Is my game bugged? Unexplainable lateral rotation of basic rockets

[gnomechompsky]

I am new to v1.0 and finding this problem infuriating.

I am still building basic rockets in career mode but find that very quickly after taking off the vessel begins to spin laterally, like a bullet (in an anti-clockwise direction). On the next stage, the spinning rapidly increase as the weight of the vessel decreases.

I am constantly having the compensate by rolling clockwise, irrespective of whether SAS is on.

I have taken great pains to ensure the ship is built symmetrically and can't understand why this is happening. I even went back to the tutorial and found the default vessel used starts to spin anti-clockwise as well.

Surely the game can't be designed to work like this?

[Greenfire32]

check your engine gimbal. I have witnessed many otherwise stable rockets flip out of control because the engine gimbal was fighting the SAS and the fins.

Lock the gimbal and try again. If the launch in successful, re-enable the gimbal once you're out of atmo.

[Docsprock]

I dont know if engine gimbal has much of an effect on axis spinning.

Are you using fins? Fins or wings with control surfaces should stop axial spin.

[SRV Ron]

A most common problem faced by noobs and seasoned users alike since KSP 1.x

When flying model rockets or KSP ones, in the atmosphere, you want the center of pressure to be behind the center of mass. Otherwise, they can flip out of control.

With the new atmospheric and parts modeling of KSP 1.x, there is a range of speed where the center of pressure gets higher on the nose then during lower speed flight. This, along with the changing center of mass as fuel gets burned, can cause your rocket to swap ends, usually when you are starting your orbital turn. That critical speed is as you approach the sound barrier evident by the white lines forming around your nose and fins. The cure, a combination of careful design, fins, vectoring engines, keeping your speed below that critical level while below 25,000 meters, and doing the turn slowly.

And, the more powerful model rockets will do the same thing. I have seen them flip out or break up upon approaching the speed of sound.

- - - Updated - - -

Spinning is usually caused by an alignment problem on radically mounted parts. A picture of your rocket will help determine what is causing that.

[RocketPropelledGiraffe]

I think gnomechompsky is talking about spinning rockets, not flipping rockets.

Maybe you accidentally offset your trim settings and induced a permanent spin command? Try resetting them using alt+x.

[cephalo]

I find that hitting the sound barrier too low altitude causes all my rockets to flip out. This happens to me 4 out of 5 launches. Thank goodness for revert.

[A_name]

check your engine gimbal. I have witnessed many otherwise stable rockets flip out of control because the engine gimbal was fighting the SAS and the fins.

Lock the gimbal and try again. If the launch in successful, re-enable the gimbal once you're out of atmo.

While this may do the trick as a workaround, it does not address OP's actual problem, which is that rockets are not supposed to behave like that. I never turn off or limit gimbal and my rockets launch just fine.

No idea what may be causing your issue OP, but maybe upload a .craft file of one of your rockets and we can see if the behavior shows up.

- - - Updated - - -

A most common problem faced by noobs and seasoned users alike since KSP 1.x

When flying model rockets or KSP ones, in the atmosphere, you want the center of pressure to be behind the center of mass. Otherwise, they can flip out of control.

With the new atmospheric and parts modeling of KSP 1.x, there is a range of speed where the center of pressure gets higher on the nose then during lower speed flight. This, along with the changing center of mass as fuel gets burned, can cause your rocket to swap ends, usually when you are starting your orbital turn. That critical speed is as you approach the sound barrier evident by the white lines forming around your nose and fins. The cure, a combination of careful design, fins, vectoring engines, keeping your speed below that critical level while below 25,000 meters, and doing the turn slowly.

And, the more powerful model rockets will do the same thing. I have seen them flip out or break up upon approaching the speed of sound.

- - - Updated - - -

Spinning is usually caused by an alignment problem on radically mounted parts. A picture of your rocket will help determine what is causing that.

This isn't OP's problem either, his rocket is not flipping but spinning.

[cephalo]

Flipping, spinning... sounds like the same problem to me. Either way your rocket is pointing the wrong way. My rockets flip when they spin, and spin when they flip. I have made orbit after a couple of loop de loops. Never give up!

[A_name]

Flipping, spinning... sounds like the same problem to me. Either way your rocket is pointing the wrong way. My rockets flip when they spin, and spin when they flip. I have made orbit after a couple of loop de loops. Never give up!

Not to be pedantic, but flipping vs. spinning are very different problems. Flipping involves rotation along the horizontal axis, while spinning involves rotation along the vertical axis. Granted, one thing can induce the other, but I don't think OP's problem has anything to do with flipping in this case.

[pincushionman]

He's talking about spinning about the long axis of the rocket, while still pointing prograde. As in, the "roll" axis. I get that too, and it's very similar to the behavior I experienced in older versions of FAR. Except in the FAR situations small attitude changes didn't cause much effect, and I only saw it in 3-way symmetry. In nuStock I get it in 3- and 4-way symmetry.

I think it has something to do with the occlusion models and small angles of attack on the fins. Gnomechompsky, I get it when I apply control, does it fly straight for you under neutral input? And does it happen with no fins?

[Vanamonde]

This used to be caused by parts flexing, allowing engines to be thrusting at a slight angle. I haven't heard of it happening since joints were strengthened a few versions back, though. Pics of the ship in question might help diagnose the problem.

[Starwhip]

I suspect part clipping to be the culprit, but try hitting Alt+X to disable any trim.

[gnomechompsky]

I figured it out. The answer was actually obvious but I'll post it in case some else has the issue.

I Cleared the mapping for my Xbox 360 controller and the issue stopped. I'm guessing the roll axis was very slightly out of calibration. Not enough to be noticed in any other game than this. But just subtle enough to be very annoying.

[Starwhip]

I figured it out. The answer was actually obvious but I'll post it in case some else has the issue.

I Cleared the mapping for my Xbox 360 controller and the issue stopped. I'm guessing the roll axis was very slightly out of calibration. Not enough to be noticed in any other game than this. But just subtle enough to be very annoying.

Oh, yes, that'll happen. I've had it with joysticks before, it is quite irritating.