New to KSP Need a lot of help

[lpmalakye]

Hello Everyone,

I am very new to KSP and I am totally clueless on how to go about beginning this game or simulation. I am very much interested in learning but as I said I don't even know where to begin if anyone can point me to some useful new player tutorials or help me out themselves I would greatly appreciate it.

[capi3101]

Best thing to do is to start with the in-game tutorials; they'll teach you the basics of how to build your own rocket designs, how to fly and how orbital mechanics work. Next thing I'd do is hit the wiki and go through the Recreation of Historical Spaceflights section. The wiki also has useful information on vanilla parts and planetary data. Between the two sets of tutorials that should be enough to get you started on learning the game. Once that's done it's pretty much you doing as you please.

While I'm at it, lemme direct you to this thread: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/24741-Tutorial-Beginners-Video-Guide

Haven't used it myself, but you may find it useful.

A lot of folks use a Mun landing as their first major goal; that's as good a place to start as any. A caveat, you will screw it up the first time you try. Accept that and you can have a lot more fun with it.

Edited April 26, 2013 by capi3101

[Vanamonde]

Take a capsule, put a fuel tank under it and a rocket motor under that, go to the launch pad and see how high it flies. Take parts off, put parts on. Ideas will come to you. Do things you know won't work just to see what will happen. It's a sandbox. Therein lies the fun.

[M5000]

Basically what Vanamonde said.

I've been playing for a month or so now, there's still some places I haven't been, and there's others that are just like second nature to me, but honestly, about 90% of my in-game time is spent designing stuff and in the VAB/SPH trying to make something that works and isn't completely ugly. I'm CONSTANTLY trying to find a better lifter, trying to go that extra mile. Am I the most efficient space launcher? CERTAINLY not. Am I improving? Most definitely. Try out every part and don't discount anything. There is always more than one way to do anything. Find the game lacking in content or parts? Try some mods or parts packs, do what makes you happy. Do it at YOUR pace.

[ThatBum]

There's an old Kerbal saying: If it's a landing you can walk away from, you're not going fast enough.

[katateochi]

Take a capsule, put a fuel tank under it and a rocket motor under that, go to the launch pad and see how high it flies. Take parts off, put parts on. Ideas will come to you. Do things you know won't work just to see what will happen. It's a sandbox. Therein lies the fun.

That right there is the entire "getting started in KSP" manual condensed to two lines. Initially there is very little else to say, then later on there is quite a lot to say!

As you experiment and get experience the goal post keeps getting shifted which is why some of us are very hooked on it. And it's actual experience, not some arbitrary in game exp!!

There's an old Kerbal saying: If it's a landing you can walk away from, you're not going fast enough.

There is another saying; "MOAR BOOSTERS"

(one or both of these sayings may not be true)

Edited April 26, 2013 by katateochi