Best mods to have

[scottkiller2000]

Hey guys I'm looking for the best mod to have for ksp also is the process of adding mods in different when from steam or no

[Xeldrak]

Try some punctuation and orthography, so maybe we will understand what you want from us....

[ShroomOfDoom]

There are so many great mods out there,it's almost impossible to determine wich is the best.

If you want to get stuff into space,then there is BobCat's Soviet and American pack,Core Anvil,KW Rocketry,Novapunch and AIES.

For station parts i think Kosmos,FusTek station part extension and Large/Structural components are very neat mods.

In case you want to go mining,i'd recommend the Kethane mining mod. If you don't want to fly your ships yourself or need help with it,or simply want orbital information,MechJeb is a great mod for that. For building stuff in space or on other planets,there is the Extraplanetary launchpad mod aswell as Orbital construction redux.

There are many more mods out there and at times it's hard to chose wich one you want to install

As for installing mods under steam,i think the procedure is the same as with the non-steam version. I hope i was able to help you

[Flixxbeatz]

KW Rocketry and NovaPunch Reloaded. They'll give you the most basic part add-ons you'll need.

Will not be recommending any plugins since I don't use one either.

[Joshington]

I highly recommend Hyperedit. It lets you go to any planet in any orbit. Good for testing stuff or finding easter eggs.

[CCKinnison]

KERBAL ALARM CLOCK. Simple Idea, brilliantly executed. Allows me to run many different types of missions, and not screw up and miss maneuvers.

[Flixxbeatz]

And to add, if you're new to KSP, stay away from MechJeb and other auto-plugins like it until you have learned all that you need to learn (basic orbiting, docking, transferring, landing, phase angles, maneuver nodes, etc). It won't take that long to master all of them. Otherwise you'll get dependent into it that you won't be able to go into orbit without using it.

[ouion]

the KSPX expansion pack and the kosmos station pack and b9 aerospace pack.

[spaceminer47]

I find Kerbal engineer pretty handy, it gives out pretty useful information.

Also, the chatterer mod is my favorite. It has radio chatter and beeps that are very much useless but soo much fun.

[Sigma117]

I myself prefer mods that aren't just new parts.

Kerbal Alarm Clock: Amazingly simple, yet oh so useful thing.

SubAssembly Loader: Saves a lot of time building the same launcher again and again by letting you load it into another ship.

ISA mapsat: Lets you map planets to find easter eggs

Kethane: Adds a rough (Very liberal use of the word seeing how good the mod is) implementation of resources. Scan a planet for Kethane and convert it into fuel once it's mined. (You can scan with Kethane and ISA to save time).

I'd avoid MechJeb and Hyperedit like the plague. I had MJ a few times, and it just takes all the fun out of the game for me as I can't resist abusing it.

[Geschosskopf]

#1: The vastly underappreciated RCS Build Aid. Makes balancing RCS a breeze, which you'll need when you get to docking stuff.

#2: Kerbal Engineer Redux, so you know your lander's got enough dV to get off whatever world you've landed on

#3: Kerbal Crew Manifest, to fill or empty seats in your ships. Pretty much essential for the frequent rescue missions you'll be doing, but probably soon to become unnecessary when 0.21 comes out.

#4: Kerbal Alarm Clock, the only way to have more than 1 thing happening at once.

#5: Haystack, which you must have if you've got more than 1 thing happening at once.

#6: Editor Tools, the main benefit of which is to let you build bigger stuff than will fit in the default VAB or SPH

#7: MechJeb. It does all kinds of things and is very useful in many ways, Even if you do all your own flying, it's great to have for its sheer number-crunching abilities.

After this, it's pretty much all parts of various kinds. Get the parts you want for the thing you're building. But in this regard, I'd definitely get KSPX (Kerbal Stock Parts Extension), which fills some obvious gaps in the stock parts.

[NoMrBond]

Might want to switch up to Submanager, since SAL isn't being maintained any more

Otherwise to echo others, B9, KWRocketry, AIES and Kosmos-TKS, they're great.

