Essential mods for weak computers

[Boom_Mcsplodey]

I've had KSP for a while now but my computer is a four year old off the shelf laptop not specifically made for gaming. When I bought it it was on the higher end of average (something about a dedicated graphics processor?) but it's starting to show its age. I started trying to make a bunch of spaceplanes and giant interplanetary freighters with a couple of mods, but flying them slows the game down to a crawl while my computer's fan goes full tilt. I know part of this was due to poor CPU optimization which can't really be improved with mods and I'm unsure if newer versions of the game fix this. I've heard that 64 bit KSP mostly gets rid of this kind of thing, but still seems to be unstable and has only a small selection of mods. My question is what are some mods I could use to help the main version of the game run faster and more smoothly? Some of the gameplay mods I'd like to run are:

KAS

MKS/OKS

Karbonite and Karbonite+

Freight Transportation Technologies

Umbra Space Industries Alcubierre Warp Drive

Extraplanetary Launchpads

A decent spaceplane parts pack. OPT Space Plane Parts looks promising since B9 seems to have been forgotten.

A mod that adds more solar systems or at least more outer planets and moons.

Lazor System or something similar to help with maneuvering, docking, etc. but nothing completely autonomous like MechJeb.

Any help would be much appreciated since I really want to get back into this game without being limited to the simplest of rockets.

[Stone Blue]

Computer specs would help.

Well, to start with, all those mods you listed are pretty large parts packs, or resource intensive mods. You may need to pick just a couple and go with those. The nice thing about KSP is you can run many separate installs on your computer at the same time...So you could have a separate install mainly geared around Karbonite, one around OPT, and one around a larger planets pack.

As to your fan, I bought a Thermaltake laptop cooler, and definately use it when running KSP.

If you are on Windows, make sure you have at least 4GB of RAM (6GB or more is optimal)...OR you could try switching to a lightweight Linux OS to run 64bit KSP on.

On my 3yr old laptop, I streamlined my Win7 OS down to around 750MB of RAM at idle, and cut lots of parts that I dont use (both stock and from the MANY mods I have run). With a meager i5 2450M CPU, 6GB RAM, & my integrated Nvidia GT630M, I've managed to run over 120 mods at one time...(granted 2/3 or better were basically partless, plugin mods).

I've since switched to Linux (Lubuntu), which only uses about 230MB of RAM, and have been running lots of mods, and run my RAM usage up to 4.6GB of RAM...I still have quite a few more mods to add...Hopefully I can get away with using up to 5.25GB just for KSP...

[Harry Rhodan]

I've heard that 64 bit KSP mostly gets rid of this kind of thing,

No. With 64 bit you can use more memory but that won't make your game run any faster.

[Stone Blue]

No. With 64 bit you can use more memory but that won't make your game run any faster.

^^ Which means you also need to be running a 64bit OS...Many older low-end to mid laptops from just 3 or 4 yrs ago (I dont now if new ones still do), run 32bit Windows...

Also, 64bit KSP was dropped for 0.90 wasnt it?...I know there was talk of starting new development on it, IIRC once Unity 5 releases...Has that happened yet?

[Enceos]

KSP is very spec friendly on old computers if your vessels don't exceed 60 parts. So just stick to that rule for smooth performance. Also no Environmental Visual Enhancemets and FAR for old computers.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Enceos

[RoverDude]

Well, to start with, all those mods you listed are pretty large parts packs, or resource intensive mods. You may need to pick just a couple and go with those.

Speaking only for the USI stuff (Which looks like he has a lot of), all of my part packs are pretty lean (case in point, the new Karibou mod is only 4MB...) and with resources being stock, it makes MKS and Karbonite pretty lean too

[G'th]

^ Indeed. Looking at the ones he listed, he could easily get rid of Lazor and likely save himself some memory. From what I remember of it it had a lot going on, especially if all you want out of it is docking assistance. I'd get the Docking Port Alignment mod for that.

B9 does work in 1.04 (Though you have to dig a little for the updated download) but if you're already having trouble running the game, B9 isn't going to help even after its been trimmed down unless you also go through it and delete anything you won't use.

Which also leads me to my next point: Culling and self optimization.

