Aphox

My brain was upside down until I thought of this. Locking MechJeb on retro will mess you up, because once you start to lift, the retro spins to the other side of the navball. Make sure you turn that off so it doesn't spin you about. And a top heavy lander wouldn't have problems since the gravity on Mun is too low to affect it. Landing might tip you over, but gravity certainly won't cause you to tip. If you aren't using MechJeb, would you mind uploading your .craft for your lander for testing?

Luckilly I've never had the craft split while on interplanetary transfer. It's only happened to me while orbiting a planet waiting for phase angles to line up. What I do is put a command pod on the launch pad and fast forward until the angles are right, since you can't time warp in the tracking station. Sorry you had that happen on the first mission. Did you explode on your intercept course or was it in parking orbit as I described?

They're also nowhere near being powerful enough to even lift a command pod off the ground.

A slight delay in the next episode. Had some illness today. Will be working on an advanced orbital mechanics tutorial later tonight. Interplanetary transfer seems to be the hot thing now with the release of 0.17 so I'm gonna try to spool out a quick one for that.

Flight of the Mechapoop at 13:00 http://livestre.am/49v3t

Mechapoop. That's all I can say.

My default keybinds are F9 to save and F5 to load. You have to hold the save down for a couple seconds for it to save and tap the quickload button for it to load. Make sure you hold the button down otherwise it doesn't do anything.

Here are the basic settings in the settings.cfg file located in the root KSP folder. I have added in bold what I believe they do. If anyone else has answers to some of them that are correct/more precise, please let the rest of us know. These are what these settings do, to the best of my knowledge, may be incorrect, and are subject to change. // KSP Game Settings TUTORIALS_EDITOR_ENABLE = False // I believe this one and the one underneath it, by the way they sound, enable to game to show the VAB and Flight tutorials when the game is first started, which explains why they don't appear if you start a new save. TUTORIALS_FLIGHT_ENABLE = False VAB_USE_CLICK_PLACE = True // Not entirely sure. Perhaps there's another part placement method? VAB_USE_ANGLE_SNAP = True // Snaps to angles in the VAB and SPH. C key by default changes this value in-game. VAB_ANGLE_SNAP_INCLUDE_VERTICAL = False // Interesting. I want to test this out. Instead of only snapping on a spinning axis around the parts, I imagine this allows parts to be snapped at a vertical axis (up and down in VAB) VAB_CAMERA_ORBIT_SENS = 0.04 // This and the next 5 settings are camera sensitivity related. VAB_CAMERA_ZOOM_SENS = 0.1 FLT_CAMERA_ORBIT_SENS = 0.04 FLT_CAMERA_ZOOM_SENS = 0.5 FLT_CAMERA_WOBBLE = 0.1 FLT_CAMERA_CHASE_SHARPNESS = 1.5 FLT_CAMERA_CHASE_USEVELOCITYVECTOR = True // Forces the chase cam (not available in .17 as far as I can tell) to use your velocity vector as it's chase point. FLT_VESSEL_LABELS = True // Shows vessel labels at a distance. F4 in-game by default changes this value. SIMULATE_IN_BACKGROUND = True // I believe this value changes whether or not the game will progress while minimized/alt-tabbed/out of focus. MAX_VESSELS_BUDGET = 250 // Amount of vessels able to be active before others are deleted(?) CONIC_PATCH_DRAW_MODE = 3 // This and patch limit were discussed previously. Allows view of (slightly inaccurate) future orbit and encounter figures. CONIC_PATCH_LIMIT = 5 SHOW_PWARP_WARNING = False // Whether or not the game shows the warning about large ships when entering physical warp modes. Changes to false after first warning. CALL_HOME = False // ET phone home. Not sure what this does. DONT_SEND_IP = False // A disclaimer and agreement is shown at first launch whether or not to send your IP, among other information, to the developer for development and I assume demographic purposes. Can be true or false depending on your answer. CHECK_FOR_UPDATES = True // Exactly as it says. Automatically checks for updates on launch. SHOW_CONSOLE_ON_ERROR = False // I assume this is a developer tool to show the developer console when an error occurs. Disabled by default. AUTOSAVE_INTERVAL = 300 // Interval in seconds (I assume) between auto-saves in-game. AUTOSAVE_SHORT_INTERVAL = 5 // I'm not sure SHOW_SPACE_CENTER_CREW = True // I assume this is to enable or disable the Kerbal scientists walking around the VAB and such. SHIP_VOLUME = 0.09689867 // The following 8 settings are related to volume and are relative to your in-game volume settings. AMBIENCE_VOLUME = 1 MUSIC_VOLUME = 0.8 UI_VOLUME = 1 VOICE_VOLUME = 1 SOUND_NORMALIZER_ENABLED = True SOUND_NORMALIZER_THRESHOLD = 1 SOUND_NORMALIZER_RESPONSIVENESS = 16 SOUND_NORMALIZER_SKIPSAMPLES = 0 SCREEN_RESOLUTION_WIDTH = 1920 // This and the height are self-explanatory. Your in-game resolution after the initial launch screen is generated and the game begins to load. SCREEN_RESOLUTION_HEIGHT = 1080 FULLSCREEN = True // Whether or not the game sets itself to full screen when launched. ANTI_ALIASING = 8 // Anti-aliasing quality. 8 is highest. TEXTURE_QUALITY = 0 // Texture quality. Assuming 0 is highest since I have mine on full. SYNC_VBL = 0 // Wait for vertical sync. Has several settings. 0 is no sync. LIGHT_QUALITY = 8 // Lighting quality. 8 is maximum I believe. SHADOWS_QUALITY = 4 // Changed in the registry values for some people, not an in-game setting due to graphical limitations. 0-4 (5 in registry sets this value to 4). FRAMERATE_LIMIT = 180 // Limits framerate to user choice for whatever reason. 180 is max. Cannot be unlimited by default. FALLBACK_PART_SHADERS = False // Compatibility mode for older hardware. Checking this in the graphics options may ruin some transparency textures. I made this mistake. PLANET_FORCE_SHADER_MODEL_2_0 = False // I believe this setting forces the planets to use shader model 2.0 or 3.0, depending on the value. I believe it uses 3.0 by default. PLANET_SCATTER = True // Value of terrain scattering in the options, combined with the amount in the option below. PLANET_SCATTER_FACTOR = 0.5 INPUT_KEYBOARD_SENSIVITITY = 2 // I might change this for testing purposes. This is the input sensitivity of keyboard clicks on flight models. The rest of the options in your settings.cfg are related to keybinds and are per-user if not default. Other settings are related to planets and settings for them.

