How do you build your ships?

[Guest]

If I'm in a hurry, I just start from the top down, and build with logic in mind.

If that doesn't work, then I build from the bottom up, and apply science and maths to the situation, along with a progressive series of flight tests.

My rocket building techniques in the game closely mirror real rocket design and testing, for a good reason: It works.

[Majorjim!]

With the root part gizmo it no longer matters how I build.

I just start where I feel like.

[Wanderfound]

With aircraft I start with a basic idea of what I want it to do and what I want it to look like.

Then I'll throw together a fuselage, engines, wings and control surfaces, and have a peek at the FAR analysis screens. If that's all good, I'll then add all the ancilliary bits and then start the final tuning of wing position and control surface settings.

Rockets I build capsule-down, watching the ÃŽâ€V the whole way, and stop adding more rocket once the numbers hit the target.

[ruairiau]

I only work with the payload and just keep a track of the total mass. Then I cover it with a fairing and use the appropriate lopac heavy lifter subassembly (see http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/74395-0-90-0-Lopac-Lifter-Family-10-520-ton-V0-11-Low-Partcount-Lifters).

I don't find reinventing heavy lifters fun, so this process fixes that for me.

[mrclucks]

Build return vehicle with heatsheild and parachutes and then build simple rocket to get into orbit, deorbit and see how the return vehicle does in the atmosphere and landing and then revert to VAB. If it survives then I build everything else, if it doesn't then I tweak it and repeat untill it works.

If it's a mission very similar to what I've done then I'll use the previous craft and modify whatever I need. If there will be no return vehicle then I start with payload first anyways and work my way down.

Building standardized rockets are a bit dull and I like building rockets anyways.

I'm working on a few ssto space planes at various tech stages that I will use in future games and that I will share

[Superfluous J]

I basically do what you do for rockets.

For space planes, I flail in the SPH or an hour or so and then give up.

[luizopiloto]

I usually start with the pod... or probe-core... the rest comes like magic... I just follow some design rules to make the thing stable, safe(Escape Systems) and Stronk...

[Feradose]

Nose cone to launching engines. Then aero bits, test flight, then parachutes...

[StarStreak2109]

Well, I like to build standardized designs for my rockets, one or two for each form factor. Then I save each stage as sub-assembly. This way I can concentrate on building the payload. I usually test each design with test weights to find out its capabilities. Depending on payload requirements boosters are being added. Normally I have a "light" variant with just the core booster,then a medium range with a given number of SRBs and a heavy variant with additional liquid boosters. Also for the upper stages I like to use standard designs.

All this I do because I feel it's more realistic.

My tickets are inspired by contemporary rockets, like the Delta IV.

I don't build space planes (yet)...

[DocMoriarty]

After a while in a career all my payloads and all my rockets are subassemblies. So I usually start with a separator as root part, load a payload assembly, some lander or so or mining rover, tanker etc. and then I load a suitable rocket subassembly that gets this where i want to have it.