Vanilla or Mods?

[loppnessmonsta]

I keep a text file in my install folder to help me keep track of which mods I've installed. Currently:

Payloader

Subassembly Loader

MechJeb 1.9

MechJeb Command Pod (Partial)

Kerbal Alarm Clock

Ion Engine Sounds

Romfarer's Robotic Arms Pack

B9 Aerospace Pack R2-5

KW Rocketry

Common Berthing Mechanism

KSPX

Stock Improvement Pack

KAS

Nucleonics NTR

TAC Fuel Balancer

But that's too many. I seem to lose interest in the game when I have too many parts. So I'm probably going to do a fresh install (While rescuing my current designs and whatnot) and re-install all of the non-part addons, and only parts of, for example, the B9 pack and KW. Even though both of those packs are very cool and fun, they just eat up my PC's resources too much and overwhelm me. I'm probably not going to re-install the Nucleonics pack at all, even though I like it a lot, because it overlaps with the KSPX pack. Or maybe I'll just do a partial of KSPX and keep the Nucleonics. I'll see.

[superm18]

I hate mods and play pure stock with skill

[Vanamonde]

I don't use mods because:

1) I like the challenge.

2) I don't want to become dependent on something that might be broken the next time an update comes out, with the additional possibility that its creator won't be around to fix it.

3) I hate fighting with glitches and so don't want to clutter the game's software with additions. Look around the forum at all the posts that say stuff like, "I installed Mod X and now all my rocket engines thrust backwards!" Who needs the headaches?

4) I want to be excited when Squad adds a new part or feature, and not just say, "Ho hum, I was doing that with Mod X two months ago." I think my interest in the game will last longer this way.

5) It gives me a common basis to share ideas and accomplishments with other players. By contrast, when I see a post that says "Look what I did!" with a modded-out ship, how the expletive can I tell whether that was a difficult accomplishment or somebody just pressed a button that said, "Perform feat now"?

[Eric S]

I hate mods and play pure stock with skill

1) I like the challenge.

Gotta love people that assume that mods remove the challenge. Yes, there are mods that reduce or eliminate the challenge. There are also mods that increase the challenge, and many mods that actually have no effect on the challenge.

Let's see, at the moment I have five installs.

1) Stock, because the reddit weekly challenges require stock.

2) Stock + KER: Once a month, I do a Mun mission with this one just to make sure I haven't picked up any dependancies on addons. KER is just so that I don't have to spend too much time experimenting to get the delta-V right, since I hate to overbuild Mun missions, and I always start from the ground up on this.

3) Stock + Deadly Reentry: One weekly challenge super hard mode required this mod, and I liked it enough to keep it around, but I haven't integrated it into my regular install yet since I've got a few ongoing missions that it would affect.

4) General. This is where I do the bulk of my play. No parts that are OP compared to the stock parts, no parts that I never use. Other than that, my imagination doesn't like arbitrary restrictions, so I keep my options open. Subloader, Kerbal Alarm Clock, Kerbal Crew Manifest, KER, Damned Robotics, KAS, Kethane, Home Habitat, Robotic Arms, and I had the Bobcat Cart stuff until 0.19. Sometimes I even have the Hooligan Airships mod installed.

5) The install that doesn't count: This is for the wild ideas. No limits, I even have hyperedit installed if I want to test something on some planet but don't want to take the time to get there just for a 5 minute test. I don't even discuss what I do there on the forums unless it's an experiment where the results apply to some other situation.

[Canopus]

I love mods. The only problem i have with them is that the game frequently crashes if you have to many of them. And to all the people that think mods make the game easier, try some part packs like KW or NovaPunch.

[Tristavius]

My rule for mods is simple. The mod must not add any kind of auto-control or in flight readout or part which isn't stock. All my ships must be 100% stock. I only use mods which provide handy functionality during design or UI improvements during flight. They must replicate something I can achieve myself on paper. I think very carefully about mods before using them. My list and justifications are as follows..

Actions On The Fly: Just a UI improvement allowing for action group changes in flight, something I'm 99% sure will come into the game at some stage and used to correct bugs in conglomerate ships.

Engineer Redux: Used in the VAB/SPH only to calculate the TWR/Delta V to save a lot of scribbling on paper. Never launched with one attached or that would break my rules.

Haystack: To correct the problems targeting things with the UI.

