Mods?

[GroundControl2MajorTom]

I have been playing KSP for awhile now but with out mods. I just started getting into the mods before the big 1.1 drop, so while I wait for them all to be updated I thought I'd take this chance to ask all of you your opinion of which mods to use. Which mods work well with others, which ones slow down the game, about how many you can run without crashing the game, and any other useful information for me and others new to modding this already GREAT game.

[Tig]

5 hours ago, GroundControl2MajorTom said:

 I just started getting into the mods before the big 1.1 drop, so while I wait for them all to be updated

Excellent.  Most of the major mods are updated.  To the extent they aren't updated to 1.1.2 sometimes they already work with it.  Heck some 1.0.5 mods if they're just parts still work.  If you're not sure just go to the mod's forum thread - somebody else already tried it to see if it works.

5 hours ago, GroundControl2MajorTom said:

 I thought I'd take this chance to ask all of you your opinion of which mods to use.

Here's my mod list if you're interested.  I believe they all work well together.

Spoiler

Action Groups Extended (AGExt 2.0)
Alcubierre Warp Drive (Stand-alone) (AlcubierreStandalone 0.4.3.0)
B9 Aerospace Procedural Wings - Fork (B9-PWings-Fork 1:0.40.7)
B9 Part Switch (B9PartSwitch v1.2.0)
BetterBurnTime (BetterBurnTime 1.4.3)
Camera Focus Changer (CameraFocusChanger v0.9.0.0)
Celestial Body Science Editor (CelestialBodyScienceEditor 6.0)
Chatterer (Chatterer 0.9.8)
Community Resource Pack (CommunityResourcePack 0.5.2.0)
Community Tech Tree (CommunityTechTree 1:2.4)
Community Terrain Texture Pack (CommunityTerrainTexturePack 2.0)
Connected Living Space (ConnectedLivingSpace 1.2.1.2)
Contract Configurator (ContractConfigurator 1.11.5)
Contract Pack: Anomaly Surveyor (ContractConfigurator-AnomalySurveyor 1.4.3)
Contract Pack: Bases and Stations (ContractConfigurator-KerbinSpaceStation 1:3.2.1.2)
Contract Pack: Historic Missions (ContractConfigurator-HistoricMissions 2.1.0)
Contract Parser (ContractParser 3.0)
Contract Reward Modifier (ContractRewardModifier 2.3)
Contracts Window + (ContractsWindowPlus 6.3)
Control Lock (ControlLock 1.5)
Crowd Sourced Science (CrowdSourcedScience v3.0.2)
Cryogenic Engines (CryoEngines 1:0.3.2)
Cryogenic Tanks (CryoTanks 0.2.2)
Custom Barn Kit (CustomBarnKit 1.1.8.0)
Deployable Engines Plugin (DeployableEngines 0.2.2)
Distant Object Enhancement (DistantObject v1.7.1)
Distant Object Enhancement default config (DistantObject-default v1.7.1)
DMagic Orbital Science (DMagicOrbitalScience 1.3)
Editor Extensions Redux (EditorExtensionsRedux 3.2.13)
Environmental Visual Enhancements (EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements 2:EVE-1.1-2-1)
Environmental Visual Enhancements - Config files (EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements-HR 2:EVE-1.1-2-1)
Extraplanetary Launchpads (ExtraPlanetaryLaunchpads 5.3.2)
Ferram Aerospace Research (FerramAerospaceResearch 3:0.15.6.5)
Final Frontier (FinalFrontier 1.0.10-2467)
Firespitter Core (FirespitterCore v7.2.4)
Graphic Memory Monitor (GCMonitor 1.4.3.0)
Haystack Continued (HaystackContinued 0.5.0.0)
Heat Control (HeatControl 0.3.1)
Kalculator (Kalculator 0.2.1)
Kerbal Alarm Clock (KerbalAlarmClock v3.6.2.1)
Kerbal Atomics (KerbalAtomics 1:0.2.2)
Kerbal Attachment System (KAS 0.5.7)
Kerbal Engineer Redux (KerbalEngineerRedux 1.1.1.0)
Kerbal Inventory System (KIS 1.2.9)
Kerbal Joint Reinforcement (KerbalJointReinforcement v3.1.7)
Kerbal Stats (KerbalStats 2.1.0)
KOAS - Kerbal Optical Alignment System (KerbalOpticalAlignmentSystem 1.0.2)
Kopernicus Planetary System Modifier (Kopernicus 2:release-1-0-4)
KSP Achievements (Achievements 1.9.2)
KSP AVC (KSP-AVC 1.1.6.1)
KW Rocketry Redux (KWRocketryRedux 3.0.7)
KW Rocketry Redux - Graduated Power Response Configs (KWRocketryRedux-GraduatedPwr 3.0.7)
Magic Smoke Industries Infernal Robotics (InfernalRobotics v2.0.4)
ModularFlightIntegrator (ModularFlightIntegrator 1.1.4.0)
Module Manager (ModuleManager 2.6.25)
Near Future Construction (NearFutureConstruction 0.6.1)
Near Future Electrical (NearFutureElectrical 0.7.2)
Near Future Electrical Core (NearFutureElectrical-Core 0.7.2)
Near Future IVA Props (NearFutureProps 0.5.0)
Near Future Propulsion (NearFuturePropulsion 0.7.2)
Near Future Solar (NearFutureSolar 0.6.1)
Near Future Solar Core (NearFutureSolar-Core 0.6.1)
Near Future Spacecraft (NearFutureSpacecraft 0.5.0)
'Otter' Submersible (USI-SubPack 0.1.3.0)
Outer Planets Mod (OuterPlanetsMod 1:2.0)
Portrait Stats (PortraitStats 9.0)
Precise Node (PreciseNode 1.2.3)
Procedural Fairings (ProceduralFairings v3.17)
Progress Parser (ProgressParser 4.0)
'Project Orion' Nuclear Pulse Engine (USI-NuclearRockets 0.2.3.0)
RealChute Parachute Systems (RealChute v1.4.1.1)
SafeChute (SafeChute v1.9.1)
ShipManifest (ShipManifest 5.1.0.0)
StageRecovery (StageRecovery 1.6.4)
Station Science (StationScience 2.0)
TAC Fuel Balancer (TacFuelBalancer 2.6)
TAC Life Support (TACLS) (TACLS v0.12.1)
TAC Life Support (TACLS) - stock config (TACLS-Config-Stock v0.11.1)
Take Command (TakeCommand 1.4.1)
TextureReplacer (TextureReplacer v2.4.13)
Toolbar (Toolbar 1.7.12)
Trajectories (Trajectories v1.6.2)
Transfer Window Planner (TransferWindowPlanner v1.5.0.0)
TriggerAu Flags (TriggerAu-Flags v2.7.4.0)
UbioZur Welding Ltd. Continued (UbioWeldContinued 2.3.2)
Universal Storage (UniversalStorage 1.1.0.12)
US Officer Ranks (Standard) - Final Frontier Add-On (USOfficerRanksStandardFinalFrontierAddOn 0.9.1)
USI Core (USI-Core 0.2.3.0)
USI Kolonization Core (USI-UKS-Shared 0.2.3.1)
USI Kolonization Systems (MKS/OKS) (UKS 1:0.40.3.0)
USI Tools (USITools 0.7.2.1)
Waypoint Manager (WaypointManager 2.5.1)
Texturereplacer - Navballs
Texturereplacer - Suits
MemGraph
SETI-Contracts
SETI-Rebalance
SETI-Ctt
InlineBallutes
S.A.V.E.
RLA Stockalike
Tig - CustomBarn
Tig - CC simultaneous
Tig - dmagic sesimic adjustment
Tig - other changes
Tig - Umbra TAC patch
Tig - KW SRB thrust patch
Tig - Univ Storage Adjustments
TIg - SETI-Tech tree-KW
TIg - SETI-Tech tree-Squad

