Best way to look for Colony Locations in KSP1

[stephensmat]

I've been playing KSP1 every day until the Science Update comes out for KSP2. I've been landing science bases on Moons and Planets in KSP1; but they're pretty much the same. A Science lab with power generators, a fuel tank with Thuds for landing, and some landing legs.

Now I'm starting to look at the Colony Bases mods, to expand the experience. To be honest, it's what I looking forward to most in KSP2.

For those that have permanent bases on their games n KSP1, how do you set them up? Ideally, how do you pick your spots? Look for flat ground? What's the best way to do that?

[jimmymcgoochie]

It depends what the base is for: a science base to serve as a hub for surface exploration would be best placed with easy access to as many different biomes as possible, while a mining base needs the maximum abundance of ore you can find. Both will benefit from having flat land around both to serve as a landing site and to enable the base to be assembled more easily on the ground, however some good sites might be more awkward to get to/from due to their location e.g. near the poles, or have terrain around them that limits solar panel exposure- I once put a base on Minmus’ south(?) pole but had to move it because the pole is surrounded by low hills that block the sunlight for much of the time.

If you’re using life support mods or mods with more detailed resource chains and mining systems (Kerbalism ticks both boxes) then there are more things to consider- it’s rare to find a good site that has ore and water in the same place and even rarer to get one with metal ore for something like Extraplanetary Launchpads in the same place too.

SCANsat is a good mod for scouting base locations, you can get detailed terrain, biome and resource maps all in one place to find the best sites for a base and it can also detect anomalies to investigate- who wouldn’t want a mysterious alien monolith as the centrepiece of their base?

[DeadJohn]

I usually use the SCANsat mod to help pick candidate spots for base building. It can map terrain and resources deposits from orbit. Pick a spot with reasonably flat terrain and good ore/resources. Also consider whether you want it on the equator for easy orbital rendezvous, or a polar high point for 100% solar power and constant radio contact home without needing a relay. Send an exploratory rover or lander first to confirm it's a good spot.

You already linked to my favorite base part mod, Kerbal Planetary Base Systems KPBS, in the top post. KPBS makes it very easy to grow bases over time: launch a new module, land reasonably near your base but don't worry about a precise landing location, drive around like a rover, dock with your base. KPBS docking ports are guaranteed to be at matching heights and always have perfect rotation by default, remedying some of the frustrations compared to connecting bases via radially-attached stock docking ports.

Stockalike Stations Parts Expanded Redux (SSPXR) offers an alternate way to build bases. It has some new landing gear with adjustable height legs to level bases on uneven terrain. Bases can expand with a part that looks like a crew tube but functions like an extending docking claw; keep a rover near your base to gently nudge parts into place until the SSPXR crew tube latches them together.

Stock EVA construction offers yet another way to expand bases over time. Due to mass limits, it's only practical on very low mass worlds or you can cheat the mass limits.

 

 

[Vanamonde]

I place mine where I think they might have good scenery, such as Duna locations where Ike is low in the sky.