Do you use mechjeb anymore?

[TimePeriod]

15 minutes ago, regex said:

One of them, yes. But I fail to see how that definition is in any way relevant to the discussion because if I do the same thing over and over again in KSP I would expect the same results. Different results would indicate a bug in the software.

We always have the same discussions about stock vs MJ and they always end up with the same result: Thread lock.

[Scientia1423]

Can mechjeb work with planes during landing?

[Leafbaron]

4 minutes ago, Scientia1423 said:

Can mechjeb work with planes during landing?

its supposed too i think, ive never gotten the spaceplane portion to work but im guessing its a user issue  

[linuxgurugamer]

Wondering why VOID wasn't in the survey?  So, who uses VOID?

[Scientia1423]

1 minute ago, Leafbaron said:

its supposed too i think, ive never gotten the spaceplane portion to work but im guessing its a user issue  

Ok maybe I might use for landing cinematic.

[foamyesque]

51 minutes ago, Red Iron Crown said:

 

Anyway, this is rather moot as I really, really don't see anything MJ-like being added to stock, ever. 

MJ no, but KER's engineer readouts at minimum should be in stock, as should (ideally) its apopapsis, periapsis, and time-to in flight numbers (since those already exist in map mode; it's pure convenience to have them available in a HUD).

[Crabman]

I stopped because it decreased my fps a lot, so I just learned to play with Precise Node, KER e Kerbal Alarm Clock. It's more fun

[Freds]

I use MechJeb for docking, ascending, landing, interplanetary voyages. But i always adjust the node manually to fine tune my trajectory,.

In my actual save, i'm sending Jeb and other kerbals to the Jool system, for a mission to collect science on all planets except laythe (i will go to laythe after Ferram4 update FAR). To perform the mission, Mechjeb ploted the course to Jool, and i adjusted the node to catch Tylo. So, Mechjeb do the boring part, i do the fun part! 

Ps: English is not my primary language, so, feel free to point my english errors!

[regex]

32 minutes ago, TimePeriod said:

We always have the same discussions about stock vs MJ and they always end up with the same result: Thread lock.

Nonsense. Many a thread have simply faded away when interest in espousing one's play style over another's has waned.

Edited October 19, 2016 by regex

[goldenpeach]

Yes, but since I started a new career in 1.1, not long before 1.2 went into experimentals, I only use it to have informations(such as the delta-V, TWR, phase angle/inclination...) and to tweak my maneuver node more precisely.
 

even if I have to admit that I will probably use it sometime to execute some maneuvers or launches when I will feel lazy or too tired  

[BigFatStupidHead]

I used MechJeb when I first started flying, because I knew nothing on how to fly rockets. It helped me learn a lot in those early days, but I don't need it any more. Recently, I had been using Gravity Turn to teach me more about that very specific manoeuvre. Both are wonderful teaching tools, and I would readily recommend both to someone learning to fly.

[Kerbal01]

I dont use Ascent auto anymore, just the info screens and Smart A.S.E

[GoSlash27]

1 hour ago, foamyesque said:

Those mass numbers are high, though. You including other parts?

foamyesque,

 No, Sir. Just payload, engines, fuel, and tanks. 

Best,
-Slashy

 

 

[foamyesque]

12 minutes ago, GoSlash27 said:

foamyesque,

 No, Sir. Just payload, engines, fuel, and tanks. 

Best,
-Slashy

 

 

 

Then your numbers are out. Total mass for 7x terriers + 7x -8 tanks + 25t payload is 60t on the nose.

 

Also, checking your numbers, two Poodles has a lot of wasted thrust at 250kN. I did some fiddling and got the mass of the total package -- inert 25t payload + fuel, engines, tanks, decoupler, and fully functional control stack -- down to 59.5t and a simple 2.5m form factor.

 

 

Sparks fill in the thrust the Poodle is missing. Tried Terriers, but they had additional overhead and the larger size meant they bulged out, so they weren't as effective (and they also didn't subdivide small enough to hit the TWR target without wastage).

Edited October 19, 2016 by foamyesque

[Sandworm]

MechJeb use is progressive.  As people play KSP they go through stages of using it and not

New players use MechJeb as a crutch.  They value it for doing things that they cannot.  It makes launches consistent.  It makes things like rendezvous and docking trivial.  Interplanetary transfers and landings become pushbutton affairs.

With experience, players start to realize Mechjeb's limitations.  It doesn't handle low-TWR launches well.  Those playing on larger-sized systems (RSS, 64K etc) find themselves building rockets to satisfy mechjeb's launch scheme.  And once they learn how to rendezvous and dock by eye (ie without nodes) Mechjeb's tools are inconvenient, slow, and burn through resources.  So it is ditched.

Then after a few thousand hours, players return.  MechJeb is needed to correct for KSP's inaccurate and vague controls.  When you need to launch into a specific plane, such as to meet a station in RSS, there are no other useful tools for holding a specific inclination during launch.  Watch the RSS folks on youtube.  They are using MechJeb to hold the inclination and incrementally control pitch/gravity turns.  When precision is needed, Mechjeb is a reliable co-pilot.

