Clipperride

To this a couple of other thoughts into the mix. The Mun is tricky to land on because it has round ground, at different elevations and the gravity is relatively strong. If you haven't tried it yet, you might want to give landing on Minmus a try. It has lower gravity, so less fuel is needed to land and get back up into orbit. It also has a lot of flat level ground, all at 0m, making judging the landing a little easier. It's slightly more complicated to get there as the orbit of Minmus is tilted with respect to Kerbins orbit. (There are plenty of tutorials out there on how to carry out the maneuver). A final bonus is, your science experiments generate more points. Depending on which mode you are playing, you may also want to consider dumping the actual experiments once you have carried them out and return with just the data. You can either click on each experiment and "remove data" or, if you have access to the Experiment Storage Units you can use that to gather all the data from the experiments at once - of course you do need to return the storage unit to the ground to get the science points. Happy Landings!

I had my first real battle with the PS4 controller this evening. Having swapped out the probe core and replaced it with a model that does provide the elevation of the ground directly below, I attempted some further Mun landings. The first two went well, with close to 1000 science points returned. The next two attempts fell foul of the tendency for control to become locked on the KerbNet window, preventing the crew from doing important tasks such as fire the engine to break before hitting the surface. In future, the crews will be instructed to kill their horizontal speed at ~10,000m, then consult KerbNet to find the elevation of the landing site, then they will turn it off and forget they even have it for the rest of the descent! Further reports to follow....

Jeb refused to take part in the first Mun landing after a heated argument over the naming of the mission. After declaring that "GL IV" was a "boring and stupid name", Jeb proposed the call sign "The Amazing Jeb and his Flying Caboodle". Following an intervention from Mission Control, Jeb and the rest of the crew were replaced at the last minute with new recruits from the "Suicidal Tendancies" intake of astronauts. Jeb, however, maintains he left before being pulled from the mission. The landing was a little more tentative than planned. When playing on the PC, I relied on the Better Burn Time mod when on the final approach to a Munar touchdown. I had taken the precaution of adding a probe core so the crew would have access to KerbNet, which gives the elevation of the ground below. I'm not sure if I added the wrong core, or if the crew where pressing all the wrong buttons, but they were unable to get the required data. Thankfully the sight of the Landers shadow helped in the final descent. After a complete set of science experiments were conducted, samples taken and flag planted, it was time to head home. Mindful of the lower then expected propellant margins, a parking orbit of 31km was established before the burns to leave the Mun SOI and finally to set Periapsis at 34km when re-entering Kerbins atmosphere. As soon as I had hit Time Warp to speed up the return journey, I noticed the camera, set to automatic, suddenly swung round in exactly the same manner as it does when changing from an orbital to a sub-orbital trajectory. The crew quickly dropped out of "time warp" and checked the map. Sure enough, their trajectory was now sub-orbital and the fear at Mission Control was that they would either fry on re-entry or pass out from the high G loads. The main Poodle™ engine was fired for a few seconds as the last of the fuel and oxidiser was burnt, which resulted in a Periapsis of 11,000m. Someone on the ground then realised that, as the Generic Lander was designed to dock with an orbital laboratory and only the docking port had been removed for this mission, the craft still had plenty of RCS propellant left. They were therefore able to soften the re-entry angle, with a Periapsis of 35,000m! Tea and medals were handed out to all concerned, although the after party was slightly spoiled by the exploits of a very drunk Jeb. Sadly, common decency prevents me from describing those details here. Propellant Situation Before The Mysterious Time Warp Wobble Set In.

Thanks @kerbalstar it's nice to get some feedback, especially as you're engaged in such an epic mission! I thought I'd add a couple of pics to add some colour to these reports. First of all we have the Minmus Orbital Lab with the GL (Generic Lander) already docked. The other two, hidden in spoilers for those who don't like too many images, show the GL in action as it approaches Minmus and the final shot shows a close up of the Solar Panel and Communication Dish Extensions, along with a docked GL in the background. I also completed my first Mun landing mission since restarted the game. I'll add the details of that nail biting encounter tomorrow!

