KSP "A HA!" moments

[leax256]

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

not 100% true

[SpaceHole]

I was having a hard time to get my rockets in the orbit - so i watched a youtube-video some days later and was wondering why it looked so easy - finally found out about SAS and how to activate it 4 days after buying the game ...

[rryy]

When I realized placing a maneuver node behind the current position of a craft, and then placing another maneuver node behind that one, and so on, allowed me to see multiple orbits into the future, which meant I can also see the closest encounters and such multiple orbits ahead.

When I found that switching quickly between two craft you are docking and matching the navballs on each of them is really helpful in getting a "perfect" dock.

[nhnifong]

I just figured out how to place maneuver nodes on the far ends of a hyperbolic orbit. As you may know, If you're looking down, purpendicular to the plane of the elliptic, for some reason it's really hard to select maneuver node locations.

But of you focus the planet, and look down the orbit, towards your craft, just like you're sighting down the barrel of a gun, you can place maneuver nodes almost anywhere along the trajectory!

[annallia]

Does parking my rover over night so I can wait until day break to get out and fix the wheel which I cant see because I forgot the lights on the rover, then the first thing I do when I get out of the pod is hit L count as a "Ah-Hah" moment?

Or is that a "I would facepalm myself but I am afraid I will break my nose with how hard I have to do it" type moment?

[Loerelau]

Like this thread! I Have another one. To keep your probe pointing towards the sun, target Moho... For one (unknown) reason are my solar panels always pointing in the least effecient way!

[rottielover]

Thought about another one some newer players may not be aware of.

When i was new, I had been having all kinds of issues getting docking ports centered on certain parts. They would move all over the place. Then I moved the camera to look horizontally and drug the docking port vertically to the green attachment ball and Voilia! It snapped into place perfectly.

Also works with other parts besides docking nodes.

[esinohio]

.. cough .. I didn't know you could drag maneuver nodes until very recently... I've just be redoing them over and over till I got them right. Talk about a Ah-Ha moment combined with a face palm that left a mark.

[annallia]

.. cough .. I didn't know you could drag maneuver nodes until very recently... I've just be redoing them over and over till I got them right. Talk about a Ah-Ha moment combined with a face palm that left a mark.

You know... I knew you could do this (thanks to tutorials) but I completely forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder.

[katateochi]

snip*look horizontally and drug the docking port *snip

This is sometimes the only way!

I'm sorry, it's prob cos it's been a long day at work, but that's the best typo yet! thank you for that mental image!

I recently had a smaller ah ha moment, also involving docking ports. I realised that a Kerbal on EVA can undock docking ports! Very useful when dealing with in space cargo transfers.

Edited August 22, 2013 by katateochi

[nhnifong]

I'm going to turn this into a rapid-fire instructional KSP video: 100 things you didn't know about KSP in five minutes or something like that

[rottielover]

This is sometimes the only way!

I'm sorry, it's prob cos it's been a long day at work, but that's the best typo yet! thank you for that mental image!

I recently had a smaller ah ha moment, also involving docking ports. I realised that a Kerbal on EVA can undock docking ports!? Very useful when dealing with in space cargo transfers.

Glad you got a laugh, but its not a typo. http://i.word.com/idictionary/drag

I drug the icon last week, I'm dragging the mouse pointer over to the submit button . Cheers

[rottielover]

I'm going to turn this into a rapid-fire instructional KSP video: 100 things you didn't know about KSP in five minutes or something like that

PLEASE DO!! I'm sure there are a lot more things I don't know!!!

[Geschosskopf]

Most recently, reading this thread and learning of several very helpful interface features I didn't know existed

Others:

Discovering that Seprotrons existed

Discovering that the Radial Attachment Point part existed

Discovering that it's terrifyingly easy to achieve Minmus escape velocity with RCS and even jet packs

Discovering that a fallen Kerbal standing back up on his feet can lift literally any amount of weight, usually with disastrous results

[Apollo13]

I recently had a smaller ah ha moment, also involving docking ports. I realised that a Kerbal on EVA can undock docking ports!?

I don't understand this comment. You don't need a Kerbal present to undock. Simply right-click on the docking port and select "Undock". Or, am I missing something?

[annallia]

I don't understand this comment. You don't need a Kerbal present to undock. Simply right-click on the docking port and select "Undock". Or, am I missing something?

