What is your creative process like when you have an idea in KSP?

[DaPatman]

Since I generally play career mode, my design process tends to be something like this:

1. Accept a contract to go do something somewhere.

2. Determine the best way of completing the contract's parameters when I get there.

3. Decide how much science I want to take with me.

4. Build something that fulfils the requirements I set out for myself during steps 2 and 3.

5. (If not a contract to do something on Kerbin) Build a lifter VOID tells me will get the thing where I need it.

6. Launch.

7. If anything is wobbling noticeably, revert, add struts, and relaunch.

On the rare occasions when I use sandbox mode, the words "Accept a contract" in step 1 can be replaced with "Decide I want".

[Yukon0009]

1. Find inspiration from somewhere.

2. Load up SPH/VAB

3. Build,build,build

4. Launch without checking

5. Remember there are about a hundred clipped parts inside (and forgot to strut them)

6. Watch vehicle explode the moment physixs kicks in

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

I doodle arrangements of major parts on a white board.

... am then pleasantly surprised (or frustrated) when they do (or don't) fit together like I wanted.

Edited March 10, 2015 by Brainlord Mesomorph

[Tweety]

1. Get inspiration from imagination/forums

2. Try to emulate the aesthetics.

3. Fail hard on that and just try to emulate function.

4. Fail again and try something I think is cooler or better.

5. Probably fail again but still be pleased with that cargo plane that can circumnavigate kerbin with 9t of payload but can't get to orbit due to design/piloting limitations.

6. Start something new that will fail but get saved as one of my favourites again.

Cupcakes dropships are my new inspiration to hack up and fail at. I always have fun though.

Tweety

[DunaRocketeer]

I have a VAB in my head.

[Rematog]

I'm fairly new to Kerbal, but just recently "completed" (never really done) a Atomic rocket powered lander that flips to it's side and lands on radial mounted thrusters (see "What I've been doing" about a page or two before last). I was thinking about "I want to use hi isp Atomic rocket, but don't want klunky beams/girder legs.

Normally, my first step is to fire up Excel spread sheet I've created to add up parts weighs and fuels and calculate dV for the ship and hand calc the thrust to weight so that it can get off the pad (forgot this once, short flight).

Then make sure I have game saved, build rocket, test, fail, repeat until I: one - get it right, two figure out that this idea was not so good.

I'm really happy with my new "Eagle" lander (Space 1999, kinda looks like it, a little, if you squint), just calc'ed that I can use it to land on Duna, Dres and Vall, as well as my original targets of Ike, Gilly, Pol and Bop (and Mun/Minmus). I think I can add a bit of fuel (add a FL-T400 to the FL-T800) and the new "Extended Eagle" will be able to get me home from Moho and Eeloo. In all cases, I'm using asparagus staged "drop tanks" to do the landing. By the way, using 2 radial chutes, I get it slow enough to use thrusters to make a <12 m/s return landing on Kerbin (got to remember to keep a tiny amount of fuel in the tank, or not such a soft landing.... Jeb, remember, it's worth 25K credits)

Yes, I really, really, need to learn to do docking. But with an Atomic Transfer bus, I thinking I can do all these with a single launch vehicle. With Two pairs of 400's on the 800 main body, I get a total dV of 9,465m/s on the Extended Eagle. Warm up the platonium, Eeloo here i come.... hmmm, better test fly the Extended Eagle.....

PS, It's a single capsule. Jeb don't do ride share.... ahhh, I haven't gotten around to unlocking three man......

Edited March 10, 2015 by Rematog
add something I forgot

[zarakon]

First, I think "it would be cool if I did _______"

THE END

[Bill Phil]

I've played around with the stock parts for so long that I can envision stuff just clicking together, kinda like in the Lego Movie with the holographic parts. (With the part numbers, which, by the way, was ABSOLUTELY GENIUS! I swear I was the only one in the theater who realized what they meant.)

And then I kinda go

https://31.media.tumblr.com/05cfc95eddc733531f946d6a77338064/tumblr_n7os52qhvF1qhx46yo1_500.gif

Usually it blows up the moment physics kicks in because I forgot to strut something or my staging's off.

