How do generally install/deinstall your mods?

[Gerandar]

Manually, CKAN and any mod manager is pointless.

[GiantTank]

I don't see any need for CKAN (up until recently I had no idea it existed) when it's so easy to install a mod in KSP.

Its easier with CKAN. Plus, CKAN lets you install 50 mods at once, lets you see all the updated mods, and lets you download packs for realism overhaul. It also gives you reccommended, dependent and suggested mods.

[Van Disaster]

Manually install out of the entire KSP tree into my own mod tree. Install with a bunch of management scripts which symlink into gamedata of whatever install I'm using, either singly, entire folders or preconfigured packages. I download & install into the mod tree manually though.

[TeddyDD]

Manually, CKAN and any mod manager is pointless.

Oh really? How long in takes to check mod update manually? Let's say 30 - 40 seconds per mod. Now, I have 67 mods installed.... So to get newest mods and keep my install up-to-date I'd have to spend 44 minutes every time I play (probably more).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Q5JhiixTcU8

[Gerandar]

Oh really? How long in takes to check mod update manually? Let's say 30 - 40 seconds per mod. Now, I have 67 mods installed.... So to get newest mods and keep my install up-to-date I'd have to spend 44 minutes every time I play (probably more).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Q5JhiixTcU8

and when CKAN screws up you will have to spend that time fixing it anyway.

[Rabada]

Usually whenever I start a new Career or Sandbox game, I install a fresh copy of KSP. I use this as an opportunity to change up the mods I play. At some point in time I have used pretty much every major mod out for KSP. (excluding multiplayer and weapons mods) Right now I am playing a Realism Overhaul game, the time before that I played a game based around RoverDude's mods. I often keep my old installs in a folder on my HDD. Right now that folder is 82Gb.

Lately I have been using CKAN to install the "Core" mods that I install into every game of KSP I play. (Ex: Kerbal Engineer, Alarm Clock, Editor Extensions, RCS build aid, FAR, DRE, TAC, etc.) It takes a lot less time to get all the most current versions of mods using CKAN than it would if I googled, downloaded, and installed each mod independently. Also CKAN is pretty useful for a quick check to see if any updates have come out of any of the mods I run. I have several different KSP installs, and used to have a LINUX partition solely for playing KSP on my old computer. I still need to get Linux running on my new computer. I install KSP on a spare SSD in my system I am not yet using for anything else. (I used to run KSP on a regular HDD and I have noticed 0 differenced between HDDs and SDDs when it comes to KSP. I only install KSP to a SSD because I can)

Once I get all the mods installed, (usually I run at least 20, sometimes a lot more) I will then start going through each individual mod folder and pruning out the parts that I won't be needing. Then I will do some edits, like removing the IVAs (I never play KSP in IVA mode, so this can free up a lot of RAM space) adding my personal edits to the mods I use. Then I will install either ATM basic of ATM agressive judging by how many parts/texture mods I installed, then I will run KSP. I will then start a I try to keep my RAM usage below 3 GB at all times so that KSP plays smoothly and doesn't crash too often. Then I will force OpenGL and windowless full screen and then I will start the game. I usually start a quick test game in sandbox mode to make sure that everything seems to be running well.

The last thing I do before I start a new career is that I will back-up the entire KSP install with all the mods I installed. This has saved me numerous times from otherwise game-ending bugs. At least 4 or 5 times I have been able to recover from game-ending bugs by moving my save over to that back-up install of KSP.

Also, I want to point out that I recently upgraded my computer from a AMD 8320 to a brand new x99 i7 and I was shocked by how much smoother KSP runs, and how rarely I see the mission clock turn red.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Rabada

[TeddyDD]

and when CKAN screws up you will have to spend that time fixing it anyway.

It's exactly what I (and many other people) do. If there is something wrong with metadata I'm sending PR to CKAN repo on github. I added some mods to CKAN too.

I'm spending less time on these contributions than you manually checking for updates

[magico13]

I'm a bit of a weird case. I have a program I wrote over a year ago that lets me swap out GameData folders (and save folders) while only having a single KSP install (that way I can run multiple mod installs but still use Steam), but I like to use CKAN for my primary mod install. CKAN isn't aware of my other program, so I switch to my "main" instance, install with CKAN in that instance ONLY, and manually install to every other instance (often just by copying from the main instance to whatever other one I'm using at the time). Sometimes I manually download things for my side instances, especially if I'm trying out a mod that is still a WIP.

