Do you use Mechjeb?

[The Jedi Master]

I used to use it, but while it did help, it didn't feel right. And it was also really inefficient.

Also: Oh boy, another MJ Vs. No MJ contest. Joy.

[Uncle Mort]

Also: Oh boy, another MJ Vs. No MJ contest. Joy.

Actually it's not, this thread has turned into a much more rational discussion on the merits or otherwise of Mechjeb.

[Torham234]

Nope. Not because I hate its guts, but because it wasn't reliable enough for me. I have tried it out and didn't quite like it. I usually try to design my rockets with fairings, and MJ just didn't know when to eject them. After he screwed some of my landings, I do not trust it with that either. All the info I need I can get from the kerbal engineer redux (hopefully patched soon to 0.21). Plus, I spend majority of my time in the spaceplane hangar designing planes rather than rockets, and MJ has limited use when piloting a plane.

[JakeGrey]

I find the process of designing rockets more interesting than flying them. If MechJeb didn't exist I don't honestly think I'd have bought the game.

[jpkerman]

The development Wiki states that Squad will not have an autopilot in the stock game. No one, Kerbal or otherwise, could have an effective space program without some level of computer flight assistance. Whether MJ, Orda or what-ever-comes-along-next, I will stop at the last update that has some sort of input directed control assistance to space craft operation. i do not use the SPH or any of the aircraft so I am not directing my comments to those type of operations.

[draeath]

I'm with jpkerman. Flying it all yourself is fun, but when my objective isn't just to fly, I'm using Mechjeb.

The Apollo crew didn't power the AGU/DSKY off because it was more fun to fly directly, did they?

Nope. Not because I hate its guts, but because it wasn't reliable enough for me. I have tried it out and didn't quite like it. I usually try to design my rockets with fairings, and MJ just didn't know when to eject them. After he screwed some of my landings, I do not trust it with that either. All the info I need I can get from the kerbal engineer redux (hopefully patched soon to 0.21). Plus, I spend majority of my time in the spaceplane hangar designing planes rather than rockets, and MJ has limited use when piloting a plane.

Did you know the recent version has a "guidance" mode for the ascent autopilot? All it does is tell you where you should be flying, it does nothing to the rocket itself. Couple this with the throttle controls, which are basically just engine governors (so you don't go too fast, don't waste fuel at terminal velocity etc) and you still get direct controls with a little bit of help.

[DAL1189]

I used to use mechjeb for everything but I have now become a mostly stock player except mechjeb 2.0 which I use for my ion powered spaceprobe becuase I don't want to end up spending 1:30 mins doing a burn!

[Torham234]

I'm with jpkerman. Flying it all yourself is fun, but when my objective isn't just to fly, I'm using Mechjeb.

The Apollo crew didn't power the AGU/DSKY off because it was more fun to fly directly, did they?

Did you know the recent version has a "guidance" mode for the ascent autopilot? All it does is tell you where you should be flying, it does nothing to the rocket itself. Couple this with the throttle controls, which are basically just engine governors (so you don't go too fast, don't waste fuel at terminal velocity etc) and you still get direct controls with a little bit of help.

Why? I am quite happy to fly manually. I take it as a part of the KSP experience.

[AntonioAJC]

Nah, going full vanilla and I personally think that mech Jeb takes away some of the game's experience by letting it do the flying and making maneuvers for you.

[nerdboy64]

No from me. I don't have anything against Mechjeb in particular; I just like the challenge of doing things stock.

[Jason Cox]

I won't lie, I use it. And heck, if NASA, the ESA, Roscosmos, SpaceX and everybody who sends stuff into space can use a flight computer, why can't I do it without shame?

[Godot]

Nope ...

not opposed to use it in the near or far future, for routine flights,

but so far I am not using it and never have

[Flixxbeatz]

Nope. Manual flyer here since from the very first time I played KSP. And I love it.

Edited July 26, 2013 by Flixxbeatz

[Captain Sierra]

MechJeb is great for stuff you've done a lot (like launching) and good for info readouts. I use mechjeb to do maneuver nodes for me but I still usually make them myself. Docking, no mechjeb. Mechjeb burns your RCS out and then you're screwed. As for precision landing, I use mechjeb for the landing predictions and then set a node to drop me straight down on target, tell mechjeb to execute next node, then use the suicide burn countdown to land it myself. (manual death evading skills FTW!)

