Hovis

Okay sort of follow up question, but it's something that has been vexing me since I've been playing the game, looking at mods, watching videos etc. What exactly constitutes a heavy payload? By which I mean, here I am in game, on Kerbal (metaphorically speaking) what is the most I should be reasonably expecting to put into space? I mention this in specific reference to fuel, because fuel weighs a hell of a lot and I tend to find that most of my refuelling tugs that I launch are typically having to get high on their own supply, in order to make it out of the atmosphere. So where should I be aiming? What's the sort of practical maximum to get into orbit from Kerbal, and what sort of tonnage of cargo should I be expecting to lift with ease, given that I'm a bit of a newb (though to be fair I've been eating, sleeping and dreaming the game since I bought it, it's ridiculously good). Also, sort of related, what sort of Delta V level should I be aiming for to get different tonnages into a 200km orbit? I know that about 4k usually gets me into orbit, but if that's all I have typically the tanks are empty when I arrive. I struggle to get much higher than 4-5k.

Using Mechjeb I find the stages to be: 1. Set an intercept course. 2. Circulate the orbit. 3. Land. I don't actually know how, in Mechjeb, to just adjust the orbit size (I'm a nub) but once it's in orbit the Mechjeb autolander seems to be okay. If I don't start from a stable orbit things can get painful. On the plus side the Mun is really forgiving. If things go bad just pointing up and hitting the throttle usually makes it all better.

I was thinking of this and I think the Kerbal Livefeed idea sounds great. Here is what I'm thinking would work best, and be -comparatively- easy to implement. 1. One player hosts, not a server. They host and the others watch. 2. Other players can build ships and upload them to the host player to use, but they cannot actually control events in the game. So I know what you're thinking, what does this really achieve? Well it'd be two things. First off, building the ships is a big part of the game, if you could make that a team effort that'd be brilliant just in and of itself. But secondly, and I would argue more importantly, KSP is a very hard game. It has a big learning curve and there is a hell of a lot to take in. I've sunk about fifty hours into this game since getting it and I completed my first Mun landing and return tonight, and I'd still be trying to make that happen if I hadn't been able to talk to a friend who has had the game longer and get some pointers. Some sort of system for closer cooperation, for teaching, exchanging ideas, demonstrating how things work, that'd be brilliant. You can go so much further in this game with a little guidance than you can with just blind experimentation.

Whatever my first successful orbiter is called, the follow-ups are usually called 'Rescue'. I am not good at this game (yet).

Thanks for the help guys!

Hi guys, first post, many questions. I'm a giant newb, I've got Mechjeb and I'm able to get stuff into orbit and dock ships and, well, that's about it. My current stumbling block is trying to get something bigger into play. Some problems I've faced: 1. If I have a station set up (usually a cylinder atop the rocket) I tend to find that the rocket blows up. Usually one of the connections, typically the one connecting the rear engine of the station, gives out, and boom. I'm wondering if I am accelerating too hard, or if the weight of the station itself is the problem? 2. Is there any mileage in a piggy-back launch like the Space Shuttle, or is that a dead end? A huge number of Kerbals have died in my experiments with this method of launch. I feel bad. But is there something in it? Typically I find that either I lose control of the rocket and it tips over, or if I put a buttload of power into the first stage to offset it then it just tears itself up. Is there a solution? 3. Are there any general things I should be aware of when looking at the Centre of Mass, Centre of Thrust and Centre of Lift? Do I just want to keep them all near the bottom? 4. If I want to build an interplanetary ship in space, do I effectively have to dock all the parts together or are there other ways? Docking links have a bad habit of snapping on me when I've fired up engines. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I am basically fishing to build an orbital hub station (working name Gas And Gulp) and also put together some sort of huge roving colony craft. I like the idea of a ship that can essentially visit all the different planets without having to return home (though it will get getting resupply runs from Kerbal along the way). Any help much appreciated. Also on a completely unrelated matter, is there a way to tell Mechjeb I want to go to the moon? Sort of baffled by that. I know it's not related but it's been bugging me.