I didn't see it in theater, but I knew what it was alright! That was genius...

I'm similar. I see parts clicking together, but after a while I get lazy and I don't finish the build...

[katateochi]

I never know what parts I'm going to use before hand. I might have some key parts that are essential to the end goal, and sometimes I''ll select those and just put them on one side in the editor so I keep them in mind. Other than that I use whatever parts seem right at the time and fit the need (both visually and functionally). I'd say that for me form is as important (if not more) than function (obviously that's unrealistic in terms of real world design, but that's part of the joy!). I can't really say what my process is, it just sorta happens, usually out of having 1 or 2 specific goals (ie 'cool deployment of mining gear') and then after testing and testing (and then some more testing) things start coming together.

[Xannari Ferrows]

Try, fail, rinse, and repeat.

[quasarrgames]

1. get a cool idea

2. start KSP

3. try to create said cool idea

4. the craft does not perform nearly as well as expected

5. spend several hours trying to make it better, to little avail

6. ditch the craft

7. fool around in the SPH

8. have a spark of inspiration

9. quickly design a craft in less than an hour

10. test the craft, and realise that it performs better than i ever expected

11. happy dance

[Robotengineer]

It depends on what install I'm in and what the goal is, if it's in stock KSP, I generally just build a new lifter for every payload, if it's RSS, I try to make different class lifters designed to get various payloads to various places. KER helps to remove a significant amount of the trial-error loops, but it doesn't tell you when you forget to use proper strutting or don't turn your antenna on.

My design path for (most)lifters.

1. Enter VAB/SPH, open KER window, open ∆V map.

2. Start by designating a payload goal, like 2.5m orange tank in stock, or a lead ballast with the exact weight I'm aiming for in RSS/RO.

3. Decide what sort of engine will be required for stage, and the propellant, hydrolox, hypergolic, kerelox or SRB.

4. Place extend the fuel tank to get the correct TWR and ∆V, if ∆V is to little and TWR to high, get a more efficient engine, if the opposite is true, get a beefier one.

5. Place interstage fairing and decide what diameter the lower stage needs to be.

6. Repeat stages 3-5 until I have enough ∆V, after which the lifter needs to be tested.

[Thomas988]

For me, having a good idea is having a good idea for a new planet. So, I'll make myself one!

1. Fire up ol' Space Engine.

2. Find the perfect planet/moon.

3. Export the textures.

4. Create a folder for the new planet/moon in the GameData folder.

5. Create a folder in the new folder for the textures.

6. Place the textures in the new texture folder.

7. Create the Kopernicus and KittpoiaTech configs.

8. Edit the configs.

9. Fire up KSP, make changes in case planet/moon does not load.

10. Go to the new planet/moon with Hyperedit and edit the terrain, atmosphere, etc.

11. Export the planet/moon and update ScaledSpace.

12. Cry with beauty at my new world.

[Levelord]

1. What can it do?

2. Can it be done in style?

3. ???

4. Profit

[Valley]

1. What do I need?

2. What can I launch into space and can I place it where I need it?

3. Make it.

4. It explodes on the pad.

5. Rebuild it and add more boosters.

6. It explodes on the pad.

7. Go to the Internet and look at images, videos, and read postings about the same kind of craft you are creating.

8. Design new craft and replace the engines with engines that have a better ISP in the atmosphere.

9. It explodes on the pad.

10. Ask yourself why it can't fly - adjust its balance, see what Mech Jeb says about its Delta-V, replace parts with smaller parts, adjust balance, decease fuel.

11. It works.

12. Reward yourself with a toasted peanut butter and jam sandwich and post about it on the Kerbal Space Program Forum.

[gmiddlemass]

With the exception of space stations, I usually just load up the VAB/ SPH and go nuts. When I do space stations, I usually build the entire thing as a "Concept" craft and then build the individual pieces as needed.

This allows me to see how "cool" the station will be before I go through the trouble of launching and assembling everything...and then de-orbiting the station because I hate it.

This is pretty much what I do but then I normally can't be bothered taking the station to bits again for launch so I end up spending ages making a way to launch the whole thing in one go.