orangexception

My original purchase is less than 2 cents, but I tend to repurchase the game every 500 hours.

Try the ducted fans from USI, http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/86695

Turning large things connected by multiple docking ports is fun! You should definitely use time warp to stop the wobble after you complete a turn. Also, make sure you're on your maneuver marker early. When you're burning, lower thrust will mean lower wobble. If you've got the craft aligned properly, then you can try to turn off SAS and engine gimbals to prevent wobble. When you get the burn good enough, then do another maneuver to correct for anything.

If you're using the stock aerodynamics, then you need to limit your speed to terminal velocity on ascent. There should be a readout on KER for terminal velocity.

My biggest question: Are they going to make the aero core open enough that it can be extended by mods? Since they're doing such a major change, it makes sense to code it with mods in mind.

The LV-T30 is one of the best engines in the game. It's already fantastic.

I also approve of this method.

Oh ah, that's a nice read.

Typically when I build planes, I just throw on wings and see what happens. Is there a formula I can use or general guidance to determine how much lift I need for a plane? I'm loosely thinking there's some kind of ratio between weight and lift.

If you want to remove symmetry via an editor, then a simple regular expression find/replace will work. Find ^\s*sym\s*=.*\n Replace [empty string] I found that it's easier to build one section of the ship and then do symmetry at the end. If I wanted 4x fuel tanks with 2x sepratrons on each, then I make 1 fuel tank, do the 2 sepratrons, and finally do the 4x symmetry. Apply fuel lines and structs as needed.

More snacks, obviously. Filling gaps that mods haven't covered already and things that would be better done by the main development team. // I'm fairly sure this is what Squad does already.

If you don't mind stranding Kerbals everywhere, then you can eliminate a lot of probe use cases. I send probes to Eve. Otherwise, probes are handy for reusable lifters or things you'd like to take care of later. They're also handy for fuel depots, transfer stages, etc. that you may want to dock with, but don't want to bother keeping a Kerbal on board.

If you've got FAR, then snag procedural fairings and auto struts will save you. Toss whatever you want under it and push away to orbit. If the launcher sucks at control, then toss some RCS on it. When you hit orbit, then rebalance your payload RCS tanks with TAC. Stock-ishly/otherwise, build a sled around your payload and it'll work like a charm. This design effectively pulls your payload along instead of pushing, while maintaining a great center of mass, maneuverability, TWR, etc. They're simple to build to boot.

Amazing craft all around. I've got some designing to do shortly.

Another thing to keep in mind. You don't need jets to SSTO. I made a simple rocket last night. 75k orbit w/ a little leftover fuel.