Why don't you use [certain] mods?

[septemberWaves]

I don't use most of the USI mods, but that's not because I don't like them. I think it's a very well-made set of mods, but I wouldn't be happy using it without having all of the USI mods to fit together (with the exception of USI core because of the Kontainers, which are fine standalone), and so there's just too many parts for my computer to handle when I also have all the other parts mods that I want installed plus several planet packs.

I never use multiple rover mods because I'd probably end up sticking with just one type anyway, so I confine myself to one that adds rover parts because I don't want to end up with too many redundant parts. Usually that mod ends up being Buffalo because I like how Angel125's mods work together.

I don't use graphics mods because they absolutely kill my computer.

I'm not in the habit of using life support mods mainly because they're a pain to use, but I do like Kerbalism on occasion.

[KerikBalm]

4 hours ago, cantab said:

I don't use visual mods. I want to. I see other people playing with them and it looks fabulous. But I feel KSP already runs badly, any mods will make it run worse, and I have to prioritise performance and gameplay over pretties. The modded installs I have run have often seen a 20% or so fps drop compared to stock, with no single mod responsible for that but rather the aggregate impact of a bunch of them.

I didn't dare use scatterer until I got a new computer. Most visual mods should stress the GPU, whereas high part count vessels should be stressing the CPU. My new computer's CPU isn't so much faster, but the GPU is waaaaayyyyyy better, I've also got 4x the RAM.

Mods I use right now:

KER : I often go without this after version updates, Snark mentions the UI, but I just configure the HUD, and rarely go into the more advanced UI. To me the HUD isn't very intrusive.

Kopernicus and Module manager: Because the stock system is not "big" enough

- Outer Planets mod

- My own planet mod - a planet similar to duna with oceans and O2, and 3 low gravity rocky bodies lacking atmosphere (1 at kerbin L4, 2 as Vesta and Pallas analogues co-orbital with dres)

Spoiler

Scatterer

Eve

My own part mods (just text editing of .cfg files): ducted electric fan, and turborockets/air augmented rockets.

Very recently: Kerbal Planetary Base Systems.

In Career, I'm recalling all kerbals and preparing to add a life support mod. If I go through all this trouble with EC supply for probes, and the commnet... manned missions really shouldn't be easier. Heck... a lander can with a kerbal is less mass than a RA-100 antenna

[Waxing_Kibbous]

I generally try to avoid part-heavy mods (yet I admit I have recently started a USI game to try it out, it seems cool) because I like the puzzle solving nature of the game, so having limits in this regard is fun to me. I avoid heavy visual mods but use planetshine and scifi visual enhancements and I am happy with the results. Lately I've avoided the big info mods eg KER but use better burn time and basic orbit as they fix issues/make gameplay less annoying. So, in general I avoid heavy mods and try to be selective to keep my game light.

[TheKosanianMethod]

I don't use visual mods, I play on a laptop. I also will not play RSS/RO, I like my Kerbals the way they are, thank you. Also, any mod that adds a billion and one parts, again, RAM. However, I do think that the fact that we have these mods is amazing.

[W. Kerman]

I don't use mods period. The two times I have, I had a bad time. 

Interstellar Engine Textures, I'm looking at you. Not loading in.... Grumble Grumble Grumble.

 

[foamyesque]

I go back and forth; sometimes I'll be really deep into RSS/RO/FAR/life support/partspack/MJ shenaniganry, and other times I'll be running either pure stock or very close. My one constant is KER because while I can do the calculations, doing computing is literally what computers are built to do. So I let it do it.

My general "fun thing" for KSP is in "how can I achieve X with the stuff I have available", and so I try to avoid mods that remove constraints, and only use them if and when I'm trying to achieve something that's far too frustrating to do otherwise. F'rexample, before stock fairings, when I was running FAR I used proc. fairings. Or, before stock joints got stiffened up, KJR and proc. wings.

[Kyrt Malthorn]

Really depends what I'm doing.  I've always been in for "informational" mods, like KER, Transfer Window Planner, KAC - NASA had lots more information than I had, why shouldn't I have some calculators?  I like flying the rockets myself though.

 

Other than that, I have a "focus" for every install / game I start.

If I'm going for a stock-ish feel (most of what I do), I only use a mod if it's "Infrormational".  No parts mods.  Nothing that takes something away from the stock experience.

 

I have one game in progress with a focus of "Manned exploration, with life support."  Been using USI-LS with most of the consequences set to K.I.A.

I have another I've recently set up with a focus on "advancing research".  TONS of parts mods.  KSPI-E is the crown jewel.  I made up a system for deciding how much in-game time has to pass to "build a rocket" or "design a new part / technology".

[Guest]

I avoid overhauls or mods so expansive they could be called full-blown expansion packs, like UKS, Kerbalism, RO/RSS... maybe KSPI-E, but I might be using that if I didn't find NFT first.

