How do YOU mod KSP?

[RJ9955hi]

Let's talk. Whether you get mechjeb or cheat crafts into orbit, I want to know how You mod KSP. How would be nice too!

[Nim]

I have a list of must-have mods I use, Environmental Visual Enhancements, Planet Shine, Distant Object Enhancement, Raster Prop Ponitor, and Astronomers Visual Pack for visual mods. I have MechJeb and/or Kerbal Engineer Redux, Kerbal Inventory System, and sometimes RemoteTech as functional and gameplay mods, FAR used to be on this list but I like the stock Aerodynamics now. Lastly, part mods, I like to use Atomic Age Nuclear Rockets because who doesn't want a 2.5 meter nuclear reactor propelling you through space?

B9 is by far my favorite part mod, but a lot of its spaceplane parts are now redundant due to game updates (Mk2 Spaceplane Parts), firespitter and infernal robotics are fun too! Lackluster Labs and STX are also awesome.

[Streetwind]

If you're interested in KSP modding: we have a whole forum section dedicated to it.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/forums/4-Add-ons

[Xyphos]

There's a forum for this.

but to answer, I often edit the stock CFG files; for example, I added

stackSymmetry = 3

the the station hub connector and other small bits of code.

I also make my own parts, but I tend to get carried away with the CFG file and it either ends up not working properly or just waaaay too well to be believable.

[sedativechunk]

If you're interested in KSP modding: we have a whole forum section dedicated to it.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/forums/4-Add-ons

Nah, I think OP is trying to start a generalized discussion about modding, not something so much mod specific. OP, to answer your question. Pre 1.0, I played religiously with mods. All the visual mods I tried, tac life support, KW rocketry, deadly re-entry, alcor capsule, and many others. I had so many it was causing problems for my game's stability even on Linux. I was also using the outer planets mods for a while although they were a bit too far to reach, I then had to use things like futuristic propulsion but the game was simply getting too deep/complicated at one point for me playing as realistic as possible. I used to play with HyperEdit as well, strictly for testing rockets only, I didn't use it in a cheaty-fashion. I take (and still do) KSP overly-serious, I try to play with realism, life support mods, and do things in a way where a real spaceflight would be carried out. Unfortunately it cuts into my real life and I had to take a step back and quit getting so deep into a video game!

As of 1.0, I am trying to remain as vanilla as possible (for the reason above and more). I am only using flight engineer and stage recovery, two mods which I feel should be officially endited into KSP. I've only gotten to Duna so far manned with career mode on hard. It's a unique challenge, especially relearning the entire game.

[Streetwind]

Nah, I think OP is trying to start a generalized discussion about modding, not something so much mod specific.

Yes, and we have a forum literally called "General Add-On Affairs"

For what it's worth, I'm a great fan of Nertea's mods (and help out with them, see sig). I also find myself craving the tiny parts supplied by RLA Stockalike whenever I make a new save that doesn't include it. But by far the largest part of my modded installs is comprised by utilities, not part mods. Kerbal Engineer Redux, ScienceAlert, Trajectories, everything by TriggerAU ever...

[Zylark]

There are some mods that I just won't play without:

- Kerbal Alarm Clock

- Mechjeb

- Kerbal Attachment System

- DMagic Orbital Science

- SCANsat

- AntennaRange (tried RemoteTech, but it got too tedious - AR is a happy medium, all options on)

- Some sort of Life-Support mod, right now USI-LS, previously TAC-LS

- Some sort of In-Situ Resource extraction mod. Been through Kethane, now run with MKS/Karbonite and the stock offering.

Those are the core mods, in addition I run a host of mods that add parts and functionality. In this career, I'm looking forward to putting Cacteye Orbital Telescope through its paces

[Falkenherz]

Beginner´s request: If you talk about a mod, please make sure to describe what it does; the names are sometimes not enough to understand.

I tried looking into the mod section of this forum but got overwhelmed. So far, I find my mods from observing videos and seeing which mod does what. Thisis why I find a topic like this in the general forum quite helpful.

So far, I haven´t come beyond

- Kerbal Engineer Redux and

- Kerbal Alarm Clock and

- Science Alarm.