Tonight saw the program entre into a slightly more mature phase, with launches at fairly regular intervals and featuring two main launch vehicles. The Generic Lander continues to bring back valuable science from Minmus and the lower two stages have been designated the GL Lifter, which is scheduled to lift the Mun orbital lab and, eventually, Science Lab Rover. The original, MK1 lander provided the imaginatively named Light Lifter, which has already carried two small extensions (Extension 1 & Extension 2 - see a theme developing?) for the Minmus Orbital Lab. The first took some extra solar panels and the second a more powerful communications dish. The station has a distinctly cobbled together vibe about it. Jeb has been lobbying to be part of the first Kerbaled mission to Duna. In the past, it has been customary to send newer recruits on such risky missions whilst saving the original four for safer prospecting and rover tasks. I suppose, sending him, would up the ante on wanting a safe return, although don't let the new recruits read this!! We shall see....

The mission to rebuild what I had in my last PC game of KSP continues. I also now remember why I used to shut down the main engines on a vessel that is on the final stage of docking! Now I have access to the chunkier 2.5m parts, I built a new lander for Mun and Minmus exploration. The extra fuel available when visiting Minmus will be transferred to the orbital lab in preparation for its dedicated lander. The lab crew have also been muttering something about a "return vehicle", which I guess we will need to look into at some point. After a successful landing on Minmus, the GL (Generic Lander) called in at the orbital lab to pass on some data for them to get to work with. I've done a "Gemini" style rendezvous in LKO with the first vessel I had that was capable of reaching orbit, (carried out some station keeping with the two ships a couple of metres apart) just to see of I could remember how to do it. Now, with docking ports available and fitted, it was just a case of lining things up for an actual docking. A lucky/carefully judged lift off from Minmus meant the lander was within 1km of the orbital lab at apoapsis. All went well until ~25m away when I, for reasons unknown, fired the main engine at full throttle, destroying most of the lab and some of the lander! (Revert & remember to save the game after landing!?!) Following a repeat of the above, docking was a success, the lab, however... Sadly the solar arrays aren't up to the energy requirements of processing data. On the plus side, extra docking ports where added to the lab, so small probe based extensions could be added on as solar panel and communication dish technology improves. After dropping off some of the science results at the lab, the crew undocked for an uneventful trip home. I'm liking the PS Trophy system as it gives me goals to aim for, without playing career mode. I noticed that only 2.4% of players have docked so far!

I didn't read your reply straight away as the votes change the order posts pear in a thread. I don't know if I've just been lucky, or if there are major difference between Career and Science mode? It's taken some getting used to the differences between versions (Especially remembering to come out of Time Warp mode - which causes sudden panic when you're approaching a target!) The only bugs I've encountered are; having to re-enter the R&D building after spending science points to make sure the game remembers what I've unlocked. Sometimes, when reverting a flight to the VAB, it reverts to launch and then switches view to the VAB, meaning there's still a rocket on the launch pad. You have my sympathy if you are experiencing game breaking bugs. Fingers crossed that they are quickly resolved with a patch.

From what I have heard about the previous version @mikey117 you have my sympathy! I hope you're finding the current version a lot better?