[MockKnizzle]

Like an overwhelming number of people in here, I use Mechjeb for data readouts and Smart-ASS, and occasionally the Translatron.

I don't trust the ascent guidance as it's randomly crashed several perfectly flyable ships before, so all ascents are flown manually. All rendezvous and docking are done manually as well, with Smart-ASS just holding attitude.

Edited July 26, 2013 by MockKnizzle

[Oggula]

Used to use it all the time. Especially useful for repetitive launches and tricky landings like Tylo. I've always been a rocket builder- for me the flying comes second so I see no need to pure it. However, with better maneuver nodes and SAS allowing a more efficient launch profile I find I just don't need mechjeb enough to bother installing it this time.

[dlrk]

I use MechJeb, and I love it. I don't use the modes other than Smart ASS because they tend be inaccurate. Smart ASS and the various info displays are indispensable though.

[Bigulp]

I use Mechjeb for information and tedious tasks. Like sending up 30 different segments to a Space Station, its a time saver. Other things are better handled manually. Docking for instance is far more efficient if you do it manually. I don't need Mechjeb, but it makes the game funner for me.

[johnnyhandsome]

I use MechJeb because piloting ships to orbit, docking, going to other planets and landing get boring after you do it X times. Automationreflects the reality of spaceflight, letting computers handle critical elements. Astronauts still have to know how to dock and pilot, but for the most part, the computer handles it.

That's the brilliance of MechJeb and I always use it.

[nimbim]

I use the autopilot for lengthy missions with poor TWR, since I dont see the point in staring at the screen for 30min for 1 maneuver. I have Mechjeb on every rocket though, can't imagine flying without the custom info windows by now.

[Superfluous J]

I don't like to use gameplay mods until I've completely exhausted the gameplay of the base game. MecJeb is a gameplay mod, and KSP has thousands of hours of gameplay still in it for me, so no. No MechJeb for me.

[MaGicBush]

Nope, don't use any mods yet. I figured it would be better to use all the stock content and learn the game first . Maybe one of these days I will download it and give it a shot, but honestly I like piloting myself so wouldn't use autopilot anyways.

[HeadHunter67]

The Apollo crew didn't power the AGU/DSKY off because it was more fun to fly directly, did they?

No - and in fact, even when Apollo 13 had to power down their computer, they still received verbal guidance from controllers on the ground who had calculated the new course with computer assistance. Though they had to fly manually, they were given their orientation and burn duration by mission control. It still took dead reckoning and a wristwatch, but if they had to do it all by hand, they'd never have made it home.

[asae]

I have mechjeb, I use the ascent autopilot for incidences where I need to repeat the exact same launch over and over. A good situation of this is when I launched 21 satelites in 45 degree orbits perfectly spaced apart. Other than that though I use it only for the information and smart ASS, no other reason than that.

[Tiron]

No - and in fact, even when Apollo 13 had to power down their computer, they still received verbal guidance from controllers on the ground who had calculated the new course with computer assistance. Though they had to fly manually, they were given their orientation and burn duration by mission control. It still took dead reckoning and a wristwatch, but if they had to do it all by hand, they'd never have made it home.

There's no pause button on real life.

I absolutely agree about docking wasting RCS, I've always done that manually, although I do let mechjeb help with the rendezvous sometimes...mostly in the form of the tgt+ and rvel- functions on the SmartASS.

I also really cannot strongly enough suggest not using the spaceplane autoland. The spaceplane guidance itself is somewhat dangerous, becuase it's abysmal at holding an altitude: It porpoises above and below it, which if you're not careful it's real easy to end up with a flameout, even with the flameout protection (which is NOT perfect, it can only really handle very slow, gradual intakeair decreases). The autoland doesn't do throttle control at all, just attitude, which I find is actually harder to land with than just doing it manually (which is saying something for me). After that time it put me on the runway backwards, and turned a great mission into a crash...no thanks.

The ascent autopilot is a godsend. I've flown enough ascents it bores the crap out of me now. The landing AP too, because it's far better and more accurate than I am. and the maneuver planner, for that matter, also much more accurate than I am.

The aerobraking prediction is also just absolutely wonderful. All my missions to Duna and my one mission so far to Eve used it to pull a single-orbit aerocapture with almost perfect accuracy.