I HATE Career Mode in v1.1.1!

[TimKerbin]

I've been sitting here for over 2 hours playing KSP and have accomplished absolutely nothing.
I'm sorry, but I'm starting to hate Career Mode. I'm a KSP veteran, I've been there, done
that. I've planted flags on pretty much every body in the system (in what I called proper
Career Mode in that all you had to unlock were parts). But Career Mode in 1.1.1 makes me feel
like  a stupid noob, and I hate it. I can't even get a friggin ship into escape velocity for
one simple mission. The aerodynamics make this damn game impossible. It's not fun. It just
isn't fun. I don't play games for 'realism'; I play games to escape reality. Do I have to have
a PHD to play this damn game now? How am I suppose to do anything when even the damn radial
decouplers don't work properly? They detach on their own leaving behind the empty tanks they
were attached to! I've checked 3 damn times in the VAB to see that the tanks are aligned
correctly on the decouplers, and they are. So if it's aerodynamics doing this, why do they
detach on their own and leave the boosters? Is that my fault, or the game's? I haven't a clue,
and it's annoying as hell. This game has gone from fun and exciting, to damn right
aggravating.

I have had to cancel so many missions because I just cannot fulfil them. It just isn't fun.
And yes I know I don't have to play Career Mode, but I preferred it when you just had to
unlock parts, and maybe I'll go back to that mode instead. What is now called 'Science Mode' I
think?

Anyway Squad, please tone down your 'realism'. It just isn't fun. This is a GAME, remember?

PS And as I write this I've quit KSP without even saving. That's how p**d off I am.

Edited May 4, 2016 by TimKerbin

[Rocket In My Pocket]

I don't think anything significant has changed recently as far as Career mode's difficulty. I play career mode exclusively and I haven't noticed that it's any harder now than it was before.

That said, maybe you are just having an off day? This happens to me too, sometimes I think I want to play KSP but my mind just isn't focused and I spend a couple hours building a big floppy dud of a rocket before I realize I should prolly take a brake for a bit and play something else. As far as the decoupler problem, sounds like a bug, I'd verify your game cache if you are on steam, or try re installing if not.

Don't worry about quitting, the game autosaves constantly. I'd recommend you go play something else for a bit and come back to KSP fresh, and start over. Best of luck!

[Freshmeat]

 

I have not had the problem with the decouplers you are speaking of, but if your boosters ram into your ship try placing the decouplers as low as possible, and two struts in the top. Solves the problem for me. If they stay attached, you are encountering some form of bug, or the boosters is attached to something else instead of the decouplers. Try rebuilding a similar ship in sandbox and see if it replicates the problem.

As for realism, I do not see any big changes from 1.0.x to 1.1.x, compared to the introduction of proper aerodynamics 0.90 -> 1.0. And as for your comment that realism should be toned down, I respectfully disagree with you. KSP is for me pretty close to the mark. You can enjoy the two-body simulation and dig out your freshman college level textbook, or you can lean back and eyeball with a manoeuvrer node, mechjeb and alexmoons transfer planner. The initial frustration you feel is fully overshadowed by the sense of accomplishment once you reach your goal.

[Navy2k]

As my fellow kerbal overlords said, nothing has changed difficulty wise since 1.0.5

And the decoupler things seems like a bug, do you have opted out of beta if you use steam and verified the local files with steam?

 

Greetings

Ben

[Cornholio]

I had an issue once where it seemed that my solar panels were extending randomly while I was flying through atmosphere.  I nearly tore my hair out trying to figure out why.  Later I found out that I accidently put the toggle for them on the 'Stage' action group.....

[qromodynmc]

Instead of Squad, you should tone down your voice. Without proper talk, nobody will care.

[Brian444444]

I think more likely you had advanced so far in the game and became accustom to the bells and whistles the tech tree offers that you forgot the struggles of an up and coming space program.

[Mastikator]

The only thing I've noticed is rampant crashing, that is probably due to a few unsupported mods I'm using.

[Choctofliatrio2.0]

I have no idea how the aerodynamics in career mode are any different from those in sandbox...