Having managed to bag the big TV early this evening, I'm almost back to where I was when I restarted yesterday! A bit of Biome hopping on Minmus, + 300 science points for driving round KSC in a small capsule on wheels and I'm about ready to move on to the orbital Labs. Jeb had a near miss on the first Minmus landing "shake down" mission. The designers had skimped a little too much on propellant and the landing stage ran out of juice ~300m from touch down, on one to the flats. With outstanding level headedness and demonstrating an impressive level of mastery of the new control layout, he quickly staged, toggled the "Point Retrograde" command off and headed straight back to a safe orbit. After some tweaking, Bob flew the next, successful, biome hopping mission. Great game.... ;-) Space Program Log (Additional) It may be late, but there is now a fully crewed laboratory orbiting 250km above Minmus, with uninterrupted communications provided by a single relay satilite orbiting at the same altitude, but on an inclined plane. The lab has 4 docking ports for the lander as well as additional parts as I unlock them. Service missions will carry extra fuel to keep the labs tanks topped up so it can refuel the lander after each trip. Although not really necessary, I'll add a mining operation at some point to make them self sufficient. Launching my first larger payload and the console version seems to cope well. I'm also enjoying the variable control of a controller compared to tapping the "a" & "d" keys.

Cheers for the info, although I'm happy to start afresh now I have gotten used to the controls. In some respects it's actually easier than on PC! It's easier to move just one axis when in the VAB or SPH, you can hold a constant amount of yaw, pitch and roll during ascent and the radial menu's make choosing most commands as easy as on a keyboard. The only place I sometimes struggle is when trying to select a Kerbal on EVA whilst still clinging onto the capsule. Even that is fine now I know to zoom in. The learning curve isn't that brutal, especially when compared to the game itself. As long as the remaining bugs are patched I'll be very happy.

@Greenthumb Gaming Whilst, strictly speaking they are bugs, I prefer to think of them as "quirks". They don't break the game and the workaround is trivial. I've had the game freeze on me once, but some AAA titles have done the same (or worse). I get that those whoo bought the original console edition (luckily, it was never released here in Europe) have had a long wait and really want to see a perfect game straight out the box (or in this case, download). As long as the "quirks" get patched in the not too distant future, I'm happy. Maybe it helps that I love playing Science Mode? Having bought the game on PC and PS4, I've paid about the same as a top title on release day. I have literally hundreds of hours gaming already and it's been great value. One of my tests for a really awesome game is "does it make you go and get a pen and paper to make notes". If a game is that immersive, it's probably for me. KSP has to be the prime example

After realising I hadn't turned on some of the advance options, such as Kerbals suffering from high G loads, I've started afresh. Should you be interested in following the Program, please see Here

Playing my previous save last night (see Here) I noticed, after unlocking some of the higher performance aircraft parts, that my Kerbal weren't suffering any ill effects from the high G loads my erratic flight generated. In my haste to start a new game after downloading the Enhanced Edition, I hadn't gone into the advanced settings to turn on the options I usually use. So, time for a new game! Yey! A productive morning has seen me launch high altitude sounding rockets (well, not exactly as Jeb was strapped, kicking and screaming into the capsule - thought he was Badas$=true!) then into orbit followed by Mun and Minmus Fly-bys. The only problem I'm having so far with the console version is that I have to wait until the rest of the household retires for the night before I can play again! I plan to make a very simple runaround vechile to hoover up the science points available at the different buildings of the Space Centre, which will give me the last tech tree node I need for a fully fledged landing mission. After visiting each of the biomes on the Mun and Minmus, I plan to set up an orbital laboratory complete with separate landing craft to re-visit each biome and take the reduced science point totals back to the lab for processing. Once the tech tree is all unlocked, it will be off to Duna. I've landed robotic craft there (no need to worry about getting back home) before on the PC, but have never sent a crew. I'll keep adding to this thread to keep a record of the Programs achievements and failures, but please feel free to leave any comments.

Thanks @OhioBob that makes perfect sense and something I hadn't considered. @Spricigo As long as the system used is consistent, I can't see it making any difference as opposed to using the RL alternative (other than giving players something to think about when they notice it!). After all, a convention is just that and the way KSP deals with altitude could have just as easily been adopted by NASA etc when mapping other worlds

Not sure if this is the right place for this query as it's more about the KSP universe than a gameplay question. On a celestial body that has no water, an altitude of 000m would be the mean altitude of the planet/moon. But, the plains of Minmus are (as far as I know) the lowest points on the satilite and they are surrounded by mountains that rise up around them. Why then are the flats at 0m? Am I missing something or is this just a design quirk? It's also odd how, after many many hours of game play, it's only just occurred to me!

