Good Mods?

[Jestersage]

While I swore to myself to go stock only -- so that the ship I built doesn't get broken when Squad updated KSP --, I am starting to debate whether to play with Mods. if so, which one.

The one I have heard are the KER, and another one that also help build; should I get them?

Also, what are the other good mods? I was thinking of getting interstellar.

[Streetwind]

Not all mods actually "break" your ships when Squad releases an update. Generally, if a mod adds a tangible asset - rocket parts, planets and so on - your savegame will need to wait for mod updates. If a mod adds only intangible assets - prettier graphics, a dV readout, a timekeeping device - you can just strip them out and continue playing your savegame on a new KSP version. Of course, there are exceptions from these rules of the thumb, but in general that's what you can expect.

Also, an important insight when it comes to modding KSP is that you don't need to update when Squad does. If you build yourself a great modded setup for 1.1.3, and you start playing with it and invest many hours into it, then why throw that all away when 1.2 drops? You can just continue playing modded 1.1.3 without updating right away. (Okay, maybe you want the features of 1.2, but it's not like those are a limited time offer, right? You can still get them after you're satisfied with your modded career and move on.)

In order to prevent something like Steam from force-updating your game, you can configure Steam not to do it... but an even better idea is cloning your KSP installation. KSP is not dependant on running a special installer, or being in a special place on your disk - you can literally just copy and paste the entire folder, and you can launch the game from the copy just fine (just not via the Steam interface, you'll need to launch the executable from the folder). People who are heavily into modded gameplay usually keep multiple parallel installations. Myself, I have one fully up to date stock install, one custom modded instance, and two test instances for debugging (I help out with Near Future, see signature). So you don't even need to choose between stock and modded. You can have both at the same time!

 

I hope that helped to allay some of your worries. As for which mods to get: that depends entirely on what you're looking for. I personally group mods into four categories: aesthetic mods, which make the game look or sound better (example: Stock Visual Enhancements); utility mods, which add little tools that make your life easier (example: Kerbal Engineer Redux); content mods, which add parts that work in the context of the stock game (example: Near Future Technologies); and gamechangers, which either add completely new aspects and things to do to KSP, or take stock KSP mechanics and change them into something different (example: KSP Interstellar). Every mod I've seen falls into one of those four categories. The first two can generally be added and removed freely,without affecting your savegame; the latter two will most likely cause something to break if your remove them from a save, and a select few cannot even be added to an existing savegame and demand a fresh start.

Ask yourself: what do you feel is missing in your stock KSP experience? And then start looking for mods that specifically address that. I guarantee you: along the way, you will find a great number of different mods that make you say "I never knew I needed this in my life!"  

[capi3101]

What @Streetwind said; start there, tell us what exactly you'd like to do, and we can give you some suggestions.

Meantime, here's my mod list and why I play with those mods:

• Toolbar: Makes organizing the mods I use a lot easier. Plus at this point I think a number of the mods I use have it as a dependency (maybe)...
• B9 Procedural Wings: I use FAR, and I have a set of formulas I use as guidelines for aerospace craft design. It helps to have something that gives me near full control over the characteristics of my wings.
• Docking Port Alignment Indicator: If you're big into space stations or docking in general, this one's a godsend.
• Dynamic Deflection: This one helps to compensate for KSP's tendency to deflect aircraft control surfaces full at the push a button, which can be disastrous and fun (in the Dwarf Fortress sense) otherwise.
• Ferram Aerospace Research (FAR): Got this one in anticipation of better aerodynamics with 1.0. I still use it for the analysis tools.
• Free EVA: Ostensibly makes it easier to re-orient your Kerbals while they're EVA. Not sure I'm using it right...
• Kerbal Attachment System (KAS): Adds parts, makes doing things like piping Kerbals through winch cables a thing. Gives you more stuff to do while EVA.
• Kerbal Inventory System (KIS): At the time I downloaded it, KAS was dependent on KIS. 
• Kerbal Alarm Clock (KAC): Useful for not timewarping through a burn window...
• Kerbal Engineer Redux (KER): This one I use constantly, mainly to make up for lack of crucial telemetry data in the interface (like just how close you are to the Munar surface and what kind of slope you're landing on).
• Kerbal Flight Data: Creates a HUD around the NavBall with information such as periapsis height, height above ground, dynamic pressure, etc.
• NavUtilities: An ILS for the Runway.
• NRAP: A procedural test weight. Useful for testing out the mass limits of booster designs. Used one as a single-part counterweight for a trebuchet once.
• Portrait Stats: Tells you what kind of Kerbals you've got on your craft via a little icon addition to their portraits. Handy for telling what kind of Kerbal you've just rescued...
• Precise Node: Allows you to calculate precisely what the end results of a burn are going to be. I've heard it's best coupled with Mechjeb (since Mechjeb can execute a node precisely) but I haven't tested that out.
• Procedural Fairings: Got this one because at the time a lot of folks didn't like stock fairings. One of these days I should figure out how stock fairings are actually meant to work...
• Protractor Continued: A mod that gives phase and ejection angles to targest throughout the Kerbol system, and also displays your closest approach to those bodies based on your current trajectory. Useful for interplanetary course corrections.
• RCS Build Aid: Useful for balancing RCS systems and for seeing how much the center of mass will change on an aerospace craft during flight.
• Ship Manifest: A way to move Kerbals and resources around without having to muck with the interface. Got that one back in a day where going EVA was the only other way to move Kerbals between two different parts of a craft.
• TAC Fuel Balancer: Useful for shifting fuel around in flight. Has saved more than one of my planes...
• Trajectories: A mod that shows you exactly where your craft is coming down based on its current trajectory. Useful for making attempts to land at KSC or other specific locations.
• Transfer Window Planner: An in-game porkchop plot generator, which shows you launch windows for interplanetary targets.
• Stage Recovery: Put chutes on a booster and you can get some of the parts (and money) back from it, rather than let it burn up or crash into the ocean...
• Stock Fuel Switch: Allows you to switch what kind of fuel you've got in a can. Useful when you want to fly a plane but when your available tankage sucks.