KSP is meant to be realistic. Otherwise, what would the point be?

If you want an unrealistic space game, here you go:

[NikkyD]

Seriously, nobody should play KSP because they want to do some rocket stuff thingie that flies no matter what.

[Sputnik 1]

One problem I and many others are experiencing is crashing, this is a HUGE problem in career mode when it is on hard mode. I did a whole mission to the moon and right as I hit the atmosphere of Kerbin to return the game crashed. Valentina and her craft was lost along with most of my funds and the science aboard her ship. Now I don't want to complain too much because I understand that every release will be buggy at first, but I think squad should really focus on the stability issues. Note: I have no mods installed so this is purely a stock problem.

[suicidejunkie]

2 hours ago, TimKerbin said:

They detach on their own leaving behind the empty tanks they
were attached to! I've checked 3 damn times in the VAB to see that the tanks are aligned
correctly on the decouplers, and they are.

This sounds like you've welded the tanks to the hull, instead the decouplers.  Aero will not prevent the tanks from scraping down the side of your rocket if they're not welded on, particularly when you're still under thrust.

If the decouplers leave, and the tanks are still part of your ship, then clearly the parts are attached incorrectly.

 

Do the same thing you have been doing in the VAB, but leave symmetry turned off and just add one booster.

Next, look to the side and grab the separator out from between the hull and tank.  If you've attached the tank correctly, you should have both tank and separator in your hand.  If it doesn't, then you attached the tank to something else.

NOW turn on symmetry and attach the verified subassembly.

[Kerbart]

Hello Steve, what version did you upgrade from? 1.0.5? Not that much has changed in the modelling, there shouldn't be a reason things got so much harder. Like others mention, consider a clean re-install (do backup you save file if you want to keep it). The answer you don't want to hear is “either you're doing something wrong or your install is broken” but that is likely what it comes down to. If you're coming from an earlier version like 0.90 then...yeah, a couple of things have changed since

Are you using any mods? You don't mention any in your post, so we're assuming not, but what if your challenges are caused by a mod that hasn't been updated yet?

Finally, it always helps to post a picture of the craft this is causing you grief. Use F1 to make a screenshot (it's saved in the "screenshots" folder inside the KSP folder) and use a service like imgur to put it online for all to see (imgur is free to use). Everyone makes mistakes and maybe your problem is caused by mounting things backward, upside down, or whatnot. It happens to the best of us!

[sardia]

Can we see a pic of your ship?

[Aladran]

Ragers gonna rage, they'll eventually grow up and understand how to communicate in a manner to be respected instead of ignored.

 

I've stop reading after the 1st paragraph.

[regex]

3/10, pretty standard, did not feel the urge to address your "concerns".

[Raideur Ng]

Actually, things HAVE changed. Drag was reduced, remember? Now re-entry is considerably more deadly and you almost are required to use a heatshield, drogues, and mains. Things that made it through re-entry in 1.0.5 will pancake at 350 m/s with no chance to open mains. Let's not forget this. The game HAS gotten harder, just not by much.

[herbal space program]

Funny, I've had no trouble at all building rockets that work in the current game. It's things like planes that need wheels that seem to be FUBAR in my hands. I did have some really weird behavior with hybrid vessels that had new parts placed on a ship saved from a  previous version though. Could that be you issue?

Edited May 4, 2016 by herbal space program

[Rocket In My Pocket]

3 minutes ago, Raideur Ng said:

Actually, things HAVE changed. Drag was reduced, remember? Now re-entry is considerably more deadly and you almost are required to use a heatshield, drogues, and mains. Things that made it through re-entry in 1.0.5 will pancake at 350 m/s with no chance to open mains. Let's not forget this. The game HAS gotten harder, just not by much.

Having access to the drogue chutes so early now more than makes up for it though.

If anything I'd say it's gotten easier to survive re entry in the early career mode.

At least, that's my experience so far.

