Stock Tutorials, Books, YouTube?

[HansonKerman]

So I've noticed that stock tutorials are overlooked by users who have access to the Internet.

I like stock better, because they're step-by step, overlooked and, only the best Kerbals guide you.

 

And @barongan brought something to my attention.

This isn't just a poll, it's supposed to be a place where we can come together, learn how we became the pros we are, and just overall be a nice place (not a chat thread).

Edited August 13, 2018 by HansonKerman

[Tyko]

They're both good resources. I learned the barebones basics using stock, but the youtube tutorials, especially those by Scott Manley, provided a lot more context to let me understand the concepts and how to refine my skills. I probably wouldn't be playing the game still if it wasn't for Scott Manley's help getting off the ground.

[FinalFan]

I agree that the game tutorials are probably overlooked a lot.  I personally feel like they serve a slightly different purpose from most YouTube videos (Scott Manley).  I virtually ignored them until I wanted to practice for an asteroid capture, and then got slapped in the face with the concept of radially attached NERVs which had never occurred to me.  

YouTube can teach people how to fly, how to build, etc.  It's great for "tips and tricks" or showing the general idea of something.  The tutorial lets them practice and experience those maneuvers and those vessels themselves without having to design, build, and launch it already.  

[MDZhB]

Most of what I've learned about playing KSP has come from reading, actually. There are a lot of good resources on the forums, and of course about orbital mechanics in general. Although, I do remember watching youtube to learn how to get to orbit, but that was before in-game tutorials existed, I think.

[Snark]

Well, since I'm a crusty old codger who learned KSP back before we had all these fancy new-fangled in-game tutorials, I never used 'em. 

Also, never used YouTube, mainly because I like reading stuff and I find videos worse than useless.  My brain's just not wired that way; information's somehow just not "real" to me (and won't sink in) unless it's written down and/or frozen as static images.  (Kinda sucks to be me, these days, since most of the Internet seems to have collectively decided that "reading" is passé and so everything's an instructional video.  Oh well.)

So mostly I just learned by trial-and-error on my own (which is what I enjoy doing, anyway), and I spent a lot of time reading "Gameplay Questions" and occasionally posting there myself if I had trouble figuring something out.  The KSP forum has always been my go-to place for information about the game.

[HansonKerman]

@Snark Love your mindset!

[RealKerbal3x]

4 hours ago, Snark said:

Well, since I'm a crusty old codger who learned KSP back before we had all these fancy new-fangled in-game tutorials, I never used 'em. 

Also, never used YouTube, mainly because I like reading stuff and I find videos worse than useless.  My brain's just not wired that way; information's somehow just not "real" to me (and won't sink in) unless it's written down and/or frozen as static images.  (Kinda sucks to be me, these days, since most of the Internet seems to have collectively decided that "reading" is passé and so everything's an instructional video.  Oh well.)

So mostly I just learned by trial-and-error on my own (which is what I enjoy doing, anyway), and I spent a lot of time reading "Gameplay Questions" and occasionally posting there myself if I had trouble figuring something out.  The KSP forum has always been my go-to place for information about the game.

Pretty much the same here. I like to watch YouTube videos, but when I’m having trouble I like to come here and ask for help. I find that a clear description and a nice diagram really help

[SchwinnTropius]

I lurked this forum for a long time reading up on how to play once I got my first taste of the game at a friend's house. Personally I have never touched the tutorials, though it may be a good idea to try them out once I can play again.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Never played the tutorials myself, just jumped in and started playing.

Personally I'd rather learn by doing at my own pace, and come seek answers here if I get stumped than sit through a school room-esque tutorial.

Just my 2 cents though, everyone learns differently.

[wumpus]

The tutorials aren't often used, so I don't trust Squad to fix bugs in them.  Don't be surprised if many of them aren't completable.

I vastly prefer text to video, but Scott Manley's content is sufficiently good to recommend even to those who prefer text.  My  favorite text is Space Flight by Carsbie Adams, a Sputnik-era primer on space flight for the undergraduate level (anything modern I've seen pretty much assumes a degree in aeronautical engineering, and often more on top of that).  At $10 from Amazon used, I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but it gives a great background on basic rocket science and a bit of history of the early space race.

Don't ignore career mode.  It seems to introduce new requirements in a fairly good order, although I'd recommend visiting Minmus before Mun, and only then attempt to rescue kerbals (rescueing kerbals is a great way to learn the basics of rendezvous and dock, with much lower precision needed for "success".  Once you can routinely rescue kerbals I'd recommend strapping RCS to your system and docking).  The only real issue with going to Minmus first is that you have to correct your alignment before transiting, but this is typically better than landing on the slopes of the Mun (nevermind the benefits of being able to use the altimeter when landing on the flats in stock, otherwise you need a mod with "altitude over ground").

Career mode may seem a bit grindy a few times, but I suspect it is pretty good for new players - disclosure: I didn't learn in career mode (and it was difficult to the point of buggy in 1.0.0-1.0.2), but way back we had a wiki with "Scenarios" that suggested a basic progression for use in sandbox (the only available mode).

[HansonKerman]

2 hours ago, wumpus said:

 

The tutorials aren't often used, so I don't trust Squad to fix bugs in them.  Don't be surprised if many of them aren't completable.

 

I've completed nearly every one. (except the ARM ones and the Docking one).

[Cavscout74]

A lot of my early learning came from trial & lots of error, followed by youtube videos & reading on KSP Wiki.  When it came to rendezvous & docking, I gave up trial & error & went with the in-game tutorials, which worked fairly well. 

Edited August 5, 2018 by Cavscout74

[Atkara]

Youtube/Twitch tutorials mostly. Learned basic rocket design, launch, rendezvous, navball and basic transfers from DasValdez and gravity assists from Dr. Scott Manley.

Edited August 5, 2018 by Atkara

[Mahnarch]

I learned all my flying from Danny!

 

After that, I came here.

[KerbolExplorer]

At first i used the tutorials.I lasted till the Mun tutorial 2..After that it was trail and error all the way to the stars

[HansonKerman]

@barongan, tell why, if you have anything else...

Y'know this isn't just a poll, it's a place where we can learn about each other's learning. It's supposed to be a place where we come together.

[The Minmus Derp]

I use the book, stock tutorials, youtube tutorials, the wiki, and my own clever ideas!

[HansonKerman]

@The Minmus Derp You know the book?!

[Superfluous J]

I don't think I've ever followed a tutorial for anything except building spaceplanes, and I still can't build spaceplanes. Like Snark, I learned how to play the game long before there were tutorials (or a career, or science mode) in it.

I've learned a lot from videos and from reading, but that's just picked up watching and reading about normal play, not watching any tutorials.

Generally when I watch a tutorial these days it's to see what they did wrong

I've never ever loaded the in-game tutorials and I feel a little bad. I feel like I should know what they contain so I can (or should not) recommend them.

Edited August 12, 2018 by 5thHorseman

[The Minmus Derp]

5 hours ago, HansonKerman said:

@The Minmus Derp You know the book?!

Yes! do you like it? I certainnely llike it.

[Freshmeat]

I have gotten most of my knowledge from these very forums, but a few video tutorials has been nice to watch as well. I like static images and text more than video, and learn more easily that way. Further, very shortly after I got the game, I took up my Introduction to Mechanics and reread the section on movement in a gravitational field, and a page from a high school textbook on Hohmann transfers, and another on the rocket equation. This helped me a lot in understanding why the advice I got elsewhere later on was right. If I should do it all again, I would probably have started at @OhioBob's excellent website on the subject.

[HansonKerman]

Hey peeps, this is going really well! I'm really enjoying seeing your learning experience!