Protractor: Again to save doing lots of calculations on paper and holding up pieces of paper to the screen to work out angles. Never launched with a ship,I just have one rover at the KSC with one attached. Without one in space I still have to work our my burn angles myself, I just use protractor to get the destination planet in the right ballpark and save lots of reloading from trying to eye-ball it.

Sub Assembly Loader: Probably the most important mod out there, and a feature that's bound to be in the game sooner or later.

And Finally, ISA MapSat... the only one not conforming to my normal rules but I feel the functionality it adds is not game changing and does not make life easier or adjust the balance in any way, but adds a very good reason to send satellites to places and an objective to game play. I launch mapping satellites which are my only non-stock vehicles.

I will never, ever use anything like MechJeb... takes away far too much from the game for me.

[Flixxbeatz]

I do actually use part add-ons. Adds more parts and option to the game, but I maintain 2 save files: one stock, one modded. I do stay myself away from plugins though, particularly those who make the game easier by putting you into orbit without much effort or mess up the whole game by altering planetary orbits (I think you know what plugins I am talking about).

I have recntly have been playing with a few mods, which I like, but they just add TOO MANY PARTS (cough cough KW Rocketry). I think I'm going to delete all the mods and start a new game. So I was wondering what you have to say on the subject.

Personally I really dislike mods that add a whole bunch of parts, I've been debating on KSPX for a long time but still am just putting off using it simply because it adds "A whole bunch of parts" (Also because the dev of that mod is now a KSP dev so I hope to see some of those parts in Stock hopefully within the next few updates.)

And playing KSP with lots of mods is like driving a car that has 400 spare tires..

Or in mechjeb's case, having a chauffeur, so you're not driving at all, only along for the ride.

Some of us run pretty much vanilla because we LIKE the fact it's not just easy mode.

I hate mods and play pure stock with skill

I don't use mods because:

1) I like the challenge.

2) I don't want to become dependent on something that might be broken the next time an update comes out, with the additional possibility that its creator won't be around to fix it.

3) I hate fighting with glitches and so don't want to clutter the game's software with additions. Look around the forum at all the posts that say stuff like, "I installed Mod X and now all my rocket engines thrust backwards!" Who needs the headaches?

4) I want to be excited when Squad adds a new part or feature, and not just say, "Ho hum, I was doing that with Mod X two months ago." I think my interest in the game will last longer this way.

5) It gives me a common basis to share ideas and accomplishments with other players. By contrast, when I see a post that says "Look what I did!" with a modded-out ship, how the expletive can I tell whether that was a difficult accomplishment or somebody just pressed a button that said, "Perform feat now"?

[lobsterbark]

Why are there so many weird "ermegurd i dont use no mods so im better than evry one else" people, all of the sudden.

[Trux]

I like to pick and choose, some I use are KW Rocketry (Although I deleted all the 3M+ parts), Protractor, KSPX, Robotic arms and other I can't remember right now

[Felsmak]

I prefer vanilla, but occasionally I'll install some mods only to uninstall them later. It just seems like mods somehow corrupt the game so that I have to reinstall, but that could just be bad luck.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Felsmak

[Unistrut]

Oh, they've always been here. There's a reason the Planet Ribbon post includes a specific mention about not asking me to make different devices for people who don't use mods. My mom worked on satellites. Launching a real satellite is way closer to MechJeb than stock KSP. There is no joystick. There is no GUI. You stare at a lot of numbers and sometimes get to give the computer permission to do the next step.

[Custard Donut (In Space)]

So far i tried Mechjeb for a few minutes before realising the only thing i wanted from all of it's many features was the real surface height (sea-surface makes it harder for me to land) and satellite mapping, which i thought was a great mod except it slows down my pc too much, lastly i tried a mod that gave me a whole load of new parts, i quickly realised it was pointless for someone like me who is yet to fully understand all the vanilla stock parts.

So i'm on vanilla again, i hope to try mods in the future but at a much later stage, once i'm fully familiar with all the standard stuff already in the game.

Edit* Athough not mods i have taken a great liking for downloading other people's ships, i gawp at them much as a caveman would gawp at a UFO and i learn nice tips from how they are made.

