What are the most important things you've learned about playing KSP to pass on?

[GrouchyDevotee]

Most useful tip I've encountered so far is this...

Don't get into a flame war on the forums.

If you ask a question and don't like the answers you get, it might be helpful to the people trying to help you if you rephrase your question.

There are many MODs, PC and consoles have some different issues.

Sometimes the problem is simple misunderstanding.

Go fly.

[StrandedonEarth]

I'm surprised I haven't posted here yet...

 

Edited March 10, 2018 by StrandedonEarth

[Gargamel]

When building in the VAB, and you have multiples of a part to attach to a staged part, use Alt-click.

Example:

If you are attaching multiple parachutes to say a booster stage, and are not using symmetry (you want them vertically aligned for instance), each time you attach a chute, it will add the part to the staging node usually at the bottom of the list.   Fix the staging for the first part you add, and then alt-Click that part to reproduce it.  Then place it where you want.  The staging will be placed where the first one is. 

Helps prevent staging errors. 

[The Flying Kerbal]

When using the offset tool in the VAB, sometimes the arrows align at an awkward angle depending on what angle the part you wish to offset is sitting at.  Press the 'F' key on your keyboard and they will change to the correct angle to make it much easier to move the part properly.

Just found that one out after about a year and a half of playing KSP... 

[The Flying Kerbal]

Here's a little technique which I haven't seen before and I started using a couple of months ago.  It'll get me applauded by some, slated by others, and now it's a little dated with the newly redesigned stack decouplers and separators in KSP 1.4.  However as some people are still playing earlier versions, someone might like it and find it useful.

Let's face it, before 1.4, our stack decouplers and separators weren't exactly built for looks, so I came up with a way which - to me - makes the rocket much cleaner and elegant.

This is typical of a 1.25 decoupler attached to a Terrier engine.

However, if you disable the shroud in the right click menu of the engine, and then downsize to the next smallest decoupler...

...by then using the offset tool you can slide the first tank of the next stage up to close the gap...

...like this! 

This is the little rocket I cobbled together for this post.  You can see I used the same technique to attach the command pod.  Before launch the fins were removed, but that isn't important.

The empty second stage being jettisoned.  In this launch the engine staging was set to ignite the Terrier after separation.

A second launch was carried out with the staging set to light the Terrier at the same time as the spent stage is dropped, showing it works both ways.

As I said it's something I started using a couple of months ago, it is a little dated now with 1.4, but hopefully it will be of some use to someone.

[TheFlyingKerman]

A well designed rocket flies itself into space, there is little point trying to 'pilot' it. Reasons:

1) A good gravity turn is when one flies prograde all the time.

2) The drag of cylindrical parts like fuel tanks increases drastically when the rocket is not flying prograde, like doubling when it is 0.5 degrees off.

3) Movable fins are expensive, and draggy.

So just lift off, do a small turn, then turn off SAS (or use SAS prograde) and let aerodynamics steer for you!

[kittenshark134]

Rovers, especially when used on low gravity planets, can flip easily. To prevent this from destroying you rover, build a roll cage out of landing gear. This can be stowed away when not airborne and will save your rover.

[TheFlyingKerman]

On 2018/4/11 at 9:17 AM, kittenshark134 said:

Rovers, especially when used on low gravity planets, can flip easily. To prevent this from destroying you rover, build a roll cage out of landing gear. This can be stowed away when not airborne and will save your rover.

Or use a reaction wheel.

[Spraki]

TIL that I was not using aircraft  gear steering correctly. I always thought YAW/ROLL would change heading while dashing over the runway...

But due to having remapped the ROVER controls to the Numpad, I never came to idea of fiddling with these keys. :DOH:

So basically, you can taxi your aircraft, correct your path if you have the good ol' "I'M VEERING OFF THE RUNWAY!" moments by using the ROVER controls instead of YAW.

 

Been playing so long, but didn't know this worked over rover keys. 

Fair warning though, do not press and hold rover steering key, or else you will tokyo drift and you'll be doing a barrel roll. Do short taps.

Edited April 12, 2018 by Spraki

[CrashyMcCrashFace]

I've only been playing for a few months but learned you can't just go taller forever. Also going bigger and bigger and bigger is very quickly diminishing gains.

I know many veterans hate career mode but for a new person I think it's a good idea to play it. Also turn off extra ground stations. It forces you to learn the game and parts instead of trying to go directly to the endgame and missing stuff. Then when you play sandbox you really understand and appreciate what you need to do to accomplish tasks better.

