After what milestone should you be able to call yourself an expert at this game?

[Starwhip]

When you realize that you just flew that huge rocket into orbit without SAS on.

OR

When you start to talk about complex docking missions to anyone who will listen.

[Holo]

If you are all really that concerned about being experts, go enroll in a university, get a physics PhD and then you can call yourself an expert. Otherwise don't waste my time trying to compare e-peens over a video game.

As long as you don't waste my time acting like you're superior to all these plebeians who dare to talk about people's skill at a game. Discussing Kerbal Space Program? On the Kerbal Space Program forum? OUTRAGEOUS!

[Cmdr. Arn1e]

I don't think I will ever consider myself an expert... at anything to be honest! but people do refer to me as a 'computer expert' (I just think I know more than them) and although I think using the Dwarf Fortress ranking I would be fairly high up, the poster has said it's pretty outdated, so not even going to work out which one I *might* be...

I think you can be called an expert at the game when you can introduce a load of new players to the game at a LAN party, challenge them all to see how much science they can gather, and have some of them manage a fair bit in the first few hours (with a bit of gentle instruction as to where they might be going wrong) and then get beaten at your own challenge by someone who has only played the game once!

THEN, come onto the forums, and just generally join in with all the chit-chat and whatnot, maybe complete a few challenges (or at least join in with good spirits) and THEN start helping the newer players too, or sharing new advances (all while continuing to play the game on another PC!).

all just my opinion, but my Duna encounter is calling to me, so must dash

[The Destroyer]

When you realize that you just flew that huge rocket into orbit without SAS on.

OR

When you start to talk about complex docking missions to anyone who will listen.

Ahhh I've done that before. Not into orbit. To Gilly. It was ********* hard.

[pauldbk99]

QUOTE=Starwhip;1091514]When you realize that you just flew that huge rocket into orbit without SAS on.

OR

When you start to talk about complex docking missions to anyone who will listen.

[Vanamonde]

Please express opinions about your own skills here, and avoid expressing opinions about others' skills.

[SuperBigD60]

Wikipedia says:

No single achievement or number of hours played makes you an expert. You are an expert when others think you are one. And you still may be an expert only in certain part of the game and there may be people who are more of an expert than you are.

I suspect you've hit it on the head.

I don't think there's any way to really quantify expertise (ie, I don't think there's any one benchmark that qualifies you as an expert).

That being said, we do recognize experts when we see them. I think the relationship is more "if you can land on Eve/Tylo, you might be an expert; but if you can't make orbit you're definitely not" sort of thing. Like, we can list criteria that disqualify you from being an expert, or perhaps criteria that all experts will generally possess, but we can't say "This! This makes you an expert."

Basically, I'd say call yourself an expert, show off what you do, and if people call bs, perhaps you're not an expert. And the converse also applies.

As far as whether or not you should think you're an expert: at some point for me, stuff just clicks and from then on becomes significantly easier than it ever was. I've had that click for several aspects of KSP gameplay, and so as far as those aspects go, I'm reasonably safe calling myself an expert. (For instance, although itwas not intended in the mission plan, I had to dock a 115 t mining ship with a station at least 5 times that heavy without rcs. Docking RCS free has been simpler to me ever since.)

[O-Doc]

You are an expert Kerbonaut when it is routine to:

• Engineer without revert flight
  
• Pilot without quick save
  
• Navigate without maneuver nodes
  

These three mean you have both the knowledge and confidence of an expert in and out of the VAB/SPH. In my eyes anyway. Long way to go...

[Jouni]

You are an expert Kerbonaut when it is routine to:

• Engineer without revert flight
  
• Pilot without quick save
  
• Navigate without maneuver nodes
  

These three mean you have both the knowledge and confidence of an expert in and out of the VAB/SPH. In my eyes anyway. Long way to go...

Those are more like personality issues than the traits of an expert. In most fields, there are both experts who plan things carefully in advance, and experts who prefer to work by trial and error.

[John FX]

I just did a Mun mission completely IVA, that was pretty cool. Landing was a new experience again! (I didn`t realise the `flat` ground I was headed toward was in fact a 30 degree slope)

I`d say for piloting, landing IVA is fairly expert. So is landing on Tylo.

For engineering, a single launch manned Eve return mission is fairly expert.

If you can get out to a stable orbit around a moon of Jool from LKO and use less than 2000Dv that`s pretty expert too.

If you can build a SSTO plane than can (eventually) build a space station, that`s also pretty expert.

I once landed about 500T of space station on Minmus just because.

There are players who can do amazing things but if you can have fun doing what you do, that`s the main thing.

I have the most fun going to Mun and back in an Apollo replica but that`s me.

[metl]

You aren't an expert in KSP until you are named Scott Manley, have a huge fan following and have actually sat down and played KSP with peeps from NASA.

[The Yellow Dart]

Docking a large ship to small object spinning uncontrolled while descending into the atmosphere seems pretty harderz. I've done spinning and I've done in atmosphere, but never at the same time.

[nhnifong]

I'd say when you design a complex interplanetary mission featuring all the aspects of the game (and all the mods you have installed) and it goes according to plan on the first try without a single problem.

[Nothing But Rubus]

i believe that in order to be an "expert", you need to do a few things:

1: laugh in the face of tylo

2: tear eve a new atmosphere

3: learn the fine points of high yield explosive decoupling

4: figuring out that you can indeed climb the flag pole

[leax256]

There was someone who made a jool return once

[Umlüx]

i think you can call yourself an expert after an apollo style duna mission. after that, you know all the techniques you need to know to do everything. launching, docking, interplanetary navigation...

everything else is more or less simply adding more fuel, science or roverwheels

[Starwhip]

When you were about to post here... and forgot what you were going to say.

Well, shoot. Maybe it will come back.

[Javster]

Not sure: I've spent 340ish hours in KSP, and haven't sent Kerbals beyond Minmus.

My friend with 200 hours has successfully returned Kerbals from Dres.

Hours don't seem to be relevant.

[Shna_na]

I've spent probably somewhere in the region of 1500 hours in-game and had it since 0.13-ish, and I'd say that "expert" isn't something that can really be defined in such a broad open sandbox game. For some people, landing on Eve, Tylo, and Eeloo in the same mission and returning makes them an expert, but others would say that having a permanent manned ground base and space station at every planet/moon (except Jool) is what makes an expert, no need for a return.

I, personally, don't have a definition for "expert" in KSP. If you can do what you aim to do, you've done good. That's about it, in my book.

[Liowen]

When you start the game, that makes you an expert

[iBeej]

I don't believe this question can be answered properly, because the moment you do.. karma strikes.

Remember... "experts" still explode...

[BMBender]

I don't consider myself an expert, merely "comfortable"

I'd have to say I fall somewhere between rank 2-3. EVE/Tylo multible time, now I just look for "odder" ways to do em. But I am a VERY inefficient with interplanetary transfers I have a bad habit of thinking any burn longer than 2-3 minutes is too long and I DO NOTdo rescue missions if they couldn't be bothered to bring enough gas I can't be bothered to go get em . These combined = truly massive amounts of both fuel and engines and a whole heap load of burnt fuel and magic CPU smoke.

[Kerboman]

You can consider yourself an expert when you can provide people with tips, tricks, and ideas that they likely did not know before.