Who's flying your spaceships?

[Whirligig Girl]

A simple question: Who flies your spacecrafts? You, your Kerbals, someone in Mission Control, the computer, what?

Edited February 16, 2016 by GregroxMun

[JamesL86]

I am not sure I understand the question?  Mechjeb and PilotAssistant, as well as the in-built SAS controls by the nav-ball, aid in flying the missions I create. 

[Nightside]

I guess I'm a techno-animimist. My probes are controlled by the spirit of exploration.

[Ten Key]

 

[Clockwork13]

A probe. All my Kerbals died in a modding disaster and I don't wan't to buy any more Kerbals at the moment. I also have respawning turned off so I guess RIP to all 4 of my main Kerbals.

[monophonic]

The will of the Kraken of course!

[Randox]

I seem to be in the majority on all counts

I've always thought of my Kerbals being the true pilot in manned craft. They might all be exactly as well trained as I am, but it's them flying damnit! I do however consider the SAS to be the work of the computer, with the mode selected by the pilot. And lastly, given the signal delay to remote probes, I have always assumed that the probes fly themselves under the direction of mission control, who tells them basically where to go, and what to do once they are there.

[razark]

1 hour ago, Randox said:

I do however consider the SAS to be the work of the computer, with the mode selected by the pilot.

This is a view that I just cannot accept, given the different abilities of different pilot levels.  If one pilot can push the "Prograde" button, any pilot can.  It's not some great secret, requiring massive amounts of experience, to be able to push different Mode Select buttons.

[Evanitis]

1 hour ago, Randox said:

I seem to be in the majority on all counts

Same here. Guess KSP leaves the same impression in many of us.

[Hannu2]

Do you mean some kind of rolegame stuff? I think that Kerbals controls manned crafts (by using MechJeb and SAS functions) and some kind of advanced computer controls unmanned crafts like real probes.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Hannu2

[Mister Dilsby]

Mission Control commands the probes only when they're in Kerbin SOI. More distant ones need to be commanded by a nearby Kerbal pilot, otherwise the signal delay is too long to be practical.  

[Deddly]

I found it difficult to answer question 2. I do view it as a pilot's ability, as @razark put it very well, but the wobble some of my planes experience at high speeds indicates to me that there is at least some computer input involved rather than the pilot thrashing the joystick back and forth as if he were playing one of those old 2D racing games.

Edit: So I feel it's "A Kerbal Pilot is controlling the ship directly to point the specific direction." when it's any of the learned skills (point retrograde etc) and "The Command Pod's Guidance Computer points the ship, with control input from the Astronaut." for the basic "hold heading" that every pilot has. The reason engineers and scientists can't use it is because they don't know how to use the flight computer.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Deddly

[Sir_Robert]

Since I am a designer, not a pilot, most of my manouvers are executed by Mechjeb (launch is done by GravityTurn).

In universe that translates to: Computer flies based on inputs from the Kerbal Pilot (and for some simple manouvers, the pilot takes direct control), SAS is the computer based on inputs form the pilot (I have forbidden the pilots from even attempting to hold a direction, they are to twitchy with it. MJ handles that), and the probe's computer flies the probe based on inputs from mission control (I use Antenna range to enforce that. No contact with KSC is no input).

I do believe this greatly mimics how real life pilots work?

Edited February 15, 2016 by Sir_Robert

[dr_jt]

Most of my craft are un-Kerbaled so they all fly from ground control. In my latest station building effort, I ended up installing MJ because I found it quite tedious manually flying after Launching a half dozen times. I have been using a combination of MJ and manual flight for the rest of the station building. So far I have launched a dozen flights and have another 8 to go before the station is at its second stage build is complete.

Edited February 15, 2016 by dr_jt

[bewing]

1. Manual Input for manned ships -- The kerbal in the command pod. With advice from Mission Control, because they have access to the orbital info from the Tracking Station. ("Mission Control to blobby1, burn prograde to make your Ap around 100.5km. Perfect. In 13 seconds, a smidge anti-radial. A tiny bit more than that. All right. Now you are set for a 4.1km close approach to the victim's craft in one orbit, to execute your docking maneuver. Mission Control out.")

2. SAS -- Whichever is more competent, a pilot in a command pod, or the onboard guidance computer. Yes, it's sad, but if Mission Control tells a pilot to control attitude, then they don't get to gawk at the scenery. The rocket's control surfaces themselves have internal feedback that causes the "speed wobble" effect -- that part doesn't come from the pilot or computer.

3. Probes -- "Me" in Mission Control.

 

Oh, and negative gravioli particles travel at c squared (not merely c), so there is no discernable time lag even on very long range control transmissions.

