skipper or even one of the SRBs might fit that role better, depending on the size of your satellite and the orbital parameters you are trying to obtain.

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6 minutes ago, Rocket In My Pocket said:

Before this thread fills up with "There is no best engine" posts.

Let me point out that his actual question is which engine is your favorite.

So when he says "best" he means the "best" in your opinion.

Fair enough, but I feel my point still stands:

 

I really have no "favorite" engine in KSP. Every engine in the game fills some sort of role. Some roles are more niche than others, so those engines might not be used very often. Other engines might fill a broader range of roles, and therefore may seem to be more popular because they can be used in more situations. But in the end, my "favorite" engine in KSP is the one I use to meet whatever need I have.

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Poodle for basically everything.  I am at home for building 2.5m rockets.  My favorite engine for launching however is the middle 2.5m engine(not the poodle and not the mainsail) since its efficiency is pretty good as an atmospheric engine and a vacuum engine 

Edited by mrclucks
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Well there's no objectively best engine for all scenarios. But suppose I interpret the question difficulty: Imagine there was only one engine, what one would I choose?

And it's the Aerospike. It is efficient in both atmosphere and vacuum, has good TWR, is a fairly small engine so it's useful on a range of craft, and has a pretty good form factor. Drawback is no gimbal.

My second choice would be the Vector. Compact and massively powerful, with fair efficiency, it's the engine of choice for large lifters because seven go under a Kerbodyne tank. The crazy gimbal is the cherry on top. The drawback is it is four tons, you aren't making light ships with a vector.

My third choice is the Swivel. It doesn't excel at anything but it's a passable all-rounder and a KSP classic.

Edited by cantab
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1 hour ago, cantab said:

Well there's no objectively best engine for all scenarios. But suppose I interpret the question difficulty: Imagine there was only one engine, what one would I choose?

And it's the Aerospike. It is efficient in both atmosphere and vacuum, has good TWR, is a fairly small engine so it's useful on a range of craft, and has a pretty good form factor. Drawback is no gimbal.

My second choice would be the Vector. Compact and massively powerful, with fair efficiency, it's the engine of choice for large lifters because seven go under a Kerbodyne tank. The crazy gimbal is the cherry on top. The drawback is it is four tons, you aren't making light ships with a vector.

My third choice is the Swivel. It doesn't excel at anything but it's a passable all-rounder and a KSP classic.

You can actually fit 9 of them under a Kerbodyne tank relatively easily, makes for a beastly booster. The Vector is hilariously powerful if you scale it up with tweakscale. :lol:

OT: I adore the Poodle engine, it's useless for atmospheric use, but it's an excellent all round engine in vacuum. It has the highest ISP of LFO engines and still has decent TWR. I also really like the NERV, because it's so darn good at turning fuel into velocity.^_^

Edited by Mjarf
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1 hour ago, mrclucks said:

Poodle for basically everything.  I am at home for building 2.5m rockets.  My favorite engine for launching however is the middle 2.5m engine(not the poodle and not the mainsail) since its efficiency is pretty good as an atmospheric engine and a vacuum engine 

Poodle is a solid choice, I just hate the way it looks. Looks like a mouthpice on a trumpet or something, not a rocket engine. :)

Edited by DChurchill
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I'm gonna have to go with Unity. It has its flaws, but right now it's all we've got, and...

 

...Oh! You mean rocket engines!

 

I am very fond of the Poodle, Terrier, and Aerospike for all my orbital infrastructure needs. They're a good compromise between strong thrust and high efficiency, and don't require the extra attention (liquid fuel only, radiators, etc.) that nuclear engines do.

I also really like the idea of ion engines, but I don't think it'll really be practical in-game unless and until we get the ability to leave the thrusters on when not focused on the vessel in question. Looking forward to trying out the bigger ion engines from Near Future Tech though!

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24 minutes ago, AbacusWizard said:

I'm gonna have to go with Unity. It has its flaws, but right now it's all we've got, and...

Beat everyone to the pun. 

I like the 24-77, whatever it's called now. (twitch? Doesn't do it justice),  useful when you want a some vertical thrusters, or to add a little bit of extra thrust to a more efficient engine for landings and launchings. 

Also the poodle, for its unusual looks.

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