How Do You Play KSP?

[LexiSilva]

Do you try to do everything that is possible? Master it?

Do you try building the biggest/smallest things that could work?

Do you get stressed or do you try relaxing when things blow up?

Speaking of which, do you try to blow things up?

I play KSP (and Minecraft) as therapeutic tools to let myself relax and enjoy myself. I tend to build efficient, small rockets to get the job done and that's it! I play sandbox mode, and sometimes I goof off. Like yesterday, I built a plane with only a regular SRB as propulsion, but with sepatrons to lift it up. Other times, I try landing Kerbals on KSC buildings!

[ThomsenX]

I play sandbox mode, with science added, so I feel like I'm accomplishing something, despite having all parts unlocked to let my creative side flourish, haha. Mostly I try to set up and run a small, efficient space program that works well, looks good and isn't overly complicated. This week I built a small LKO research station. I don't like overdoing things, so crew transfer vessels, RCS supply ships and the station tug are all built around the same small platform, the latter two being unmanned. All my efforts go into making it as effective and efficient as I possibly can, and concentrating on (and maintaining) that goal soothes and pleases real-life me, so I guess it's kind of therapeutic...

Recently I added the ECLSS mod, and I love it, since it imposes certain limitations on e.g. my station. Like, the limited oxygen supply onboard my station is the reason for manning a 7-crew station with just 3 Kerbals. Even then, it'll only last them for 33 days with a scrubber unit, so resupply missions are required. I also plan to expand the station; I added a scanner arm yesterday for when I push the whole thing into a higher final orbit, and it's likely that more modules will be added in the future. That's how I play KSP!

Cheers,

- ThomsenX

[TimMartland]

I build realistic rockets and try to beat more difficult tech trees. I use mods, but only stockalike ones to keep the 'feel' of the game. I like to do things in an order that feels rights, e.g. atmosphere probe, space probe, manned atmospheric flight, satellite orbiter, second satellite, Suborbital manned flight, Mun satellite, manned orbiter ect. all the way to temporary Duna bases and unmanned Laythe gliders.

[Hodo]

I play a semi-realistic way in Career mode. I have built my program up to where I have everything in the tech tree unlocked but I still push for more. I mostly concentrate on spaceplane SSTOs and VTOL spaceplane SSTOs. I am still working on designing one that can do most of what I need it to including going to Duna or any other planet in the Kerbin system. Right now most of my SSTOs have around 3-5k d/V which isn't enough for my goals. And finding that 2-3k d/V and still maintain the mission goals is prooving difficult in my current program with the mods I run.

But I am a person who also likes to make things look decent, not like a massive spam of intakes, or anything like that to exploit a game flaw to achieve a goal. Dont get me wrong, some of those faults are a blast to mess with but just not my idea of fun in playing the game.

[Raptor831]

I play KSP for the engineering/design challenge. I see what I can build to do a certain task. I play pseudo-realistic and try to come up with plausible designs. I used to play in just sandbox, but I've begun to like the challenge that early career restrictions place on you. How much can you build with only these parts? Someone mentioned once it's like playing with virtual Legos. It's an outlet for creativity, for me.

[kinnison]

I also have played minecraft, but I got tired of terraforming and leveling out vast voxels of area.

Playing carreer because i like having something to do. I have pretty much got most of the tech allready

For me I am all about efficiency in creating infrastructure. Right now I have on both Minmus and Mun: Fuel shuttles, Kerbal shuttles, Heavy miners (kethane), Bases, stations (Polar and equatorial), Polar Mapping satellites, Scouting rovers, and orbital assemblers.

My next step is building interplanetary shuttles. The Core of them is a red tank with 3 or 4 NERVAs used as a booster, but can be connected with Docking SR. and built in orbit. I estimate I can get a 100t payload with over 8000 delta at .5 TWR when fully assembled

[Guest]

I don't play KSP. I live on it.

[MedwedianPresident]

I must admit...i NEVER played in career. I am a really sandbox person but i always go for realistic design. Usually my spacecraft are somewhat inspired by RL projects; usually planned but cancelled ones such as the Soviet Lunar Program or Dyna-Soar. I NEVER use asparagus or onion staging. I run a LOT of mods; i have Active Texture Management installed to prevent myself from murdering my 32 bit PC.

[ThomsenX]

I play pseudo-realistic and try to come up with plausible designs. (snip) Someone mentioned once it's like playing with virtual Legos. It's an outlet for creativity, for me.

This accurately describes what I spent numerous lines trying to express...

[ArmchairGravy]

I've been playing career mode since it was released. I've been through the tree several times. I think it's fun trying different ways to do things. I do try to master everything, but am kind of stuck on interplanetary returns aside from Duna. I don't send a manned mission unless I'm positive I can bring the crew back. I do both efficient and over-engineered depending on my mood. I am a firm believer in quick saves, so I don't stress when stuff goes kablooey. I don't try to make stuff blow up as it seems to happen often enough on its own. I only use Kerbal Engineer and Kethane mods. I don't worry about making stuff look realistic. If it works, I'm happy.

