Your KSP Story

[Choctofliatrio2.0]

We all were introduced to KSP somehow. For me, it was when we had a family reunion for Christmas, and I saw my cousin playing it. He let me try it out a bit, and I fell in love with it right there. Since it was christmas, he gifted me the Portal series and was also going to send Civilization V. When he heard I already had Civ V, he then gifted KSP to me.

So what about you all? How did you first encounter KSP, and what made you want to get it?

[Snark]

I'd been hearing about KSP for a while, but somehow never got around to it.

What finally tipped me over the edge was this:

http://xkcd.com/1356/

[Cryova]

This is how it went for me.

 

Me: I'm boooored. Let's see what's on YouTube.

*Checks YouTube*

Me: Scott Manley? Who is this chump?

*Finds Interstellar Quest*

Me: Kerbal Space Program? Woooooah!

*Buys Game*

Me: How do you rocket science!?!?!?

[Robotengineer]

A friend recommended it in the summer of '13, I actually had my 'Come to Jeb-us' in December of that year.

As of late, I haven't been playing KSP much, though I'm trying to get back into it. Schoolwork is kind of using my brain, so when I do get time to game, it's usually something that requires less brain power, i.e. Minecraft.

[Mitchz95]

I first heard of the game when I found Markiplier's let's-play on YouTube. Downloaded the demo the next day, figured out how to rendezvous and land on the Mun, then went out and bought the full game. Best $23 I've ever spent.

[regex]

A coworker suggested it to me sometime around 0.17.  I bought soon after trying out the demo but didn't really play it until 0.20.

[HebaruSan]

I had no idea what this game was about or anything about orbital mechanics when I tried the demo. Zero clues. Built a simple rocket, launched straight up, fell back down, parachute opened, hmm, OK, what else is on sale on Steam this week. I don't think I even saw the map screen at all.

Months later, maybe a year, friend with an astrophysics background says hey, have you tried this Kerbal Space Program. Oh yeah, I tried the demo, didn't really see the point. He shows me his map screen with all these things in orbit, some in transit to other planets, some crazy launchers, a space station, possibly even some RT stuff. Intriguing! Clearly there was a lot that I had missed. For the next few days I kept thinking back to that map screen and what the heck was going on there, and soon enough I had chipped in $26 or so and begun my own grand adventure on 0.23 (as well as continuously pestering said friend for help with launching, capture burns, landing, docking, etc.).

[kenbobo]

I was sick one week (yes, a whole week) and watched this guy named KurtJMac. I liked the game (watched his polar expedition video) and never thought more of it. (Was a console gamer at the time.) I got on steam, made some friends, they pointed me to this game, I bought it on the KSP store (really wishing I had done steam) and here I am! Seven whole (X.__) (as in at least a .01 change.) updates later!

[AlextheBodacious]

Mine is a long one...

I had started with a simple video game that was nothing more than fly an airplane and collect points. Then, after some time, mostly spent in real life, while shopping for office supplies at a Office Max, saw a rack of discount CD-ROM games. I decided to buy 2, an old flight sim from 2002, and a vietnam game... which, in retrospect, I hate myself for. No for buying them, but not understanding jack **** about filesystems. The vietnam game need you to direct the save location, under C://, but I had no clue what that meant. I put it in a box and several years later lost the box. The only game I could play was the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002, which was great! I loved being able to kareen 747's into the ground from 45,000 feet. There was a complimentary game included (I didn't know this till later, I thought someone else had kept it on the disk) called Fighter Ace 2. This is where I got most of my video-game flight sim knowledge. After several years in la la land with RC planes and such, I got into the flash game scene. I attempted to make my own, which didn't work so well, but I did find one, which was a redirect to a download site... called Microsoft Flight (again, different version, free, online) and this is where my knowledge of wasting time on computers comes from. I like this so much, I wanted to get the full version, but alas, it was unavailable on that site. (It was hard to navigate) so I went a-googling to find some good online games. Several forums and wikipedia comparisons later, I found myself at Orbiter, 2010. (in August, 2010). I played this, and within 2 months could easily head Moon-ward, dock with stations, land, etc. You know, basic KSP stuff. But after several months I was too good. I looked out from orbiter, and figured a more indie (I thought that was a term for updating more often because, you know, indie-people with the feathers in their fedoras and tattered vests and iPhones, they're so impulsive, they do everything fast, they update games fast). I wanted something where you could build your OWN rockets, and looked around on some very small, hidden lists of things. And there it was: Kerbal Space Program. I gave most the ol' college try, and they didn't work out. I wasn't going to pay for anything too pricey, but it wasn't even $10! I figured, "Eh, what the heck, I'll tell you my credit card info,sure!" and met Jeb, Bill and Bob Kerman. (.13.3) The shaky rockets were just that, cheap. I even managed to land on the Mun with this hap-hazard rocket hodgepodges. This was all I really wanted. Even if I needed struts, I wouldn't let this deter me. Realistic shmealistic, I wanted what I could call my own. And that's how I met your mother Kerbal Space Program. (Also, I found out there's a flight sim in Google Earth while on the road to finding KSP. Weird, huh?)

