Will this game always be for physics majors?

[sss]

Math?

did i do any math to get to the mun or go to orbit?

nope.

this isnt real rocketry, its not a simulator its a game.

so really, you could no practically nothing about math and still get to the mun.

[GoodGuy]

Math?

did i do any math to get to the mun or go to orbit?

nope.

this isnt real rocketry, its not a simulator its a game.

so really, you could no practically nothing about math and still get to the mun.

Better yet, you can practically know nothing about this game and still press spacebar to get to Kerbol ;P

[sjwt]

Just keep going for it,

but for the best guide you will ever need, I would say watch this video by Cosmo-not.. How to get to the Mun and back on 5 tanks of fuel..

http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=8278.msg120302#msg120302

Also the obligatory \'this is Kerbal\'

dv/dt = (T(t) - ½*m(t)*0.0098*e-x(t)/5000Cd(t)*v2(t) - mu*m(t)/(RK+x(t))2)/m(t)

where mu = 3530.35 km3/s2 -- http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/forum/index.php?topic=12169.0

That\'s not Kerbal.

THIS IS KERBAL!

1.) Fuel is good

2.) engines are good

3.) Any weight that doesn\'t come from one of these is evil and should die in a fire.

[Abrexus]

Well, I am certainly no math major, but one thing I can say about my experience is I knew nothing about orbital mechanics when I started playing a few weeks ago. Now, I still do not know the math behind it, but I UNDERSTAND how it works! This to me is very powerful.

All through high school I had physics and calculus and it was simply a bunch of equations to me with no meaning behind them. This game has allowed me to truly understand those lessons I was taught so many years ago. While I don\'t know the math anymore, I do now feel I have a much better understanding of physics in general than I ever did back then.

[Alchemist]

You need equations if you are makig an autopilot. Anything else can be solved by the map, a craft with some extra delta v and some trial and error. That\'s the Kerbal way!

[Warshawski]

Eh, not entirely true - I learned how to build proper spaceplanes before I ever managed to make a Mun landing. It\'s all about...

1. Balanced CoM

2. Enough Fuel

3. CONTROL SURFACES AND TAILS!

4. (optional) SAS of some sort. MechJeb is dead useful.

Back on topic, though...

I\'m currently getting my drafting certification, and am about to attend college to get an aerospace engineering degree. I don\'t use any math here Try stuff until it succeeds, take stuff away from the successful design until it doesn\'t work again, and then you know 'Hey! This configuration gets me there!'

[Richy teh space man]

I did badly at physics but so far I\'ve managed to land several craft on the Mun and one so far on Minimus.

Once you understand the basics of how something works (even if you don\'t know the equations) then its relatively straight forward and intuitive, and hey even if you do mess up and kill all your little green men, they\'ll be back again like nothings happened.

[vexx32]

I\'m quite good at physics, and I understand all the concepts and can do all the math, but I have never once bothered to try and plan a mission using physics. I just get a rough idea in my head of where I want to go and I have a vague idea of what\'s required, and I just go.

[LukeTim]

As much as I would love to get really deep into the nitty-gritty of the mathematics, I have neither the time nor the patience. Having to plan everything out in notepad or whatever, and then jump into to KSP to see if it actually works, doesn\'t appeal to me so much.

Perhaps when the in-game planning stuff is done (hopefully with some sort of advanced mode where you can do some serious maths) I would be more inclined to plan stuff out.

At the moment, however, I either just build a rocket, press space and hope all goes well... or I just use MechJeb. I tend to use MechJeb most because my skills as a pilot (at least with a keyboard) are somewhat lactlustre... so I need a computer to make sure I\'m doing stuff accurately.

[jyoumon]

Wait :-[ this game needs math O_-

i just throw some stuff together and toss it to the launch pad

Space bar and Hold on!

[LukeTim]

Wait :-[ this game needs math O_-

i just throw some stuff together and toss it to the launch pad

Space bar and Hold on!