I take a long time to do anything in the game so adding more complexity isn't on my list of desires, but my interest is in near future space stuff and so beyond the scope of the stock game with its single NTR engine and single resource chain (ore>fuel). I did try UKS a little, but a combination of USI-LS, Kontainers, and KIS+KAS+OSE works for me I think.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Guest

[NSEP]

Anything that makes the game looks good, like scatterer and EVE, it just drops my framerate down by alot, its sad, but graphics is not the answer to a good game.

In my opinion those mods are useless, all they do is make your game run even worse. It does not improve the gameplay. It works like love, dont judge based on looks only, also the contents.

[Sharpy]

So far the only mod I truly shunned is MechJeb. I may start it some day, but so far doing stuff by hand was better.

I also quickly get rid of mods that way overstep their bonds. I wanted USI's base parts, and it broke stock ISRU by making it produce only one kind of fuel, changeable only in VAB. I tried Throttle Controlled Avionics, and it would set thrust limiter on random engines in VAB to some stupid values for no good reason. Radio altimeter seemed like a little fun mod except it would never cease displaying its prefs window (two items total) on every single launch. I also avoid half-assed, half-completed mods.

Other than that, I want to try them all eventually. Currently, I'm on a part mods spree. I have an insane number of parts mods, some of them add new mechanics, but I focus on having my VAB/SPH menu overflowing. Next playthrough will definitely have less of these. Likely there will be a planet pack and a life support, maybe even a full-scale communication limitation mod. For now, I want to learn which parts I like best and want to keep.

[sdj64]

I have installed many mods briefly but the only ones that tend to stick are informational and visual mods.  KER, Editor Extensions, and Precise Node are my constants, while I use Stock Visual Enhancements on my desktop and not on my laptop for performance reasons.

Parts and game mechanics mods can get in the way of craft sharing and challenges, my two favorite things about the KSP community.

[Garrett Kerman]

I tend to avoid mods that add too many moving parts (like Extraplanetary Launchpads, you need to convert metal ore to metal in giant smelters, then turn it into rocket parts, then have a bajillion storage containers and other parts. Too much stuff for me). I also avoid physics-altering mods and laggy enhancement mod. I'm pretty much open to anything else.

[Ser]

On 05.02.2017 at 7:27 AM, Sharpy said:

I also avoid half-assed, half-completed mods.

Yea, I forgot to mention WIP mods. Except for the cases they promise some essential features.

[The Destroyer]

I don't use cheats because there's no fun in that.

I try to stay away from overpowered mods and stick to realism. KSPI is pushing the boundry, it just makes things so much easier...

I haven't used Mechjeb since 0.17 (it broke with the update, didn't transfer my ship to Duna correctly). Flying the ship is 1/3rd the game for me- I learned from mechjeb and now I'm a fine pilot. (though I have considered re-using it for laggy launches or just repetitive-ness)

[paulprogart]

I never mod a game until I've finished it, for two reasons:  1) because I want to learn how to do things from first principles, and 2) because I always prefer to try to enjoy the developers' original intended experience.

I also won't add mods that involve micromanagement, just because I personally hate doing that kind of thing (and suck at it).

Lastly, I will never mod a game (or gadget or anything else) to workaround major limitations or missing features or technical issues.  I'll just avoid it altogether if that's the case... e.g. I flat out refused to buy Cities: Skylines after finding out they capped the stock game at 1M population and it requires a mod to raise it.

Getting back to those first points, in the case of KSP that "purist" philosophy has brought me nearly 700 hours of more enjoyment and learning than I ever could possibly have imagined.  Were there frustrating or tedious periods where mods would have helped?  Absolutely!  But I think I am a much better and more knowledgeable KSP player now for having stuck with a stock game.

Having said that, of course I totally understand that my reasons for playing may be vastly different from others!  And I also get that while in 1.2.x it's very possible to get so much out of a stock install, that might not have been as feasible in earlier versions.

So now that I'm "finished" my career game (by which I mean I've done a crewed return Duna landing mission, which was my main goal) I will certainly consider adding mods in the future.  Actually I was originally planning to treat mods as an additional level of the tech tree once I'd unlocked it all, but the way things progressed it never actually got to the point where I felt I needed to.  (Hey there's a mod idea:  a mod that can deactivate other mods and add them to be unlocked via the tech tree.  I know it'd have a lot of complexities but it'd be cool if someone could pull it off.)

 

[Sharpy]

On 3.02.2017 at 10:50 PM, eloquentJane said:

I don't use most of the USI mods, but that's not because I don't like them. I think it's a very well-made set of mods, but I wouldn't be happy using it without having all of the USI mods to fit together (with the exception of USI core because of the Kontainers, which are fine standalone), and so there's just too many parts for my computer to handle when I also have all the other parts mods that I want installed plus several planet packs.

