Is it ok that i use Mechjeb 2's autopilot?

[SJC_Hacker]

Personally I wouldn't touch MechJeb.  But however you want to play is fine.

I can certainly understand why people would use it, particularly in late game where the focus shifts from individual missions to building colonies, etc.  I think this may be something the game didn't address well.   At later stages of the game, there should be a way to automate the flights once you've "proved" you can do it at least a few times, through tech and/or pilot experience.

I started a game on Normal, and got to the point where I was running back and forth to Mun and Munnus, was about to try a mission to Duna, but got bored because it wasn't challenging enough, so restarted.  I decided to go Hard, and also an Ironman run (no reloading)   

Short of SAS on the pilots (which by, the way, I have lost four total so far, I'm currently down to original Engineer and Scientist, so no SAS until I feel its worth it to invest in another pilot), nothing is automated.  It made me design and fly the rockets in more reasonable and controlled way.   I used to try to power through the atmosphere at ludicrous speed, I would have problems with basic control, and radially coupled SRBs striking and potentially destroying my main rocket.   Now my ascent is way more slow and controlled, I use two SRBs max and roll so that the SRBs will fall off the sides, and I generally try to keep speed under 900 m/s until I reach 60k.  My gravity turn is far from perfect but alot better than it used to be.

Edited July 12, 2020 by SJC_Hacker

[magnemoe]

On 6/17/2020 at 1:50 AM, sushi64 said:

Thanks. Ill do mechjeb for the stuff i know how to do (kerbin orbit), and when i dont know something ill look at how mechjeb does it (like docking) and follow it.

Docking small ships tend to be faster manual especially if you use mechjeb smartass to have the port facing each other. However this break down if you try to use on massive ships, up to the level there flex in the ships create vibrations.
For long burns mechjeb wins, you can even set it up to stage. 

Learn mechjeb weaknesses, for one accent autopilot will not start to circulate until out of atmosphere, with low twr on upper stage this can easy be far to late, first option is just make an circulation burn who start in the atmosphere, for more extreme cases burn a bit upwards and move Ap in front of you, real upper stages does this, that is why they hardly do any circulation burns, you can also combine circulate and minimize distance to target after one orbit. 

Landing, well on Minmus gravity is so low mechjeb autopilot has problems getting accurate landings so I kill it at 5-10 m/s speed, does an manual adjustment and tell it to land anywhere.