I am full of grief and coffee

[Whackjob]

It's one thing to be wrong. It's something altogether different when you're wrong because you know you did something stupid.

I've seen KSP on Steam. I even watched the one video that was up there for it. You know the one... the guy takes his helmet off on the Mun. I saw it, I considered it, and I discarded it out of hand. I'd been burned by shallow, boring indie games before on Steam, you see. Not that that is any kind of acceptable excuse. And so I carried along, sans rocketry.

Then yesterday I run afoul of a certain JREF thread. Specifically, this one: JREF

The name recognition got me, I clicked the link to see what about this game had managed to entrall enough JREF posters to merit a multipage thread. And I saw those pictures. I read the enthusiasm people have for this game. And I reconsidered.

I went home that day, downloaded the demo for KSP, and took it for a spin. Specifically, a flat spin from about four kilometers up that ended in a fireball, a handful of crushed field mice, and a topsoil depth crater sufficient enough to give all the world's landscapers nightmares. I was enthused; the Kerban was dead. What I had initially took for a goofy, non-complexity based game completely devoid of realism or challenge actually concealed large measures of both.

So then the grief strikes. If I'd only been around a few months earlier, I could've been there, at the launch pad, with the rest of you, as this strange machine was fueling up. Instead, I have to cling meekly from the outside. Peering in through a tiny window. Wondering if you guys have coffee in there.

I bet it's great coffee.

So, that's it. That's my failure. I relapsed to the whole judging/book/cover combo fallacy, and my lapse is now revealed to all. I am sorry. I will make amends by buying this game. I will enjoy it. I know I will; I got three hours of sleep last night because I spent my usual scheduled coma time towards building a reliable heavy lift booster system. And now I post here, full of grief and coffee. I look on it as a learning mechanism; Even the finest of brews can come from the strangest looking grounds. You do a disservice only to yourself by opting out and not at least trying it out with a bit of half and half and sugar.

~Whackjob

Edited June 18, 2013 by Whackjob

[Sir Nahme]

You have doomed yourself! DOOOOOMED!

[Procyon]

downloaded the demo for KSP, and took it for a spin. Specifically, a flat spin from about four kilometers up that ended in a fireball, a handful of crushed field mice, and a topsoil depth crater sufficient enough to give all the world's landscapers nightmares. I was enthused; the Kerban was dead. What I had initially took for a goofy, non-complexity based game completely devoid of realism or challenge actually concealed large measures of both.

~Whackjob

Welcome Aboard. I remember this!! I think my thoughts at the time were something along the lines of " *&*^*& it, there has to be a way to do this!! "

The Coffee is great, y'all come on in.

[regex]

There's no turning back now, put another pot on.

[Whackjob]

You have doomed yourself! DOOOOOMED!

Who says doom can't be pleasant?

[Free Trader Beowulf]

It's the field mice I feel sorry for.

The coffee is great - welcome aboard.

[technicalfool]

A poet kerbonaut eh?

Hi there!

^^Give it a week, you'll be making stuff that makes this look like a firecracker. Have fun, get yourself Mechjeb and ISA Mapsat (and Flight Engineer perhaps) from the Space Port site, and don't forget: If all else fails, MOAR STRUTS.

[roosterr]

Welcome! You have a way with words. I dont consider KSP a game. I dont know what to call it; a sim, a sandbox, a cerebral out of body experience. Oh well, it is the best entertainment that $23 will buy you hands down. Enyoy!

[Sir Nahme]

Who says doom can't be pleasant?

Can and IS

KSP is an Entertainment Engine that runs on the Resource "free time" it's ISP is lousy but it's got a hell of alot of thrust

[Whackjob]

Good lord, that thing is absurd! The physics engine doesn't freak out with that many components? I've avoided doing so because of that.