Edited April 17, 2018 by CrashyMcCrashFace
Spelling

[XtraChrisP]

On ‎3‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 8:27 PM, The Flying Kerbal said:

Here's a little technique which I haven't seen before and I started using a couple of months ago.  It'll get me applauded by some, slated by others, and now it's a little dated with the newly redesigned stack decouplers and separators in KSP 1.4.  However as some people are still playing earlier versions, someone might like it and find it useful.

Let's face it, before 1.4, our stack decouplers and separators weren't exactly built for looks, so I came up with a way which - to me - makes the rocket much cleaner and elegant.

This is typical of a 1.25 decoupler attached to a Terrier engine.

However, if you disable the shroud in the right click menu of the engine, and then downsize to the next smallest decoupler...

...by then using the offset tool you can slide the first tank of the next stage up to close the gap...

...like this! 

This is the little rocket I cobbled together for this post.  You can see I used the same technique to attach the command pod.  Before launch the fins were removed, but that isn't important.

The empty second stage being jettisoned.  In this launch the engine staging was set to ignite the Terrier after separation.

A second launch was carried out with the staging set to light the Terrier at the same time as the spent stage is dropped, showing it works both ways.

As I said it's something I started using a couple of months ago, it is a little dated now with 1.4, but hopefully it will be of some use to someone.

Maybe a little nit-picky here because as you mentioned,  this only applies to pre-1.4, but I'm pretty sure you're going to get some ungodly drag due to the 1.25 - 2.5 discontinuity.  Even though you clipped the lower stage up to the higher stage, I'm pretty sure the physics engine sees a flat 2.5m surface below the terrier when it calculates drag.

[HTaylor114]

I would add that calculating your delta-v is very important - dV = g0*Isp*ln(full mass/dry mass) = simple calculation you can run on each stage, and can save you enormous amounts of funds and/or time.

Also, Oberth effect is your friend burn at the opposite apsis to the one you want to change

[MightyRockets]

On 2/1/2014 at 7:30 AM, Red Iron Crown said:

6. Have fun and don't worry about other people. Use mods and cheats if they are fun for you. Whatever goals you set for your space program only have to satisfy you.

Thank you very much! As a new person to K.S.P. That is sure a game changer. Especially when you talk about MechJeb, you feel a sorta guilt. Thanks so much my dude.

[Ho Lam Kerman]

1. Docking is easy. Did my first one in a few minutes. (That might be attributed to practicing with advanced grabbing units on asteroids first.)

2. When in doubt, tutorial. You get all you would ever need to know in one-stop shop.

3. Learn the Navball. Use SAS if in doubt.

4. When roving, rove slow. 3x timewarp never hurts. 10m/s is pretty stable. Even the worst stock rovers won't flip.

5. Mechjeb isn't cheating at times. I mean, trying to fly a plane to the opposite side of Kerbin is tedious. Set SmartASS to Pitch = 10 Yaw = 90 Roll = 0 and you can do something productive while you wait.

6. Know your orbital mechanics. It's not "aim for the Mun and fire 'till you get there". No, it doesn't work like that. Remember at all times that orbital mechanics is counterintuitive. It's not your average ballpark.

7. Sometimes, you need to mod-f5 instead of f5. I've had my landers get destroyed, with no turning back, because I started my braking burn too late and I could only "revert to last quicksave".

8. Have fun.

[Virdin]

Even though I posted here once, It won't stop me! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA- *coughs* Gee, this cold is killing me. Anyway...

Virdin the Burden's List of Things You Should Probably Do In KSP Till the End of Time:

1. Learn the importance of the F5 and F9 keys.

I've seen time and time again that casual players, veterans, youtubers, anyone really, forgets the F5 and F9 key. They are there to assist you on your journey. It would be a shame to not use them. For those who've lived under a rock since 2012, the F5 key saves the exact moment in the game when you press it as a 'quicksave.' The F9 key then allows you to load that specific moment in game time if you, lets say, staged something wrong. You can go back in time, tweak the staging, and be on your merry way. So, REMEMBER IT Kiddos. It's like the Time Stone. Once you see it, you never forget it. (or Thanos goes back in time and prevents you from seeing it)

2. Don't be afraid to use physics warp.

Some of you might say "Oh, that's dumb Virdin. We should NEVER use the Physics Warp! It breaks my mothership in half!" Firstly, have a brand new mothership Jimmy. Secondly, I'm taking the mothership back because of your comment, Jimmy. Physics Warp (Phys Warp) is an amazing tool when you get to know it. When piloting massive crafts, it's a big no-no, but when driving a rover, or a spacecraft that just deployed its parachutes, Physics Warp can save lots of time. I mean, who wants to wait 153.84 seconds waiting for your ship to land when going at 6.5m/s a thousand feet in the air? Nobody except a masochist that is. So, use Physics Warp. Simple as that. (You can activate phys warp by holding Alt and pushing keys 1-4)