The first is invaluable during construction and flight, giving you precice data on how fast/high/where your rocket goes and is going to go. The second just enables me to manage multiple flights without ever missing an essential moment like a maneuver node. The third gives me a ping when there is new science to be recieved from a flight; I just wish it would be more customizable, e.g. giving me pings even when on a different flight, and giving me pings even when there is no science to be gotten anymore (important for feeding mobile labs at later stages).

What I still want to have is a visual mod which makes Kerbin more "atmospheric"; there are many videos/pictures out there where Kerbin has clouds.

Also, thinking long way if I just add a kind of life support mod. It just seems weird that a Kerbal can survive stuffed in a Mk1 pod all the 230+ days to Duna and beyond. I also would like to switch off that "quantum fuel and crew transfer", e.g. disable internal crew transfer when there is no real walkable connection between crew modules.

Otherwise I am perfectly happy with how the game is. But, you never know, I might see another mod and think, like, hey this is what I always wanted...

EDIT: Hehe, I forgot "Waypoint Manager", due to lack of more land marks, it is so essential to be able to see the nav points while in flight!

Edited May 18, 2015 by Falkenherz

[Mighty1]

There are so many great mods which add to gamplay fun and complexity. Some of my must have mods are:

- FAR

- EVE, Distant object enhancement, planet shine

- RT2

- Scan Sat

- USI LS and US/MKS

- Interstellar

- KW With which my loading freezes on the SRB nose cone, maybe i'll delete it or switch to NovaPunch

- B9 (not yet updated to 1.02)

Of course, this is a lot of visual stuff here so ATM aggressive is a must.

I I try to mod it until it is stable, but close to crashing. I am currently having a memory leak which adds 200kb/sec in the main menu and am trying to figure out what causes it. It appears, but is not confirmed, that there is a problem in FAR/Deadly reentry/Modular flight Integrator. I have to do some testing to see where is the problem.

[cybersol]

So far in 1.0.2 I'm mostly using only information and GUI mods. In rough order of can't live without to its just nice to have.

Kerbal Engineer Redux

Kerbal Alarm Clock

Precise Node

Docking Port Aligment Indicator

Science Alert

RCSBuildAid

Waypoint Manager

IntakeBuildAid

DefaultThrottle

MapShowNavBall

[Voyager_sput]

I just use a few small mods to enhance the game slightly:

KAS/KIS - For building a simple fuel/energy transfer infrastructure for my surface bases (with pipes).

Kerbal Engineer - for a more comprehensive dV and TWR readout for my rockets/ships in de VAB/SPH.

[Freshmeat]

Mods I cannot do without:

Kerbal Engineer Redux: As others have explained, gives vital information during construction. I use the hud as well for AP/PE numbers, and occasionally check for dV.

KSPSerialIO: Connects to my controller. Cannot fly without throttle and joystick anymore.'

Out of convinience, I use Ship Manifest. It allows transfer of ressources and crew between containers.

[Iceflame]

I add some extra gameplay, comlexity and, of course, challenge to the game with

- Remote Tech

- TAC Life Support

- SCANsat

with fitting contract packs

Also, I really want to recommend kOS to anyone who is familiar with coding basic.

I mostly use part packages which bring completely new gameplay mechanics to the game, and do not only add variations of parts which are already in stock, like new egines. I won't list all packages I use, just the ones I consider mandatory for my experience:

- KAS

- KIS

- Universal Storage

When it comes to spaceraft design, I strongly depend on:

- Tweakable Everything

- TweakScale

- Kerbal Engineer Redux

And the other quality of life tools I use frequently:

- Kerbal Alarm Clock

- Precise Node

- Trajectories (Not using it right now, as Stock Aerodynamics are not supported yet)

[billbobjebkirk]

I use 6.4x RSS, FAR, and a bunch of other realism mods, as well as a ton of stockalike parts mods, in order to make a sort of compromise between stock and reality.