[Kerbart]

2 minutes ago, Raideur Ng said:

Actually, things HAVE changed. Drag was reduced, remember? Now re-entry is considerably more deadly and you almost are required to use a heatshield, drogues, and mains. Things that made it through re-entry in 1.0.5 will pancake at 350 m/s with no chance to open mains. Let's not forget this. The game HAS gotten harder, just not by much.

But the OP mentions getting to orbit. With less drag that should be easier, no? Could it be that it's not the atmosphere that changed, but the drag coefficents of (rear facing) capsules and heat shields?

[Snark]

Hi @TimKerbin,

I'm sorry that you're having such a frustrating time.  I've got a few questions/comments about your gameplay that are intended to address the problems you're experiencing.  However, it looks like you're fairly new to the forums, so I'd like to offer some advice about how to post "usefully" here-- i.e. how to get useful responses that will help you.

I understand that repeated mission failures can be rage-inducing.  But the important thing to understand is that:

1. the trouble is not because "the game sucks," it's because you have a problem with how you're designing and/or flying your rockets
2. if you fix how you're designing/flying your rockets, your problems will go away and you'll be much happier
3. if you're having trouble fixing it on your own, there are plenty of helpful people on the forums to answer your questions.

If you've noticed a not-super-friendly reaction in this thread thus far:  it's because your original post had some issues with it.  In general, you will get a much better response in the forums if you follow a few basic principles when posting:

• Don't rage.  It may feel good to vent, but it doesn't actually help anyone help you.  In fact, it's likely to make people not want to try to help you, as you can see by the foregoing responses.
• You're more likely to get a useful response if your tone is "here's my problem, what am I doing wrong?" rather than "it's the game's fault because it sucks."  Bear in mind that the people who can help you are the ones who are old hands for whom this is straightforward stuff, so the latter reaction is unlikely to get sympathy.
• Any time you have a "here's my problem, what am I doing wrong?" post, it's helpful to provide specific details (for example, screenshots).  Without such information, it's almost impossible for anyone to help you.

With all that in mind, on to your specific issues:

One thing to bear in mind is that the whole point of KSP is that it's not "just" a video game-- there's quite a bit of physics-based challenge in there.  This does not mean you "need a PhD to play"... but it also means that a "random", trial-and-error play style will often lead to frustration.  The physics-based nature of the game means that there are a lot more ways to be "wrong" than there are to be "right".  Lots of factors are interacting, so guesswork is often not super effective.

The good news is that if you actually learn the principles of how it works, it's actually pretty straightforward and easy.  I don't at all mean to downplay the frustration you're experiencing-- obviously this is very painful for you.  However, there's a pretty good chance that it's something very simple that you're doing wrong (and not realizing it) that's getting in the way.  Or, more likely, a combination of a few different "wrong" things, which is what makes trial-and-error so painful.

Therefore, if what you're trying to accomplish is to have a fun experience while playing KSP, then your forum post should be focused on trying to figure out what are those simple things that you're doing wrong.

4 hours ago, TimKerbin said:

But Career Mode in 1.1.1 makes me feel like  a stupid noob, and I hate it. I can't even get a friggin ship into escape velocity for one simple mission. The aerodynamics make this damn game impossible.

Need some background context, here.  What's your previous KSP experience?  What version of KSP are you comparing it to?

As previous posters have pointed out, it's been a very long time since aerodynamics significantly changed in KSP.  It's true that there was a major aerodynamics overhaul in 1.0, but that came out a year ago, and practically nobody has been playing pre-1.0 KSP for a very long time.

So when you say that "aero makes things impossible", I'm guessing that what you mean is really something like this:  "I last played KSP a long time ago in 0.90 or earlier, i.e. before 1.0 came out.  And now the new aero experience frustrates me."  Is that correct?

Assuming that this is the problem, then the answer is simple:  learn the new aero.  You can't fly rockets like you did in the (very unrealistic) pre-1.0 aero.  It's like a whole new game.  Trying to play like you used to simply won't work:  you need to both design your rockets and fly them in a way that takes aero into account.

The new aero is actually pretty easy, as long as you understand the basic "rules".  You can slap together a simple, low-tech, low-part-count ship that will go to orbit quite easily in early career.  Thousands of happy KSP players do it every day.

