Newbie Stuff

[hansman1982]

Hello, I just downloaded the demo version last night and spent 4 hours (until 3:00 AM) figuring it out. Basically my experience went:

1. Build rocket

2. Push a lot of buttons trying to get it to go

3. Finally hit spacebar but the stages aren't set up right so you just separate the command module

4. Do this several times until you get the stages figured out

5. Launch rocket - it crashes and burns due to lack of control

6. Re-launch rocket - it crashes and burns due to lack of control

7. Discover SDS

8. Re-launch rocket - it crashes and burns because I forgot to turn the SDS on before launch.

9. Re-launch rocket - it fails because I jettisoned my liquid motor with the SRB's

10. Play with stages to get SRB's to jettison

11. Put on too much extra junk, still can't reach orbit

12. Scale WAY back but release SRB's too soon and rocket fails

13. Finally launch right but only sub-orbital flight achieved

14. Launched right and heading 135 degrees, only sub-orbital but for a longer distance!!!

15. Re-launch, get everything right and HOOORAY! ORBIT!!!!!

Now, my plan is to grow this similar to a country's space program. Step through meeting up with another space craft, docking with that space craft, using that to build a rocket to go to Mun. Is there a good scenario/challenge to walk through this or just the good old trial and error?

[musicpenguin]

Well, There is a Tutorial thing on how to get to the moon. Also It's REALLY hard to dock. But, Have fun

[Tembaco]

Good ol' trial and error my friend. There are a couple of scenarios that deal with orbiting and transferring to the mun. There is also a Apollo style mun landing scenario. But this game won't hold your hand.

is a tutorial specifically for a mun return mission playing the demo. It'll explain most stuff you need to know.

is a tutorial on docking.

It's also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the controls.

Good luck and if at first you don't succeed keep trying!

[hansman1982]

Ok, sweet. I look forward to trial and error. I seriously cannot wait to get home tonight.

Ya, the controls were screwy because I had the stages all out of whack so it took me a while to get over the fear of pressing the space bar.

Thanks guys!

[Merinsan]

Ok, sweet. I look forward to trial and error. I seriously cannot wait to get home tonight.

Ya, the controls were screwy because I had the stages all out of whack so it took me a while to get over the fear of pressing the space bar.

Thanks guys!

Everyone messes up staging every now and then. I consider myself pretty good now at the game now and most of my missions end with a docking to some space station somewhere.

Just last night, I launched a rocket to rendezvous with something in orbit. I failed once before getting to orbit because I messed up the staging. I fixed it, and failed again while in orbit, again because I messed up staging. I fixed it again, made my rendezvous and did the docking I was trying to do. I was trying to do a double docking (2 ports) and it failed, because they were different distances. At this point I decided to scrap the ship I was docking with (didn't think it would work well anyway), so I went to return the fuel tank that brought up my payload. I found out I had messed up the stages for deorbiting junk as well! I had a probe on one part but the RTGs on the other part. If I could, I would have sent a bomb up to blow it all up.

One tip, if you are scared of pressing the space bar, you can manually stage by right clicking the part, that's if you have time. I do it all the time with ships in orbit.

[hansman1982]

If I could, I would have sent a bomb up to blow it all up.

One tip, if you are scared of pressing the space bar, you can manually stage by right clicking the part, that's if you have time. I do it all the time with ships in orbit.

Re: bomb - I thought that is what another, bigger, rocket was for?

Re: space bar - thankfully, I have gotten over most of that, for now. I imagine once I get the real game I'll screw some things up royally.

[Vanamonde]

I spent much of yesterday going through a process similar to the one you described with this ship: (Sorry it's a night pic.)

That's how KSP works. It's always hard and it always takes a lot of tinkering, but as you get better at it, the ships that are frustrating the beejeebers out of you get bigger and go farther.

To answer your question, try orbit, then Mun, then rendezvous and dock, then other planets. Maybe try first with unmanned probes and then manned ones, and once you get the idea of landers, substitute rovers.

Edited May 3, 2013 by Vanamonde

[hansman1982]

That's what I am doing, but I am kinda starting over since I got the full version today.

Launched my 2nd probe in earth orbit, first one was polar orbit this one is a trial run for a Munshot.

[Vanamonde]

Good on ya.

[rustylugnut]

I got the demo less than a week ago. I kinda screwed around a bit, then i took the tutorials. I kinda figured out how to orbit and stuff. Today I "landed" on the mun. I ran out of fuel when i was trying to slow down to land. I hit the ground, and it blew up my engine, then it fell over and the command pod separated from the fuel tank, but jebediah survived!

[KerbActual]

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing xD

[CalculusWarrior]

"Any landing you can walk away from, wasn't fast enough," --Scott Manley

[Starlight]

Now you have your first challenge ahead of you! Go set up a rescue mission to pick up Jebediah from the Mun! Or end up with more stranded kerbals, so you got to launch several rescue missions to retrieve them all. And if that fails, just keep dropping landers and proclaim it the first permanent Mun base.

[Felsmak]

I ran out of fuel when i was trying to slow down to land. I hit the ground, and it blew up my engine, then it fell over and the command pod separated from the fuel tank, but jebediah survived!

That's basically how my first Mun landing happened, hehe.

[ThatBum]

I think my first Mun landing consisted of hovering for about 5 minutes going 'oh god oh god oh god' and inevitably running out of fuel, because I didn't know how to kill horizontal velocity properly then.

[MRab2]

The mistake everyone makes to begin with is making their rockets too big and complicated (first hand experience talking here). If you just want to send a Kerbal up to 100km orbit and return safely you need surprisingly little rocket. Once that's mastered then you can start scaling up, but the trial and error never stops. I'm trying to launch what I refer to as a Camelot class Corvette (200 tonnes fully fuelled). Been tweaking all morning - think this is the eighth launch that's running in the background atm (MachJeb's at the helm).

Docking is a son-of-a-b***** the first time but it becomes surprisingly easy surprisingly quickly once you work out the steps you need to follow and wrap your head round basic orbital mechanics (to catch up with something I have to thrust AWAY from it?!?!?) but is very satisfying and lets you assemble anything your processor can cope with

[Brofessional]

If you're new to orbital mechanics, this video is a great intro.

[rustylugnut]

Can i delete posts. I had a post here but i got rid of it and I don't know how to delete posts. Sorry

Edited May 7, 2013 by rustylugnut

[rustylugnut]

Now you have your first challenge ahead of you! Go set up a rescue mission to pick up Jebediah from the Mun! Or end up with more stranded kerbals, so you got to launch several rescue missions to retrieve them all. And if that fails, just keep dropping landers and proclaim it the first permanent Mun base.

I would do that, but i am stuck in the demo version. And, being new to the game, I ended the flight. Since then, I have landed two more times, both of them without damage. But I didn't have enough fuel to return either time. Poor kerbals.