Your first hours in KSP

[Jawhnny]

This is a neat thread to read as I am just getting going with the game, only about ten hours in. I dont know alot on the topic but have always been interested in space travel and astrophysics. Honestly this game had me intimidated (I still am somewhat lol).

I started with the training missions and stopped after escaping the atmosphere. I Then started a career after that. By copying the design of the rockets used in the tutorials I was able to escape the atmosphere and get the same results. 

Currently, Im trying to obtain low orbit over Kerbin but I cant seem to do so leaving enough fuel to send me back down. I pulled it off once, but I was just under 70km out, going way too fast around Kerbin and things got pretty warm. I returned safely but it did not trip the goal/contract as complete :(.  I tried the training mission for orbiting but that rocket has much more technology in terms of SRB/decouplers than I have available to me in career at this point.

Im trying to use career mode to keep me focused and learn only what I need in a given period of time. If I load up a sandbox mode I have a hard time creating objectives and goals for myself and end up losing interest. 

All of your insights give me great inspiration. 

 

[purpleivan]

Hi @Jawhnny and welcome to the forum.

If you can, post a picture of the rocket that you're launching to try and make orbit. A picture will allow advice on what could be improved to be more specific, rather than generalised, do this/don't do that type of stuff.

A lot of people on the forum us Imgur as a host for posting pictures.

Edited November 6, 2018 by purpleivan

[Jawhnny]

12 minutes ago, purpleivan said:

Hi @Jawhnny and welcome to the forum.

If you can, post a picture of the rocket that you're launching to try and make orbit. A picture will allow advice on what could be improved to be more specific, rather than generalised, do this/don't do that type of stuff.

A lot of people on the forum us Imgur as a host for posting pictures.

Thanks, I was going to post pics but didnt want to hijack the thread asking for tips. Just wanted to share my general experience as a beginner. I will be posting alot more threads, pics, etc asking for help. You guys wont be missing me anytime soon 

[purpleivan]

19 minutes ago, Jawhnny said:

Thanks, I was going to post pics but didnt want to hijack the thread asking for tips. Just wanted to share my general experience as a beginner. I will be posting alot more threads, pics, etc asking for help. You guys wont be missing me anytime soon 

I completely missed that your post wasn't the first, I think I saw it at the top of the page along with it being a question and just assummed it was.

If you don't want to divert the thread a bit, then you could post a question here.

https://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/forum/16-gameplay-questions-and-tutorials/

[Chel]

This thread is the place to share your first hours in Kerbal Space Program, not a place to ask for help. If you want help, then check out the Gameplay Questions and Tutorials subforum

[lunardog15]

i got board and made a top/spinney flying thing 

more recently  I made a electric engine  part

Edited November 7, 2018 by lunardog15

[FinalFan]

14 hours ago, Jimmidii said:

My first hours in KSP were in one of the very early demos.

Someone in my gaming guild chat had mentioned it, but just finding the game was difficult. Google was almost useless. "KSP" didn't return anything about the game and I'd forgotten the word "Kerbal".

Eventually I think it was something like 'k "space program"' that got me there on the second or third page.

All physics concepts of space (beyond equal and opposite reaction, and go fast sideways,) were completely alien to me. Gravity turn? Never heard of it. Apoapsis/Periapsis? Never heard of it. Rocket Equation? Never heard of it. Delta-V? Never heard of it.

Back then parts were very VERY limited, orbit wasn't easy even if you knew what you were doing. (I didn't.) Landing on the wrong side of the planet was actually impossible due to the way the physics was handled at the time. Map View didn't exist.

For a few hours I built monstrosities that could barely lift themselves off the pad and then tore themselves apart. Eventually I managed to get one that went straight up, and kept going. And going. And going. I think I reached escape velocity, in that gravity was reducing faster than I was slowing down due to gravity. It was my first success. The fact that after watching every attempt fail, this one had actually stayed in the sky, was awesome to me.

After that I took this monstrosity, and of course made it bigger. I wanted to orbit the planet. I failed again and again as I didn't know how to build (or fly!) a rocket. Eventually, I got one up into space, and did a ninety degree turn there, and went for it. Horribly inefficient, but for me the fact I'd done it at all was unbelievable to me. I sat there for a long time, watching in real time to see if this thing would stay in the sky. After that I spent the rest of the fuel trying to circularise the orbit, but in a horrible, horrible way. (Altitude going down, boost up, altitude going up, boost towards the planet.)

