To Mech-Jeb or not to Mech-Jeb, that is the question...

[bsalis]

I guess it depends on the plans of the developers and how they perceive the role of the player - do they see the player as a mission planner, or do they see the player as a pilot? Or perhaps both?

Or maybe you can decide what role you want by taking different paths on the tech tree. It's a planned feature.

* Not interested in spending a lot of time building rockets that work and rather be in mission control or piloting? - choose more robust parts.

* Your piloting skills no good? - upgrade and develop piloting aids

* No clue how to plan a mission or work out Delta-V - develop a mission control computer to work that out for you

[baconmonster123]

I use Mechjeb for testing big ships just to see if they can even get into an orbit. Once i see that it can and has enough fuel then i end the flight and start the flight again without mechjeb.

I think that mechjeb can help a flight and hinder it at the same time. It does take away some of the feeling of accomplishment though.

Sorry about errors with the grammar and spelling.

[ForumHelper]

I agree with bsails. Mech-Jeb could be the very last in a tech-tree based development of autopilots - starting with S.A.S and A.S.A.S we'd be able to develop better technologies and finally get mech-jeb(and all of it's functions AFTER they are researched).

[LukeTim]

I am not a great pilot... and I prefer the macro-management/planning of a whole mission to the micro-management of each little manouever.

I am very glad to have Mech Jeb, as a result.

[plumsink]

I liked MechJeb for its surface information, what your horizontal velocity over the surface is, what your real altitude above the surface is. I wouldn't mind if that became standard info in the game itself. Aside from that though, I never used it and don't have it installed now. For me there is a certain feeling of accomplishment in, for instance, doing your trans-Minmus injection and arriving in a nice orbit around it using only brains and eyeballs.

[Corw]

I liked the part of Mecjeb that gave me more information.

I hated the part of MechJeb that gave me automation.

So I added more data and ripped out automation.

Edited August 22, 2012 by Corw
Spelling

[baked_by_oven]

I use SmartASS and all the information panels. I tried out the autopilots to see what they where like but find them boring and often they crash worse than

[Richy teh space man]

Its worth playing around with at the very least, the parts are useful for controlling debris/satellites/rovers etc

As to automating take offs and landings, thats ok too I guess, takes some of the fun out of playing though

[TheRequimen]

I don't always use guidance software, but when I do, it's MechJeb.

[Odyssey]

As an aerospace engineer (Master of Science, NC State University, Go Wolfpack!) I enjoy KSP mostly for the ability to design flight systems (shuttles, planes, rockets) and so for me, MechJeb is a useful tool because I'm not a pilot, I'm an engineer. Neither my reflexes nor my computer hardware are ideal for flight simulations per se, but MechJeb allows me to have success with my landings and other flight operations.

I think if you ask the experts who do this for a living, they'll tell you that, while it can be rewarding to calculate a trajectory by hand, it's also highly unnecessary for an astronaut to do these days. The next generation of NASA vessels will fly almost entirely by computer, both for safety and to conserve fuel whenever possible. The landings on Mars, both unmanned and the eventual manned flights in the future, were and will be handled by computer control.

I think the MechJeb system is brilliant and I'll continue to use it whenever needed. Having said that, if KSP version 0.75 or whatever, decides to throw in an autopilot feature, I'd like to see it include a failure mode every once in a while that may force me to fly manually in a landing phase as I think that's the most likely scenario for needing to do so. There's nothing wrong with a little adventure flying. As others have pointed out, it does make the experience more exciting and rewarding. But I love KSP for the engineering and the simulated (so far) science and exploration. (I'm looking forward to building Mun bases and digging up soil samples and learning about the monoliths)

Still, all around, it's an individual choice, but for my enjoyment of realism, I fly MechJeb.

[MaverickSawyer]

I feel that mechjeb can serve as an incredibly powerful fly-by-wire system for VTOL ships, as it can keep ships stable even when they are unstable when flown manually.

