TCIS's Guide To Mod Installation

[Chel]

Have you ever thought that KSP lacked something? Do you want some fancy new engines? Want to design massive craft? Even want to add entire planets and moons to the game? There's only one issue: How do you make such things a part of the game?

This is a quick guide for installing mods and addons to Kerbal Space Program. Firstly, let's start with some simple terminology (what words mean), so you know what I'm talking about later in the guide.

Terms

Mod: A modification, commonly called a mod, is anything that changes or adds things to a program.

Plugin: A bit of software that is sometimes needed for certain things to work (e.g. Firespitter.dll is usually required for most parts that have animations)

GameData: Can be the KSP GameData folder, located in the root folder of the game, or can be a mod's GameData folder.

Root folder: Usually a folder named 'Kerbal Space Program'. Once opened, it contains all files for the game, including IVAs, textures, sounds, and most importantly, parts.

Extract/Unzip/Unpack: They all mean the same thing, but generally it just means to 'Extract all' the mod's .ZIP file (the file which get's downloaded and contains everything for the mod).

readme: A text file, usually found in most mods, that can contain installation instructions, licenses, changelogs, or other things. You should always read the mod's 'readme' file (if it has one), because that usually contains installation instructions.

Part 1: Searching

So you want a mod, except where to get it from, you wonder. These are the links to the most common sites for KSP mods, including the KSP Forum's own mod page.

KSP Mods on Curse: https://mods.curse.com/ksp-mods/kerbal

KSP Forum's Mod Release Thread: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/forum/34-add-on-releases/

SpaceDock: https://spacedock.info/kerbal-space-program

Once you've found your mod, time to download it!

Part 2: Downloading

You've found a certain mod that you like, and you're ready to download it. However, caution is advised, as not all download links work, and you're computer's safety and KSP game safety may be at risk. Before proceeding, you should check the version history. It's no use downloading a mod for version 1.1.2 if your KSP version is 1.3, is it? Sometimes, but very rarely, mods that have higher versions that your game version may work (I downloaded a mod for version 1.0.5, and I installed it for KSP version 1.0.0, and it worked fine). But usually, downloading mods not for the current version can cause glitches, cause missing parts, corrupt a save file, or even break the game entirely.

Secondly, make sure the download link works. On Curse, since the mod is based on the site, and the download link is on the site as well, every mod should download. But sometimes, especially for old mods that haven't been updated in a while, the download link may not work. It may deliver a blank page. It may do nothing. It may give a 404 error (that page doesn't exist anymore). This is very frustrating, as you really want a cool mod, but you can't download it.

Next, be wary of downloading from dodgy-looking websites. They may contain malware, Trojans, or viruses that could harm your computer. Always scan something for malware before downloading it, just to be safe.

Part 3: Installing

So you've successfully downloaded your mod. Open the mod folder, and look around for a 'readme' file if it has one. That file would usually contain installation instructions for the mod. For example: 'To install 'Cat Flags', unpack everything to the root folder, overwriting previous versions if there are any'. This means that you need to go to the mod's .ZIP folder (the one it came in), right click it, select 'Extract All', and locate your folder named 'Kerbal Space Program', that contains all the files for the game. Once you've found it, select 'Extract', and it should put everything in there, nice and neat and tidy.

However, for most mods, you will not have to extract everything to the Kerbal Space Program folder. Nearly every mod has a 'GameData' folder, containing all the parts, textures, sounds, and everything else with it. For most mods, you would just copy the mod's GameData folder to your GameData folder, located in the root folder of the game (Kerbal Space Program). However, a common mistake is to copy the mod's GameData folder to your GameData folder. This will create a GameData folder INSIDE KSP's GameData folder, usually causing issues.

What you should do, is open the mod's GameData folder, and select everything inside it, and copy all of that to your GameData folder, so you don't end up with a GameData folder in KSP's GameData folder. (A bit confusing, but stay with me!)

Part 4: Launching the game

So you've now installed the mod. Simply, whenever you're ready, launch the game. Hopefully, the game should load fine without crashing or freezing (usually caused by incorrect installation of the mod). Hopefully, all the mod's parts should be there (missing parts are usually because of incorrect installation). Hopefully, there should be no bugs or glitches with the mod, affecting your game (usually caused by an incorrect installation, but sometimes happens because of the mod. In the latter case, wait for a bugfix version of the mod, and then download that one).

 

Hope this long-ish guide helps you, TCIS.

 

Edited June 14, 2017 by The_Cat_In_Space