Do you use mechjeb anymore?

[RX2000]

KER all the way. I like to PLAY the game, not have it played for me.

If I want that I'll just go watch Das on Twitch.

Edited October 18, 2016 by RX2000

[Aladran]

I always use MechJeb, 1700+ hours of play time, so MJ is very usefull to execute long boring task like long burns or planning planetary transfer.

I still do all my docking manually, too much fun there to let it to MJ.

One of my 2 must have. The other is Alam Clock.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Aladran

[Docsprock]

Ive got over 2000 hours, and have never had any mod of any kind installed. And I don't miss them.  I also have not had any kind of crash since 0.90.

[Pecan]

6 hours ago, Gamel0rd1 said:

I hate mechjeb it really feels like cheating. KE is much better as it just provides readouts for your crafts. Mechjeb does everything for you from taking off to docking.

Touched mechjeb once, never went back and proud

Dirty NASA cheats, putting an autopilot on all their ships, they should be ashamed.

If you had touched MJ more than once, or read anything about it, you might have noticed that it only does anything for you if you activate that specific function.  It is entirely possible to run complete flights, in KSP, without using any aids at all.  Pretty much unlike real life.

What, exactly, do you find to be proud of, launching the same vehicle for the 40th time?
Touch MJ every production launch.  Proud to have repeatable flight-data and reliable, well tested, vehicles that even an autopilot can fly (although not as well as me).

 

KER all the way. I like to PLAY the game, not have it played for me.

If I want that I'll just go watch Das on Twitch.

Lots of people have no idea what MJ is or how it works.  As RoboRay said, it's amusing.

Does KER calculate your interplanetary transfer windows, or do you look them up elsewhere?
What do you people think of VOID - Dirty, rotten, cheating info mod because it isn't KER?
RPM - Disgusting, cheating, working cockpits?

Edited October 18, 2016 by Pecan

[SiskoBell]

2 hours ago, Threadsinger said:

...I've played long enough, and piloted enough launches, that I prefer to design the rocket, tweak the variables, and let the system fly the simple stuff like ascent, maneuver nodes, and the final docking alignment stages while I do other things on my monitors....

Agreed. I've launched, docked, and landed hundreds of craft manually. My early interplanetary missions were all planned and piloted by hand. By after a while, those things become mundane. Mechjeb allows me to focus on designing and planning. Of course, I still prefer to manually dock (it's just fun to me), but I will allow Mechjeb to make the initial rendezvous. And I usually handle important or complicated landings. But overall, Mechjeb is a vital tool for me, not a cheat. Ironically, I before I gave Mechjeb a chance, I also considered it a 'cheat.' Now I know it's a valuable tool that, for me, increases KSP's fun-factor.

[regex]

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Do you use mechjeb anymore?

 

Sometimes, but I don't really feel the need to justify how I play to anyone other than me.

[Xyphos]

I use only use MJ for the Maneuver Planner and Node Editor - those are the two most useful tools IMHO, it sure beats futzing around with the node dongle for 15 minutes trying to get the burns right.
I find that the Ascent Guidance is (still) buggy and hardly ever works properly for me, so I avoid using it.
I did use Ascent Guidance back when I was new and had no clue how to launch a rocket properly.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Xyphos

[moogoob]

I really like the bit at the beginning of Career mode where I have to fly all my missions manually... but by the time Mechjeb's Maneuver Planner gets unlocked in the tech tree I'm kind of tired of all the manual stuff. I like the custom readouts and ascent autopilot too, but that maneuver planner is really the meat and potatoes of MJ for me. I CAN plan a Hohmann transfer by myself, but MJ seriously reduces the number of clicks needed. It's "better for my workflow" in graphic designer jargon.

[DerekL1963]

I'm more of a manager and an engineer than a pilot, so MJ does the piloting for me.  (Not to mention it does it better as I'm off on the low end of the bell curve when it comes to twitch reflexes and eye-hand coordination. )

And yeah, I too am amused by the folks that think MJ "does everything".  MJ doesn't design my mission architecture, flight techniques, or vehicles.  When it successfully docks, it does so because I balanced the RCS (and nobody ever calls RCS Build Aid "cheaty").  When it avoids hitting Ike on my way down to Duna, it's because I was monitoring the trajectory and determined the need for a burn to do so (and nobody calls watching your orbital trajectory in Map mode "cheaty").  When it executes a landing in the Northern Basin biome, it's because I chose the landing site (and nobody calls Kerbalmaps.com "cheaty").

MJ is a tool, no more, no less.  Even with MJ, you can't play a successful serious campaign game without knowing quite a bit more than just which buttons in MJ does what.

[GeneCash]

Yup. It's got a couple issues for me, but it burns the maneuver nodes for me, which is the best part. I had enough of manually doing burns during the pre-release, TYVM.  And to ---- with doing a Hohmann transfer by myself! I'm not ever doing that again!

I've sort of switched to GravityTurn for ascent. MJ is more efficient in a 40% profile but I don't like the scorching ascent, and it's less efficient in the 60% profile I prefer.

