What are your key tech unlocks in career mode?

[Sky_walker]

* The fuel lines: I would have agreed back in 0.23.

Since then, the funds have changed things.

I very much disagree. I completed campaign in 0.25 on hard difficulty using fuel lines very extensively. Even in 1.0.x asparagus is still a very, very beneficial design not to be underestimated. You just have to use it in a reasonable way (rockets that are shorter than wider don't work like they did in the old aerodynamics - but I never build them anyway, so there's no difference for me).

ps. your love to SRBs is quite interesting considering how many people dislike them or find not worth the time. There's even a whole thread going on the general discussion - Did 1. 0 nerf SRB's too much?

Edited May 12, 2015 by Sky_walker

[magnemoe]

I very much disagree. I completed campaign in 0.25 on hard difficulty using fuel lines very extensively. Even in 1.0.x asparagus is still a very, very beneficial design not to be underestimated. You just have to use it in a reasonable way (rockets that are shorter than wider don't work like they did in the old aerodynamics - but I never build them anyway, so there's no difference for me).

Fuel lines also let you use drop tanks, standard early lander uses radial tanks for stability, they are dropped then they run dry typically acceding from mun, Drop tanks below who is used from circulating to the Mun transfer and circulating.

I always unlock them before Mun landing, say this use is more important than asparagus.

[LostOblivion]

How do you "complete" a campaign in KSP? :-O

[Sky_walker]

Fuel lines also let you use drop tanks, standard early lander uses radial tanks for stability, they are dropped then they run dry typically acceding from mun, Drop tanks below who is used from circulating to the Mun transfer and circulating.

I always unlock them before Mun landing, say this use is more important than asparagus.

I did drop-tanks on my mun landers without fuel lines too. You just manually transfer fuel in breaks between burns. But obviously it's much easier with fuel lines.

How do you "complete" a campaign in KSP? :-O

You research all the techs. And yes, I know it's an open-ended game, quotes rightfully used.

[KerikBalm]

ps. your love to SRBs is quite interesting considering how many people dislike them or find not worth the time. There's even a whole thread going on the general discussion - Did 1. 0 nerf SRB's too much?

Yes, I looked at that thread after this one... I initially ignored it like all the other post 1.0 whine-threads (Yes, SSTOs are still very possible, and still OP'd but not as much as before. Yes, most engines got an Isp nerf, yes, solar panels properly don't work so well far away.... and so on).

After looking at the stats... maybe I've made the career mode grindier than needed by adhering to 1st stage SRBs so much.

I still don't think asparagus staging is such a leap over serial staging that it compares to going from the LV-909 to an LV-N, or using turboramjets.

Now in my career mode, I'm launching everything with spaceplanes... so I may not try asparagus for a while...

I think my ISRU tankers will probably be too big to launch by SSTO, and I can just write off the one time launch cost as worth it... like upgrading the VAB or launchpad.

I'll break out asparagus designs again for those.

[Endersmens]

I usually unlock one "layer" at a time. Now, for each layer I have the nodes I unlock first, but then I unlock the other ones in that tier usually after that.

[rcp27]

Rover wheels, so I can get all that sweet sweet KSC science!

All you need is the fixed plane wheels and basic jet engine, and you can make a jet powered rover that is quite capable of scooting around the KSC and gathering its science. A nice little boost early in the tech tree.

[Randazzo]

All you need is the fixed plane wheels and basic jet engine, and you can make a jet powered rover that is quite capable of scooting around the KSC and gathering its science. A nice little boost early in the tech tree.

And quite entertaining if you use the launchpad as a ramp...

The must-have node for me in 1.0+ is Flight Control. Beyond that, the node which contains the LV-909.

[Ten Key]

Decouplers.

[hellion13]

Early airplane tech. Jet powered, science eating rovers are the best thing EVER! Then maybe the 909, getting to orbit, or anywhere else really, without it is a 1 in 10 shot for me, so far.

[MarvelousBreadfish]

Decouplers - both radial and stack, and fuel lines.