I think you are missing the part where he did it from outside the ship.

Doesn't really have to be useful to be an ah-ha moment.

[nhnifong]

A fallen Kerbal standing back up on his feet can lift literally any amount of weight, usually with disastrous results

That's their primary defense mechanism. When threated by larger creatures, they head butt their foe!

[katateochi]

I don't understand this comment. You don't need a Kerbal present to undock. Simply right-click on the docking port and select "Undock". Or, am I missing something?

I think you are missing the part where he did it from outside the ship.

Doesn't really have to be useful to be an ah-ha moment.

yeah as annallia said, its being able to undock while not being in the ship. Admittedly not massively useful, but when you have several craft close by and are using an kerbal on EVA to move cargo about it's a nicer option than having to cycle through all the craft with []. I found this out while loading cargo into an orbiting craft; the craft is met by several smaller craft carrying cargo and a kerbal sitting in a command chair on what is basically a large RCS backpack with a KAS winch shunts the cargo into place. I was interacting with about 5 craft/cargo modules but I never had to take focus off the kerbal who was doing all the work. From a roleplaying POV it didn't break the flow of what I was doing and seemed more like it was just one little kerbal working away.

But I can't think of too many other useful applications for this ah ha thou!

edit -

Discovering that a fallen Kerbal standing back up on his feet can lift literally any amount of weight, usually with disastrous results

That's their primary defense mechanism. When threated by larger creatures, they head butt their foe!

I've had a punch up between two kerbals cos of this -

.

And once way back in 0.16 (I think) I had the first ever case of kerbicide when a fallen kerbal jumped up and stomped on another fallen kerbal by him, killed him in an instant! I was horrified!

edit II -

Yes nhnifong do make a vid based on this thread, that would be cool. A crash course (if you will) in the lesser known aspects of KSP.

Edited August 22, 2013 by katateochi

[Geschosskopf]

That's their primary defense mechanism. When threated by larger creatures, they head butt their foe!

I dunno. Besides the Kerbals themselves, and the tufts of grass, cacti, and trees on Kerbin, there is only 1 other known lifeform in all of KSP: the Kraken! And it eats Kerbals no problem, attacking invisibly without ever given them a chance to head-butt it. So I'm pretty sure the Kerbals must have evolved their massively strong quads and backs just to carry their huge heads and helmets around

[nhnifong]

I've got a draft of the script written for the rapid fire tip video! Just tweaking my jokes trying to collect more tips (currently have 24 because I had to remove duplicates and some that didn't really fit) I'm going to cover all the uncommon controls as well and have a quick piece of video for each

If anyone has more tips or even just some funny facts about KSP, feel free to leave a post

I dunno. Besides the Kerbals themselves, and the tufts of grass, cacti, and trees on Kerbin, there is only 1 other known lifeform in all of KSP: the Kraken! And it eats Kerbals no problem, attacking invisibly without ever given them a chance to head-butt it. So I'm pretty sure the Kerbals must have evolved their massively strong quads and backs just to carry their huge heads and helmets around

The Kraken, slain by the mythical god Harv back in the year 17... Ne'er a kerbal hasn't wished to head butt it while it was still alive!

[RazorWolf19]

When I first started doing Duna missions regularly, I had the problem of building all my ships with tons of fuel or otherwise docking capability. Then I realized that I don't necessarily need to make these ships interplanetary-capable, but instead give them docking ports which attach to a universal tug. This universal tug (Named: "Interplanetary Drive" in my game) is simply a large probe on an orange tank and four nuclear engines; giving me tons of Delta-V and a nice fuel reserve after missions. I have never run out of fuel doing interplanetary travel; it feels great.

Thanks For Reading,

Happy Flying!

[nhnifong]

Hey guys, I've got the new tip video up

thank's all for the suggestions!

[SunJumper]

While TAB cycles through planets, Shift+TAB cycles in the opposite direction.

[allmappedout]

While TAB cycles through planets, Shift+TAB cycles in the opposite direction.

I just wish Shift wasn't both THRUST and switch. It has caused me some major issues on interplanetary burns!

[jderica]

Hey guys, I've got the new tip video up

thank's all for the suggestions!

Now I feel like someone has been waving his flashlight at the entrance to my cave. "Come out, Come out now... there's a good boy. There's no need to sleep on rocks."