[Nadrek]

KSP is, in essence, several games rolled into one - and just like a lot of other sandbox games (X3, for example), the player has choices. Not all players are the same.

Some players are playing an atmospheric flight sim - perhaps they want to bomb something with their K-52 Kerbalfortress.

Some players are making movies.

Some players are creating mods.

Some players are accomplishing specific goals or challenges.

Some players are blowing things up.

Some players are learning about 1-body orbital mechanics by feel.

Some players are learning about 1-body orbital mechanics by calculations.

Some players are engineering new rockets or planes.

Some players are building new rockets or planes.

Some players are flying a space flight sim.

Some players are doing something you and I have never once considered.

Some of these are not helped by Mechjeb (flying by the seat of your pants)

Some are.

Personally, I started using MechJeb in my quest to build the most efficient rockets - having a consistent ascent, every time, means that within a (small) margin of error, I can play with different configurations and determine how efficient they are. I very much like the various information displays, and I like being able to know "This rocket can carry a payload of X tons, including Y tons of fuel, into a circular orbit/Molniya orbit/Munar landing/Grand Tour". For me _at this point_, the whole trip into whatever my target is, whether it's an orbit or a landing, is a waste of time - I'm looking forward to the accelerated full control mode, too. I build or tweak my rocket, then set up MechJeb, hit Space, and put KSP into the background until it's done and I can check my stats. Then I tweak and repeat - I'll go through a couple dozen configurations (six Aerospikes + 2 Turbofans, four Aerospikes, 2 45's, 2 turbofans, different staging, etc.) to compare. At such time as I actually want to fly, I'll not use MechJeb's autopilot - but really, I'm not that interested in flying.

Recently, I've been playing with MechJeb's Autom8 module - being able to actually do the actual calculations in-game is very cool, and after I build modules to do the math, I can feed in information from my current rocket and orbit. Also, I can have a one-button launch to Molniya orbit, or a one-button Grand Tour - and then perform my efficiency tweaking routine over and over, easily... and that's what I find fun, getting closer to what the math says I should be able to do.

If I had to hand-fly everything, I'd have quit long ago. I'll hand-fly combat sims with a Thrustmaster HOTAS setup, but not civilian sims.

[Elios]

NASA doesnt and has NEVER flown ascents by hand PERIOD

NASA hasnt made burns by hand since Mercury and Apollo XIII and only then because they didnt have the power to run the computer

NASA had to milk 2 amps out the LEM to get the CMD computer powered for re-entry on XIII

if NASA thinks its a good idea to have a guidance system im going to use one

the only part of the shuttles flight thats hand flown is final to touch down every thing is flown by the computer

that said i think there should be more interaction not just push button to burn for the Mun

you should have enter some Nav data for the burn ie how long, what way to keep pointed etc

[Cykyrios]

NASA doesnt and has NEVER flown ascents by hand PERIOD

KSP never was and never will be NASA period (sorry, but I had to ).

KSP is a game, NASA is about sending real rockets that can be manned by real people, so of course they will rely on an auto-pilot since it's better at controlling a rocket than a man will ever be.

As a game, we were originally supposed to fly our contraptions manually. An auto-pilot mod/plug-in was introduced? Fine, those who want to use it use it, those who don't want to, don't.

I personally think that MechJeb removes a bit of fun, but at times it also removes a bit of frustration, when you launch several rockets into a similar orbit, for instance.

So don't fight over it, do what you want to do, this is a game, and we are the ones who decide how we want to play it

[Corw]

NASA doesnt and has NEVER flown ascents by hand PERIOD

NASA hasnt made burns by hand since Mercury and Apollo XIII and only then because they didnt have the power to run the computer

NASA had to milk 2 amps out the LEM to get the CMD computer powered for re-entry on XIII

if NASA thinks its a good idea to have a guidance system im going to use one

the only part of the shuttles flight thats hand flown is final to touch down every thing is flown by the computer

that said i think there should be more interaction not just push button to burn for the Mun

you should have enter some Nav data for the burn ie how long, what way to keep pointed etc

In real life you cannot resurrect so when I play first person shooter if I die I uninstall game and never play it again.