Double Edit* I'm actually thinking of getting chatterer mod, if it leaves my game running smoothly i'l hold on to it as it doesn't change any physics in the game.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Custard Donut (In Space)

[Fourjays]

I almost have to use KW Rocketry... just adds a whole new level of challenge on the part of KSP I enjoy most (building rockets). It is far more interesting and challenging to build a probe/rover/satellite/whatever to fit within a fairing space of a pre-determined size (while still doing everything it needs to), than to come up with the probe/rover/satellite/whatever first and then just bolt enough rockets round it for it to reach orbit. I spent a whole weekend making a landing system for a rover that could land safely, drop the rover intact, allow the rover to drive off (without fire the lander's rockets and potentially damaging the rover) and still fit inside a 2.5m fairing (which was the hardest part). Was worth the effort (and all the testing on Kerbin) when it landed and released the rover successfully.

Aside from that I've only got mods that add functionality and features. I generally try to keep them to a minimum.

[Sempiternal]

I rarely play with mods, and when I do they NEED to be VERY well balanced.

That's why KAS and KSPX are my favourites.

[Uncle Mort]

Why are there so many weird "ermegurd i dont use no mods so im better than evry one else" people, all of the sudden.

I know what you mean; sometimes it gets to be like a religious argument, the Purists vs. the Heretics.

Me? I'm a heretic.

Mechjeb

HOME

MapSat

Kethane

KSPX parts

Deep Space parts

KAS science module

Base inflatable

Subassembly

[Vanamonde]

Gotta love people that assume that mods remove the challenge.

Did I say EVERY mod makes the game easier? The question posed by this thread is whether *I* use mods, and that was one of my several reasons. And did I tell you or anyone else that you shouldn't use mods, or imply that I'm superior because I don't? There's no reason to get snotty about it.

[AngelLestat]

KSP is in a very early stage of development and still has a lot to look like a complete game.

For this reason Mods are almost a must have. Also we always found something that fix better with our personality.

I try to be very selected with the mods that I add, becoz a perfect game would be the one that with least amount of parts you could build anything you want.

This is my list:

- Subassembly Loader

- Actions On The Fly

- MechJeb (Everything big that flys in earth is by computers. Also is perfect to program rovers or probes to make automated actions. Adds fun, And I dont have joystick XD)

- Kerbal Crew Manifest

- Fuel vent (part to remove the fuel from the tanks.)

- Throttle Steering (I just add the module section to each engine, then i can use it or not by action groups)

- RemoteTech (adds gameplay, I delete some parts)

- Ioncross Crew Support (I only need an extra food system and the game looks real)

- Kerbal Attachment System (love it)

- Mps Nautilus (3 parts, ring habitats for artificial gravity, makes long time periods more credible)

- Inflatable Module (this is something that the game needs for sure)

- KSPX (only 6 parts)

- Home Habitats

- Jool 5 (to lauch Home habitats or heavy things without kill my computer with lag)

- Escape Pod (only the pod part, just becoz is cute, I reduce their fuel values)

- Damned Robotics (just 1 part for now)

- Aviation lights (3 parts, just becoz this game needs more lights)

- 2 Pods and some legs (An extra pod like Munox and one pair of legs that I need)

- B9 Aerospace (This is my doom, it has 89 parts!! But all looks so perfect and fix well, i dont know how to cut parts here. Maybe After I design 1 small space plane and 1 shuttle, I will remove all the other parts that these planes dont use.)

------------------------------------

I dont have these yet, becoz I am not sure if it will make the game more unstable or for other issues.

- ISA Mapsat

- Lazor Docking Cam (I LOVE IT, but I TOTALLY HATE the bug that makes the lauch stability explode)

- Rototic Arms Pack (i am not sure, maybe I can remplace that with Damned Robotics)

- Enginner Redux (maybe just for the VAH section)

Then, I dont like any weapon mods, or some others that are not based in real physsics (alias quantum strut XD).

Edited May 5, 2013 by AngelLestat

[MmPMSFmM]

I use kerbal alarm clock, haystack, lazor docking cam and sub-assembly loader for several things, as it makes them much easier.

I have KSPX, Dummy weights, Damned robotics and KW Rocketry for the parts, but I'm planning on removing them all except for KSPX as I never use them.

I am also going to install Mechjeb, solely for the information.

Edited May 5, 2013 by MmPMSFmM

[thrashing mad]

I use only Deadly Reentry mod for extra challenge.

