Do You Prefer Rockets or Planes More In KSP?

[Johnster_Space_Program]

This is poll where i'm wondering if you prefer building rockets, planes, or something else like SSTOs more in Kerbal Space Program.

[steuben]

Quote

Rockets or Planes

Answer: True

[Incarnation of Chaos]

I kinda alternate between traditional rockets and planes; i don't really have a solid preference. But as of now iv'e been making quite a few rockets; since i'm assembling my first interplanetary mothership. 

[DStaal]

I almost never use planes.  To me, the game is about exploring/colonizing space - the rocket or plane is basically a way to get your payload into orbit.  Planes take more time and effort to get into orbit, and to return from orbit, so they have a much lower time dealing with mission/time dealing with launcher ratio.

I'm more likely to spend time building rovers, bases, or stations than I am building planes.  (Actually, even launcher rockets - typically I spend a fair amount of time putting the payload together, and then spend a couple of minutes building a semi-standard launcher on it.)

[fulgur]

I like building SSTOs. They're more interesting than rockets, and I find my rockets are often more brick-like and harder to fly than some of my SSTOs. I don't really use planes that often on Kerbin, but I will fly little explorational aircraft to Laythe and other oxygen-atmosphere planets. I guess that now we have props, I'll be able to send those to Duna & Eve.

Although I am having a lot of fun with the prop planes and flying around.

Edited July 29, 2019 by fulgur

[Curveball Anders]

I like to build and fly planes, in X-Plane.

In KSP I've done it once, and will most likely not try again.

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by Curveball Anders

[ARS]

Planes, I find it more challenging from gameplay standpoint since aside from orbital mechanic, there's also aerodynamics that must be considered when going to space. I also made a lot of SSTOs, since that's my primary means getting things on orbit (rockets are only used for things that's too large)

Edited July 28, 2019 by ARS

[razark]

If your SSTO isn't a rocket, how is it getting to orbit?

[Reinhart Mk.1]

4 hours ago, DStaal said:

I almost never use planes.  To me, the game is about exploring/colonizing space - the rocket or plane is basically a way to get your payload into orbit.  Planes take more time and effort to get into orbit, and to return from orbit, so they have a much lower time dealing with mission/time dealing with launcher ratio.

The accomplishment you get from building an SSTO to some interplanetary destination and landing back at the KSC is so satisfying (and stylish imo). Staining the runway with the dust of whatever planet you landed on also just sounds poetic.

[DStaal]

8 minutes ago, Reinhart Mk.1 said:

The accomplishment you get from building an SSTO to some interplanetary destination and landing back at the KSC is so satisfying (and stylish imo). Staining the runway with the dust of whatever planet you landed on also just sounds poetic.

Either way is personal opinion.    I've built a couple SSTO's just to prove to myself I can, but I prefer rockets.   But if it's worth it to you, go for it.

[Reinhart Mk.1]

1 hour ago, DStaal said:

Either way is personal opinion.    I've built a couple SSTO's just to prove to myself I can, but I prefer rockets.   But if it's worth it to you, go for it.

Oh I still like rockets too! After flying so many SSTOS it really is a lot easier and simpler too. At this point im not sure how much farther I can get with a new SSTO so I'm probably gonna switch back to rockets soon haha

[Cavscout74]

I like planes & spaceplanes a lot, but I use rockets much more.  Biggest use I have for spaceplanes is moving crews to orbit to transfer into whatever is going to take them further.  The other big use is for Laythe interface between surface & orbiting stations.   The rest of the time, its just quicker & easier for me to launch via rocket.  I've used recoverable rockets also, but they get old quick, even in career where the cost is a factor. 

[Tyko]

...but a rocket can make it to orbit in a single stage = SSTO

[Pecan]

Another thread with lots of people who don't know what SSTO means.  Thanks Tyko and razark for a little sanity.

[RealKerbal3x]

I'm a rocket guy. I do fly planes now and then, but I find that a common garden rocket is a lot less hassle to fly to orbit than an SSTO spaceplane - you don't have to worry about lift-to-drag ratios or fuel fractions - and a rocket quickly slapped together is more likely to fly than an aircraft built in a similar fashion.

[Incarnation of Chaos]

20 hours ago, Tyko said:

...but a rocket can make it to orbit in a single stage = SSTO

The only SSTO's iv'e ever flown were accidental xD; normally a small payload on top of a overkill launcher because the cost is negligible after recovering it and a smaller launcher would only save me a few grand. And then i find i have like 2K Dv after circularizing and haven't even popped the first stage off.

Unintentional SSTO should be a meme template xD

[Lokachop]

I actually like them both, also, i have no idea on how to do SSTO's (gonna try to do one "soon")

[FahmiRBLX]

Ever since I'm an aviation enthusiast, I've built a lot of planes, near 100 in total from every version I've played (Including planes moved between versions).