It can be summed up as "pointy in front, fins in the back, CoM as far forward as possible."  You can find lots of discussion about aero difficulties in the Gameplay Questions forum (search for "flipping" or "unstable").  A bit of reading will likely answer lots of questions for you.  If you're still having difficulty, then I'd suggest making a "why does this keep flipping?" post in Gameplay Questions, with a screenshot of your rocket (and a description of your flight profile).

4 hours ago, TimKerbin said:

How am I suppose to do anything when even the damn radial decouplers don't work properly? They detach on their own leaving behind the empty tanks they were attached to!

What exactly do you mean?  They work just fine.  Thousands of people use them every day with no problem.

Either you've uncovered some obscure bug, or else you're using them wrong.  I'm guessing that the latter is more likely, but it's impossible to say without more specific description (a screenshot would really help).

My suggestion:  if you can't get this issue figured out, post a "problem with radial decouplers" thread in Gameplay Questions, with a picture of your ship, a description of the problem, and the question "what am I doing wrong?"

 

4 hours ago, TimKerbin said:

I've checked 3 damn times in the VAB to see that the tanks are aligned correctly on the decouplers, and they are.

No, they're not.  If they were, it would work.  Unless you've found an obscure bug or something, you're doing something wrong.  (For one thing, your use of the word "aligned" is troubling.  Alignment doesn't matter, attachment does.)

Again:  needs a screenshot.  Suggest a Gameplay Questions post as described above.

4 hours ago, TimKerbin said:

So if it's aerodynamics doing this, why do they detach on their own and leave the boosters? Is that my fault, or the game's?

It's not the aerodynamics.  Almost certainly it's because you've attached them wrong.

4 hours ago, TimKerbin said:

Anyway Squad, please tone down your 'realism'. It just isn't fun. This is a GAME, remember?

You're unlikely to find much sympathy for that viewpoint on the forums.  The whole point of KSP is that it's challenging, and that button-mashing won't work, and you have to actually understand what you're doing.

Squad is definitely mindful that this is a game, and has put in lots of simplifications to make it playable.  If you wanted actual realism, try installing mods like FAR (more realistic aero), Realism Overhaul & RealFuels (more realistic rocket engines and rocket physics), Real Solar System (realistic scale for heavenly bodies).  Do all that and KSP gets stupefyingly harder.

So yes, KSP has already had the "make it fun and easy and not too realistic" filter applied to it, and based on the love that the community has showered upon it, I'd say that Squad gauged it just about right.

[regex]

26 minutes ago, Snark said:

Do all that and KSP gets stupefyingly harder.

This assertion is entirely subjective, please stop trying to scare people off with gross exaggerations.

[TMS]

Came here for the 'career sucks' rant.

Left thinking: 'git gud, scrub'.

:'(

[Draco T stand-up guy]

5 hours ago, TimKerbin said:

How am I suppose to do anything when even the damn radial
decouplers don't work properly? They detach on their own leaving behind the empty tanks they
were attached to! I've checked 3 damn times in the VAB to see that the tanks are aligned
correctly on the decouplers, and they are. So if it's aerodynamics doing this, why do they
detach on their own and leave the boosters?

It's not the decouplers. It's that the boosters aren't connected to them. Had the same thing happen to me the other day

I was quite impressed.

 

Anyways, I've found that you've got to get the mouse over the decouplers when connecting the boosters for them to connect else they'll only look like they're connected. You have to look through the boosters but they do turn green when they connect.

I haven't been playing as long as you but the shift from 1.05 to 1.1.1 has, to me, made things a little easier. It's either that or I'm just getting used to the game.

[nosirrbro]

*puts on hipster scarf*

I was hating career mode before it was cool!

In all seriousness though, I dislike it too but for different reasons. I personally play sandbox but put even more self imposed restrictions than career mode does, and make it more difficult. I find the tech tree broken, beginning boring, the obligatory contract grinding you need to do to afford missions horribly tedious and no fun whatsoever, and the whole thing annoying, restricting and unrealistic.