Are MODs like KER, and tools like KTOT, cheating, or just un-Kerbal?

[Frybert]

Its no more cheating than using a hammer to pound a nail.

[peachoftree]

Its no more cheating than using a hammer to pound a nail.

Real men use nails to hammer nails!

Also I like your avitar

[Zoidos]

There is no cheating in KSP (except for when you are doing challenges). Everyone can decide for him-/herself what help is needed to enjoy the game and what makes it too easy and thus boring.

I for one, could never build a proper rocket without KER. I would have no idea whatsoever what my actual TWR and DeltaV stats are. I'm useless at calculating interplanetary trajectories as well, so I always use MechJeb for that. I also mostly use mechjeb for the actual burns. After the 200th burn they are just tedious... I do my own landings though.

[Scotius]

^ This.

Really, these threads are either pointless, or author is trying to reaffirm his own pro\contra stance on the matter by asking the rest of the community. Sorry dude - you will just get more of the same

[KerikBalm]

I used to do the dV calculations manually... but that gets tedious... as is switching to map view to see Ap /Pe, so I got KER.

I don't use the others, but I do use the online transfer calculator... its better than manually testing nodes to see if its about the right time or not.

I don't really use anything other than the depature time... I'm not sure what some of the numbers mean, and I certainly can't precisely measure 109 degrees to prograde.

It still results in a lot of kerbal "eh, I can probably make it" moments....

I just landed on Mun today with a massive ISRU ship... and 0 dV to spare.

The dV readout said I had ~20 m/s more than orbital velocity when I attempted to land... luckily the empty ISRU had an excellent TWR, and fuel ran out just before touchdown.

[Frybert]

Real men use nails to hammer nails!

Also I like your avitar

Arooo

[Red Iron Crown]

I used to do the dV calculations manually... but that gets tedious... as is switching to map view to see Ap /Pe, so I got KER.

I don't use the others, but I do use the online transfer calculator... its better than manually testing nodes to see if its about the right time or not.

You should take a look at Transfer Window Planner, which is basically Alexmoon's web tool integrated into the game.

I don't really use anything other than the depature time... I'm not sure what some of the numbers mean, and I certainly can't precisely measure 109 degrees to prograde.

KER can display node angle to prograde if you are interested in more precision.

[I_Killed_Jeb]

I feel there are so many things in KER I'm not aware of.

[EliasDanger]

The way I look at it...if revert flight isn't cheating, nothing is.

[xebx]

My 2 cents :

I played the game without mod during one or two weeks, it was fun in the beginning, but quickly i thought there was a problem having only the stock speed and altitude readings.

Installing KER was a big step foward, same with MJ : once you have the good tools you can do things you couldn't even imagine, it's also great when you want to automate well known steps.

Thanks to KER and others mods, i discovered or improved my knowledge of rocket science, spatial navigation and astronomy : if you don't understand all these numbers you can't use it.

Added to this i think rocket and spatial science is modern science and 100% computer related (even first V1 V2 had an automated part), pilot's role is to monitor and launch sequences.

Edited October 4, 2015 by xebx

[KerikBalm]

The way I look at it...if revert flight isn't cheating, nothing is.

Even when the Kraken attacks?

Even when the launchpad/runway explodes upon craft loading?

I don't use revert flight much, but I definitely need quickload:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/134090-Who-left-the-mines-on-the-Runway

Don't even get me started on when I have to use the Claw...

Edited October 4, 2015 by KerikBalm

[spikeyhat09]

It's a single player game, so you can't cheat. That said, it is an achievement/accomplishment based game. If you go on the forums or to your buddies and brag about what you accomplished when a computer did some of it for you, thats not okay IMO.

Basically its fine as long as you realize any accomplishments made using these tools are somewhat invalidated (unless of course you wrote the mod yourself, which *ahem* NASA did too)

[Randazzo]

It's a single player game, so you can't cheat. That said, it is an achievement/accomplishment based game. If you go on the forums or to your buddies and brag about what you accomplished when a computer did some of it for you, thats not okay IMO.

Basically its fine as long as you realize any accomplishments made using these tools are somewhat invalidated (unless of course you wrote the mod yourself, which *ahem* NASA did too)

Your comparison is flawed.

A more appropriate comparison would be to suggest that the men we sent into space did nothing because they themselves did not create the agency, design the avionics, build the rocket, and execute the entirety of the mission. Better yet, sending three is cheating, so just one gets to go.. and he still has to do all that other stuff beforehand.

This question is stupid.

The real question is why does it so often occur that someone feels the need to validate their "skills" (which amount to nothing) with a thread like this.

Edit: Clearly the OP's intent was not malicious so I strike the above statements for this particular thread.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Randazzo

[dlrk]

KER, Mechjeb and (especially) KSPTOT is the realistic way to play. They do NOT invalidate your accomplishments.