So im a ksp rss RO player and I need help with my engins

[10_Points]

So, I play RO without RP-1. I dont like the weird stuff RP-1 adds. But I was noticing something very weird, I recreated a rocket from a tutorial that I found on YouTube and my first stage engine had half the Delta-V of the YouTube guys rocket. I could get mine about 3/5 of the way to orbit. Idk why. please. someone help me.

[king of nowhere]

how can we help you if we don't know how your rocket was made and what engine you used? post pictures and describe your problem more precisely.

 

the simplest explanation, though, would be that the guy on youtube was seeing vacuum deltaV, and you was seeing sea level deltaV. vacuum deltaV is higher, especially with a vacuum optimized engine

[jimmymcgoochie]

Without any specifics it's very hard to give you any concrete answers. Screenshots of your rocket in the VAB with (MechJeb!) delta-V displayed and a link to said video would help the most.

There could be a number of reasons why you're getting less delta-V than the video:

• Different versions of KSP/RO/related mods like RealFuels. Not so long ago some additional realism was added in the form of engine residuals- fuel in the tanks that the engines can't use- which means you'll lose a little bit of burn time when acceleration is greatest and so has a disproportionate impact on delta-V. Other variations exist between different versions of mods and even between versions of KSP.
• Vacuum versus surface delta-V. Atmospheric delta-V is always lower because the air gets in the way of the rocket exhaust, reducing ISP and thrust; you might be looking at surface delta-V whereas in the video it's showing vacuum delta-V.
• Different engine configs. Most engines in RO have more than one available config to reflect upgrades and improvements to the engines made over time. If you're using the first available config for the engine but the video is using an upgraded one with better stats, that could explain the lack of delta-V.
• Different fuel tanks. There's more than one type of fuel tank in RO and they can make a huge difference to delta-V: balloon tanks are the lightest and have the highest mass fraction (ratio of wet:dry mass) so give you the most delta-V, then integral structure tanks, then separate structure tanks, then service module tanks; this is further complicated by the different materials that can be used for each tank type -some of the best separate structure tanks will outperform early integral tanks- and by tank pressurisation for pressure-fed engines such as the AJ-10 which adds a lot of dry mass. Make sure you're using the proper tanks.
• Different propellants and ratios. The RD-0105, RD-58, F-1, LR-89 and Merlin all use kerosene and liquid oxygen as propellants, but the proportions of kerosene and liquid oxygen can vary considerably; the RD-107/108 run on kerosene, liquid oxygen and HTP but they use slightly different propellant mixes even though they're almost identical. Make sure you've got the right mix for your specific engine or you'll be carrying fuel (or oxidiser) that your engine can't use, adding to the "dry" mass since it isn't burnt and so reducing delta-V.

[10_Points]

Oh. I was using normal fuel tanks and not the balloon ones. Thanks guys