[iDan122]

Pros: adds new useful stuff,decreases lag

Cons: problems updating KSP version, aka saving your saves

[Guest]

Mods. Lots of mods, though I do discard the bits I end up never using. So you might say my install of KSP isn't vanilla, just cherry-picked.

[Atanar]

Having no mods improves synergy with the community. How can you do a challenge when people have some better parts in their mods? How can you donwnload a craft file without getting annoyed if it isn't stock parts?

Also I refuse to play with modded parts that should be in the game. It's the devellopers job! Don't tell me to use something someone created for free when it fills the gap for something I already payed for!

I want to hear "the devellopers should add x" instead of "you should use mod x" when someone has a problem!!!

[Flixxbeatz]

Having no mods improves synergy with the community.

Tell that to the modding community and see how great their synergy is to the people.

How can you do a challenge when people have some better parts in their mods?

That's why people who post imposes rules on the challenge they create, whether they will allow mods or stock only, plugins, etc.

How can you donwnload a craft file without getting annoyed if it isn't stock parts?

That's why people tell if the crafts they are sharing needs some parts and add-ons that must be installed first before they can use them. Also, can you elaborate why in the world a non-stock craft file annoy you?

Also I refuse to play with modded parts that should be in the game. It's the devellopers job! Don't tell me to use something someone created for free when it fills the gap for something I already payed for!

I want to hear "the devellopers should add x" instead of "you should use mod x" when someone has a problem!!!

Putting this here for the second time, just for you:

Have a nice day.

[Eric S]

Did I say EVERY mod makes the game easier?

Not explicitly, but you listed preferring the challenge of stock KSP as your number one reason for avoiding mods. Not as your reason for avoiding overpowered or imbalanced mods, but all mods.

and that was one of my several reasons.

And the other reasons are things I can get behind. I even mentioned something very close to one of your other reasons in my own post.

And did I tell you or anyone else that you shouldn't use mods, or imply that I'm superior because I don't?

And did I tell you that I thought you said any of those things? No, I didn't, and I apologize if it sounded like I was implying that.

I went after one logical fallacy, and I should have done a better, less flippant, job of that. I'd rather you disagree with me because of sound reasoning than agree with me because of a logical fallacy. I'm not immune to that, so I don't mind it when people point it out in myself. I'm very much a "find the fun wherever you find it" kind of person/player, even when where you found it confuses the heck out of me. The only reason I'm (overly?) sensitive on this is because it colors the opinions of people that don't have any facts to form an opinion on. Most of the new KSP players I talk with fall into two categories (note: the proportions don't mean anything, as this could be viewed as a bit of a self-selecting survey). There's the players that load up on mods, sometimes to excess. There's the players that avoid mods like the plague, despite never having tried them, just because they've heard that mods take the challenge out of the game. Yes, there are players that try mods and find they like vanilla better, and I'm fine with that, since it's an informed opinion.

The whole "I'm better than you because I play the game the way it was meant to be played," while sometimes annoying, is a separate issue and one that I would rather not stir up, other than pointing out that it exists in response to the "or anyone else" part of that third quote. Noone's said it explicitly in this thread, but I can assure you that I could point to several examples of that prior to the great forum oops, including one person going so far as to advocate that the devs should remove the ability to mod the game altogether.

Trust me, I get why you went off when you felt like you were being attacked. While your post didn't feel like an attack, there have been posts that felt like a personal attack that basically read that all my efforts mean nothing because I use mods, despite the fact that I make an effort to avoid out of balance mods and parts. Most of the time, I just let it roll off, another uninformed opinion. But some times, you just want to stomp the logical fallacy flat before it infects yet more players.

Also I refuse to play with modded parts that should be in the game. It's the devellopers job! Don't tell me to use something someone created for free when it fills the gap for something I already payed for!

I want to hear "the devellopers should add x" instead of "you should use mod x" when someone has a problem!!!

If the developers had enough time to do everything that the users could possibly want as soon as they wanted it, you MIGHT have a point. We don't live in that universe.

In the case of not-unlimited developer resources, there will always be something that the devs haven't had time for. You're saying that I shouldn't be able to play with moving parts because the devs haven't had time to do their own robotics functions? Even if it's something that the devs plan on doing, having the modding community do it first gives the devs a look at what kinds of things worked and what didn't, reducing their development time. And this is a bad thing in your mind? I have to disagree.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Eric S

[Bekiekutmoar]

In my case 100% vanilla ... !