Beginner-problems with training

[Klapaucius]

Hello,

 

I am an absolute beginner.  I actually need to learn this game fairly quickly to help facilitate a community kids group at our local library.  I have to say, I am finding it rather difficult to find a good tutorial that walks you through, step by step, without moving too quickly or trying to do too much. 

 

So I have been trying the training contained within the game itself. I like the explanations and pacing, but I keep running into problems. For example:

Intermediate construction: I cannot get past the adding some extra functionality" part. It tells me to open the "Science tab" to look at the Mystery Goo. However, no matter what I do, the "next" button stays grayed out. I have tried this scenario 6 times and cannot get past this.

So, I decided to skip it, and tried the next training: "Suborbital Flight" However, if I follow the instructions precisely, I run out of fuel. I tried backing off on the thrust--despite being told to start at 2/3, and still run out of fuel.  No matter what I do I fail. Is it supposed to be this hard on a beginner tutorial? (Ironically, I had better luck just going blind and building things--but I really need to get a good grip on the whole process).

 

 To be honest, this is really frustrating and not exactly making me want to continue.  Thoughts?

Edited September 9, 2017 by Klapaucius
typo

[wumpus]

One option is skipping the career mode  and going straight to the sandbox.  One problem the sandbox has is that it makes all the parts immediately available.  You could avoid this by playing the demo, which has the added bonus of being able to hand the demo out at the library.

This thread points to the current location of the demo (it is under maintenance and will be replaced with a new 1.3.x demo shortly).

I don't have KSP on this system, so can't check the state of the training (I'm not at all familiar with it, it didn't exist when I was learning the game).

[Jas0n]

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYu7z3I8tdEkUeJRCh083UT-Lq5ZIKI75

Here is a playlist of career mode tutorials by Scott Manley. 

 

But honestly you should start in sandbox mode and first try to fly the Kerbal x into orbit. And then try to build your own rockets. 

If you look around in this subforum, there is a number of great tutorials on how to play the game.

[Superfluous J]

19 hours ago, Klapaucius said:

I actually need to learn this game fairly quickly

I don't want to dissuade, but you are literally asking to learn rocket science quickly. I spent an entire weekend, probably 20+hours, getting a successful mission to Mun and back. And that was before science gathering was even a thing and the game was much smaller. Not simpler, mind you, but smaller. As in far less things to take into account.

I second though the Scott Manley tutorials. Watch out for anything dealing with the atmosphere that is more than about 2 years old (April 2015), as the atmosphere got a HUGE update and any advice given before that date is not just wrong, but will likely be detrimental.

[harrisjosh2711]

Forget that stupid sub-orbital flight mission. I just tried and failed as well. I cant complete that but I can sure launch a huge mission to mars. The most important thing is that you learn to rendezvous and dock.

 

[Urses]

The mostly mentioned problem is for the training missions, they look to use the last started gameplay as basic imptovement. If you start a new carier game and do the training afterwards you mostly stick in there bc some of functionalitys simple are not present.

Try to start a sandbox and than start the training. 

And if i may be a little "salty" training isn't realy up to date

Funny Kabooms 

Urses

[Chemp]

It's been a while since I did those missions, so I went back to take a look.

Intermediate construction: the only thing you have to do is to click on the science tab on the left for the "next" button to activate.

Suborbital Flight: at which point do you run out of fuel? If you follow the during the ascent, by the time your engine stops at an altitude of roughly 16km, your AP should be well beyond 80km (check it on the map with M). You're not supposed to make orbit though, just reach space.

I hope this helps.

[Klapaucius]

2 hours ago, Jas0n said:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYu7z3I8tdEkUeJRCh083UT-Lq5ZIKI75

Here is a playlist of career mode tutorials by Scott Manley. 

 

But honestly you should start in sandbox mode and first try to fly the Kerbal x into orbit. And then try to build your own rockets. 

If you look around in this subforum, there is a number of great tutorials on how to play the game.

Thank you for that!  I was recommended Scott Manley, but for some reason I could only find his older tutorials.  So I will give those a try.

