How to have more than one KSP folder with steam?

[tetryds]

Hello, I usually don't play with mods, but sometimes they are required for specific things.

I would like to know how to have more than one KSP folder so i can mess up with one's saves, config files and mods but keep the main one untouched.

I tried copying it to the desktop but didn't seem to work, got a black screen when tried to open the game.

[Javster]

Copy it, and launch the game from inside the folder. Steam won't work, but KSP will.

[SRV Ron]

Copy the KSP folder to another location, not the desktop. You can even copy it to your data file or another drive. Just run the exe file or create a shortcut to run from there.

"Copy it, and launch the game from inside the folder. Steam won't work, but KSP will. "

Creating a shortcut to the Steam folder version only runs the Steam copy without Steam. If you want to experiment with mods, you should do that to a copy of KSP in case something corrupts the game.

Edited January 26, 2014 by SRV Ron

[tetryds]

Yeah, I guess its the desktop that was causing issues.

Even with the steam version i run it from the ksp executable on the folder.

I will try it and if it works i will tag this as answered.

[Mr.Rocket]

Not to bump this or anything, but did this work tetryds? I also want to have multiple installs with different mods, but still can't figure out how to do this. When i copied the steam folder of KSP to a new folder, it completely moved it out of Steam. Luckily, i moved it back to Steam. While it was in the folder, it still had the orginal mods. How do i copy KSP to a new folder from Steam so that i can install other mods, without effecting the first copy?

[kBob]

From windows explorer (or the equivalent in Mac or Linux) you should just be able to right click on the Kerbal Space Program icon and choose copy, then go to a different location, not inside the steam folder, right click and choose paste. Then in this new location right click on KSP (application) and choose new short cut, name it KSP Mod or something. If you still have trouble let me know and I'll give you a step by step.

Edit: I just did this works fine, I now have two instances KSP running at the same time. Don't forget to drag the shortcut to your desktop.

Edited February 2, 2014 by kBob

[Mr.Rocket]

Yeah, um, i might need the step by step, but i'm not sure as i may be doing it correctly already. I have a folder on my desktop for games called "games" (yeah, very creative). So i opened up what it called "file explorer on my laptop, it's windows. Then i found steam, steamapps, common, and in there was KSP. Is that what i copy to the games folder? I tried, and it started downloading/ transferring, but i cancelled that because i wanted to make sure i was doing it right. If that was correct, from the games folder, can i delete all of the mods and saves without effecting the Steam version? I don't want to start over, even though i do this every version anyways, i just want to have different installs for different types of mods. Thanks in advance!

[kBob]

Yes that's the program the folder is "Kerbal Space Program" just right click on and choose copy, in Windows if you drag it you may get a copy or it may try and move it depending on circumstances while right clicking and choosing copy and then right clicking and choosing paste (in the "games" folder in your case, just not directly on your desktop that's why we create the shortcut) in the place where you want it always works. Try it if you still have problems I'll give you a step by step with pics (do this all the time for my 80 year old parents ).

[Mr.Rocket]

Is the transfer supposed to take a long time? Also, is it okay if i delete the mods in the folder, in other words would the mods i delete in the games folder still be there on the steam copy?

[Mr.Rocket]

Got it! thanks so much KBob I was worried i was doing some thing wrong when the download took a long time, but i think it worked. I tested if it worked by moving a mod from one section to another, and it didn't effect the steam copy at all, so i guess it worked! Thanks a bunch!

[kBob]

Glad it worked, and it got me to install the second copy so I too can start playing with mods...though I probably don't need too I just figured out I have to rotate my ladder to get it to stick to the Mk1 stack tricoupler. And now I'm trying to figure out why alt-left clicking isn't duplicating my part...mods might just confuse me, but I'd like to know the ∆V for my ships and I haven't seen my calculator for ages .