Sci-fi engines

[Mitchz95]

Are there any mods that add the big, glowing engines we see in sci-fi all the time? The kind that are glowing all the time and flare up really brightly when in actual use. Something like that, with tweakable color, would be amazing.

Like this:

Edited May 30, 2015 by Mitchz95

[GreeningGalaxy]

To be a total killjoy, those aren't really on the realism level KSP has. If you want sci-fi engines, I'd recommend KSP Interstellar, which adds a huge variety of different modular engines and other technologies, all of which are very powerful and (for the most part) plausible. There are a few low-thrust 'glowing' types of engines (plasma thrusters) but they don't have the idle glow you specified and are a lot more like ion drives than anything else. Most of the engines in the mod are the 'roaring' kinds of rockets, which are what the really powerful engines we'll develop in the future will be like.

Anyway, preaching over. If you want engines like that, the best place is probably the B9 Aerospace HX engines, but you may note that a) B9 is not update for 1.0.x yet and it's huuuuuuuge, and adds tons of parts beyond those. If you don't mind rolling back/delaying your upgrade from 0.90, it may suit you with its options for giant soft-sci-fi-looking ships. Presumably, the 1.0.x update is in the works for that.

If you're into the shiny sci-fi look, OPT may appeal to you. It focuses mostly on spaceplanes, but it also has a sci-fi-ish "dark drive" with a fancy glowy effect. Once again, it's not quite what you specified, but it's in the same sort of zone.

Lastly, if you are interested in the 'roaring rockets' kind of sci-fi drive but don't like how crazy complex KSP Interstellar can be, I've heard great things about Karbonite+. Unlike the other mods I've mentioned here, I've never actually tried it, but I do know that it includes a very nice looking 'torch drive' with a lot of power behind it.

I hope at least some of this helps!

[Mitchz95]

Thank you for the advice! I just meant something that resembles those kind of engines, not something that's super overpowered or anything. Even just a new idle effect for a stock engine would be great.

Edited May 30, 2015 by Mitchz95

[SAI Peregrinus]

The new linear aerospike from QuizTech Aero Pack has a pretty nice blue glow.

It's based off of this: