Superfluous J

My first post is simple, from July 8th 2013: I note: It is no longer my desktop background.

I hate hardware so I've never built a PC from scratch, but I've done enough hardware work (which is how I know I hate it) that if you gave me all the parts I could cobble one together. But I've written full programs (some small games and in my job I'm writing little utility programs for myself all the time) so I picked the highest (lowest?) option.

My major problem with flying planes with FAR is that you don't fly airplanes with keyboards. I seem to always have to choose between aiming too high or too low for what I want, and tilting too far left or too far right. Or, even better, wobbling between the two as I hit the keys alternately on my keyboard. Stock planes for some reason don't have this problem, they seem more forgiving to my use of keys instead of a joystick to fly.

I switched to FAR at about the same time 0.24 came out and the double whammy of cost and aerodynamics has cut my use way down. I still try to drop tanks asparagus-fashion for heavy, long distance ships but that's all in space where everything's different. For the first few minutes of flight (where traditional asparagus staging is most used) it's all SRBs and tall, thin(ish) craft.

You have 39 total posts, there's no way you've both started a lot of threads AND commented on a lot of others' threads. I've been here well over a year, and have started my fair share of threads. None of them have taken off and many have not gotten a single reply. It's the way forums work. If nobody's interested (or knows the answer to your question), nobody will post. I perused your posts and I couldn't think of anything to say on them.

Because they don't want to be able to come in straight down on top of KSC from Jool (fun as that is), but they also don't want to have to calculate their re-entry angle to the degree to keep their ship from exploding. I fall into this category, incidentally.

Engine throttling (and infinite start/stops) is not a bug, it's a design decision that I and almost every other player is happy is there. That falls squarely in the "It's more fun this way and realistic would suck" category. Oh, so you agree. You thought he was talking about the visual flame effect? I doubt it.

Do we? No. They're amusing and I watch every one, but they don't add to my Kerbal Experience in a very tangible way. Does Squad? I have no idea. I am not an expert on marketing or even business practices. I assume someone who is and who works at Squad has made this decision though and I'm willing to trust his or her judgement over my own.

This is one of the tiniest bugs I've ever reported. When I leave the atmosphere, the FAR button vanishes off the (stock) toolbar. This isn't a huge deal because hey, what do I need that button for I'm in space. However, if the FAR gui window is open at the time it stays open and there is no way (that I know of) to get it to go away now that the button is gone. If I leave the space scene (and go back to to the space center or exit the game and reload) the button is back and I can remove the window.

Okay you're not getting kicked off or banned or modded ... [EDIT] Never mind [/EDIT]

Oh yeah if you're on Minmus or a smaller world, ick. I'd reconsider the hover-over-the-docking-port idea

Note: when I did this I was actually using KAS and I had the landing "pad" (essentially a docking port on landing legs) a good distance from the base but connected via KAS pipes. You could do similar without KAS if you're willing to knock together a base with docking ports and girders/struts/structural tubes. I've never wanted to muck around with all that (hence a quick KAS pipe to get the job done). The rover thing works fine, but you may have to take multiple trips or maybe make a Hitchhiker rover. Now I want to make a hitchhiker rover.

I've had good luck with the Vertical Velocity Control mod (which I know adds a mod but it's a small one, much smaller than KAS) so I could set my lander to hover over the base, using rcs or tilting to get right over the docking port and than lower down. Works great with flat land and/or squat landers, not so good on a 10 degree slope with a tall rocket Takes a lot of practice but you feel like a boss. I've also (with less repeatable success) done it with the NavHud mod so I can see my direction, target, and docking port alignment all on the screen I'm looking at while trying not to hit the ground. Again, it's another mod but again, it's a much smaller one than KAS. Though honestly KAS is so fun...

Well it's only been there for those hours you've played since 0.25 came out so don't feel so bad!

Space, they say, is big.

Broken features are bugs. Doesn't matter if you can see what they typed (in these configs) or not (in the source code). They explained how it worked and it doesn't work that, way. It's a bug. If they had said (or say now), "Some engines you have to stage, some you have to "run test" on, and some you can do both. Have extra fun figuring out which is which!" then it'd be a feature. A stupid feature, but a feature.

I suspected something like that but didn't expect it to be in the configs. It is a bug, though, as the parts aren't working consistently compared to each other. I can see solid rockets requiring staging to boost but there is NO logical reason the ANT engine can't be tested with staging when other similar engines must be. It just adds confusion to the already confusing engine test mechanism.

I just did it the other night, though I've seen before where there is no option. I think maybe some engines you can and some you can't. The 48-7s you can, that's the one I did.