3. When you feel bored, leave the game for an hour or so.

Unless you're pulling a marathon of 8 hours of pure explosions and crash landings in the ocean, take breaks. I often leave the game for 30 minutes to an hour. It's simply good for your brain. Focusing on a single subject wears you out, it makes you lose interest until you feel it again at some point. So, why fight it? Take a load off, grab a beer (or water, don't drink beer kiddos) and listen to Eurythmics's "Sweet Dreams Are Made of These" while on your balcony. 100% Virdin Enjoyment Guarantee.

4. But what if I hate Eurythmics?

You're a monster.

5. Challenge yourself.

I had a friend once, and to this day he can't do it, but he never learned how to correctly pull a Hohmann transfer. This drained him severely, to the point where he wouldn't play KSP. While you could mope about because your 15th rocket snapped in half before it reached the upper atmosphere doesn't mean you should. Just keep trying. Heck, when I first bought the game, I didn't even know what a Hohmann transfer window is, and only played scenarios because I wasn't going to even TRY building a rocket. But I did, and I got better and better and better, until I could reliably traverse the Kerbol System. Don't stop there though. Spice everything up with mods, or try career mode. Better yet, just try ridiculous challenges like getting to Eeloo in a 2.3 ton craft. (Yes, someone legitimately put a car-sized and weighted object on Eeloo) In the end, you'll feel glad that you did.

6. Always seek help.

While the 8th grade bully would say otherwise, asking for help IS a good thing. If you can't figure it out, and the chance that you will is near impossible, ask someone (or lots of people) if they DO know. If they don't keep trying by yourself until you don't roll snake eyes, or keep asking. You'll eventually get there. (The latter is more time-efficient) Even if that doesn't work, the 1.0 Update brought something AMAZING. Better tutorials. Go to those, and you'll probably find what you want.

7. Have fun.

While this may sound cliché, having fun is the only thing you can really do at the end of the day. If a game can make me play it for 750 hours and counting, it's done a good job of entertaining me. So, be blessed young ones. Fly free.

 

This has been "Virdin the Burden's List of Things You Should Probably Do In KSP Till the End of Time" by Virdin. Have a wonderful day.

Sponsored by Vault Tec: Your new home, underground!

[CobaltShock]

You don't need to go past the Kerbin system to have fun

I have played since May of 2013, and I have never landed a kerbal on Duna, and brought them back alive. I've landed kerbals on Duna before, and I know for sure that I could create a sandbox save and do it in an hour, but I don't. I just play my career saves & mess around in sandbox mode. It's all fun

 

[The Flying Kerbal]

20 hours ago, Steeeeve said:

You don't need to go past the Kerbin system to have fun

I have played since May of 2013, and I have never landed a kerbal on Duna, and brought them back alive. I've landed kerbals on Duna before, and I know for sure that I could create a sandbox save and do it in an hour, but I don't. I just play my career saves & mess around in sandbox mode. It's all fun

 

Very true!  With the exception of two tiny probes on Duna and one on Eve, I too have never strayed far from Kerbin and have enjoyed whizzing around it and its moons no end!

This is changing however, a few days ago (Kerbin time), President John F. Kerman made a speech at Tea University declaring that "We choose to go to Duna...".

[CobaltShock]

3 minutes ago, The Flying Kerbal said:

Very true!  With the exception of two tiny probes on Duna and one on Eve, I too have never strayed far from Kerbin and have enjoyed whizzing around it and its moons no end!

This is changing however, a few days ago (Kerbin time), President John F. Kerman made a speech at Tea University declaring that "We choose to go to Duna...".

I mean, I have sent probes and I have sent Kerbals to the surface of other worlds. Most notable being a manned landing on Gratian in my GPP save like a year ago. I didn't have the fuel requirements to make it back, so I snapped and decided to use infinite fuel for the final stage back home. Other than that though, no landings of kerbals in the stock game. Only probes. 

[Bakkerbaard]

Okay, so this won't make your game easier, necessarily, but it it will make it tenfold better: Make sure that at the moment you hit space to lift off, your playlist starts Europe's The Final Countdown.

This just happened to me and it was like riding a tiger made of fire and glory... I'm sure that's a good thing.