[Andrewx21]

Only mods i can't play without, tacls, OPM, infernal robotics, KIS, dangit, mission controller 2, scan sat and remote tech. Mabey b9, kerbal foundries and kw or nova punch later

[FishInferno]

I play with mods that help me or improve aesthetics without changing the gameplay mechanics of adding new parts, like RPM and EVE

one does not simply build a space station without using RCS build aid

Ironic fact: I have made a couple mods but I actually do not use them myself, outside of testing new updates

[Skorpychan]

KER for data readouts and help with building.

MechJeb for rendezvouses, because I really don't have the patience or precision to do them myself. That is literally all I use it for, though, because I can manage the rest just fine.

[Geschosskopf]

Let's talk. Whether you get mechjeb or cheat crafts into orbit, I want to know how You mod KSP. How would be nice too!

Welcome aboard!

Anyway, most mods fall into 1 of 3 broad categories:

* Parts (bigger, different look, and/or niche-filling)

* Gameplay features ("realism" stuff, tech trees, contracts, resources, increased functionality)

* Instrumentation (both for building and flying)

And then there are a few special things that really don't fit the above, plus some tweaks I make myself.

PARTS: Due to 32-bit memory limits, much as I'd like to have scads of other parts, I usually just pick 1 main parts mod and limit it pretty much to just bigger (5m) rocket parts. I rotate around between KW Rocketry, NovaPunch, SXT, and Space-Y Heavy Lifters as the mood strikes me (all are quite good) and they become available for the current game version. I also always get Firespitter but pare it down to just the dll (which I exploit with ModuleManager--see below) pontoons (for boats and seaplanes), and a 1.25m 2-seat cockpit and 1.25m 2-seat passenger bay.

GAMEPLAY: I ALWAYS have some way to refuel my ships. Used to be, that was Kethane, then Karbonite. Now I'm using the stock Ore thing so I don't currently have a mod for this. Likewise, with the 1.x atmospherics, I no longer have FAR or DRE. Still have SCANsat (best planet-scanner on the market) and I always have KAS (which now requires KIS as well). Finally, I always get DMagic Orbital Science because it's cool and it's especially useful now that science rewards have been stripped from the stock career. I've messed with life support and decided it really adds nothing to the game that I'm interested in messing with, so I prefer to do without that.

INSTRUMENTATION: I find it highly annoying that stock KSP is so devoid of essential build and flight information so I use MJ for that. I also use MJ to automate all the boring, repetitive tasks I've done tens of thousands of times already. What I enjoy about the game is designing something for a specific purpose on another planet and then seeing if it actually works, so it's the destination that matters to me, not the trip there. I usually have dozens of ships in flight so Kerbal Alarm Clock is essential. Trajectories is a huge help for doing aerobraking. TAC Fuel Balancer is a wonderful time-saver. That's about it.

SPEcIAL STUFF:

Probably the most important thing to get here is the "Stock Bug Fixes" pack, which does things like make rover wheel brakes function again .

There are also all kinds of mods that provide different sights and sounds but with the memory limitations, I tend to ignore these. Except for Chatterer, which I just can't live without . Also, TAC Self Destruct is so useful and so much fun that I always have it as well. This eliminates spent stages in orbit, removes unnecessary parts around bases, and in the process provides entertaining explosions .

PERSONAL TWEAKS: Thanks to ModuleManager, every player can now easily tweak many aspects of the game to suit himself. So I use this to add MJ and the SCANsat data reader as standard equipment to all probes and pods so I don't have to add the parts for that. That used to be about all I did here, but in 1.x I've also used it to minimize the ridiculous, unrealistic overheating of LV-Ns. I've also made ladders more heat-resistant because they have to be stuck on the outside to work at all so tend to get burned off during reentry. This really isn't a lot--you can do all sorts of things with ModuleManager, which is truly the greatest thing since bottled whiskey. I highly recommend you become conversant with it.

[mrclucks]

In .90 my must haves were mechjeb(for the tediousness) and ker for informational purposes, remote tech since I love building satellites, kerbal alarm clock for the obvious, and interstellar for the power and heat management and also for that super efficient engine. I also played with the strut mod and space y lifters to make it a bit easier to build rockets with minimum lag.

In 1.x I'm having a love/hate relationship with reentry and aero. My must haves are the same as above, minus interstellar. I'm also playing with a few science mods, stage recovery, ambient light mod and a very small part mod for tiny SATs. Will be installing space y and seeing if interstellar got updated for 1.0.2.