With nothing else I could do, and not wanting to lose this success, I must have sat there for about an hour, entranced by the view of this thing in orbit that I'd put there, knowing it'd just keep going.

I left the game running there for hours while I did other stuff, just to see if it'd stay up there, which of course it did.

I'd already had an interest in space before. Star Trek TNG had been one of my favourite shows. I'd be glued to the TV when there was news about Hubble, Spirit and Opportunity invoked a sense of wonder, especially as Opportunity had already gone on for far longer than it was meant to, and the Space Station being completed at the time was awesome to me. But that time there, watching this thing in orbit that I'd put there... that still stands out in my memory as the exact moment I got the bug for HOW stuff in space worked.

I've learned far more about space missions because of KSP than I ever would have without it.

That's an amazing story.  Thank you for sharing it. I love that your first orbit was basically "boost straight up until you find geocentric stationary orbit"

Edited November 7, 2018 by FinalFan
KSO

[Acestin]

Well, I got KSP in version 0.24. Back then, the atmosphere was funny and anything that touched water going faster than 10m/s was destroyed. At first, I built a few rockets that flew for a few seconds. Then a few minutes. Then I went suborbital for about a week. Could never figure out orbiting. Never even looked it up. Finally one day it kind of just clicked in my mind. I built a 3 part rocket. The 3-man pod, thr big orange tank, and a big af rocket engine (I dont try to remember names). Flew straight up, full power. Once I reached 200k, I turned over and throttled up. Boom. Orbit.

Now how to get down...?

 

[Kroslev Kerman]

well my first few hours was just building planes that drop vehicles and the most stupid thing that i have done is go to the north on a low altitude plane(its best to go high and super fast or a rocket) but i went slow and low

[JoaquinJAR]

First Thing i Did 

Close the game and go to donwload mods in curse forge 

after that, i builded a big ship using OPT parts, launched it and i got lost in space lol

 

and the first time i started making more advanced spaceships in the game, i did the same but i build a nice spaceplane an crashed on the Mun

Edited November 13, 2018 by JoaquinJAR

[kerbiloid]

0.13.3

I didn't realize that SAS can be switched on constantly, I thought it just helps to rotate..
So first two days I was trying to keep the rocket balanced manually.
Next two days I was just trying to make as many flips as possible before the rocket explodes. Experimenting with engines and fins.

Then I prepared to wait for the next release with a hope that they will repair the rocket  balance.

A week later I decided to look tutorials.
After I discovered the "T" key my life changed.

P.S.
The Kerbol looked red in the early version, so I was sure that it's a red dwarf. This was discouraging me a little.

Edited November 12, 2018 by kerbiloid

[magnemoe]

Saw some talk about this game and downloaded the demo, got an rocket into orbit with some tries, first one was straight up as all do. 
After learning how to get into orbit I tried to send an probe to Minmus, I probably bought the game by then. 
Reached minmus and was about to crash into it. Panicked as I was sure I would crash but almost landed but entered orbit instead, did not thought about burining sideways but must have done for intercept and for going to mun afterward, entered orbit then tested how low I could make the orbit  

[Teirdalin]

That was quite a long time ago;  I recall aside from a tiny rocket that sorta just jumps around for completing basic missions I made an awkward rocket powered jet that sorta just,  murdered itself on impact most of the time;  also an awkward drone thing too that was mostly the most insane thing to control.

[Chel]

2 hours ago, Teirdalin said:

That was quite a long time ago;  I recall aside from a tiny rocket that sorta just jumps around for completing basic missions I made an awkward rocket powered jet that sorta just,  murdered itself on impact most of the time;  also an awkward drone thing too that was mostly the most insane thing to control.

Sounds fun!

[Klapaucius]

On 11/7/2018 at 11:26 AM, Jawhnny said:

This is a neat thread to read as I am just getting going with the game, only about ten hours in. I dont know alot on the topic but have always been interested in space travel and astrophysics. Honestly this game had me intimidated (I still am somewhat lol).

I started with the training missions and stopped after escaping the atmosphere. I Then started a career after that. By copying the design of the rockets used in the tutorials I was able to escape the atmosphere and get the same results. 