That's CONIC_PATCH_DRAW_MODE and CONIC_PATCH_LIMIT in your settings.cfg in the root KSP folder where you have it installed. As sal_vager has pointed out before, open it in Notepad or Notepad++, but not Wordpad to edit it. I have my mode set to 3 and patch limit set to 5 just because. It works pretty well but some of the encounters can be inaccurate. I think it's worth being able to see them though. Basically it makes it so you can see future orbits before you actually get to them, such as when transferring from Kerbin to Kerbol, you can see an intercept course with, say, Duna, before you actually leave Kerbin's orbit, which you couldn't do before.

It's a bit easier if you get into a retrograde orbit around Kerbin at launch instead of during the transfer. It uses a little more fuel than a normal orbit since you're acting against normal orbit, but not too much.

This hasn't worked for me since .15, but you used to be able to put a MechJeb on any part of the craft and control it when there was nobody in it. With the addition of EVA, you can't control a part that doesn't have a manned command pod attached to it, so I have no idea if you can still do this or not. And yeah use the square bracket keys to switch between different parts/kerbals on EVA/whatever. Don't know if it still lets you switch to debris parts though.

I actually just got done streaming for a friend. I'm unpopular and have no friends though so I don't have an "audience" to entertain.

If it applies to you I have created this thread: http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/showthread.php/21600-Comprehensive-Video-Tutorials Basically just advertising the series of tutorial videos I'm creating. In the video in the thread, I've included an interplanetary-capable stock ship and instructions to get it into orbit (mostly). Tomorrow I'll be covering basic orbital maneuvers and interplanetary transfer. I feel like a car salesman going around advertising like this, but a lot of people seem to need help that isn't available right now. As for the math, basic orbital equations that apply to real life apply to KSP, you just have to know the unique values of the bodies themselves, which are provided in a few threads if you dig around enough.

