Ten Commandments for KSP beginners

[Franklin]

"You don't need all those damn solar panels."

"You don't need all those damn batteries."

"You don't need all that damn RCS fuel."

Modularization, modularization, modularization. When **** hits the fan, or you need just a whiff more dV, you'll wish you had connected everything with docking ports instead of that now broken or stranded uni-body thing.

"If things are going great, you forgot something."

[WafflesToo]

#1) Struts are mysterious buggy things capable of warping the very fabric of reality inducing bizarre and unwanted forces into your rockets. Use sparingly.

#2) Learn how to read a delta-v map

#3) Learn what delta-v even means.

#4) The Tsiolkovsky rocket equasion

#5) More does not always mean more.

#6) Patience is a virtue

#7) Ion drives require a lot of patience.

#8) RCS is heavy. Bring it only if you need it.

#9) so are RTGs

#10) check your staging

#11) Gigantors are also very heavy.

#12) be wary of any advice containing the words 'always', 'never', or 'Hello, I'm Scott Manley'

[Alistone]

Learn terminal velocity for optimal launching.

Always remember some power generation and some downward facing lights for landing on dark surfaces.

If it goes too slow; add more rockets.

If it goes too fast; add more fuel.

Use at least a couple drogue chutes for landing on Duna.

Action groups help; especially for sets of engines and science equipment.

Do ejection burns from low altitude; do inclination adjustments from high altitude.

[Biker Joe]

Struts are your friend!

Scott Manley's vids are a good place to look for advice/ideas! (esp when starting out)

K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid)

Less is more

Don't trust MechJeb to do everything

The use of parachutes cannot be underestimated!

winglets when taking off are great for SAS control (RV-8)

Don't bother using RCS until out get into orbit

Remember to always use the ground anchor thingys!

HAVE FUN!

Qucksave, quicksave quicksave (F5 is you friend!)

[MockKnizzle]

I don't have a full 10, but it's very important to note that cutting payload mass in half will get you much farther than adding twice as many boosters.

[Camacha]

There's actually quite some good stuff in here.

[Decent Weasel]

Design a mission, not a ship.

When I was first playing the game, I wasn't sure where I wanted to go, so I tried to design a jack-of-all-trades ships that checked all the boxes. The results were almost always bloated, inefficient, awkward, and lacking in the one most important area: dV. (One such project was so time-consuming bloated, inefficient, feeble, and hobbled that it gave me new appreciation for how real engineering programs go off the rails.)

Decide where you want to go and what you want to do when you get there. Build your mission around that, and if you do it well, you might wind up with a ship you can generalize to other tasks as well.

[dragoncannon]

1. Thou shalt honor the overlords, Harvester and the rest of the dev team, and pay for the game. Seriously.

2. Thou shalt never send a lone kerbal on a one way mission.

3. Explosions are to be expected at first.

4. The likelihood of Rapid-Unplanned-Disassembly of thy space station is directly proportional to the amount of work put in since last quicksave.

5. Thou shalt NEVER, ever, tempt the space Kraken.

6. Thou shalt add more struts. Thy spacecraft shall thank you, although the computer may not.

7. Thou shalt not kill.

8. Commandment 7 seems unreasonable. Thou shalt try to keep body counts lower than those in Call of Duty.

9. At minimum, thou shalt not kill Jeb.

10. Concerning 9, it is not really possible anyways. He gets re-incarnated when he dies.

[EasyPlayer]

pay for the game. Seriously.

I did don't worry.

Thou shalt never send a lone kerbal on a one way mission.

Why?

Thanks for help. Now I think I will build something better. How to make post [Answered]? xd

[Superfluous J]

2. Thou shalt never send a lone kerbal on a one way mission.

Why?

Because it's mean.

How to make post [Answered]? xd

Edit the original post and it's an option on that screen. Though this is more of a really good discussion than it is a question that needed answered

[Taki117]

Because it's mean.

Edit the original post and it's an option on that screen. Though this is more of a really good discussion than it is a question that needed answered

Going along with that this should be stickied.

[leopardenthusiast]

One tip: Never, ever, EVER assume that your flat, wide payload (anything shaped like an aircraft) that cannot have a single launch vehicle mounted directly below it will survive having one mounted on each side. They will pull it in half and slam into each other, destroying the payload and killing any kerbals on the payload. No amount of struts will help with this.

[EasyPlayer]

Agin thanks guys. I just made my first flight on Minmus. Successful landing!

[Javster]

Have abort systems and backup generators and don't go overkill on rocket size (I've seen very small Mun rockets)

[Ravenchant]

Dont over-engineer your missions at first. Do them with the smallest ship possible. Then do them again with the biggest ship possible, just because.