I've already learned the MOAR STRUTS lesson. I had a rocket (this is the demo game, recall) where the center "mast" was a tri-stack of the larger fuel tanks. On the outside, I had three booster rockets that I could disengage when their fuel was spent. I braced the heck out of those rockets, and it looked nice and sturdy. After liftoff, all looked well, until I shed the boosters. The three-tank central spire? Bolted together at the top, wiggling like mad at the bottom. Torque added, stress added, shrapnel added. I had neglected to strut the bottom properly. A lesson I'm sure we all agree is critical.

Mine Kerbonaut survived, this time, because I finally added a parachute.

[Spartwo]

click the link It`s funny.

[Whackjob]

Whoops! I've almost forgotten. It's something of a custom of mine... post a weird gif in my introductory thread. And usually some here and there in the threads thereafter. Here's one that's fairly relevant.

I didn't sign on for this

I'm bailin'

Edited June 18, 2013 by Whackjob

[Vanamonde]

If I'd only been around a few months earlier, I could've been there, at the launch pad

I've been playing for a year and I'm still learning the finer points of the game, so don't feel bad. Also, you're still getting in on KSP early because it is far from completion.

[Scotius]

Hehe, welcome to the nuthouse We're all crazy here, so don't worry - be happy and enjoy the ride. And explosions. And don't forget to check KSP Fan-works thread. I have a feeling you will fit right in.

[Cydonian Monk]

There's a saying: "I wasn't born here, but I got here as soon as I could."

Welcome to many nights of lost sleep.

[Voidryder]

Welcome,

Here's some tips to make your flying with KSP that more enjoyable:

1) Existing on 2 to 3 hours sleep a night from now until further notice is very possible.

2) Do not expect your co-workers, boss, significant other (or others), parents, childhood friends nor anyone else who doesn't play KSP to get your "Moar Booster" or "Moar Struts" jokes. But make them anyway.

3) You cannot click on a video to change the angle of view or to prevent a disaster. Shouting doesn't help either.

4) Expect to start looking at everything in real life as a) something that you could get into orbit and as something you will get into orbit.

5) You will anticipate all Alpha updates with joy and trepidation. Joy because it means more cool features or improved performance. Trepidation because every craft you current have in orbit or on another planetary body will break.

6) Expect to start speaking in rocketese. Warning: screaming "More Delta-V!!" in delicate moments will not be met with the desired results.

7) There is no such thing as "one more flight". There is only the next one.

8) Despite your best efforts you will begin to identify with your Kerbals. But creating your own "Arlington Cemetery" complete with popsicle stick tombstones and eternal flame in the neighbor's rose garden will get you a visit from the local Constabulary. (Hint: hold midnight services.)

9) You will only regret not using F5 when you need it the most.

10) And last but not least, you are the Kerbal Space Program. You are only restricted by your dreams. So dream big.

Now go strap on that old leather flying helmet and cinch your flight harness a little tighter 'cause you're going to the Mun! I just know it.

P.S. Recommend you leave the cat behind. Doesn't seem to have much of an adventurous spirit.

Edited June 18, 2013 by Voidryder
Comment

[Bunsen]

8) Despite your best efforts you will begin to identify with your Kerbals. But creating your own "Arlington Cemetery" complete with popsicle stick tombstones and eternal flame in the neighbor's rose garden will get you a visit from the local Constabulary. (Hint: hold midnight services.)

Tip: Resist the temptation to apply the "Moar Booster!" principle to the eternal flame.

[AmpsterMan]

Dude, you've doomed yourself. You have gone down the path of Jeb. Yoi will lose sleep; you will lose friends. They won't understand why you won't be able to shut up about Delta-V, phase angles, payload fractions, or thrust-weight ratios. The path of the KSP player is a lonely one, but if you persist, if you continue with thid madness then you will succeed in becoming master of the universe.

By the power of the Strut and Booster I dub thee a Kerbonaut. Godspeed and don't blow up!