This is a game. Everything is much simpler than in real life. Treat it as game. It is too easy on autopilot anyway.

[Elios]

see i think the issue is every one sees it as an autopilot hint its not

its a guidance computer which is not the same thing

its like calling the Flybarless computer on my RC helis an autopilot hint again its not

now sure you can do a simple burn with out out

lets see you do any thing more advanced i have yet to see any one doing free trajectorys around here other then one set of videos

and some of use would like to play it as a sim in which case a guidance computer is needed

btw mechjeb sucks for planes other then basic heading hold and alt hold

again i think the issue is the push button to win there needs to be a bit more involved in the user entering the right data in the first place

once there are objects with highly elliptical orbits youll be screaming for guidance computer

[JackAz]

Vostok, i think you are completely right. I was about to make thread regarding this. I've tried for the first time Mechjeb yesterday, yes, it's usefull and helps alot especially in landing, but i personally think that it kills the real KSP experience. I've noticed it after i've used it for a few missions. I landed my rocket exactly where i wanted , i didnt waste too much fuel and i also had another rocket in a perfect orbit, everything was just easier and i did not get any satisfaction, this beacuse an autopilot did everyhitng for me, it's not the same thing, I just find more satisfying doing things on my own.

Of course it's all subjective, there are people with this idea and people with other ideas, everyone is free to play the way the want. I just wanted to sahre my idea.

Edited September 10, 2012 by JackAz

[Colderjake1524]

Ever since I started using MechJeb I watched it closely, but now I can land my rockets exactly like mechjeb does without using it

[longbyte1]

Some people just want to get something to work. Maybe they're focusing on how efficient the rocket is, how much payload can it carry. Maybe people are focusing on the orbits and just getting on the Mun and not the rocket itself. The usage of MechJeb really depends on what you're using it for.

[Whatshtisthis]

I would use mechjeb to fly new rockets, only when the design is confirmed then I MIGHT fly it manually, then again, after my first attempt at orbiting Kerbin(which failed badly), I don't really trust myself.

Mostly I watch how mechjeb does stuff and treat it as a demostration as to how to perform something. I know how to get into orbit, I just don't want to sent another Kerbal into deep space accidentally.

[sanity]

some rockets cant be flown with mech-jeb, they build up too much oscillation and break apart

[PakledHostage]

lets see you do any thing more advanced i have yet to see any one doing free trajectorys around here other then one set of videos

Here's a free-return trajectory that I flew around the Mun back in January, long before MechJeb or the Patched Conics trajectory projection system even existed.

Per the challenge, I jettisoned everything but the pod and parachute immediately after completing my TMI burn. I had no way to adjust my trajectory after that but the boys still made it home on the first try.

I am not alone. Lots of players are flying complex missions without using MechJeb.

Edited September 11, 2012 by PakledHostage

[1of6Billion]

I vote "AYE" for Mechjeb.

If you see how many course corrections are made during ascent... you can't achieve that on your own.

[Grand Lander]

My opion is that mechjeb is only good for landing at spersific locations! but it is also good as a tool. I GOT MECHJEB ADDICTION

[karolus10]

I'm all in for advanced guidance and all basic autopilot stuff (like time programmable burns, fly-by-wire stabilization etc) if they helping in operating the spacecraft by hand, but when comes automatic system able to perform whole mission nearly without touching controls... I think it could be good if it will based about making scripts for on-board computer by Players, so it will provide similar experience to building spacecrafts (you write sequence wrong and rocket could blew out), player will learn (or look at cheat list and tutorials on forum ;p) how to automate some actions of your spacecraft, so when your ship (or one of the stages) do the mission by running your "program" will be okay and much more rewarding (and flexible) than turning on MechJeb and hit space .