Not on my list but also worth checking out are Mission Controller 2, Interstellar, Kerbal Construction Time.  Also MechJeb is very very popular; I don't think you need both MechJeb and Kerbal Engineer Redux.  I use KER right now, but they're both excellent and imo, having one of the two is necessary.  I literally would not play the game without one of them.  If you have any issues with stuttering, as I do, MemGraph is invaluable.

 

5 hours ago, GroundControl2MajorTom said:

 about how many you can run without crashing the game

"# of Mods you can use"  = "# of Mods that crash your game" - 1   

Okay joking aside, performance and number of mods is very system specific.  My mods run very well on a i5-6600K @ 4.6GHz and a HD7950 @1100 MHz, 16GB ram, Win 7x64.

5 hours ago, GroundControl2MajorTom said:

and any other useful information for me and others new to modding this already GREAT game.

CKAN and KSP-AVC do a great job of keeping you up to date.  But they are tools and you need to understand what they are doing in case something goes wrong.

So my advice is to make sure you understand how to manually install a mod.  There are *many* places that is already discussed.

Also, Module Manager is the keystone that makes all the other mods work together.  If you have any desire to create your own mod, mod your installed mods, or understand why one mod is modding another mod then Module Manager is crucial.  Learning its basic syntax is for slightly more advanced modders, but well worth the time.  If you have any experience with code you'll pick it up quickly.

 

 

Edited May 27, 2016 by Tig
grammer

[wasml]

5 hours ago, GroundControl2MajorTom said:

I thought I'd take this chance to ask all of you your opinion of which mods to use

This really depends on what you enjoy.

Just want to add helpful utilities - VOID, KER, mechjeb, Precise node, Action Groups extended, ...

Stock too easy - Realism overhaul, Real sized solar system, Decaying RTG, more realistic reaction wheels, Orbital decay, life support mods, Outer Planets, ...

Eye candy - EVE, Stock Visual Enhancements, Distant Object Enhancement, Scatterer, ...

Want to start a war - BDA, ...

Different solar systems - Kopernicus, Galactic Neighborhood, ...(lots of planet packs)

The lists go on (planes, boats, racing, extra parts, different contracts, expanded science, ...) you can take KSP in so many different directions. Probably easiest pick one (or more) that look interesting and see what mods are active then dive in.

(Note - the names above are off the top of my head)

[GroundControl2MajorTom]

22 hours ago, wasml said:

 

 

[Deimos Rast]

If you want realism, go with anything Nertea makes (near future, cryo, kerbal atomics, etc). And KW Rocketry. RoverDude has a lot of cool stuff tool (USI).

I would recommend you at least check out RemoteTech (or AntennaRange) and a LifeSupport Mod (I vote TACLS). You also need Kerbal Alarm Clock, Kerbal Engineer, Trajectories, Action Groups Extended. I swear by MechJeb. A lot of people don't. Oh well.

Planet packs are awesome. OPM is sweet. Get CustomAsteroids too if you want.

If you like planes, go with FAR, KAX, B9, OPT, Firespitter, SXT etc.

The first list posted is a pretty good start actually. I disagree with a few of them, but we'd be hear all day if we had to argue over them.

Do not do BDA as it has not been updated to 1.1.2 and causes serious issues for most people (thread was locked recently).

Seriously, buying KSP is buying a ticket to a themepark for mods.