Sort of new...

[bsooner77]

I had been playing KSP since 2014 and have taken a few small breaks here and there, but the last time I played there wasn't any DLC or anything of that sort.  I stopped playing because I got annoyed that anytime it seemed like I was getting anywhere with the game and what I was doing in it, the devs would updated it, it would break all the mods, and then I would have to start all over again from the beginning. I had a pretty heavily modded game. Even made my own little mod that used stock parts I never used, like that damned engine that's described as an engine for ants lol...I liked to think of it as Kerbal Sci-fi...Basically modded some of the engines to have higher ISP and more power so that I could have more sci-fi inspired stuff without it being so cheaty, aka I still needed fuel but I didn't have to build something so outrageous as to ruin a certain aesthetic I was going for in my game. I also added science parts to command modules and habitat like modules so that after a certain point, I wouldn't have experiments hanging off of everything I built, and added electric generators to some parts as to not have batteries all over.  Even modded the weight on some parts so that the added stuff would at least add to the challenge.  

So my question is where do I even get started again? I've downloaded the latest version 1.4.5 and the DLC...do I install 1.4.5 and then install the DLC or is the DLC a complete update in and of itself?  Is there a newer version coming down the pipe I should wait and install and play then? I had A LOT of credits/money in game (enough I NEVER had to worry about cost of anything) and about 21 kerbals at least 3 star or above...Can you still mod the save file to bring yourself up to speed of the last game you played without having to start from the beginning? I had started playing with roverdudes' mods quite a bit...love the idea of colonizing and building a self sufficient colony on another world...are those mods still around?? 

Thanks in advance for any advice

Edited September 10, 2018 by bsooner77
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[Geonovast]

2 hours ago, bsooner77 said:

the devs would updated it, it would break all the mods

You don't need to update.  If you have it in steam, simply disable automatic updates.  You can also run parallel installs of multiple versions, so you can simply migrate your saves over when you have the newest version tested with your necessary mods.  I still mainly play 1.3.1, but I also have 1.4.3 and 1.4.5 installs.

 

2 hours ago, bsooner77 said:

So my question is where do I even get started again? I've downloaded the latest version 1.4.5 and the DLC...do I install 1.4.5 and then install the DLC or is the DLC a complete update in and of itself?

If you don't have any saves to pick back up on, I would research the mods you need the most, and go with their common greatest mod supported.  MH installs after you install the main game.  The game basically treats it like a mod, it just has an installer instead of manually copying files into GameData.

 

2 hours ago, bsooner77 said:

Can you still mod the save file to bring yourself up to speed of the last game you played without having to start from the beginning? I had started playing with roverdudes' mods quite a bit

AFAIK, you should be able to open saves from an older version and play them normally.  Just always, always make a copy beforehand, so if it breaks it (I'm pretty sure it makes changes as soon as it opens it), you don't actually lose anything.

 

2 hours ago, bsooner77 said:

love the idea of colonizing and building a self sufficient colony on another world...are those mods still around?? 

I believe he's still around.  Last I looked he was keeping his mods updated.

 

So basically... you can update, but just do it apart from your main install and research the mods ahead of time.  But you don't have to update.  If you're happy with your game, keep it as it is.  I'm still in 1.3.1 mainly and likely will be for awhile, even after 1.5 is released.  I have MH, but there's nothing in there I need.

 

Welcome! Sort of...

[bsooner77]

Thank you @Geonovast...this helps a lot!!  I don't have this on Steam...in fact, up until last year when I built my current rig, I only played KSP...so steam is a new thing for me. I've always just downloaded the .zip off of the website per new verison. I've got a game for every version since I started playing hanging around somewhere. 

I can't believe myself having played this game this long and I've never asked...like say I wanted to install 1.3.1, could I install the latest mod versions, or would I have to find versions of the mod that were for 1.3.1, if I didn't already have them.  I guess this never occurred to me as I've only gone forward with versions...is this what you mean by 

Quote

I would research the mods you need the most, and go with their common greatest mod supported

 

Edited September 11, 2018 by bsooner77

[Geonovast]

1 minute ago, bsooner77 said:

like say I wanted to install 1.3.1, could I install the latest mod versions, or would I have to find versions of the mod that were for 1.3.1, if I didn't already have them.  I guess this never occurred to me as I've only gone forward with versions..

You need to install the version of the mod specific to the version of the game.  So if you're playing 1.3.1, you need to look for the appropriate older version.  Mods for newer versions will almost certainly not work.  Strictly part mods may, so they could be worth a try (just don't ask for support if it doesn't). Most mod makers keep older versions available.  On github, there's a releases section that usually says what version of the game it's for.  On Spacedock, the older versions are kept under the ChangeLog tab.

Same applies for Making History.  You need the correct Making History version for the version of the game you're playing.  (Remember that MH is 1.4.0 +)

But yeah, don't upgrade unless you have a specific reason to, like a bug fix you really need or a new feature you want.  Even with some of the new parts (Non- MH parts), you might be able to use them.  I have the MK 1-3 Command pod (introduced in 1.4) in 1.3.1 and it works fine, using the MK 1-2 IVA.

So really, it isn't necessary to upgrade for the sake of upgrading.  I know that as recent as the 1.4 release, there were people still playing 1.2.2 for the stability and familiarity.