Personally, I've backed off from the third category.  Mechjeb+RSS quickly becomes Kerbal Accountancy Simulator, more numbers management than flying.  I prefer to play in the 64k range (stock fuels) where hand-flying is still the most time-efficient approach.

[moogoob]

1 hour ago, foamyesque said:

MJ no, but KER's engineer readouts at minimum should be in stock, as should (ideally) its apopapsis, periapsis, and time-to in flight numbers (since those already exist in map mode; it's pure convenience to have them available in a HUD).

If we had these in flight view I'd certainly be a bit less hasty to install MJ. If stock had TWR and delta-v readouts I'd be able to go without it (or KER) entirely if I felt like flying manually.

[monstah]

I had always used KER for its DV readouts, and MJ I tried once but found too much. I've been doing simple DV calculations on my iPhone since 1.2 came out and broke KER, and apart from some practicality I don't even miss KER that much anymore... The info readout windows are still a blessing, and I just use KER for those.

5 hours ago, regex said:

This thread here is the perfect example of a KSP "size comparison". 

Oh, TEH FUNNY!

[regex]

6 minutes ago, monstah said:

Oh, TEH FUNNY!

These threads are a dime a dozen and they're always hilarious.

[Majorjim!]

You guys are hilarious.

 Stop making a point about not making a point.. 

Edited October 19, 2016 by Majorjim!

[Leafbaron]

This is Oblio, Oblio doesn't have a point. Don't be like Oblio. 

 

[GoSlash27]

2 hours ago, foamyesque said:

 

Then your numbers are out. Total mass for 7x terriers + 7x -8 tanks + 25t payload is 60t on the nose.

 

foamyesque,

 After running a sanity check on my numbers, you're correct; there's something off in my spreadsheet. I'll have to dig into it to figure out what's wrong. After running a sanity check on your numbers, you're also off in the other direction

 7 tanks falls short of the DV budget. 9.81*340*ln(60t/32t)= 2096.7 m/sec.

As for the other stuff, excess thrust is not "wasted" if it results in a lighter and cheaper stage. Mass matters and cost matters. Unused thrust doesn't.

And sure... you can spend hours noodling around with KER in the VAB to try to mix and match and come up with a solution... but having a spreadsheet to do it for me means that I don't have to. I can have a highly efficient design with 100% confidence in it's performance in less time than it takes to type this sentence. I don't need mods, the VAB, or even an internet connection to do it.

Best,
-Slashy

 

 

Edited October 19, 2016 by GoSlash27

[foamyesque]

5 minutes ago, GoSlash27 said:

 

foamyesque,

 After running a sanity check on my numbers, you're correct; there's something off in my spreadsheet. I'll have to dig into it to figure out what's wrong. After running a sanity check on your numbers, you're also off in the other direction

 7 tanks falls short of the DV budget. 9.81*340*ln(60t/32t)= 2096.7 m/sec.

 

 

Terrier vacuum Isp is 345s, not 340s.

5 minutes ago, GoSlash27 said:

d hours noodling around with KER in the VAB to try to mix and match and come up with a solution... but having a spreadsheet to do it for me means that I don't have to. I can have a highly efficient design with 100% confidence in it's performance in less time than it takes to type this sentence. I don't need mods, the VAB, or even an internet connection to do it

 

The point is, KER lets me do it in a lot less than an hour and it lets me iterate design concepts with much more flexibility and precision than a spreadsheet (short of a spreadsheet that is effectively KSP 2) can. It gives me exact numbers on "what if I move to a three stage layout", "how much does adding a command stack cost me", "what if I change fuel amounts", "what if I rig a fuel line", etc. It's just way more flexible. Native support for mod parts, too.

Edited October 19, 2016 by foamyesque

[GoSlash27]

1 minute ago, foamyesque said:

 

Terrier vacuum Isp is 345s, not 340s.

*facepalm*

 Yeah, you're right.... Nevermind

 Best,
-Slashy

 

 

[JAFO]

On 10/18/2016 at 9:59 PM, String Witch said:

I keep thinking of installing it just for Smart ASS to make ascents smoother, but a lot of that smoothness on manual launches comes from building a good rocket to begin with.

If that's all you're after it for, you might find Gravity Turn more to your liking.

[JAFO]

18 hours ago, GoSlash27 said:

foamyesque,

 The entire point of having a spreadsheet is that you don't have to handmath. As for whether you "can" or not, go ahead and try it. Without firing up KSP, what's the lightest upper stage for a 25t payload with 2,100 m/sec DV and minimum t/w of 0.7?

 My spreadsheet tells me that directly with a few clicks and I can use it anywhere at any time.
  MJ and KER won't tell you that. Even if you have them running and you're in the VAB, you can't be sure you've hit upon the "best" combo through trial and error no matter how long you try.

 This is the power of the dark side. Plus, we have cookies

Best,
-Slashy

What we don't have, are your spreadsheets.. are they available anywhere to download?