NovaPunch has a revamped alpha release out, looking forward to that

Engineer Redux helps with not having to eyeball or guesstimate whether you have enough (or too much) dV onboard. Similarly, RCS BUild Aid to make sure your RCS does what you want and not twist/spin you out

RollKage and ZWheel for some nice wheels and/or Caterpillar Tracks if you like, well, tracks

The FusTek Common Berthing Mechanisms are also a nice alternative to the stock clamp-o-trons

Kethane and Exoplanetary launchpads for resources and remote construction stuff

Taverio’s Pizza and Aerospace and/or FAR if you like flying

[Motokid600]

Kerbal Attatchment System is a must have.

[frizzank]

I recommend FASA, for some classic rocket building, goes along well with Nova Punch.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/showthread.php/24867-19-1-Gemini-and-Mercury-Pack-FASA-v1-3

[scottkiller2000]

Guys I would not touch mechjeb if it was the last thing I do

[The Destroyer]

1: It's not difficult to add mods.

2: I recommend....

1: Protractor. It is awesome for getting to other planets. Nuff said.

2: B9. If you're into aircraft, you'll love this. If you aren't, you will still love this!

3: KW Rocketry. Great parts for building.

4: Bobcat mods. Any of them. Used to work there. Great mods

5: KAS. Create kerbal chairswings!

[-RanZ-]

Don't listen to all the mechjeb elitist whiners, it is a great plugin. I just recommend you learn how to fly on your own before you use its autopilot features

[Mr Shifty]

A PSA Regarding MechJeb:

MechJeb is easily the most polished plugin modification available for the game. It is attractive, easy to use, and provides a wealth of information that the stock UI does not. MechJeb is for players who prefer fun to frustration and/or tedium. I'd recommend installing it and giving it a try before deciding if it's for you or not.

[Sof]

MechJeb is for players who prefer fun to frustration and/or tedium. I'd recommend installing it and giving it a try before deciding if it's for you or not.

Yes because "fun" is apparently watching the game play itself.

There is nothing "fun" about watching every mission go off without a hitch.

[Guest]

Yes because "fun" is apparently watching the game play itself.

There is nothing "fun" about watching every mission go off without a hitch.

Which is overstating the case to put it mildly. We get that you don't like MechJeb. But there's nothing wrong with letting others make up their own mind on the matter.

[korntipton]

impossible innovations.. nothing this package can't do with stock parts... a little cheat/cheap if that bothers you.

[DChurchill]

Here we go again. Another thread lock over MechJeb.

To the MechJeb haters: If you don't like MechJeb, fine. We get it. But stop telling people they're having fun wrong.

To the OP: MechJeb is a great tool and you can use the pieces of it that you want. You don't have to let it do anything for you. It's great for information among other things. Make up your own mind about it. The idea that you shouldn't touch it because someone on a forum said you shouldn't is silly.

[JaySmoka]

My list:

MechJeb: great bunch of info (similar to engineer redux) and help getting thing in orbit when lazy. To Mechjeb is not a crime

Lazor Docking cam: useful for docking, but not perfect the zoom level of the viewport is too zoomed.

Kerbal alarm clock

RCS Build Aid: oh damn this is a good mod, perfect docking control everytime

[Ralathon]

I use:

Ioncross Crew support: You need to send oxygen tanks and worry about CO2 levels else your kerbals die.

Deadly Reentry: pretty self explanatory. No more crazy aerocapture maneuvers without heatshields.

Remotetech: Probes need a radio connection to the launch facility. So I have to build elaborate constellations to make sure I always maintain radiocontact. This stops me from only using unmanned vehicles.

Kethane: It gives me a sense of purpose. It also causes me to build complicated bases on other worlds.

Ferram Aerospace Research: No pancake asparagus staging nonsense.

KSPX: Adds some parts that really should've been part of the stock game without making the game feel too modded.

Kerbal Engineer: I need to know what I'm doing. Not going to guesstimate if my Kerbals can make it to Laythe.

[OopsThatNotWork]

In my opinion, Chatterer & B9 are must have mods. Add functionality with chatterer, and nice quality and variety of parts from B9.

Edit: Also fan of Kethane and the Large Structural Parts pack.