I actually did do a few sandbox sessions, and I got a very dodgy rocket into space, but I also ran into problems here and there which I realized were because I simply did not know enough.  So this will be really helpful.

 

And thanks to everyone else for the great advice as well.

[wumpus]

3 hours ago, harrisjosh2711 said:

Forget that stupid sub-orbital flight mission. I just tried and failed as well. I cant complete that but I can sure launch a huge mission to mars. The most important thing is that you learn to rendezvous and dock.

Either you didn't read the hints or something is really messed up in your installation (likely, I know I couldn't do this with one of mine around 1.0.0).  If you know how to set the tracking computer to the target, all that you could have gotten wrong was not going full thrust when told.

But I couldn't complete the "advanced construction" training.  I must have put something on wrong and it never believed I had properly rotated solar panels and batteries.

I didn't even look at the docking training.  They don't even break up rendezvous and docking?  [Career rescue missions are a great introduction to rendezvous].

I also can see someone new not reading all those texts.  You need to know everything in there eventually.  But it might be easier just to watch Scott Manley.

1 hour ago, Klapaucius said:

I actually did do a few sandbox sessions, and I got a very dodgy rocket into space, but I also ran into problems here and there which I realized were because I simply did not know enough.  So this will be really helpful.

You can speed up time by using the ">" key (and undo it with the "<" key), but these are disabled in training missions.  Considering how long it can take to wait for a capsule to fall back from space, it is often better to practice these types of things  in sandbox.  One thing that helps in the training mission is the little target indicator in the orbital mission: while it shouldn't be needed to for suborbital hops (straight up should work), it is an important path to learn to get into orbit in KSP (and I don't know if mechjeb will give you as good an indicator or not.  You can't get one in stock KSP outside of training).

[Vanamonde]

Thread moved to Gameplay Questions, since it is seeking help rather than offering it. 

[bewing]

On 9/9/2017 at 2:59 PM, Klapaucius said:

Hello,

 

I am an absolute beginner.  I actually need to learn this game fairly quickly to help facilitate a community kids group at our local library.  I have to say, I am finding it rather difficult to find a good tutorial that walks you through, step by step, without moving too quickly or trying to do too much. 

Gotta agree with 5th Horseman. To become moderately facile at this game requires about 200 hours of solid gameplay, with good concentration and retention. I think the best you can hope for is to stay a couple days ahead of your victims.

On 9/9/2017 at 2:59 PM, Klapaucius said:

 

So I have been trying the training contained within the game itself. I like the explanations and pacing, but I keep running into problems.

I promise that all the tutorials can be completed (I test them with every new release), but some of them require doing some particular little step just right.

On 9/9/2017 at 2:59 PM, Klapaucius said:

For example:

Intermediate construction: I cannot get past the adding some extra functionality" part. It tells me to open the "Science tab" to look at the Mystery Goo. However, no matter what I do, the "next" button stays grayed out. I have tried this scenario 6 times and cannot get past this.

On the left side of the parts bin are tabs. The next to last one is "Science". Click it. Then it will tell you to change the symmetry to 2x, and to attach two Goos near the top of your rocket.

On 9/9/2017 at 2:59 PM, Klapaucius said:

So, I decided to skip it, and tried the next training: "Suborbital Flight" However, if I follow the instructions precisely, I run out of fuel.

Rockets always eventually run out of fuel. As said above, you are supposed to run out of fuel, and then coast up into space.

 

On 9/9/2017 at 2:59 PM, Klapaucius said:

I tried backing off on the thrust--despite being told to start at 2/3, and still run out of fuel.  No matter what I do I fail. Is it supposed to be this hard on a beginner tutorial? (Ironically, I had better luck just going blind and building things--but I really need to get a good grip on the whole process).

 

 To be honest, this is really frustrating and not exactly making me want to continue.  Thoughts?

You are trying to rapidly climb a learning-wall (it's not a learning curve in this game). Of course it's going to be frustrating to push yourself through it.

But if you really want to try to learn it fast, then the fastest way is to ask a lot of questions here on the forums. But be prepared to post craft files, pictures, and maybe video clips -- and even doing that much requires knowledge.