There's no shame in stuff exploding on the launchpad.

Redesign your craft to only need a few struts. Then add more anyway

Delta-v maps, Walter Hohmann and ksp.olex.biz are your friends.

Phys-warp when opening parachutes and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky aren't.

If you terminate manned missions, you are a bad person and deserve the wrath of the Kraken.

While on the subject of the Kraken, do not taunt it. Do not attempt to use it to your advantage. The blue option was wrong. It will find you, and it will cause you headaches.

Don't fear failure, rescue missions are a great way to hone your skills.

Oh, and spread awareness of the game around. The forums can always use more members

[SuperBigD60]

I'd say if you can master landing on the Mun or something, pick a hard goal like rendezvous and docking, and do whatever it takes and learn whatever you need to to get it done.

It'll be virtually impossible at first, but then entirely trivial once you've done it once or twice.

I'd say that once you've figured out setting up a rendezvous and then docking, nothing else should feel hard.

[Mr. Speed]

1. Check your staging. and action groups.

2. Lock your staging when necessary.(just like space, the space-bar is big)

3. It's more important where your struts are placed than how many struts you place.

4. Same goes for parachutes.

5. The fastest point from A to B is not always a straight line.

6. Cats will get jealous of your badass astronaut skills and will try to sabotage your mission.

7. Overheating and structural failure can happen in map view too.

8. quicksave is your friend.

9. Test test test.

10. the internet is your co-pilot.

11. Have fun!

[Rusty6899]

I see a few people on this site lambasting the Tsiolkovsky Rocket Equation, including in this thread. I made a spreadsheet based on it to design my rockets (to be used in conjunction with common sense and an appreciation of TWR when taking off) and I have never had any problem with meeting the Delta-V requirements of any stage of a rocket. Normally I account for an extra 10-20% extra Delta-V in each stage to make sure I don't run out of fuel and I never do.

My first manned return mission to Duna, which used a rocket that I designed through trial and error, had 700+ parts, weighed roughly 1.5 kilotons and needed to be refuelled twice. I used the TRE and managed to do it with a 210t rocket with 89 parts and I didn't need to refuel it at all. What's everyone's problem with Tsiolkovsky?

[SSSPutnik]

As a new player, mine are, in no particular order:

1) Check your staging before slapping that space bar. (And preferably before clicking Launch).

2) If your rocket tries to ostrich it's head into the ground immediately after launch, that clever upside down design you did, you forgot to turn control point right side up. (This may only be when using MechJeb).

3) Moving a high part count space station with a mass of over 300t, even using 13 of em, using ion engines, any reasonable distance, is for those with the patience of a rock.

4) Don't use MechJeb all the time, I find I use it less and less as I learn, its more rewarding and, usually, a lot quicker. Great for learning though and automating simple tasks.

5) Simple is better, your design will usually work a lot better and go further, with a small part count, although designing monstrosities is also fun.

6) Remember you don't HAVE to launch into space. A lot of designs can be tested a long way whilst sitting on the pad out the back of the VAB, its a lot quicker than getting to the Mun then realizing your lander is flawed.

7) Leaving kerbals in orbit, floating, alone or crashed on some desolate hell planet is strangely depressing. Rescue them! It not only feels good but you learn a lot too.

8) Space station fuel dumps should be kept clean and simple no matter how glorious it may look, (see rule 5). You can have a showcase station, but for one you use for real, lower parts etc makes life easier.

9) Launching stuff in bits then assembling is rewarding and easier than trying to throw the whole kitchen sink into orbit. (You can even make stuff modular! Need a lander on that ship? Plug n play in orbit!).

10) Stick power, control, docking and RCS on stuff when you can or think it might come in handy. Great for cleaning up or recovering left over fuel.

11) Remember stuff requires power and that space can be really like, dark.

Edited November 27, 2013 by SSSPutnik
spelling/format

[Ghost13]

1. The most expensive thing in KSP is your own time. So always consider how long your burns will last or you may get very fuel efficient ships that require a few hours for Kerbin escape and interplanetary burns, makes your gaming experience boring as hell.

2. All effort for this long journey will be useless if you had some critical failure in your craft design that will prevent achieving your mission goal such as landing, return to orbit or return to Kerbin. So test your designs on Kerbin and Kerbin orbit (Some use hyperedit for "simulation" in real environment but some consider it cheating).

3. Check your ship dv amounts and then look for dv requirements for the celestial body of your choice or use mod Kerbal Engeneering.

4. Delta v is not everything 15000 dv would mean nothing if your ship have trust

5. Be careful with power supply on your ship especially if it’s probe. RTG is your friends when extra weight is not so important (i.e. not a lander), also RTG’s are also doesn’t break on re-entry and always on. RTG produce steady power supply usually if you have RTG you doesn’t need batteries.