[chef_alex21]

anyone have good tips for console players

[Bakkerbaard]

On 6/8/2018 at 6:27 AM, chef_alex21 said:

anyone have good tips for console players

As a console player for literally everything else, I feel dirty and wrong for saying this, but: Switch to PC. 

While the Blitworks port is good, without the work this community puts into the game, you're basically just playing half a game and even if you'd go unmodded, this really is a PC game. However, given that ignorance is indeed bliss, if you don't put it next to the PC version, you can have a lot of fun with Console KSP, but I never got far or good enough to say anything helpfull.

Edited June 10, 2018 by Bakkerbaard
Changed a word. Hope you enjoy that.

[Vegvisir]

I found out yesterday, quite by accident, that you can move maneuver nodes with the mouse scroll wheel.  Good for a bit more precision, or to not have to mass-drag your mouse around.

[RealKerbal3x]

Always pack a little more fuel than you need. It’ll give you a decent safety margin that you can tap into if needed. It’s no good if you can get into a Munar suborbital trajectory but run out of fuel before you can circularise.

[Epicdreamer]

Here's my personal advise to new players. It's personal, so others might advice you different things.

 1.  Depending a bit on what you want to do within the Kerbal universe, BE PATIENT!! If you only like to see explosions, then start a new game, choose sandbox, get into the Vehicle Assembly Building or Space Plane Hangar, slap something (anything with a capsule, fuel and an engine) together, hit the launch button and randomly start pressing keys...voila, theres your explosion and you can stop reading here But if you want to get to places...orbit, the moons of Kerbin or beyond. If you want a well functioning rocket, spaceship, airplane, spaceplane etc then you're in for a ride! Don't expect to have succes in your first try. And don't expect to have succes on your second (third, fourth...etc) try as well. And don't panic, you will see explosions anyhow. Maybe a helmet comes in handy for the times you want to bang your head against the wall. KSP is in that sense a real trail and error (lots of error) game.
 I'm playing ksp quite a lot for a couple of years now and still manage to fail/crash/explode on a regular basis. "I was going to make it, but then that planet was in the way..." The biggest reward to me is when a mission goes according to plan without failure. And believe me, after failing manymany times a succes is a great reward and gives a real sense of achievement. 

 2. Be curious! This isn't a game for the light hearted in that sense. Prepare to do a bit of study, even when not playing KSP. A basic understanding of orbital mechanics and aerodynamics is crucial for succesfull missions. Understanding things like "Speed and position are allways relative to something else" or "When I accelerate prograde at periapsis, my apoapsis will rise" will help you understand what you actually see in KSP. Try to understand the terminology. If you like you can take this to university levels of knowledge, including formulae for calculating phase angles and the sorts. These real life formulae actually work in KSP as well. But understanding the basics is enough to have fun and understanding in the Kerbal universe. You'll actually learn a lot by just playing KSP! But if you are willing to expand your knowledge about flight and spaceflight it will help you a great deal in reaching those far away places.

 3. The Navball is your biggest friend. Try to understand and memorise what the symbols on the navball mean. Pointing your rocket to a visible moon or planet and burn for it just isn't going to work.

 4. Look away from the navball!! More than once I landed with Formula 1 speeds (=explosion) because I was intensly looking at my heading/the navball, ignoring my speed, altitude and....everything else basically. By the way, even to modern standards I think KSP has some very beautiful visuals here and there. Just look away from the navball once in a while.

 5. Use the forum. Don't hesitate to ask questions. There are no stupid questions. A lot of us have launched a rocket straight up, then wondered why it didn't go into orbit and why it fell back (explosion!)

 4. Experiment! See what works for you. If it fails, revert to the VAB/SPH (vehicle assembly building/spaceplane hangar), adjust your design, and try again...and again...and again untill it works.

 5. Start playing the vanilla game. Get the hang of how things work before downloading mods (if at all). But...

 6. Using the mod Kerbal Engineering Redux has helped me more than I would bargain for. It shows readouts on a phletora of stats the base game doesn't show. I wouldn't even call it a mod (apart from that it is one). It has helped me getting to become a much better Kerbal pilot. Understanding the terminology helps in this as well

 7. Have fun! Banging your head against a wall hurts. Just stop playing for a while when you feel that urge.

Now go and explode something!

[Just Jim]

Something I don't think I've seen mentioned:

It's just a game!!!

Seriously, I've seen people on here get so worked up when something goes ka-boom you'd think they were about to have a stroke...

KSP is mind-blowing fun, and arguably the best game ever created... but again, remember to have fun... because it's just a game!