 

 

[bewing]

I tested the Intermediate Construction tutorial again, and it can be completed. I found one odd little thing, but it shouldn't affect you.

 

 

Edited September 12, 2017 by bewing

[Klapaucius]

Just a thank you and update for all your advice as I was getting started. I'm still have a zillion things to learn, but after a few months of seat of the pants, I finally found the time to devote a lot of hours to getting the basics.  

The funny thing is I got asked to teach this and initially had no real interest in the game.  Now, I am hooked. Who would've thought?  I've just spend the last several hours noodling around with the Mission Builder and seeing if I can use it for students.  One of the cool features is you can create scenarios where you launch rockets from any location. So I have been happily failing for two hours to get a big rocket into orbit from the surface of Eve, as well as the side of a mountain on Kerbin and a hillside on Laythe.

 

FYI:  Scott Manley is brilliant, but I found him better once I knew a little to begin with.  He goes quite fast.

This guy was fantastic for a complete newbie:

 

Edited March 16, 2018 by Klapaucius

[Roketto]

I ran into exactly the same issue. I follow the instructions and the "Next" button is often greyed out. For example, if I remove the engine in the Intermediate Construction tutorial and then release it, the Next is greyed until I click and hold the engine and only then is the Next button available. Clicking the Science tab does not then ask me to use 2x symmetry and manually doing so does not enable the next button. Perhaps it is an OS issue. I am OSX High Sierra 10.13.6, laptop.

[bewing]

2 hours ago, Roketto said:

I ran into exactly the same issue. I follow the instructions and the "Next" button is often greyed out. For example, if I remove the engine in the Intermediate Construction tutorial and then release it, the Next is greyed until I click and hold the engine and only then is the Next button available. Clicking the Science tab does not then ask me to use 2x symmetry and manually doing so does not enable the next button. Perhaps it is an OS issue. I am OSX High Sierra 10.13.6, laptop.

Welcome to the forums.

When the tutorial says "remove the engine" -- what it means is that you need to delete the engine completely. You know how to delete parts by putting them back over into the parts bin? That's what you need to do to the engine. Once you've done that, you should be able to continue.

 

[AstroNeon]

Hello I cannot pass this neither. Can someone help me, not even with that symmetry mode.... Help! 

I place the mystery boxes and nothing happens. It will still be  greyed out the button.

[Fierce Wolf]

2 hours ago, AstroNeon said:

Hello I cannot pass this neither. Can someone help me, not even with that symmetry mode.... Help! 

I place the mystery boxes and nothing happens. It will still be  greyed out the button.

Hello!

Mind that this forum doesn't like much doing necromancy of old posts (this one is from 2017), you are better off starting a new thread.

 

That aside...

Check this 2 things

 

1: the placing mode must be symmetry, so it attaches two of those.

2: the mystery goos are in the sides of the capsule (the white area) if you place them elsewhere it won't work, at least in the tutorial. You can put 'em them everywhere in play mode.

 

See if that works out and post again

[radthemad4]

I was having the same problem as Astral Neon and I tried to match Fierce Wolf's image exactly but the Next button was still greyed out. Then I restarted the tutorial and somehow, it worked on the new attempt. I don't understand it, but maybe restarting the tutorial might help?

Edited December 26, 2020 by radthemad4
Clarification

[Klapaucius]

Wow, actually it is quite cool to see this necromancy happening.  It reminded me how far I have come.  Interestingly, I just did an advanced course in my outdoors passion, whitewater kayaking, and I was thinking the same about that--how far I have come.   And yet, I still have a lot to learn in both KSP and kayaking.

[king of nowhere]

8 hours ago, Klapaucius said:

Wow, actually it is quite cool to see this necromancy happening.  It reminded me how far I have come.  Interestingly, I just did an advanced course in my outdoors passion, whitewater kayaking, and I was thinking the same about that--how far I have come.   And yet, I still have a lot to learn in both KSP and kayaking.

when i saw the date on the first post and the necromancy i thought, this guy is already done with his community kids, he's not going to need ksp any longer, he probably forgot about it all completely.

instead, you are still playing ksp. i wonder if by now there are also some more of your other kids here