As might be obvious from my mod list, I like to design and fly spaceplanes. Most of the ones that aren't related specifically to aircraft are utilities mods., good for making life in general easier. 

[Palaceviking]

45 minutes ago, capi3101 said:

What @Streetwind said; start there, tell us what exactly you'd like to do, and we can give you some suggestions.

Meantime, here's my mod list and why I play with those mods:

• Toolbar: Makes organizing the mods I use a lot easier. Plus at this point I think a number of the mods I use have it as a dependency (maybe)...
• B9 Procedural Wings: I use FAR, and I have a set of formulas I use as guidelines for aerospace craft design. It helps to have something that gives me near full control over the characteristics of my wings.
• Docking Port Alignment Indicator: If you're big into space stations or docking in general, this one's a godsend.
• Dynamic Deflection: This one helps to compensate for KSP's tendency to deflect aircraft control surfaces full at the push a button, which can be disastrous and fun (in the Dwarf Fortress sense) otherwise.
• Ferram Aerospace Research (FAR): Got this one in anticipation of better aerodynamics with 1.0. I still use it for the analysis tools.
• Free EVA: Ostensibly makes it easier to re-orient your Kerbals while they're EVA. Not sure I'm using it right...
• Kerbal Attachment System (KAS): Adds parts, makes doing things like piping Kerbals through winch cables a thing. Gives you more stuff to do while EVA.
• Kerbal Inventory System (KIS): At the time I downloaded it, KAS was dependent on KIS. 
• Kerbal Alarm Clock (KAC): Useful for not timewarping through a burn window...
• Kerbal Engineer Redux (KER): This one I use constantly, mainly to make up for lack of crucial telemetry data in the interface (like just how close you are to the Munar surface and what kind of slope you're landing on).
• Kerbal Flight Data: Creates a HUD around the NavBall with information such as periapsis height, height above ground, dynamic pressure, etc.
• NavUtilities: An ILS for the Runway.
• NRAP: A procedural test weight. Useful for testing out the mass limits of booster designs. Used one as a single-part counterweight for a trebuchet once.
• Portrait Stats: Tells you what kind of Kerbals you've got on your craft via a little icon addition to their portraits. Handy for telling what kind of Kerbal you've just rescued...
• Precise Node: Allows you to calculate precisely what the end results of a burn are going to be. I've heard it's best coupled with Mechjeb (since Mechjeb can execute a node precisely) but I haven't tested that out.
• Procedural Fairings: Got this one because at the time a lot of folks didn't like stock fairings. One of these days I should figure out how stock fairings are actually meant to work...
• Protractor Continued: A mod that gives phase and ejection angles to targest throughout the Kerbol system, and also displays your closest approach to those bodies based on your current trajectory. Useful for interplanetary course corrections.
• RCS Build Aid: Useful for balancing RCS systems and for seeing how much the center of mass will change on an aerospace craft during flight.
• Ship Manifest: A way to move Kerbals and resources around without having to muck with the interface. Got that one back in a day where going EVA was the only other way to move Kerbals between two different parts of a craft.
• TAC Fuel Balancer: Useful for shifting fuel around in flight. Has saved more than one of my planes...
• Trajectories: A mod that shows you exactly where your craft is coming down based on its current trajectory. Useful for making attempts to land at KSC or other specific locations.
• Transfer Window Planner: An in-game porkchop plot generator, which shows you launch windows for interplanetary targets.
• Stage Recovery: Put chutes on a booster and you can get some of the parts (and money) back from it, rather than let it burn up or crash into the ocean...
• Stock Fuel Switch: Allows you to switch what kind of fuel you've got in a can. Useful when you want to fly a plane but when your available tankage sucks.

