Slam_Jones

Continued on with my ocean-based study of Kerbin. So far I'm up to my third vessel, with the fourth still in the design phase. I'm also finally back online, so now I can share a few pictures. The first vessel, the RV-1 'Zulu' The upgraded sister ship, RV-2 'Pancho II' (the first one had some... issues and had to be scrapped) The faithful amphibious Science Truck helps our intrepid explorers find suitable spots to conduct experiments. It can also tow an optional Science Trailer to shore. I also made my first ever submarine, creatively named 'Mini Science Sub.' The newest vessel, the RV-3 'Jumanji' is capable of carrying all above listed auxiliary vessels, as well as a small helicopter. Most recently, we ditched the helicopter and the sub to help reduce part count and general clutter. Current mission: continue northwards to the ice caps... for science!!!

I started with a fair bit of science and maximum funds, since the ship itself costs something like 500k to launch. I also use the cheat menu to set my facilities to Maximum (fully upgraded VAB, SPH, etc). I actually ended up doing a Career game instead of a Science game, simply because I like the contract system. Gives me random goals to shoot for when I run out of self-goals. I did have to use TweakScale to be able to get it to the water (via very very large wheels mounted to decouplers). In true Kerbal fashion, I've spent more time fiddling with it in the SPH than I have piloting it thru the oceans. So far, at least.

Absolutely! Success or not, all that matters to me is if I had fun doing it

(No pictures yet) Started a new Science game with the science rewards settings turned up to 10x. My intention is to only gather science from Kerbin, making use of a water-bound research ship (via Large Boats Pack mod), named Research Vessel 'Zulu'. My only question now is how to get other vessels safely and easily on and off the ship. So far I've tried a Science Truck, which works great except for having no way to get onto the ship. I've also tested a method for air-dropping KIS containers filled with experiments (Surface Experiments Pack mod) next to the ship; the problem arises in getting them out of the water and onto the deck. As such, I spent about 2 hours fiddling with building a crane that never quite worked how I wanted it to. The crane is attached to the successor of the Zulu, a ship named Research Vessel 'Pancho'. (My names have gotten rather odd lately.) Also considering making a submarine. I assume there isn't actually any extra science to be gained from it, but I've never gone underwater before (intentionally) so it should be an interesting experience. After I got bored of that, I practiced precise Munar landings. I use a lot more fuel than I need to, I believe, but my accuracy has improved quite a bit. My current method is kinda a reverse gravity-turn, expect modified so I end up directly over where I want to land, then perform a powered vertical descent to the landing zone. Probably pretty inefficient, but it's been entertaining to say the least.

This seems pretty cool, are there any pictures of the completed/in progress station(s)?

Empyrion: Galactic Survival is an alternative to Space Engineers. Similar concept, though I've never played SE so I can't comment on the differences.

The amount of aerodynamic surfaces (wings, etc) required for Duna is exorbitant. The mass required will cost you more in dV than you would save by gliding in. In the past I do partially-powered landings -- powered deceleration plus airbrakes until I'm into the atmosphere, then deploying chutes and continuing the powered landing, since chutes really don't do all THAT much on Duna. TL;DR - Powered landings are best for Duna, IMO.

Ah, good to know, thanks for correcting me there. It looks like AMD is getting much better reviews on their Ryzen line than their FX line, which is good news Perhaps I was a bit hasty in my switch to Intel. Updated my post to reflect this info.

I've gone through a lot of phases - including Greek God names as mentioned in OP, Roman Emperor names, all sorts of naming schemes. Lately I've been going very literal -- i.e. "Station Core I," or "Habitat/Science Module," etc.