 

Edited February 15, 2016 by bewing

[Whirligig Girl]

21 hours ago, JamesL86 said:

I am not sure I understand the question?  Mechjeb and PilotAssistant, as well as the in-built SAS controls by the nav-ball, aid in flying the missions I create. 

MechJeb is added to poll questions.

[Geschosskopf]

Autonomous vehicles with advanced AI all the way.  Why wasn't that a choice for the spaceship things?  There are rather less variables to consider when maneuvering in space than when driving in heavy traffic through intersections

 

[Brainlord Mesomorph]

I’ve been thinking about this today and I’ve come to the conclusion that my head is Mission Control, my mouth is Capcom, and my hands are Jeb’s.  

This is because I’m off in talking to myself as I play the game, “ we have liftoff”  and “go for throttle; up” and rattling  off distances and speeds, esp during launches landings and dockings.  I actually find that helps keep track of things.

And then there are times that I am telling Jeb things, and he’s not listening.:

“…4.5 kilometers.  540 m/s.  We still have red lights of the chutes.  4 km, 475 m/s still negative on chutes. 3 km, 325 m/s.  Still holding  on chutes.  2 km. 225 m/s OK, go for chutes, Jeb. go for chutes. Jeb?  Do you copy Jeb? Go for chutes.  Jeb we are go for chutes.  One and half km, 200 m/s,  Go for chutes. 1 km 187 m/s Go for chutes.  FIVE HUNDRED meters … Jeb?!

…We have cute deployment.  300 meters, 8 m/s…”

[AlphaMensae]

My interplanetary ships that I have in space now are almost completely controlled by Mechjeb, which I see as the interface for the JAL-9000 computer (RGU) that is the brain of each ship and is "commanded" by the captain.  Columbia has a side-mounted cupola pod for the captain's benefit, but the Endeavour and Challenger twins don't have even that; the captain is in the hab can with his/her laptop, I figure.   Argo Navis will though have a cupola, this time mounted up front, but the ship will still be controlled by the RGU (may switch it to SpaceY's 3.75m unit).

[loch.ness]

Well my answers really depend on the S.A.V.E. I'm playing at the moment - but generally I feel it is split somewhere between my Kerbals and me.

I've really enjoyed watching the many mission reports out there such as @Kuzzter's Kerbfleet and @Parkaboy's plan kappa.  Its fun to watch how some roles/characters take on certain aspects.  In some of these mission reports you can see how the player sees themself as the Engineer, in others you can see how they see them self as the pilot, or even as mission control.

I've always felt more of a connection to Bob since I'm neither a great pilot nor engineer - but I am constantly learning, noting, and experimenting.  My "engineering" is usually more learning experience than work of brilliance.  The creations I've been most proud of have been attempts at re-creating famous things others have made and learning why they worked so well.

While I play the game I feel like I am piloting the ships - and that is largely why I play the game, so that I can build and pilot the ships.  When I pull off a perfect burn I feel great because "I did that" - but at the same time I imagine myself as the abstraction of the entire NASA team working together to make this a possibility.  The pilot does their job so that I can do mine - explore the endless possibilities of the system.

 

When the pilot takes over its the pilot flying the ship (and my through them) - not because the game-play makes sense that way but because it makes a better story, in my head, about what is happening.  I'm part of the green-team and alternately part of them all.

[LordKael]

I follow self imposed rules about what crew is on board any given mission, and what can be done manned vs. unmanned. For example, any and all manned ship for which WASD or throttle/RCS controls are used, a pilot or a probe core has to be on board, with an uplink to allow Mission Control to direct the probe. If a scientist or engineer is the only crew, then MJ has to be able to fly the entire mission by itself using its various autopilots, OR, it has to have been launched from a ship with a pilot, who set the RT flight computer to execute the flight path. 

[swjr-swis]

I go through all of them. Sometimes I am in the pilot seat myself, or I am the probe core AI, because I like to fly or drive myself. Sometimes, I can totally visualize Jeb or Val having the time of their life scaring the wits out of Bob. Yet other times I feel much more like Mission Control, giving/sending instructions and seeing them carried out from afar. And then there's the times I am more the Builder/Engineer, not doing any of those things and feeling completely detached from any type of control, but sitting in front of a row of monitors and watching how the Kerbals treat my 'baby'.

I am not sure why it's different from one time to the next. I don't really want to rationalize it either. I enjoy all of them, thoroughly, and wouldn't want to be limited to just one type of experience.

KSP is awesome.

[MagicFireCaster]

1) The pilot (mainly jeb)

2) The guidance computer in the command pod, assited by the pilot

3) The probe has and A.I and a programed flight plan, there is not communication with the KSC unless it needs to transfer data