[razark]

A couple of co-workers told me about it.

Played the demo.

Played 0.15.

Bought 0.16 when it was released.

Go through phases of playing and not playing it.

[SalehRam]

Used to be an EVE Online player (quit now, 7 months clean record ),  I went on Youtube looking for some EVE videos, and saw Scott Manley doing a mission to Mun I think...

I thought OK... seems interesting... but I'm not interested... Then few months later I saw this: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/may/22/kerbal-space-program-why-nasa-minecraft

I went back rushing to Steam and bought the game.

[Overland]

My pc a dual core 2.4 amd system somehow welded its own PSU in a massive windstorm powersurge..

Unknown to me the leading red power leads were bubbled and warped suggesting far exceeding power ratings.. Foolishly with PC withdrawls i simply thought the hard drive fried.. Brought a new one.. Fired it up..only for the hard drive spool up to jet speed..have a chip on its board crackle and smoke into flame..and me maddly trying to unplug the drive..with my DVD also starting to smoke blue...

 

Likely being 240 mains going throught the system  

 

This was the end of my PC for a very long time.. I Never brought a new one for over 2 years.. Finding nothing...did it for me.. With all the too scripted console port FPS games and same same RTS and horror games ala zombie..

 

 

PC gaming became stale for me.. Garrys mod previously held interest but limited space..

 

I brought an xbox.. A steering wheel and forza horizon and forza 4..

Passing my days racing a heavily modified almost zero suspension bottom heavy brick that was actually A Nissan leaf ...

 

painted in barbie cruiser pink and white with flowers and rainbows..smiley faces and electric lightning bolts.. This became my world..both in serious racing..and trollery online

Until one day using my xbox browser I came upon KSP.. In very early development... The screenshots made it look like pigs in space of the muppet show fame.. It intersted me..actually rekindled some PC interest.. Construction..engineering..spaceflight..

It seemed a dream come true.. If only I had a pc to play it..

So! I brought one ..

An aging ex workstation HP WX4600

Core2duo 3.0ghz with annoyingly rare and limited 2gb ECC ram

 

Getting it home on the train sans its case as a pile of electronics in a questionable parcel made of a cotton shopping bag ducttaped for security with wires hanging out brought me as close to fear of being shot as ive ever been.. Passengers eyed me horribly.. Railstaff looked on considering the threat.. Police upstairs became something to fear..

My computer very much resembled a bomb.. In an underground station as it were..

It was the longest train ride home ive ever had..thankfully nothing happened

 

Once i cobbled it to together with scraps.. Got it working.. I discovered that it wouldnt run KSP demo above 10fps

 

Disheartened...nothing to lose.. I plugged in a housebrick sized old GTX260 Videocard

 

One that exceeded the 320w psu by...well lets just say many.. 

 

Success... Nothing blew up!! WIN!!

Ksp demo ran smoothly..