As someone who used to have an FX4300-series CPU, I can say it's getting rather dated. ̶I̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶d̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶m̶o̶s̶t̶l̶y̶ ̶K̶S̶P̶,̶ ̶I̶'̶d̶ ̶r̶e̶c̶o̶m̶m̶e̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶n̶e̶w̶ ̶I̶n̶t̶e̶l̶ ̶l̶i̶n̶e̶-̶u̶p̶ ̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶D̶D̶R̶4̶ ̶m̶e̶m̶o̶r̶y̶,̶ ̶s̶i̶n̶c̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶b̶e̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶u̶p̶g̶r̶a̶d̶a̶b̶l̶e̶ ̶(̶o̶r̶ ̶"̶F̶u̶t̶u̶r̶e̶-̶p̶r̶o̶o̶f̶"̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶ ̶c̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶i̶t̶)̶ (as it turns out, the new AMD Ryzen line is actually more "future-proof!" Intel appears to be planning a new socket type to replace the current LGA1151 socket -- on the other hand, the AM4 Socket for the AMD Ryzen line should last til 2020.) -- plus the Intel CPUs tend to perform better with single-thread tasks than the AMD FX-series. That said, the new AMD Ryzen line is looking quite promising. I currently use the Intel i3-6100T, which is entry-level for 7th Gen, but so far has run basically everything I've thrown at it so far. The RX460 is a decent entry-level graphics card, but don't expect it to run every modern AAA game at full graphics. That said, it should function admirably for KSP (in my opinion at least). I always recommend a second (or third, or fourth) opinion before you purchase, however From what I've read, even if you do dry it completely it still has a chance of working incorrectly. If it were me, I'd buy a new AC adapter rather than risk frying the laptop.

Bam! (Not sure where to get a version without the loading bar or loading hints, though... maybe someone with photoshop skills can fix that up for you?)

That is an incredibly huge amount of information, thank you! Saved me a few hundred dollars to say the least I do indeed a specific product in mind, but I'll shoot you a PM if I have any specifics I'd like to discuss. Thanks again!

I haven't seen RSS on CKAN for a while so I'm running stock scale currently.

I've got a business idea involving 3d printing, but it'll be a while til I can save up the $1,000 for the model I am looking at... unless anyone here knows of a cheaper printer that has a heated bed as well as a minimum printing area of 12"x12"x12"? Supposing the business idea falls through, I'll probably get a lot more involved in 3d modelling and printing other products... possible tabletop miniatures (for D&D and such).

Sent a crew to Duna to assist with the new colony. I intended to land by chutes alone, but ended up having to use the LV-N as well. Made it down safely with only about 53m/s of dV to spare. Not as exciting as a lot of others posted here, but it's a close call for me at least!!

I once made a monoprop-powered glider.

If you really want to land on Jool, your best bet is finding a modder to help you or simply modding the planet yourself. I don't imagine it would ever be a part of the official game.

Hm, the last game I played other than KSP was Divinity 2: Director's Cut, which is a game where you sometimes play in a low-budget-skyrim-style action RPG, and the rest of the time as a Dragon. So... Kerbal Divinity Program? Kerbal Dragon Program? Not sure Dragons can make orbit or accelerate in space, though... (Perhaps the breathing fire thing counts as an extremely low-ISP thruster?)

I would like to see them succeed at peaceful, scientific satellite launches. According to "[...]Hyon Kwang Il, director of NADA's scientific research department, said they planned to launch more satellites before 2020, including a geostationary satellite. He also said that he hoped they would 'plant the flag of the DPRK on the moon' within 10 years" (link). Assuming these are their intentions, then I truly wish them the best of luck with their scientific progress and future (peaceful!) launches. Unfortunately, ICBMs look an awful lot like civilian launches, and the typical path a North Korean launch would take would unfortunately have to go over Japanese territory (unless they're attempting a polar orbit with a southern-heading launch... in which case they go over South Korea instead) which, naturally, makes Japan nervous. Just a bad case of geography there as far as that goes. The US is lucky to have the entire Atlantic to launch and drop spent stages over, instead of another nearby country! Regardless, assuming a peaceful and scientific focus, I wish them luck.

I would have to say I identify as a player who eschews labels. Personally I don't think everything needs to be divided and categorized into neat little boxes

I believe there are a number of recent underwater-themed games. A few that spring to mind are SubNautica, Far Sky, and Depth. Perhaps the OP could point to parts or features of those games that they would like KSP to emulate as far as the water physics goes? I have not played any of them, so I can't really offer much of an opinion myself.

I've long been a fan of the Battlefield series, I find it gives a good mix of infantry and vehicle combat.

Well, I mean, it wasn't long ago (a year and a half ago or so) that this happened in the Atacama Desert: So I'm not too surprised about it. Article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151103-atacama-desert-flower-bloom-el-nino/

No. I think Jeb and Val are collections of pixels, and you're putting way too much thought into this. In general, this whole "shipping" thing is ludicrous.

Is that the size of the 'Kerbal 2' or is that the maximum allowed size?