Goddammit, this. USI provides some cool parts, but simultaneously secretly tries to totally subvert the game mechanics. Like, you install Kontainers because you want the big KIS boxes, and suddenly your surface scanner needs to switch through a dozen different resources you're never going to use before you reach ore. Or you pick the FTT cargo and want to switch it to ore tank. Nope. MetallicOre;Water;Substrate;Minerals;Karbonite;LFO;MonoPropellant;Uraninite;MaterialKits;LiquidFuel. No stock ore. And MetallicOre which is totally different than MetalOre from popular Extraplanetary Launchpads. Pay attention or you'll end with a completely wrong container for the task. My KSC2 launchpad has one already.

Plus often no IVA or just stock placeholders. No IVA is a bummer. Especially in case of rovers good IVA+Rasterprop is often easier to drive than "3rd person".

 

You'll be interested in

The one limiting factor for rovers any bigger than Buffalo is lack of sensible wheels. Buffalo wheels are tiny. Stock ruggedized are OK for something not much larger than Buffalo. Stock large - are monstrosities that fit mobile mining platforms, and not big rovers. The Jumbo wheels from the above mod? MK3 is about the right size, and they are fast and durable!

Edited February 6, 2017 by Sharpy

[Jett_Quasar]

Everyone seems to use MecJeb, but I never do and likely never will.  I figure, if I can build a ship and fly it without MecJeb, then anybody that uses it will be able to fly my craft easy as cake.  I also never use FAR for the exact opposite reason...  ;-)

- Jett

[septemberWaves]

5 hours ago, Sharpy said:

The one limiting factor for rovers any bigger than Buffalo is lack of sensible wheels. Buffalo wheels are tiny. Stock ruggedized are OK for something not much larger than Buffalo.

Thanks for the mod suggestion, but honestly I don't tend to go much larger than Buffalo rovers anyway. Buffalo rovers are fine for most of what I need, and if the Buffalo wheels aren't quite right then I find that stock tends to have the right solution for me. And also, I don't think I can add many more parts mods to my current install without melting my computer.

[TheKorbinjer]

I don't use mods that allow cheating ~looking mostly at HyperEdit

And mods that require mods to work properly. Why not just integrate them all into one?

Anything else is good.

 

[Servo]

I told myself that I was going to go easy on my laptop, then this happened:

 I have a rule with myself that any mods that make the game look better (within the realm of my laptop), or help me do stuff that I would already be doing (that is, building stock airplanes) are fair game. Even with these 14 mods installed, there are no new parts, and no way to cheat without the Alt-f12 menu, so I consider this to be a better version of the stock game, with some extra utility built in.

[Amechwarrior]

I don't have anything against part mods or really any types of mod, most of my mods are gfx or QoL mods.  However, my own playthroughs are with no new parts or autopilots.  I'd love to learn kOS and might "graduate" to RSS/RO once I feel done with stock.  I have things like KER and RPM, but use them partless or just don't research the optional parts.  I like being able to just resume playing after an update and the shared experiences with the greater community.  If I just got in to the game, I'd probably start with FAR for the better atmosphere.

[natsirt721]

I had a save in 0.24-25 with a dozen or so mods, including KAC, KER, KIS, RPM, Karbonite+ and a few others.  The game was incredibly buggy, and after having my Minmus surface base implode on load-in a few times I finally scrapped the idea of mods, or at least running a bunch together.  In my current game the only mod I have is KAC, because it is the most useful thing ever.  I have considered reinstalling KIS/KAS for some base building, and maybe OPM once I flush out the base system.

I also have a custom LV-N motor with slightly better thrust (75kN) and Isp (900s) which also functions as an electric generator.  The tradeoff is a mass of 7t.  Stats are loosely based on NASA's bimodal NTR for a Mars mission.

EDIT: Didn't really answer the question: I don't use mods because I'm lazy and waiting for them all to update after each rev change is too much of a pain for me to bother with. 

Edited February 7, 2017 by natsirt721

[Guest]

I don't use mods that radically overhaul the game, such as RO, RSS, or planet packs. I also avoid sci-fi mods (unless someone does up a nice TARDIS again, then I'll be all over it) and military mods. 

[Scarecrow]

I only use a few mods, and most of those are for additional information such as engineering and alarm clock.  I use the docking indicator because I find the navball indications too tedious and imprecise.  The only part mod I use is for a 2-man lander can that I find to be more aesthetically pleasing than the stock can, and that's about it.

I like to keep things relatively simple.

[Tex]

I'm mostly a stock purist, because I feel that I should always play games as they come out of the box, because that's the tools you have to work with. I think it's fantastic that KSP encourages modding, I personally don't because making stock things is a challenge and gives a greater sense of accomplishment. I have no objections to mods that don't do anything that changes the gameplay that much, such as KER, and I do use Tweakscale quite frequently, because it's fair with its resource and weight scaling and doesn't actually introduce new parts, just resizes existing ones.