I just assumed it was becasue it was old and piloted by people who have never piloted one before, without much if any help from any sort of ground control.

Yes. It adds snacks to the modules and probably does other stuff too.

I've found two things: 1) TWR can be 1.5 or even 1.6, but you have to start your turn faster. Put fins on that bad boy and they'll keep it mostly straight. Use the computer in the beginning but once you get going a few hundred m/s turn it off. With a TWR around 1.5, turn at about 50-60m. Don't be afraid to guide it but also don't be afraid to turn off SAS and just lean back and watch. When your apoapsis is around 30, it seems that if your heading is about 30 degrees up from horizontal you're doing pretty well. 2) Revert to launch a lot. Consider them simulations and expect to do them all the time even after you've gotten used to FAR. Every rocket will fly different and turning at 50m instead of 70m could be the difference between never tilting below 70 degrees before you hit space and taking a dive in the ocean.* You WILL need to experience the rocket a few times to figure out when to start your turn and how much it should be. Guidelines are great but toss them aside if they're not working for your rocket. *Okay that's a bit hyperbolic but a correct gravity turn is a tight window of success in a vast sea of failure.

And her nickname would be Ellie, which to my ear works well alongside Jeb. <test>God</test> I just had to see if that was the forum or you. <not_a_test>Ninja'd</not_a_test>

This stopped working when RemoteTech2 changed names to RemoteTech, so I've modified the file. The config file, just drop it into GameData along with ModuleManager.dll @PART[RTShortAntenna1]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Hardy. Always on to start. Needed for a probe-only mission. Will work on any line of sight to KSC if below 150km altitude. } // Communotron 16 (Stock part repurposed for RT) @PART[longAntenna]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Will work on any line of sight to KSC if below 1960km altitude (Below Keosynchronous) } // CommTech EXP-VR-2T @PART[RTLongAntenna3]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Will work on any line of sight to KSC if below 2460km altitude (Just Below Keosynchronous) } // Communotron 32 @PART[RTLongAntenna2]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Will work on any line of sight to KSC if below 4430km altitude (Well Above Keosynchronous) } // Comms DTS-M1 (Stock part repurposed for RT) @PART[mediumDishAntenna]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Reaches Minmus. Cone covers Keosynchronous at Mun. } // Reflectron KR-7 @PART[RTShortDish2]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Hardy. Reaches all of Kerbin SOI. Cone covers Kerbin well within Mun's orbit, Keosynchronous well within Minmus' orbit. } // Communotron 88-88 (Stock part repurposed for RT) @PART[commDish]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Reaches Duna at all times, Dres on Kerbin's side of Sun. Cone covers Kerbin just outside of SOI. At Eve and Duna closest, cone will not cover Keosynchronous. } // Reflectron KR-14 @PART[RTLongDish2]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Hardy. Reaches Dres at all times, Jool on Kerbin's side of Sun, barely reaches Eeloo at its periapsis. Cone covers Kerbin from all planets. At Moho and Duna's closest approaches and when Eve is on the same side of Sun, cone will not cover Keosynchronous. } // CommTech-1 @PART[RTGigaDish2]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Hardy. Reaches everywhere. At Moho and Duna's closest approaches and when Eve is on the same side of Sun, cone will not cover Kerbin. On any inner planet (including Dres), Eeloo at closest approach, and Jool on the same side of Sun, cone will not cover Keosynchronous. } // Reflectron GX-128 @PART[RTGigaDish1]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Lightweight. Reaches everywhere. Cone will not cover Kerbin from low Sun orbit or Moho and Eve when on the same side of Sun, or a lot of Duna's close approach. All inner planets (including Dres) and Jool for all but when it on the opposite side of Sun, and about half of Eeloo's orbit the cone will not cover Keosynchronous. } // Old part - not in game anymore. @PART[RTShortDish1]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Decommissioned part. Do not use. } // Old part - not in game anymore. @PART[RTLongDish1]:AFTER[RemoteTech] { @description = Decommissioned part. Do not use. }// Reflectron DP-10

Very sweet mod. I too would like the destructibility of the launchpad and runway to be set higher (lower? Whatever, you know what I mean), or even turned off entirely while keeping the rest of the buildings intact.

The crazy part is that coral did that because of the interplanetary space dock that was about in Moon's orbit before the Golgafrinchams brought the Moon here in the late Pliocene. Occams razor works great in reality. Not so great in a show about a 1000-plus-year-old time traveler who flies around in a 1960s police box with a screwdriver that can almost literally do anything, and a piece of paper that shows the viewer whatever they expect to see. I'm in no way saying that there is any basis for the Moon not being here for billions of years. I'm saying that if you can hand wave it in a TV show, it's fine. Go for it.