I borrowed (copied) KSP from a friend.. 0.23 and fell inlove with... Destruction

Conviced squad earnt my respect and money I brought my own copy and another copy gifted to a friend on steam I barely knew

 

Win all around!

As time went by.. I discoverd rovers and sam halls KN2 Cockpit.. My xbox steering wheel became KSP rover driving controller...

Months later the first jet powered land trains were born... Soon after at the cost of near genocide of the kerbal race .. Hybrid battery recharge traction trains were on the scene.. Followed by pure diesel electrics..

 

Engines were refined.. Improved.. KSP had become a land train simulator growing with it..its own legends..lore and soul.. Trains started to be numbered... Thats when its claws dug in.. KSP filled a hole in my life as a train enthusiast that no other game has

 

(still using my xbox wheel to drive!)

 

Every words true...and now that i see it all.. My path to kerbal...was very kerbal-like indeed

 

 

Edited February 11, 2016 by Overland

[Stewcumber]

@Overland Is the steering wheel good for Rover control?

 

My friend introduced me to it around 0.18 I think. I played th demo but didn't really connect. I kept watching YouTube videos of it and eventually I bought the game anyway pretty soon after it hit stream and have now spent 360 hours on it! 

[DoctorDavinci]

I spent a large part of the 90's and most of the 2000's cobbled up in labs and just generally farting around with some prety cool tech. I spent a good 15 years directly involved in the aerospace industry and working for various high tech companies with everything from HSAT/VSAT/USAT to 40 gigabit multiplexors to tracking and guidance systems as well as OTA encryption systems ... Going to work for me was like a kid going into a lego factory and being told to go 'play'.

I really miss my career but I sustained some serious injuries a while back from which I am lucky to have survived. I am now retired and was quite bummed about it up until I came across Kerbal about 2 years ago ... and like I said in my sig, now we're having some fun

Edited February 11, 2016 by DoctorDavinci

[Overland]

@StewcumberSteering wheel very good for rover control.. Gives a full steering arc with no deadzone  pedals can be set for forward and reverse

 

Cant drive trains without it. They roll and explode..

 

Its just an old xbox360 matcatz MC2 non force feedback

Basic rover control is

Primary rover throttle pedal 1

Secondary throttle pedal 2.

Gives full accelerator and brake/reverse control

Its given so much to ksp for me..better than driving with a joystick

Edited February 11, 2016 by Overland

[Evanitis]

I was coordinating and representing a pirate faction on a Freelancer roleplay server for years. It's kinda' like the poor man's EVE online, but it was one of the best prolonged gaming periods I had as a kid. One of the senior members of the group was a huge space-nerd, so he casually kept us updated on relevant games. He couldn't get us hooked to Orbiter, but KSP was simple, lovely and easy to master start.

I was kinda' in and out of KSP before 1.0, but career mode and and all the added spaceplane parts helped to form the incurable dependency.

[Warzouz]

For my part, I played Elite Dangerous and looked at Scott flyby of the solar system video, then I saw KSP videos in his channel and find it quite fun.

KSP is one of the rare game you play a very long time. Only 2 other games did the same to me : Trackmania (because of building tracks), Minecraft (because of building stuff) and finally KSP (because of building rockets).

Maybe I like building games

[Evanitis]

(opps, that's not the thread I wanted to post in again)

Edited February 11, 2016 by Evanitis

[elpollodiablo]

We have some kind of room, basically a shack we bought and upgraded to a hobbyroom (mostly for RC stuff) and private internet cafe.

I think it was around 0.21, all i remember is that i got there on my way back from work early and no one around. Wanted to queu some music on the assigned computer (a "public" machine for all visitors) and apparently someone was watching some space documentary on youtube the night before. One of the recommendations featured a somewhat big explosion on the thumbnail and that got my attention. Needles to say, it was some guy rapidly disassembling his quite insane rocket creations on video.

Decided to check this out, and as it came with a reasonable price for what it appeared to offer, i just got it without thinking much. Looked like a few hours of fun to me.