[msyblade]

Voidryder's post gets a "10" from the American judge! Well said. You seem to have the gift of gab Whackjob, You're gonna fit right in. Another tip: Sometimes light and streamlined can send your kerbals zooming fast, solving some structural AND fuel problems in the process. Having said that, it never happens. Like these guys are telling you, DREAM BIG or go home. Both the engineering side and flight aspect are more fun, more significant, when you're trying to get aloft in a 200 ton, 11 stage beast that parts fall off of every time you sneeze. Enjoy!

[Sputnik-1]

Oh, just leaving a comment, I wouldn't use mechjeb until you've been to, say, Jool.

Mechjeb cheapens your experience, in my opinion.

[TomcatMVD]

This is funny. I was going to keep orbiting these forums without actually introducing myself, then I couldn't help but see my own story reflected in yours (albeit written in a much better way than I could ever hope for).

I've been a gamer and a STEAM user for a while now, and have seen KSP pop up here and there, never paying much attention to it. After all, I'm a bit of an experienced flight simmer so it wasn't hard for me to dismiss this as a childish-looking puzzle-centered dull contraption of a game. That was until I decided to try out the demo two days ago. It didn't take long; yesterday I treated myself to my very own birthday present and bought the darn thing (can't wait for the finished game). Putting a lousy probe in orbit felt like such an accomplishment, I know now I'm hopelessly hooked.

So I'll briefly hi-jack your thread here to report myself in, and tell everyone I've been thoroughly enjoying every corner of these forums. I'm sure I'll be posting my fair share of questions in due time.

Cheers!

[Alguien]

I second sputnik-1, actially i would go and say than you should not use mods till you land on the mun first, believe me, your first landing is a experience you dont want to cheap with anything

And also, dont be afraid of ask any questions

[Pigbear]

Don't worry, This spaceship is still fuelin', Its gone through many changes and its staging is still not set up, the coffee machine is currently broken however.

[technicalfool]

Good lord, that thing is absurd! The physics engine doesn't freak out with that many components? I've avoided doing so because of that.

Don't be tempted to make the physics skip any more than 0.2 seconds and just endure the slow ride up if your CPU is a bit slow per-core. You'd be surprised at what a few struts in the right place can do as well.

(and in the wrong place, struts can make things worse, by transferring stress to weaker parts of the stack instead of stronger)

I've already learned the MOAR STRUTS lesson. I had a rocket (this is the demo game, recall) where the center "mast" was a tri-stack of the larger fuel tanks. On the outside, I had three booster rockets that I could disengage when their fuel was spent. I braced the heck out of those rockets, and it looked nice and sturdy. After liftoff, all looked well, until I shed the boosters. The three-tank central spire? Bolted together at the top, wiggling like mad at the bottom. Torque added, stress added, shrapnel added. I had neglected to strut the bottom properly. A lesson I'm sure we all agree is critical.

Mine Kerbonaut survived, this time, because I finally added a parachute.

Always put struts between tanks that are joined in a stack! Especially the Rockomax-size ones!

Between two and four struts is enough in most cases. In rare cases you may need more. Just view your flight log to see which two parts unglued first, and strut those two parts up tight.

Of course if you want a pre-made even more obnoxiously huge stack (be careful, it can still wobble into two pieces if you run the very last Mainsail engine at more than 1/3 power), have one of mine, here (requires Mechjeb, ISA Mapsat). Amusingly enough it has a lower part count than the monster you see above.

Examine, play with, reverse-engineer, and have fun!

Edited June 18, 2013 by technicalfool

[Whackjob]

Heh. I do think I will forgo the mods. Color me crazy, but I'm a purist. I don't think making flying those cans automatically enhances the experience for me any. I like the difficulty of it all, and really look forward to manual docking. Challenge strengthens me. Strife is the bondo that holds what is left of my brain together in a modestly recognizeable fashion. The hello kitty sticker is merely accentuation.

I have not yet, on the demo, landed on the Mun. I have gone past it. I have one Kerbonian on an outbound trajectory that I think will land him in the L4 lagrangian point. I will recover him or shoot him down at some point. I don't yet have the hang of changing orbital paths, rendevous, et cetera. But I'll get there.