[septemberWaves]

I have very little patience for micromanaging launches which I could set up to happen autonomously and efficiently with MechJeb. I also like to do automatic maneuvers and landings so that I can get good screenshots. And of course, it wouldn't be the same for me if I had to manually calculate delta-v.

[ZentroCatson]

I have never used Mechjeb and probably wont use it. I play KSP for the piloting experience, so it would just feel wrong using an autopilot. I do use KER, though I would like to use it a little less. I love fyling manually with little assistance, eyeballing and guesstimating my way trough. I remember the time I made a Minmus ascent and rendezvous with a Kerbal on EVA, that was before we had the Navball on EVA! I felt like an actual EVA worker, even though KER gave me some information, I still had to eyeball the rendezvous.

I don't think MJ is cheating, I'm just more of a pilot than an engineer. That means I have to account for my own engineering errors sometimes, which is annoying but also fun. And it's a great sense of accomplishment if I land a lander with too little Dv or dock a station module with bad RCS placement!

Edited October 18, 2016 by ZentroCatson

[DoToH]

KER. Installed Mechjeb once back in 0.19 (IIRC), but didn't like it. I don't need/want the level of automation that MJ gives and I'm not going to switch from KER to MJ just for the info.

Edited October 18, 2016 by DoToH

[septemberWaves]

I've found that people who like to test their piloting skills are rarely fans of MechJeb, whereas it's the perfect mod for people like myself whose favourite part of the game is designing vehicles and planning missions.

[flatbear]

I'll bite and admit it, I'm a dirty mechjeb pleb

[cephalo]

I use KER only these days. I only needed MJ to fly planes straight, but stock seems to be able to do that now!

[moogoob]

1 hour ago, SiskoBell said:

...Of course, I still prefer to manually dock (it's just fun to me), but I will allow Mechjeb to make the initial rendezvous.

Yes! I also do landings manually, once the first deorbit burn is done. Those are always fun, atmospheric or not. Even with low TWR.

[problemecium]

What's this "anymore" business? I never used MechJeb!
At first I didn't know about it, then I didn't think I needed it, and then when I found out that apparently 96% of players depend on it, it became a matter of pride xD

[Diche Bach]

34 minutes ago, cephalo said:

I use KER only these days. I only needed MJ to fly planes straight, but stock seems to be able to do that now!

Same for me. I used a very early version of Mechjeb and it is awesome. If I ever get so far with my career that I've got too much going on, I'll probably endure relearning how to use Mechjeb to automate a lot of stuff. But otherwise I enjoy being able to do stuff 'manually.'

I actually enjoy using the "Flight Computer" in Remote Tech though. I use that constantly on unmanned probes.

[Technical Ben]

I like to automate launches, manoeuvres, rendezvous and landing. The rest I enjoy flying and building and doing. I'm playing career at the moment, so mechjeb use is gated in part to the tech tree.

 

That and knowing the DV is the entire point of rocket design for me.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Technical Ben

[theend3r]

I don't let it control my craft as that usually doesn't work very well (lots of specialized designs, SSTOs, overheating...etc.) but I let it plan everything. Inclination changes, rendezvous, circularizations (easy but using MJ is faster than to fiddle with the node myself) and most importantly interplanetary transfers.

[RX2000]

4 hours ago, Pecan said:

Dirty NASA cheats, putting an autopilot on all their ships, they should be ashamed.

Ummm NASA is real life dude. KSP is a game. That you play for fun. Not sure what that analogy has to do with anything?

With that being said, if its fun for someone else to use MJ to play the game for them & thats what is fun to that person, then more power to them. I'm not knocking anyone for using any mod they wanna use. Go right ahead. Everyone is free to play the game however gives them the most enjoyment. It just doesnt give me enjoyment to have MJ fly everything for me & execute all my nodes. If it does for you, then keep rocking that MJ.

[Leafbaron]

4 minutes ago, RX2000 said:

Ummm NASA is real life dude. KSP is a game. That you play for fun. Not sure what that analogy has to do with anything?

With that being said, if its fun for someone else to use MJ to play the game for them & thats what is fun to that person, then more power to them. I'm not knocking anyone for using any mod they wanna use. Go right ahead. Everyone is free to play the game however gives them the most enjoyment. It just doesnt give me enjoyment to have MJ fly everything for me & execute all my nodes. If it does for you, then keep rocking that MJ.

I believe what @Pecan meant was that NASA is real life and they have flight computers that do most of if not all of the maneuver planning and execution along with informational readouts. While KSP is still a game, it simulates real life space flight and thus should also incorporate all aspects of real space flight...powerful flight computers. 

[RX2000]

Just now, Leafbaron said:

I believe what @Pecan meant was that NASA is real life and they have flight computers that do most of if not all of the maneuver planning and execution along with informational readouts. While KSP is still a game, it simulates real life space flight and thus should also incorporate all aspects of real space flight...powerful flight computers. 

Yea I've talking about this before on other threads. KSP without MJ is a game; KSP with MJ is more like a simulation. Depends on your preference. I prefer it to be more like a game.

If you are going hardcore & got RO & RSS & all that jazz installed, then you might as well go all out & get MJ to fly everything for you too, just like in real life.

[Papa_Joe]

Do i use MJ?  Yes.  End of discussion.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Papa_Joe