That weekend, almost all the regulars (either gamers, RC enthusiasts or both) brought their laptops etc if they didnt have a computer in the room, and started swearing how hard it is to land on the Mun without crashing or flipping over, myself included. I think this was our biggest lan-party to this date, and nothing was planned unlike all the others. Just took one guy to get KSP, so cheers to that guy with the explosions, whoever you were

[RizzoTheRat]

4 hours ago, SalehRam said:

Used to be an EVE Online player (quit now, 7 months clean record )

I must have been clean now for 10 years or so, just take it a day at a time, it become easier.

 

 

Played a demo of KSP back before patched conics and the like, loved the idea but couldn't even figure out how to keep my craft in a straight line on the way to the Mun, so never progressed beyond orbit.

Randomly though of it again about 18 months ago, had a look at the demo and it seemed a bit more polished, so as it was only £8 at the time I bought a copy.

The rest is history, although Jeb's been geography several times too.

[Skylar']

i was always was interested in that tipe of games. but never find good one. played simple rockets in phone. and see ksp too but i think that's probably cheap copy...   after some time find the game too in the 'torrent' site watched i video something about sending rover. and understand my huge mistake with the "probably cheap copy..." line  downloaded it tried to play but the problem was that everything looks so difficult and game crashes every 5 min. and i don't have much time for games in that time. so deleted it and after half years when they released 1.0 i torrented it again. tried to play this time i have a lot of time. so i learned very fast and find the game too eazy  . after few day of non stop play, i finally buy the game on steam. and still enjoying it  

Edited February 11, 2016 by Skylar'

[Johnny Wishbone]

I was introduced to KSP by a co-worker several summers ago (somewhere around the 0.18 release). I tried out the demo, loved it, and purchased it through the KSP store. I played the heck out of it right up until the 1.0.5 release. I've said this before, but since the 1.0 release, I've found each subsequent release to be less and less enjoyable to play. By the time 1.0.5 came out, I just wasn't having much fun with it anymore, so I shelved it. Been playing Fallout 4 and Witcher 3 on my PS4 ever since.

Every now and again, when I'm bored at work, I'll fire up KSP and try to get back into it and I just can't. So, I'm trying not to play it anymore and holding out hope that 1.1 will re-light the fires in me to play this game again. I remember the days of 0.21, when I would spend entire Saturdays playing KSP. I remember how awesome it felt to send a mission out to Jool and explore those moons. I remember how cool it was to find the Armstrong memorial on the Mun for the first time, or go monolith hunting (after learning that I needed to drop my terrain detail to "scum class" because anything higher puts the monoliths under the ground. sigh). I remember feeling so awesome that I sent a crew to Eeloo and got them back safely to Kerbin, and then felt crappy when I looked at the clock and see that 100+ years of game time had passed, and those poor Kerbals had probably lost everyone they knew and loved to the natural passage of time. I want to feel that again from this game...

[Fluburtur]

A friend told me about it but I thought it was just another managemeng game and I get easily bored of those.

Then I saw a video for a youtuber, trying to get to the Mün with nukes.

Impulsive purchase was quick

[Rocket In My Pocket]

Was watching a bunch of "moon hoax" and "secret apollo missions" type youtube videos and stumbled onto Scott Manley's channel, after watching a couple I decided to check the KSP demo out, loved it so I decided to check the forums out. (I always visit a game's forums before making a purchase to get a feel for what I'm buying based on the communities attitude towards it.)

Everything seemed kosher here, community was friendly, and updates seemed regular enough, so I got the full version and have been playing ever since! 

Also just in case anyone got the wrong impression, I'm not a crazy conspiracy nut who thinks we didn't go to the moon/space, I just don't think the government/NASA has been entirely honest about how/why/when we did it.

[Orb8Ter]

I found out about this game in PC Gamer magazine tried the demo and bought from the KSP website at V0.19 it was a bargain as I'm still playing it.

This game got me into YouTube I now watch it more than TV.

Learnt from Scott Manley but I really enjoy KurtJMac derpiness playing KSP shame he stopped playing.