I think that\'s how most people play. However, some of us are real nerds and get all excited about numbers and equations.

[sal_vager]

Real nerds know maths is sexy

[Bekiekutmoar]

Before KSP I didn\'t know a thing about orbital mechanics; the first time I managed to escape Kerbins atmosphere I simply pointed my spacecraft towards the Mun with low thrust. I assumed that outside the atmosphere there was no gravity. I went to the toilet to do some serious bussiness, but while doing so I heard a loud bang over my PC-speakers; crash on Kerbin ... ! With trial and error, I\'ve learned some basics about orbital mechanics. Still no pro at physics though ...

[LukeTim]

Before KSP I didn\'t know a thing about orbital mechanics; the first time I managed to escape Kerbins atmosphere I simply pointed my spacecraft towards the Mun with low thrust. I assumed that outside the atmosphere there was no gravity. I went to the toilet to do some serious bussiness, but while doing so I heard a loud bang over my PC-speakers; crash on Kerbin ... ! With trial and error, I\'ve learned some basics about orbital mechanics. Still no pro at physics though ...

Yeah, same. I\'ve learnt so much about not just orbital mechanics but rocketry too.

[Wyrm]

3.) Any weight that doesn\'t come from one of these is evil and should die in a fire.

...I think this includes our intrepid Kerbonauts. ;D

Anyway, the only place I used maths in connection to KSP was to reballance the thrusts/fuel consumtion on the rockets for more realistic specific impulse.

Then I threw out that set and went back to stock. =P

[thorfinn]

Anyway, the only place I used maths in connection to KSP was to reballance the thrusts/fuel consumtion on the rockets for more realistic specific impulse.

Then I threw out that set and went back to stock. =P

Well, if you didn\'t also rebalance the weights by making things like the axial decoupler much lighter, no wonder you weren\'t getting off the ground

[Wyrm]

Oh, no. The rockets worked okay, because I was reballancing pretty much everything (the rockets were the only thing I needed MATH for, see). I ended up creating this mock Soyuz booster that, after liberal amounts of struts and giving the finger to the ASAS I installed and flying by the seat of my pants for the launch phase, finally started working right.

It\'s just... well... I just sort of shrugged my shoulders and went back to vanilla stock after doing all that work after that. Most of my issues with rockets is steering the darn things.

[TheBlaster]

The map view makes this game rediculously easy you just burn until you Apoapsis is where you want it to be with no planning required. I dont understand how anyone could struggle with how simple this is.

[pit_muc]

The nice thing about this game is, that you don\'t have to calculate anything to get wherever you want. Still it is accurate enough that you CAN calculate the orbit mechanics if you like.

I have a degree in physics and even took an introductory class in space technology, so I like the calculations, but I landed on the mun before I started to calculate anything.

[Guest GroundHOG-2010]

This game, for physics majors? What have you been reading.

In all seriousness (from a 15 year old to an artist), this game is very much trial and error. Once you get good at it, you seem to just know what to put where. First day flying in the game for me (though this is 0.9), I didn\'t make it into orbit. I finally made 1 orbit several days later. Now, it takes me two shots to get from kerbin to the new moon via the mun, while me around a year ago would have taken around 200 tries at it.

Basicly what has been said above works...

Too heavy = More power (more boosters)

Can\'t get high enough = More fuel

Can\'t control it = ASAS, fins, RCS and gymbaling engines (the two engines that have the lower power are gymbaling).

Have fun playing.

[Guest Flixxbeatz]

'Disregard physics, acquire flight'

some random quote I\'ve picked up around here in the forums

[boolybooly]

Geoff IMHO KSP is a sandpit of boom and ambition is your only master. You dont need maths just slap it together, add a parachute, see if it flies.

[VincentMcConnell]

You dont need maths just slap it together, add a parachute, see if it flies.

A parachute? 'Once Ze Rockets are up, who cares vehr zey come down? That\'s not my department, says Wehrner Von Braun.' -Tom Lehrer.