Something I do to pack on a mod list like this:

Is to go through my mods and delete any parts that I won't end up using or just plain don't need. It does require that you're familiar with everything in the mod in question though, as well as a bit of tedium of tracking down the parts themselves if they aren't labeled clearly. But it does pay off, especially if you end up deleting a lot, as it all adds up over time. Sometimes you might download a huge pack like Tantares or KW, but then end up only using a couple of parts out of each of them, and getting rid of everything else saves boat loads of memory.

In the same vein, I also recommend going through and manually reducing texture sizes. This wont' have much of a use if you're only going for pure parts and gameplay type mods, but if you ever want to do any graphics mods, manually downsizing textures (Which seldomly sacrifices visual quality to an unacceptable level) is a god send. Hence why I was able to pack on what I was able to in that list.

Also, make a decision on what kind of style you want your KSP install to be. Do you want all stockalike parts, or do you want replicas? Sci-fi or realistic? Pure cartoony fun or strict utilitarian no-nonsense? Choosing how you want everything to be themed will help you decide what to get rid of from your mods, but also save you memory in the long haul as then you won't even bother getting certain mods unless theres specific parts you want out of them.

[Stone Blue]

^^ Yup everything G'th said...

Also as far as the Lazor Docking cam, if thats all your using it for, if you use IVA's and RPM, you can install Hullcam VDS to get a nice IVA docking cam view on all your docking ports using an MFD in IVA view...

I have been using KSP ModAdmin to cull parts mods...It is still kind of tedious and time consuming, but it definately makes it easier, as it shows both the part name shown in the VAB/SPH, and the folder/file names which dont always match...Plus, you delete the parts right in the prugram, instead of having to manually find and delete folders...Just be careful, as some mods reuse the same textures for multiple parts... It also shows you a total parts count in your KSP install...

With 1.0 introducing the switch to using .dds textures, I'm sure most mods have benefited from folder/file on-disk and RAM shrinkage, but parts heavy packs STILL take up RAM for each part, as they all still get loaded, so you still run into large in-game parts counts...You can ALWAYS benefit from culling parts yoou never use, or that are basically duplicates of stock or other mod parts...

Edited September 24, 2015 by Stone Blue

[Harry Rhodan]

Also, 64bit KSP was dropped for 0.90 wasnt it?

Not the Linux version and there is a workaround for Windows (although that one is as buggy as it was in 0.90).

Edited September 24, 2015 by Harry Rhodan

[SuicidalInsanity]

Since textures are the main comcumer of RAm when loading KSp, you have a few options: You can try out Active Textrue management, which reduces texture sizes to decrease system load when KSP is running. There are also mods like SXT or my Mk2/Mk3 Expansions that make use of MODEL nodes to reduce unique texture usage, either by having multiple parts use one texture, or by using stock textures; both of which dramatically reduce RAM usage by KSP. A third option would be reducing the graphics settings - setting the texture size to half or quarter size in the main menu settings can also improve performance.

[Boom_Mcsplodey]

Computer specs:

Intel Core i7-2675QM CPU @ 2.20GHz

6GB RAM

64-bit Windows 7

there's also a sticker here that says "ATI Mobility Radeon Premium Graphics"

I got the computer to run stuff like AutoCAD, Inventor, Solidworks, etc. for engineering school, not gaming. I'll have to try deleting redundant/unnecessary parts. I know a lot of the Extraplanetary Launchpads stuff can go with MKS installed. All those gigantic parts from B9 can probably go too if I end up using that mod. Part of the problem is probably just my tendency to make very detailed crafts and dock them together in orbit. The worst slowdowns are when I'm flying spaceplanes through the upper atmosphere and the "plasma trail" animations are in full effect. What I'm really going for with the game is a realistic but not super-hardcore way to build colonies around the solar system and a fun (read: not hardcore) flight simulator aspect (I eventually want to get a joystick to make flying more immersive). I've tried Active Texture Management before with a little improvement and I'll probably just forget about Lazor Systems since I've had numerous unrelated problems with it in the past.

[G'th]

Yeah part count is going to be a huge culprit for lag. And spaceplanes in particular are VERY easy to go overboard with on part counts. And when you throw in aero effects (where it has to look at each part to see how its supposed to be behaving, etc etc) it just gets worse.

Something else you can do is to reduce the AeroFX quality (which can be found in the in-game settings) to low or even minimal. They won't look smooth, but they'll be functional. And honestly I think the lower settings look a little bit better anyway, so it might work better for you and save you some frames.

[Mike-NZ]

First thing I did on my old system was turn down the shock heating effect and change physics time setting. Didnt look as good but it helped.