6. Plan your mission carefully don't overkill the dv requirement you don't need Lander capable to reach Kerin orbit for Mun or Minmus missions.

7. Learn how to do orbit rendezvous and dock. With this skill you can get anywhere in Kerbal system, without it things will get pretty complicated as soon as you finish exploration of nearest bodies and would like to try something farther.

8. Remember extra weight (such as scientific payloads, ladders, RTG, parachutes e.tc.) can be jettisoned before ascend when all the science is done.

9. Parachutes can be repacked by kerbounauts, therefore you can use lander capsule not only for landing on Duna or Lathe but also for Kerbin re-entry with the same parachutes. By many reasons this trick will not work on Eve.

10. Use quicksave frequently.

9. Remember if you get your kerbal stranded somewhere without fuel or due to the ship system damage, there is always possibility of rescue of mission with 2 exemptions: Interior of Jool and Kerbol (sun) orbit, there is also no way to rescue the ship on Kerbol escape orbit. By obvious reasons there is no escape from Jool and because of the game mechanic Kerbol orbit rendezvous is VERY difficult (is just like as rendezvous with a tiny planet with no gravity or SOI) so as long as your ship on the orbit of any body or on the surface of any body usually you can save your mission.

9. There is no need to wait for launch windows or do phase angle, although far less efficient and time consuming any planet can be reached anytime.

10. Keep the Eve landing\return mission for the last goal of the game, it is so tedious and difficult that you ether get tired of the game while trying or finish it successfully and everything else (Maybe exempt Tylo mission) would feel to easy compared with the Eve return project.

[Garek]

RTG produce steady power supply usually if you have RTG you doesn’t need batteries.

Be careful with this. As far as I know, KSP doesn't calculate an absolute consumption/generation from all the parts and applies that to the batteries, but insteas one part after the other does it's consumption/generation, so even if you always generate as much power as you consume, you should still have enaugh storage for one step of power consumption. I could be wrong about this, but there were some problems related to this mentioned in the Near Future Propulsion thread, so at least test!

[phuzz]

That said, pretty much every control part (probe bodies or capsules) has at least a small amount of battery built in. A small probe should be able to get away with no extra batteries, and a few small solar panels or an RTG.

[radonek]

1. Always have a bit of spare delta-v for rainy days.

2. Do not bring out of well anything you don't need and won't use.

3. Have a backup plan. Sturdy bottom if landing legs fail, fixed solar panel or radioisotope battery in case you forget deploy solars, moar struts because structural joints are never strong enough, enough spare rcs power to deorbit in case main engine failure… you never know.

4. Do not over-engineer, K.I.S.S.

5. Ten seconds of practice is worth an hour of study. Especially if explosions are involved.

6. You don't have time in whole life to trial and error what can be learnt in an hour.

7. Quicksave is your copilot. Turn to him with every important maneuver.

8. No copilot can save you when you are in the death spiral already. Failures of truly cosmic proportions take their time. And the best ones are born on drawing board.

9. Advanced techniques like asparagus, docking or slingshooting will take you way farther then brute force approach.

10. Any solution to problem involving frying your brains or CPU is not the best. If you cant execute it, it wont work.

and as a bonus:

11. Complicated maneuver on LKO is easier then simple maneuver elsewhere.

12. If you are in it for the explosions, you are playing wrong game. You will not be dissapointed anyway.

[Fr8monkey]

1.Have fun: KSP is a game. If repeated crashing stresses you out... Take a break.

2.F5: Quicksave is your bestest friend.

3.Power up: Batteries and Solar Panels. Nothing worse than running out of power during landing... Well, not much.

4.10 and 2: Gravity roll at 10,000 M or 200 mps... whatever comes last.

5.Parachutes: Don't need 'em on the Mun; but you may need them on Kerbin.

6.Check your staging: This will prvent many headaches during launch.

7.Strut your stuff: Doesn't hurt to slap a few struts to prevent unplanned dis-assembly... Just don't over do it.

8.Design your mission before your ship: Going to the Mun..? Don't use Ion engines.

9.K.I.S.S: Keep it simple, stupid. Over building causes more points of failure.

10.Snacks... but in moderation.

[Horn Brain]

I don't want to make ten, but my most important rule for beginners is BUILD BACKWARDS!

First put together the thing you want to land back on Kerbin, then build a thing to get that back to Kerbin from the target, then build a thing to get that from LKO to the target, then build a thing to get that into orbit. Once you do this a few times, you'll get a much better feel for how important it is to save weight on the later stages.