1.0.2 vs 1.0.4 compatibility

[QuantumInc]

There is still a large number of mods that are updated for 1.0.2 but not 1.0.4.

What are the potential risks of using a 1.0.2 mod with 1.0.4 KSP?

When then game went from 0.9 to 1.0 infamously all of the mods will rendered incompatible. I saw all my ships vanish into thin void since they all had parts from mods on them. Presumably the shift from 1.0.2 to 1.0.4 is relatively minor. The game seems to run fine, but I do get error boxes warning me that they were run on 1.0.2 but not 1.0.4 during the initial load-up.

I've started a new career and I was planning on incorporating "Dangit!" and "TAC Lifesupport" for extra challenge, but they seem to only be for availiable for 1.0.2 for now.

On a related note: is there any way of preventing a steam install from updating?

On a another note: Can adding and removing mods potentially cause problems?

I've certainly noticed that removing a mod can cause a ship to vanish if it included a part from that mod, but so far I haven't noticed any other problems. Has anyone else noticed problems?

[LitaAlto]

1.0.4 was bug fixes for the atmospheric heating model. Most mods that work in 1.0.2, should work fine in 1.0.4 unless they were designed to work with the older atmospheric heating model. I believe both DangIt! and TAC should work fine in 1.0.4.

I don't believe Steam gives you a built-in option for that, and circumventing that is probably a violation of license, so I will leave it at that.

And yes, if you have a mod with a part, and you use the part on a ship, then uninstall the mod, the ship will be removed since the game can no longer render it. In theory one can edit the ship in the persistence file, but that could potentially cause more issues than it'd solve.

[hab136]

What are the potential risks of using a 1.0.2 mod with 1.0.4 KSP?

Unless the mod deals with heat or the atmosphere in some way, almost none, because that was about the only change from 1.0.2 -> 1.0.3 -> 1.0.4.

On a related note: is there any way of preventing a steam install from updating?

No, but you can copy your whole KSP directory somewhere else and run it from that new directory. This will let you continue playing 1.0.4 when 1.1 comes out, for example.

On a another note: Can adding and removing mods potentially cause problems?

I've certainly noticed that removing a mod can cause a ship to vanish if it included a part from that mod, but so far I haven't noticed any other problems. Has anyone else noticed problems?

This is such an open-ended question. Yes, there can be problems if you install a mod. I've never heard of a permanent one that wouldn't be solved by removing the mod.

Incidentally, you can remove a modded part from a flying ship with DePart or KIS or Kaboom. In the editor, just remove the part before you remove the mod.