CKAN certainly makes things easier for me though, since taking the time to download and update all the mods I use used to take a few hours. Now it's much, much less time, especially after getting the initial install up and running. Checking for updates and installing them takes only a minute or so.

[stibbons]

CKAN. It's pretty great seeing the same package management techniques I've been using in Linux for a couple of decades applied to a video game.

[pincushionman]

I don't have enough mods to justify CKAN. Only about 10 max.

[CalculusWarrior]

CKAN for me, I do love how it automatically will update any mods which have new versions posted. Of course, in the rare case a mod isn't on CKAN, I will install it manually.

[razark]

Jsgme

[katateochi]

I'm a techno-megalomaniac, I generally prefer doing things manually. I get KSP from the store rather than steam for that reason.....So when I say CKAN has been a breath of fresh air, understand my meaning! It really has saved me a lot of time. I dread to think how much time I've spent in the past just fetching mod updates.

CKAN also brings a level of organisation and centralized knowledge about mods to the community which is an extremely valuable things.

edit - not quite enough options on the poll; I have many installs, some (more experimental ones) are manually managed, some are stock, but my main mod installs are (where possible) managed by CKAN.

[landfish2]

If a mod dies the entire install dies with it. There must be absolute purity and I will not allow any remnants or memories of the offending mod to remain.

[Slam_Jones]

CKAN is my personal choice

[Fel]

Manually. I often go so far as to completely reorganize the horrible sort order that mods come with into my own version.

I often don't quite get what people see in these things. RSS feeds have existed for years, this really is "just a GUI".

Also, what is "deinstall"?

Edited April 6, 2015 by Fel

[Francois424]

I am extremely picky about what I add to my install, and will usually test the mod out in a sandbox game in another folder. If I am satisfied, I will see what parts featured with that mod (if there are any) I really want to bring over. In the case of B9, I think there was 3 pieces I kept. So very rare that I install a 'full' mod.

After I know what I want I will make a backup of my real game's folder with the date in the name, then install new mod and continue onwards. At this moment I have about 6 folders for KSP, but I could easily delete 2. I keep them for test purposes.

As for deleting the mods, I usually just delete the folders.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Francois424

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

I use 2 installs of KSP. And I do it by hand. I had to walk all the way to school, too. Uphill, both ways.

[moogoob]

So far all part mods I've tried have been deleted for one reason of another. I don't know why - perhaps I just prefer the limits of stock?

I just delete much like I install - drag to another folder I made called "deactivated mods". Then I still have the files in case I change my mind.

[MacKerbie]

I use JSGME, because I've been using it for other games for a long time now (at least 10 years) and I've gotten used to it. It not only helps me keep track of what mods I have installed and the order I installed them, but also which folder applies to which mod.

It makes the GameData folder house-keeping much easier to manage, so long as you use it correctly of course. That often means a bit of prepping first before installing the mod, just to make sure everything installs into the correct folder(s).

[JAD_Interplanetary]

CKAN for me. I'd rather spend my limited free time playing than managing mods and their dependencies by hand. I don't begrudge anyone else their own way of doing things, though.

[EladDv]

used to have multiple installs- up to 7 at one time, briefly (for a day) switched to multiple GD folders 4 days ago and from then i am playing RSS+RO+RP-0 for a day so i use CKAN for simplicity (SO MANY DEPENDENCIES)

[Wiseman]

CKAN here too, because I play with 50-60 mods. I have a gnawing suspicion that CKAN doesn't always install things correctly, or grabs old versions, so on my previous install I did it all by hand, meticulously checking for dependencies and so forth. I didn't find that it ran any better (or worse), but with CKAN I don't spend two hours setting up a fresh career.

[Aser]

After breaking countless installs and breaking most of my saves, I've started making a new KSP folder when I install a new mod. 3 separate folders right now. If I get into the 5+ range, I'll start culling out some of the old ones.

And when the culling begins, I have little doubt that my saves will break and I will have to start from scratch again.

[Joshwoo70]

<---- non Ckan user

I also have MANY instances of KSP. (Stock/0.25 stock/modded with lots of planet mods/main modpack/ main modpack LITE.

anyways think ckan is not a efficient way for me. Basically I am integrating a old modpack that I use. ckan is difficult. I have to admit that I install everything manually.

Edited April 7, 2015 by Joshwoo69