For me, playing Science mode on PS4, the answer is yes! I've not found any game breaking bugs so far and, once you spend some time with the radial control, it quickly becomes second nature. I'd argue that it actually becomes quicker/easier than hitting keys on the keyboard. The only slight issues I've seen so far are; Spending science points in the R&D Dept then going to the VAB/SPH, the game sometimes forgets what I just unlocked. A workaround seems to be, spend the points, exit R&D, then go back into R&D. That way I've yet to find anything missing once I start building things with the new parts. The other is just a case of getting used to the fact that the targeted vessel indicator isn't quite where the ship actually is. It caused a near miss during my first rendezvous in darkness, but it's fine once you add a little lighting. Overall, very happy indeed! Edit: Oh, and I forgot to add, playing KSP whilst spread out on the sofa with a large screen TV is simply awesome!!

Thank you @bewing oh font of KSP knowledge! I remember being surprised at how many pages the full list f PC controls ran to. I wonder, is it worth having a console control (sticky) thread on the forum as a unified resource for such questions and answers? Although it's a little confusing when first making the transition from PC, I applaud the Devs for the ease of use and for providing 3 control schemes to suit different players.

I'd recommend giving the radial menu's a try as, once you get the hang of them, they are really simple to use. The only thing I'd like to see is a complete list of commands with how to execute them (my bugbear is accidentally setting trim on one axis and then not being able to clear it!) Mission Report I managed to squeeze in a quick visit to Minmus this afternoon with the new 3 Kerbal rocket I designed. It has enough fuel to make a couple of biome hops once it arrives at Minmus, but limited time kept this to a quick shake down mission. This evening, having not played the game in over a year, I decided to see if I could still complete a rendezvous. I used a stripped down version of the Mun Fly-by set up, putting Jeb in a fairly circular 120km LKO and then sent Val up in an identical (other than the name, to keep things clear in map view) vessel to chase him down. I was surprised by I) how quickly things came back from the distant fog of memory and II) how easy to use the console controls are when making the final approach. Neither craft was equipped with a docking port, but they managed to get within 10m of each other and station keep. The only slight issue was, being used to the PC version, I was expecting the little yellow square and distance to target markers to be right on top of the targeted vessel. For some reason, on the Enhanced Edition, they actually appear a little way off the actual craft. As my final approach was during the night pass and not having any lights on either ship, they're was very nearly a collision. But, Val kept her cool, backed off a little and waited until sunrise before approaching again. The Mission Elapsed Time for Jeb's trip was a little over 2 hours. Not too shabby for a first attempt on the console!

I know the answer to this is already on the forum, but I just can't seem to find it. Could someone please clarify how you both set and remove trim whilst using the Radial Control preset on PS4 please? I've managed to accidentally set the trim on one axis or another (usually roll) and I've also managed to clear it, but however I managed it, I don't seem to be able to repeat the procedure. Another more general question - does anyone have a link to the full set of controls when using the Radial preset? I haven't been able to find a full list and have stumbled across quite a number of useful controls whilst experimenting. I'm actually finding the radio menu's to be almost as easy and quick to select as the mouse keyboard combination on the PC, but it would be nice to have a complete crib sheet. Cheers Clipper

An (almost) total success! After the spin doctors at Ground Control finished with their report, as far as the waiting press were concerned, everything went exactly as planned. Kerbalkind has set foot on Minmus. Designed by one Heeth Robinson esq. the entire contraption was remarkably stable during ascent. Thankfully the science point haul from this mission has opened up the larger tanks and engines. Of course, Val knows that the original flight plan didn't require 2 dips into Kerbin atmosphere before shedding enough speed to get back under orbital velocity. She could also swear she heard someone on the ground muttering about her being picked by mistake as a scientist could have reset the experiments and done a couple of biome hops whilst there! One other thing struck Val as odd. If 0m on Minmus is the mean altitude (what with there being no sea level) why are the flat plains at 0m if there are mountains all around? Is there some deep hole somewhere that brings the mean elevation back down to 0?? It also struck me as odd, in all the hours I've spent on the PC version of KSP, this has never struck me as odd before.

