What does Ferram Aerospace Research / FAR do these days?

[fommil]

Back in pre-1.0 it used to be essential to use Ferram because the stock aerodynamics were so rubbish.

Now I'm playing 1.1 (about to upgrade to 1.2 but Ferram is the only mod not available) and I'm reading about how the stock model has improved, e.g. http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Nose_cone

I'd like to go more stock (looks like we can ditch RemoteTech and ScanSat) and I'm wondering what exactly Ferram adds to the game now. It's surprisingly difficult to get an overview of what it does, the README is too much detail. e.g. it used to do gradual change in air density, instead of boundary shifts, and calculate drag based on cross sections, plus velocity dependent throttle efficiency. I'm not sure what it stock now.

And how does it now affect gameplay? I've been using it out of habit, so if I remove it can I expect my launchers to go higher/lower, be more/less stable, reentry to be cooler/hotter/scarier? Will planes just completely change?

Edited November 2, 2016 by fommil

[Sandworm]

Might want to change the title from Ferram to "Ferram Aerospace Research / FAR".  I saw "Ferram" and thought you meant the person.  He actually runs a couple mods, KJR being the most popular.

 

Without lengthy explanations, FAR actually calculates aerodynamic forces based on shape.  Stock doesn't.  Stock uses precalculated values for various parts, with a nod to occlusion.  Try playing around with small parts atop/in front of large ones.  There are many situations where stock really breaks from realistic physics, resulting in very strange craft that shouldn't fly.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Sandworm

[eddiew]

Yup, FAR is both a more realistic aero model, and actually accounts for the shape of your vehicle. If you radially attach things and then offset them into your main fuselage, FAR will consider that a sleeker shape. Stock doesn't care where you offset it to, it's still considered lumpy and exposed to the airstream if you attached it on the outside.

Stock is still very much an approximation of aerodynamics, designed to be easy to understand and quick to compute - but it is much better than back in the 0.90 days. You do now have to obey at least some basic design principles such that rockets that look like rockets tend to fly better than ones that don't