[hellion13]

Mostly gui enhancements. Engineer for twr, mechjeb for patched conics, science alert cuz i cant remember to click the science. Chatterer. I have scansat but i haven't used any of it yet.

[Mister Spock]

I'm trying to play with fewer gameplay/parts mods, to reduce RAM issues and improve load times. I also find it less overwhelming to use one or two gameplay/parts mods.

My favorite "utilities" include

Kerbal Alarm Clock (great if you have a lot going on at once)

Kerbal Engineer Redux

PreciseNode (finer control over maneuver nodes)

Docking Port Alignment Indicator (makes docking much much easier)

WaypointManager

My currrent "gameplay" mods include

Kerbal Construction Time (ships take time to build, and you can "sim" parts of flights for a cost). This is the highlight of my current career.

Final Frontier (medals for individual Kerbals)

Contracts Pack: Kerbin Space Station (greater variety of things to do with your space stations)

USI Life Support ("lite" life support: Kerbals just go on strike if they get hungry, they don't die unless you choose that option)

I'm not currently using any big "parts" mods. In the past I've used:

Modular Kolonization System (ambitious parts for making orbital and ground-based colonies)

KSP Interstellar

I'd like to try one or more of:

Station Science or Orbital Science

New Horizons

Outer Planets Mod

[SAI Peregrinus]

Ignoring library mods (BD Animation, Modular Flight Integrator, etc).

Mods that add a gameplay feature and have a part for it (eg MechJeb) tend to be gameplay mods (or UI, eg Protractor) and not parts mods. Mods that simply have variations on existing gameplay features (eg procedural fairings) are parts mods.

Mods in bold are particularly handy.

Parts:

Adjustable Landing Gear

Bahamuto Dynamics

BahamutoD's Armory

DMagic Orbital Science

Firespitter

Heat Management

Karbonite

Karbonite+

Procedural Fairings

Procedural Parts

Quantum Struts Continued

QuizTech Aero Pack

RealChute Parachute Systems

Smart Parts

Sounding Rockets!

Universal Storage

USI Exploration Pack

USI Freight Transport Technologies

USI Kolonization Systems (MKS/OKS)

USI Life Support

USI Survival Pack

Gameplay:

Better Buoyancy

Davon Throttle Control Systems

Deadly Reentry

EVA Parachutes

Extraplanetary Launchpads

Ferram Aerospace Research

GPO Speed Fuel Pump

kOS

kRPC

MechJeb 2

ModuleRCSFX

SafeChute

SCANsat

Science Funding

Stage Recovery

Throttle Controlled Avionics - Continued

UI:

[X] Science

Action Groups Extended

Actions Everywhere

Alternate Resource Panel

Ambient Light Adjustment

Better Time Warp

Contract Window +

Control Lock

Crew Manifest

Editor Extensions

Filter Extensions

ForScience Continued!

Horizontal Landing Aid

Improved Chase Camera

Intake Build Aid

Kerbal Alarm Clock

Kerbal Attachment System

Kerbal Engineer Redux

Kerbal Inventory System

Kerbal Joint Reinforcement

Kronal Vessel Viewer

Landing Height Display

Menu Stabilizer

Navball Docking Alignment Indicator

NavHUD

PreciseNode

Protractor

Raster Prop Monitor

Science Alert

Sensible Screenshot

Sentinel Memory Monitoring Utility

Ship Manifest

Smart Stage

Switch Active Vessel

Temperature Gauge Killer

Toolbar

Tweakable Everything

TweakScale

Vertical Velocity Controller

Vessel Viewer

Waypoint Manager

Graphics:

Collision FX

Distant Object Enhancement

HotRockets

Texture Replacer

Special Stuff:

Active Texture Management - Aggressive

Stock Bug Fix Modules

Stock Plugins

Some of these overlap a bit, eg Vertical Velocity Controller and Throttle Controlled Avionics. But they each have some independent functionality.

