KSP "A HA!" moments

[JMap1]

Last night at work my mind naturally wandered to rockets. I was trying to think of a remedy to a rather wobbly launch vehicle. It was carrying a payload due for delivery at the space station. Pondering and pondering all night when finally it hit me! If pushing doesn't work, why not pull? So I suspended the payload under the control pod and built the rocket around it. I'm still working out the kinks of the design but early models are looking promising. (Pics will come eventually)

What are your "a ha!" moments?

[Scotius]

That awkward moment of realisation, when i've noticed distinct lack of any kind of power source on brand new munar lander? My first reaction was to scrub the mission and start anew...but then i started thinking. Solution was simple (and kinda brilliant, i might add ) - a dedicated power module consisting of two docking ports, structural part, four solar panels and an RTG. Everything strapped to a automatic ship and sent hastily for a rendez-vous in LMO. Before my lander runs out of power in its single, small battery - plunging hapless crew into cold darkness It worked perfectly, i'm proud to say - lander became a bit top heavy, but still fully operational and with plenty of power to finish his mission. So, moral is - never despair, kiddies.

[mellojoe]

When I finally figured out how to spot the area the Space Center is from space ... so that my landings can now be somewhat reasonably close to home.

[Spyritdragon]

When i figured out equatorial orbits aren't good for Kethane scanning.

And i'm not joking .

[The Jedi Master]

When I realized that it's more effective to build rockets that are wide than ones that are tall.

[WillHop]

Realising that burning directly up and ONLY directly up is NOT how you land a lander. So many failed Mun missions..

[LameLefty]

When docking "clicked" and became routine.

(So routine now that occasionally I blow an easy approach by not paying close enough attention, or trying one after a third beer . . . )

[magnemoe]

Well planning an perfect slingshot around Val to give me an Laythe intercept then arriving at Jool just to realize that an Pe marker at the body you do slingshot around helps.

[Pugspaceprogram]

Entering a moons SOI does NOT mean that you immediately fly into orbit

[rottielover]

Oh there are so many for me. Lets see...

Docking ports- I had no idea you could dock to more than one port at a time. It was only after watching a couple YouTube videos that I was like "oh, cool!!!"

In the same vein as above, had no idea that you have to do this "trick" if your building a vehicle that has docking ports on a bi or tri coupler. Apparently the game only recognizes 1 attachment point when physics kicks in. So you have to follow this procedure to join up the one docking port then rotate things around to put into place. Then when physics kicks in on the pad the rest of the ports will dock (there is a YouTube video that explains this much better than I can here).

Another moment for me was finally learning all the keyboard commands when your in VAB, like using shift + wasd to move parts to just the proper angle you wanted.

Repairing broken rover wheels with kerbals, had no idea until I saw someone do it in a live stream.

One more and ill stop. That you can use multiple smaller engines and get better performance than slapping on a single bigger engine. (That info is on the forums and I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to find it.)

[rottielover]

Couldn't resist adding another ah-hah moment:

When I put a docking port onto a KAS stack coupler and used a KAS winch to dock to a docking port (it works!).

Now I include a Jr docking port on everything just in case I need to rescue it in the future. Using the stock docking port I think allows the flexibility to either use KAS mod to do these rescues or just build a rescue craft specific for the purpose.

I've since used a KAS "crane" to place some probes that had fallen over back upright.

[Dkmdlb]

Two moments - when I first discovered the Chase view for docking, and second - last night I wanted to add a docking module to my Jool mothership. As I was approaching the rendezvous I realized that it would fit better if I turned it backward and docked it from the other end - the end which was currently docked to my tug - because that would put the manned area farther away from the nuclear engines. So I was about to revert back to the VAB and I realized that I could undock the tug, re-dock from the other side of the module, and then dock what was originally the tug-end of the module into the ship.

*Pats self on back*

[Skorpychan]

When I finally figured out maneuver nodes.

With my current ship, I figured out why it was so wobbly. I forgot to strut the top of the craft entirely, after changing tanks. I can't revert, and I'm committed to a Duna landing. Ohcrap.

[Cartz]

When I realized that keeping your KAS mounted docking port in connector mode: 'undocked' results in your lifter arm actually staying intact after undocking your cargo from the mothership. This made so many dreams a reality.

[Loerelau]

Had the same with this one.... Also with making weird (out of balance things) land. Always a challenge, would not work in real life, but it does in Kerbal!

[zekes]

When i figured out how to auto fire Liquid fuel missiles. that was great.

So i could do this:

Edited August 19, 2013 by zekes

[KSK]

I think most of my 'Ah-ha!' moments have revolved (pun intended ) around the Navball. Learning to use that thing properly made rendezvous (now rendezvous and docking after some practice) and Munar (or other powered landings) sooo much easier.

Trust in thy instruments. Especially if you're like me, get a bit hazy about this fully 3D environment thingy and have trouble sticking modules together by eye.

[JMap1]

That awkward moment of realisation, when i've noticed distinct lack of any kind of power source on brand new munar lander? My first reaction was to scrub the mission and start anew...but then i started thinking. Solution was simple (and kinda brilliant, i might add ) - a dedicated power module consisting of two docking ports, structural part, four solar panels and an RTG. Everything strapped to a automatic ship and sent hastily for a rendez-vous in LMO. Before my lander runs out of power in its single, small battery - plunging hapless crew into cold darkness It worked perfectly, i'm proud to say - lander became a bit top heavy, but still fully operational and with plenty of power to finish his mission. So, moral is - never despair, kiddies.

I may have to steal this idea. Too many of my ships have gone up without extra power. In fact, I may include a bank of these for my space station!

And Jedi Master, I know wide rockets are better but I haven't been able to make the without the whole thing falling apart. Makes for some nice fireworks as I hastily try to deploy my parachuts.

[aceassasin]

Realizing that when my lander is about to smash into the surface if i only thrust up i could have bought myself more time to slow down.

[Hunter12396]

fine docking controls and fine tuning with shift

[JMap1]

No caps lock?

One more "a ha"... quick save and quick load. Saved many lives and many crafts.

Edited August 19, 2013 by JMap1

[nhnifong]

When I realized, (before the 0.21 SAS fix) that the way to solve wobble was to control from a part which experiences as little delayed response as possible from the part's that control the attitude

Also, when I realized that 90% of KSP players actually have no idea how to play the game. :|

Edited August 19, 2013 by nhnifong

[nhnifong]

Couldn't resist adding another ah-hah moment:

When I put a docking port onto a KAS stack coupler and used a KAS winch to dock to a docking port (it works!).

Now I include a Jr docking port on everything just in case I need to rescue it in the future. Using the stock docking port I think allows the flexibility to either use KAS mod to do these rescues or just build a rescue craft specific for the purpose.

I've since used a KAS "crane" to place some probes that had fallen over back upright.

What does this accomplish that not more easily done with standard KAS plugs and magnets?

[Whackjob]

My most recent "Ah, ha!" moment was discovering that it's more effective to brace very large rocket systems with outside trussing and struts than by weaving in the components along the inside via struts only.

[Kerbart]

That frantically tapping ">" on the keyboard when in order to line up your spacecraft for an orbit adjustment (where "D" would have done the trick) is not the best thing to do.

On a side note, building a rocket from a bundle of tanks small tanks (supporting each other) instead of a high stack (wobbly wobbly) was an "aha" moment for me.