Currently, Im trying to obtain low orbit over Kerbin but I cant seem to do so leaving enough fuel to send me back down. I pulled it off once, but I was just under 70km out, going way too fast around Kerbin and things got pretty warm. I returned safely but it did not trip the goal/contract as complete :(.  I tried the training mission for orbiting but that rocket has much more technology in terms of SRB/decouplers than I have available to me in career at this point.

Im trying to use career mode to keep me focused and learn only what I need in a given period of time. If I load up a sandbox mode I have a hard time creating objectives and goals for myself and end up losing interest. 

All of your insights give me great inspiration. 

 

I started a year ago and have since clocked up over 800 hours--probably a lot more considering I have been playing a lot with planet packs recently so have multiple copies of the game with different solar systems.

I was actually asked to teach a class to kids using KSP and so had to learn it very quickly. Not being a gamer at the time, I was actually just frustrated by the whole thing and probably would've given up if I had not had to do it. The in-game tutorials are not great, and while I love Scott Manley, he is really better for intermediate and advanced players than beginners. It was discovering NerdySpaceMan, though a post by another member of this forum, that got me going and got me loving this game. He is the most underrated tutor for the absolute beginner, and I cannot recommend him highly enough.  He does not go too fast and he does not make assumptions.  He teaches in Science Mode, which I think is a great way to begin. It is less complex than career and less overwhelming than sandbox.

 

PS. Welcome to the cult, er club :-)

 

Edited November 14, 2018 by Klapaucius

[Kerbinchaser]

Duuude TOTM!! Holy... Moly! 

I've always wanted to hit that. 

[Chel]

16 hours ago, Lo Var Lachland said:

Duuude TOTM!! Holy... Moly! 

I've always wanted to hit that. 

I was COMPLETELY surprised when I checked the thread to see my thread in it. I dont think my face could produce such a huge smile!

[Kerbinchaser]

2 hours ago, The_Cat_In_Space said:

I was COMPLETELY surprised when I checked the thread to see my thread in it. I dont think my face could produce such a huge smile!

Haha!  

[Chel]

43 minutes ago, Lo Var Lachland said:

Haha!  

Ye!

[Wallygator]

I remember seeing a blurb about the game on boing boing way back. So I bought 1.21. Was stuck on conference calls while running a project from home. So had way too much screen time while my microphone was muted (Shhhh...)

after the thrill of my first orbit I kept building and flying. Ended up with about 35 kerbals spewn across the system in various states of abandonment. Tried to rescue them but, well, ok that’s my confession. 

I still have that save but it won’t load. 

Never combine KSP with working from home. Never. 

[Chel]

2 hours ago, Wallygator said:

Never combine KSP with working from home. Never. 

I would play KSP in class. Technically it's allowed because it's 'educational' (kinda?)

[Curveball Anders]

9 hours ago, Wallygator said:

Never combine KSP with working from home. Never. 

There's one exception.
Long, dull and often pointless tele conferences ....

[DocMike]

Hi, I'm new here

Honestly, bought the game like 2 weeks ago. Started with tutorials, up to Mun mission. Then my own trials - sub-orbital, then an attempt to orbit. Then re-ran orbiting tutorial (too steep ascent).

Then I tried a Mun orbit. Didn't learn about gravity slingshot, though. Goodbye Whatshisname  Kerman, stranded on solar orbit with no fuel.

Then I read a gravity slingshot article       

[Geonovast]

1 hour ago, DocMike said:

Goodbye Whatshisname  Kerman, stranded on solar orbit with no fuel.

Guy just can't catch a break.

[l0kki]

I told rocketry to eat manure and i built a plane inspired by the mig-15 that could reach 1600m/s+

Spoiler

named it the wunderwaffel which has been the name of my fighter series ever since going up to "Wunderwaffle 3 I2" https://kerbalx.com/l0kki/WunderWaffle-III-Ausf-I2

Spoiler

there actually is a wunderwaffle 4 but dont tell anyone as its doodoo

 

After that i got bdarmory and designed all kinds of weapons of war before being completely inadept at anything space. One day i decided to go to space and with the help of a friend i became capable of the straight up and sideways technique for orbiting, got to the mun with a rocket probably capable of a tylo return mission after that i went back to designing weapons of war after which i have slowly started to land everywhere as inspired by my first return mission from duna with a way too big of a rocket.

After learning how to get to duna and back efficiently i have adopted the motto "Transfer windows make everything easy as things that i cannot mention on this forum"