[Alshain]

I like certain mods but on the other hand I like to keep a minimalist approach. I don't use MechJeb or anything I'd consider cheating (HyperEdit), if anything I like to make it more challenging. I've just recently started with RemoteTech for the first time and I'm having a blast, it makes so much more sense with this mod. ScanSat is another one I threw in there, if I was going to do one sattelite system, why not do both?

Those are the only game mechanic mods I have this go round. I won't bother listing all the various visual effects mods here since they don't affect gameplay, but other content mods are:

Surface Lights

Mk3 Mini Expansion Pack

Adjustable Landing Gear

K2 Command Pod

Kerbal NRAP Test Weight

Stage Recovery

KAX

Informational addons include:

RCS Build Aid

Kerbal Engineer

Waypoint Manager

NavUtilities

NavBall Docking Alignment

Kerbal Alarm Clock

Transfer Window Planner

That is pretty much it, very minimalist. I'm not like many people, I like to keep my mods as mods (usually because stock adaptations usually do not live up to the mod) but the ones I bolded above are the ones I would love to see in stock.

Edited May 18, 2015 by Alshain

[Captain Sierra]

To the OP:

There are several things I use.

Utility:

Kerbal Engineer Redux: This adds more information than you know what to do with. Fortunately it's quite managable and a lot of that information is useful at a given time and place.

Docking Alignment Indicator: When you do as much docking as I do, this helps streamline the process. ALso highly reccomended for beginners. It helps you line up better so you can understand what being lined up actually looks like.

I do not currently use the following utility mods, however I usually do and will grab them when I start doing larger flotillas (something I enjoy doing).

Kerbal Alarm Clock: This gives you alarms to display notifications, pause the game, or drop you out of time warp depending on what you set. Alarms can cue on SoI change, maneuver nodes, Ap, Pe, AN, DN, close approaches, or a pure time stamp you set. Useful for running many interplanetary missions at once.

Precise Node: Adds precision maneuver node editing I mostly use it for the ability to change conics modes as I need.

Parts:

Near Future Technologies (all of them): This collection of mods adds analogs to real life electric engines such as VASIMRs, magnetoplasma thrusters, pulsed inductive thrusters, etc. It adds humongous solar panels & nuclear reactors (w/heating system & radiators) to power them, and mega batteries and capacitors to keep them fed. It adds heavy girder trusses for large construction, some with fuel in them. It adds a bunch of stuff for building reusable spacecraft like Duna landers and trans-orbit shuttles. In case its not obvious, this is one of my go-tos as soon as I decide to not keep my install as close to stock as possible.

Stockalike Station Parts Expansion: Another mod by Nertea (totally not a Nertea fanboy I swear*), this one adds a bunch of larger habs, thin structural adapters, tubes, docking ports with intergrated monoprop tanks, and a ton of other stuff for building stations that aren't just automated fuel depots.

Cryogenic Engines: Nertea strikes again with this fairly new mod but it's now my go-to for putting ANYTHING in space. Where stock engines got robbed of Isp in 1.0, these didn't. The included fuel switch is also helpful for running the Nerv (full jumbo64 of pure LF anybody?).

Atomic Age: Like the Nerv? Wish it was bigger, more efficient, or had more punch? Here, have some more nuclear rocket options. This is by the great Porkjet and includes three new nuclear rockets to add some diversity.

SpaceY Heavy Lift Parts Pack: Need more heavy lift capacity than what you can get with the cryo engines & stock (thats about 200 tons without building like Whackjob)? Grab some bigger tanks and bigger engines, oh and grab some freaking huge SRBs while you're at it.

Freight Transport Technologies: Need to move a buncha stuff from A to B? Need to run a heavy load of resources from ground to space? This pack, designed for moving large quantities of assorted stuff, has you covered.

Game-changers:

Karbonite: I still use this resourcing mod even after 1.0 because this mod a) provides the fueling options I need for all my Near Future stuffs, it favors ground based infrastructure, and c) I'm relatively familiar with it. It adds more options and I prefer it over stock in a lot of cases.

Modular/Orbital Kolonization System: Adds a TON of stuff for building bases and making them do things. NOt even gonna explain this one, too much to explain.

[Pecan]

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/111114-A-Complete-Beginner-s-Guide-Induction-To-Construction