I hope you will forgive me if this has been answered elsewhere, is there any news of whether the add-ons will eventually make it to us console bods? The Make History additions sound right up my alley but sadly, right now a console is a heck of a lot more affordable than a PC, so I'm playing the Enhanced Edition*. Whilst I'm here, does anyone know off hand how to revert focus back to your vessel? * I stuck with the PC version on an aged laptop for a long time, but with the graphics turned right down to the absolute minimum. Having seen the game as it should look, I don't think I can go back!

I am playing on the PS4 version and, touch wood, have yet to experience any major bugs. The only issue I have had so far is that - on two occasions, I've unlocked some nodes on the tech tree, gone to the VAB and found I don't have the new items (playing in science mode, so no need to buy the new parts) A quick trip back to the boys and girls in the R&D department showed I still had the science points I thought I had just spent. On both occasions, unlocking the nodes a second time cleared the issue. Is there a difference between the number of known bugs on PS and Xbox? I've no idea how different the code is between the two versions and whether or not I've just been lucky so far

The PS4 Space Program hit a small snaget last night! Nothing to do with the port to console, but a bad case of user error. I had my Mum/Minmus Fly-by rocket in the VAB and thought to myself "add a little more power and some landing legs to the top stage and this should be good for a Minmus* landing". I would then have enough science points to open up the nice big fuel tanks and engines. Sadly the resulting contraption was somewhat nose heavy and was prone to flipping as the lower tanks were jettisoned. It seemed almost controllable, so several attempt were launched in an effort to reach LKO. The plus side was - I now know how to quickly abort a struggling rocket and Jeb was not too much the worse for the experience. A total redesign is scheduled for this evening! * Although the Mun is much closer and doesn't require a change of plain to reach, landing on Minmus is so much more forgiving, so I always visit it before attempting a Munar landing.

I tried that thanks @bewing - as it is the default method of switching to and from the map view when using the Radial Control preset. But, for some reason, this doesn't work when you are warping time. The work around of pressing the left stick to call up the cursor and then clicking the button at the bottom left of the screen isn't a problem and gives me those satisfying views as I approach my target. Especially as the graphics are better than my laptop was ever able to deliver! I'm hoping that the addition of shadows (again beyond my previous setup) and more detailed terrain (Kerrain?, Munain??) will make landing easier now I don't have access to the rather excellent Better Burn Time mod. EDIT an even quicker way to switch back to the vessel view whilst warping to next maneuver (as long as you are using the Radial Control Preset) is to call up the quick menu (∆ on PS4) and select "close map view" from there. Thanks to the "bullet time" feature of the radial menu's, this closes the map almost as quickly and easily as on the PC version

After yesterday's successful launches and having now "mastered" the setting of maneuver nodes using a dualshock controller, it's time to start planning. My overall goal is to recreate the craft and off Kerbin facilities from my favourite PC play through. That means 3 space stations (LKO, LMO & LMO), mining operations and science lab based rovers on the Mun and Minmus, communication network and a trip to Duna (which was about as far as I got). The only thing I have left to really test out is EVA in space. It took me quite a while to get the hang of it on the PC and my one attempt so far (after Jeb accidentally let go whilst reporting from outside his capsule) didn't end well. It's a good job it was only a simulated mission! (ie I was forced to use revert to avoid leaving Jeb in deep space). Fingers crossed it goes a little better this time. Clipper