[Thomas988]

I play both sandbox and career mode.

When it comes to gameplay, I always take the safest approach. I don't just throw together a rocket a see if it gets to Jool or not. It's all about learning and mastering everything as you go along.

[Flymetothemun]

Do you try to do everything that is possible? Master it?

Do you try building the biggest/smallest things that could work?

Do you get stressed or do you try relaxing when things blow up?

Speaking of which, do you try to blow things up?

I play KSP (and Minecraft) as therapeutic tools to let myself relax and enjoy myself. I tend to build efficient, small rockets to get the job done and that's it! I play sandbox mode, and sometimes I goof off. Like yesterday, I built a plane with only a regular SRB as propulsion, but with sepatrons to lift it up. Other times, I try landing Kerbals on KSC buildings!

That's pretty much the only reason why I play most of the games that I have. both KSP and MC help me to mellow out and soothe myself, and I also like to build rockets that get the job done. The incongruency for me between MC and KSP is that in KSP, I play in sandbox to soothe myself, whereas in MC I play in survival to soothe myself. If I play in creative in MC, I'll get all hyped up trying to get every single detail on a construct just so, and if i play in career in KSP, I'll get all hyped up trying to squeeze the most science out of a rocket.

[qromodynmc]

Playing career mode,But I unlocked all items,so its like sandbox. Still Im going on other planets and adding more science,it may be useful one day.

[-ELF-]

I play KSP definitely not often enough...

[wasteland.soldier]

Hope this isn't too old a thread to bump, especially as a first post, but I think it's a pretty great thread.

I've got only a couple hundred hours into KSP. I started in sandbox but found all the different parts a little overwhelming, so I switched to career. I've unlocked most of the tech tree, and my greatest accomplishment was probably a vehicle that could reach the Mun, and then hop twice to get science from 3 biomes before returning to Kerbal. I never could get to other planets and establish and orbit. The transfer timing was always just a little off. If I had used a mod to show the interplanetary angle I probably could have managed it. Eyeballing just wasn't accurate enough though.

More recently I've begun using MechJeb and Kethane. I'm working on establishing a system-wide infrastructure of refueling depots using kethane harvested in-situ. I was hesitant at first about using MechJeb, but I'm glad now that I do, not least because it lets me study while using gameplay as small breaks.

I tend to over engineer in terms of delta-V, although I'm sure that as my gameplay matures I'll focus more on not over-engineering.

Love this game! It and Space Engineers are all I play.

While playing, I listen to the "Mission Control" station on somafm.

[SkyRender]

Generally I play it with a mouse and keyboard. It seems like a sensible enough solution.

Oh wait, you mean technique! Well, that depends on my mood. Most of the time I'm rather SRS BSNS and go to a great deal of trouble to plan out vessels and missions in terms of delta-V budgets and contingencies. Occasionally I'll run a "sustainable space program" with Kethane in local space. And now and again I embrace my inner Danny2462 and just do something crazy.

[Unit327]

Here's my process:

1. Download and install the game
   
2. Decide which mods to use
   
3. Download and install them
   
4. Get an idea for a mod
   
5. start coding it
   
6. Get an idea for another mod
   

Is there supposed to be a game in here somewhere?

[Xacktar]

I just try to do things the most ridiculous way possible.

[sdj64]

I restart my career each time a new version comes out, and in between I play forum challenges. I had KW rocketry, PWings, and Kethane installed before 23.5 but now I'm playing stock except for Kerbal Engineer. I never really used Kethane much, except for including a scanning satellite on some of my missions when I had it installed. I feel like designing a good Kethane infrastructure is more trouble than it's worth, but it's just a different play style.

[Jouni]

I mostly play challenges now. First I determine a goal, then I build a simple and reasonable ship for the task, and then I launch the ship and try to complete the task.

For me, KSP is a spaceflight game, where things work mostly as in the real world. Because of that, my definition of "reasonable" excludes things that are too different from what's actually possible. As a result, I'm now avoiding air-breathing engines, interstage fuel lines, and rockets with too many stages or engines.

I still have the Kethane Pack installed, but I haven't used kethane since 0.23. It started feeling too unreasonable when I figured out that there is no point in building any kethane infrastructure at all. Just build a generic ship that can function as a transfer stage, a fuel tanker, a kethane miner, and a kethane refinery. It can transfer reasonably payloads to any planet, refuel itself somewhere near any planet, and often carry huge amounts of kethane back to orbit to refuel other ships.

[The Destroyer]

I double click on the icon named "Kerbal Space Program"