I'll make these advanced tutorials first thing tomorrow since a lot of people seem to be having trouble with them!

Your ejection angle is the angle relative to the planet your ship needs to be at in order to reach the desired destination in time. If you zoom out in the map mode, there will be a line coming out of Kerbin. That is it's prograde. Your ejection angle is the angle from a 180 degree axis along that line that your ship needs to be at when you burn prograde, and you simply burn until you reach an encounter with your target of choice. However, getting to the inner planets is easier if you go into retrograde orbit around Kerbin (heading 270 degrees west instead of 90 degrees east). It takes a little more fuel to get into that orbit though, but the calculator requires you to use a retrograde orbit to use the angles correctly. As for exact angle, there's no way you can get that on your own unless you download AdamKSP, the MechJeb beta, or something of the like. I used an on-screen protractor for a couple injections. You can also just "guess" it and if you do it right you should be close enough for an encounter. Just make your screen look like the pictures on the calculator, and remember to go retrograde orbit if you're going to inner planets such as Eve, and prograde out of your ejection angle. I'll be doing a video tutorial on this tomorrow.

I edit my code files in Notepad++ but why not Wordpad? Are there some weird characters in there or formatting it doesn't support?

I'm also creating a new set of tutorials and I'll be doing some orbital mechanics stuff tomorrow. Will probably do basic and well as advanced maneuvers and planet transfers if you care to wait. And there are many written tutorials around the forums, as vager has pointed out, that can also help. Some are a bit hard to understand though, so I know where you come from. I was totally lost when I started.

Psh naw. If you do it right you can guestimate it and make small inclination adjustments to meet your mark. By guestimate I mean just make your map on-screen look like the on on the Olex calc. Did it once or twice before I crippled and started using a protractor. And now I have the new MechJeb with the PPA and escape angle measurements, which are spot on. Makes interplanetary transfers soooooo easy.

Yeah but methane hydrate is ice. Cassini took photographs of Titan's surface that revealed hydrocarbon lakes. Liquid methane. Doesn't make a whole lotta sense to have Minmus made of methane ice while something that far out is liquid hydrocarbon, but then again, KSP. But it could very well be methane. Maybe Minmus is some creepy green gas. Grand Theft Auto? Just Cause 2?

Just as the title says! Starting this morning, I'm creating a series of tutorial videos and throwing them up on YouTube to help our new and amateur Kerbonauts doing what they want. I'm starting off with basic game mechanics and moving on to more advanced maneuvers as I go along/learn them. Some people don't understand the vague guides posted, so I attempt to translate them in my brain and put them in Layman's terms. If you appreciate my work and find it helpful please don't hesitate to share it with anyone else who might find it helpful. The first video in the series is pretty lengthy and I babble a lot, but I'll try to cut that down in future additions. It's also in 1080p Episode 1: New! Episode 2 Part 1: Episode 2 Part 2:

Without modifying the .cfg file to show those, you have to break from Kerbin and get into orbit around the Sun before it'll show any other encounters.

That's not so much of a problem since desktops are easily upgradable. Thing about laptops, if they're good enough to even have dedicated video, is the card is soldered to the motherboard. Impossible to upgrade.

New graphics card on a laptop? Good luck with that one

I have a Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas X. It's a pretty nifty stick for only $50. Has a pretty big dead zone but I got used to it and I love it. I could never get used to using a stick with the throttle control in front of it. Just doesn't make sense to me.

This looks really great, but I think I'll hold off until the kinks are worked out. I'm a huge butt about giant un-closable windows. The servo dialogue in Damned Robotics for example, really bothered me. I've been using the Olex calculator and an on-screen mouse-tracking protractor to calculate my transfers, but this would make it a lot easier, so I hope you keep improving this plugin. I use MechJeb as well and it wouldn't do any good to give you the same feedback as everyone else in the thread :B