As might be obvious from my mod list, I like to design and fly spaceplanes. Most of the ones that aren't related specifically to aircraft are utilities mods., good for making life in general easier. 

I see you didn't blaspheme(mechjeb)

[capi3101]

1 hour ago, Palaceviking said:

I see you didn't blaspheme(mechjeb)

Mechjeb's been on my to-get list for a while; I told myself back in 0.19 that if I ever managed to launch successfully into orbit of Eve, I'd install it as my reward. Hasn't happened yet, though since 1.0 that's been for lack of trying.

I see nothing particularly wrong with using Mechjeb or those who choose to use it; it's kinda like what (I think) @Streetwind was saying above - you look for the mods that give you the experience you want, install those and ignore the rest.

Edited September 1, 2016 by capi3101

[Palaceviking]

Word. 

Although it still makes me feel dirty when I'm too lazy to get to orbit/do rendezvous/do anything really. 

[OhioBob]

As @Streetwind explained, it's hard to know what mods to recommend without knowing what you want out of your game playing experience.  The mods that I find most indispensable fall into the utility category.  They are (all of which can be added or removed at any time without breaking the game):

Kerbal Engineer Redux - provides basic information, such as a delta-v and TWR readouts, useful in designing a spacecraft and executing a mission.
Kerbal Alarm Clock - allows you to set alarms for uncoming events or opportunities so that you don't forget about them or accidentally time warp past them.
Precise Node - permits the precise placement and manipulation of maneuver nodes; far more user friendly than the doing it in stock.
Transfer Window Planner - An in-game version of this utility, http://alexmoon.github.io/ksp/, which is extremely helpful for planning interplanetary missions.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of visually enhancements mods because they really hurt my game's performance, plus I tend to see too many annoying artifacts.  I've tried several and ended up deleting all of them.  However, if you think you'd enjoy a more visually appealing game experience, then by all means give them a try and see which ones you like.

I also use several part packs, however I'll reserve suggesting anything until I know more about what you like to do.  There is no need to add parts that you'll never use.  You have to be careful removing a part pack because it will break any craft that uses those parts.  However, part packs often work across multiple game versions without the need for upgrades.

In addition to utility and part mods, the only other ones that I'm currently use are:

Outer Planets Mod - adds four new outer planets and their moons.
Realistic Atmospheres - replaces the stock atmospheres with more lifelike ones.
Kopernicus - required for the above two mods to work.

The above are the types of mods that add to or change the Kerbal solar system.  They are also the ones that are often broken and require upgrading when a new version of KSP is released.  However, you can often add or delete these mods without breaking a saved game.  You just have to be careful because individual ongoing missions could be affected.  For example, Realistic Atmospheres changes the heights of some atmospheres, so an orbiting spacecraft could find itself inside an atmosphere after adding this mod.
 

Edited September 1, 2016 by OhioBob

[NSEP]

I only suggest using Kerbal Engineer. You could also add KIS and KAS, but that can break some of your ships if KSP updates.

[Jestersage]

I think I will start with KER, maybe mechjeb, and one mod that I recall makes dockign a lot easier. (do anyone recall the name of that mod?

Also, there's a mod that allows one to make reusable boosters, right?

Edited September 2, 2016 by Jestersage

[OhioBob]

25 minutes ago, Jestersage said:

...and one mod that I recall makes dockign a lot easier. (do anyone recall the name of that mod?

I haven't used it myself, but I think it's this one...

 

[capi3101]

Yeah, @OhioBob, that's the one.

And @Jestersage, the "reusable booster" mod you're thinking about is called StageRecovery, unless you're talking about Subassembly (in which case you should be advised that that particular mod became stock with 0.21).

[eddiew]

Just my 2p, but I find Interstellar to be very complicated and involved and wouldn't recommend it for a first taste of mods. It'll throw a lot of parts and concepts and mechanics at you.

I would suggest getting Community Tech Tree and populating it with things like the Near Future suite for things beyond the normal tech tree scope, Space Y for bigger lifters allowing bigger missions, and KR&D to allow you to decide for yourself which parts should be awesome by investing unlimited amounts of science for incremental upgrades   Links all in my signature. And if you really want crazy sci fi tech, consider the Alcubierre Warp Drive.

If your PC specs can handle it, also maybe consider the visual enhancement mods SVT and SVE, which make KSP look a lot less like KSP and a lot more like a very shiny game