But still it depends on my mission. If I'm doing a space-related mission, I'll be having traditional rockets (I'm bad at SSTOs) and if once I figured out on how to do interplanetary transfers, I'll bring one of my planes to Laythe.

Edited July 30, 2019 by FahmiRBLXian

[jost]

Rockets. Designing and lying them takes way less time in real life than planes.

 

For my Jool5 I plan to use a LaythePlane though.

[XLjedi]

This could've been broken down for me as "Rockets" or "Not-Rockets"

I kinda view planes and spaceplane SSTO's as the same thing.  Although 1.7.3 has me now firmly interested in robotics, propellers, and rotorcraft.

I always have been firmly in the "Not-Rockets" camp.  I just wish there were a few more things to do and achieve on Kerbin in terms of missions.  Also being a bit of a sci-fi fan, I wouldn't mind having some warp drives, jump gates, in stock or a DLC option.  I'd also welcome some better large airplane cockpits so my transport airplanes don't look like the space shuttle, and now some helicopter cockpits would be nice too.

[fulgur]

I second the motion of making helicopter cockpits. My helicopter program consists of a single tiltrotor as I can't make a good-looking 'copter. Also, I prefer SSTOs. They have more control authority (= easier to fly).

[XLjedi]

45 minutes ago, fulgur said:

I second the motion of making helicopter cockpits. My helicopter program consists of a single tiltrotor as I can't make a good-looking 'copter. Also, I prefer SSTOs. They have more control authority (= easier to fly).

Sounds like our SSTO-based space programs are pretty well aligned!

[T-Bouw]

I'm a big plane-nut, but rockets is where it's at for me in KSP.
While I love planes the most, I use them mainly as a means to further my career in rocketry.
Local science gathering on Kerbin is what I use them for, but they are a hassle to design well compared to a rocket. And, like most said, rockets get to space in a faster and more efficient way.
All these things together means they are quite time-consuming in every respect and my playtime is limited.

I still want to create an SSTO for kicks though...

Edit: Now that I think about it. The title says: "Do You Prefer Rockets or Planes More in KSP?" but the poll asks if you like building rockets or planes more, which have 2 different meanings.
But my post still answers both. For a KSP career and general space fairing, rockets. Building-wise I'd say it's planes, for the challenge.

Edited August 1, 2019 by T-Bouw

[Geschosskopf]

In general, I prefer rockets because they're quick and easy to build and can be used in more places.  While it's pretty simple to build purely atmospheric planes, there's not much use for them at Kerbin although they're really the only way to explore Laythe.  Also, prior to the BG DLC, you had to use mods to fly on Duna and Eve.  Prior to 0.9 or 1.0, whenever it was they revised the aero system, it was MUCH harder to fly on Duna than it has been since, so back then I enjoyed designing planes for that purpose and had challenge threads about it.  But since then, it's become rather trivial.  I still make Duna planes because I prefer flying to driving but the thrill is gone.  As to Eve, it doesn't fit my play-style to put Kerbals on the surface simply "because it's there", so I just drop a few probe landers on it and forget it exists.

Also long ago, it used to be pretty easy to build SSTO spaceplanes.  With intake spam (you actually only need 2 intakes per engine), you could keep the jets running to nearly 40km.  So in those days, you could slap an SSTO together nearly as quickly as a regular plane and go have all sorts of fun with it in space without even needing to refuel it (which didn't exist outside of Kethane back then anyway).  Nowadays, however, spaceplanes are a complete pain to build and tweak, and then, after spending all day on it, all you get is something that can barely get 4 Kerbals to LKO, or some insignificant small probe.  (I KNOW folks who are good at it can do much more, but I'm not one of them).  If I'd built a rocket instead, I'd have been able to put a MUCH bigger payload all the way to Jool for about 15 minutes in the editor and 3 for the launch.  So these days I hardly ever even try to make spaceplanes.

[Loskene]

Serious lack of love for rovers in this thread, especially with the new capabilities breaking ground has unlocked for them. This pseudo-tracked landplane here cruises at a comfortable 60m/s, can reach 80 with the jets before you start losing wheel segments to impact damage, can climb seemingly any terrain without grip pads, and can be thrown off a cliff and fully expect to absorb the landing shock. The motors also only need a fraction of their maximum torque to move so it sips the juice, and it skid steers like a real tank! I haven't built a rocket since 1.7.3 came out tbh.

Ey! Build a fricken jet tank huh.

Oh, when "rolling your own" wheels, just be careful not to accelerate too hard on top of destructible surfaces like the runway. It seems tarmac has a lower crash tolerance than girder pieces, who knew?