Who still uses mechjeb?

[soldieroffilth]

I have been playing KSP for over a year now and have vested over 500 hours into it. Absolutely love this game, and just out of curiousity I wanted to see who all still uses mechjeb.

I will admit I still use mechjeb from time to time. Although as I have gotten beter at rendevous and landing I only use mechjeb for certain things. My number one use for mechjeb is the Smart A.S.S. which I use pretty extensively for maneuvers and docking alignment. I use the landing guidance every once in a while when I need to put a lander next to a base or something else that I want within a 20 to 30 meter distance. I think the Smart A.S.S. is about the only thing from MechJeb that I would like to see implemented as a tool into the game though.

[vger]

I just prefer the readout that I get from Mechjeb. I like seeing the periapsis and apoapsis without having to switch to orbital. I like being able to see my horizontal and vertical movement separately while landing. I like not crashing into mountains while my altimeter still reads 3000.

[RocketPilot573]

I just prefer the readout that I get from Mechjeb.

This pretty much sums it up, I never even touch the autopilot.

[regex]

I used it during 0.21 while the SAS was crap but dropped it soon afterwards. KER, terrible as the UI looks, gives the extra data I want to see.

[Thogapotomus]

I used mechjeb to learn maneuvers and it was good to have at the beginning. There were times it still wouldn't rendezvous (or some other maneuver) though and it would burn up all my fuel, so I learned to do it myself. I think once you get an intuitive feel for maneuvers, it's not much use except for readouts, dV micromanaging, and freeing up your hands from tedium.

I don't use it now, even though I like all of the info it gives. It just seems that when I have it installed, I want all these windows open for info and it just looks cluttered. I really enjoy the scenery and atmosphere of space so that's the main reason I don't use it. (weird probably lol)

Edited April 4, 2014 by Thogapotomus

[1D-1()T]

Now I feel weird not having used it. To be honest, I've never felt the need, either I can do something, or I can't, and if I want to I'll work it out. Although, part of my not using it is because I've watched Space Cowboys a few to many times...

[PwnedDuck]

I didn't stop using it. Smart ASS saves time, and manually executing 30 minute ion burns really isn't all that fun. Plot all my manoeuvres and do all my landing etc manually though; what would be the point of playing if I wasn't achieving anything myself.

[tygoo7]

I use to use it a lot but then I decided to give it up because the game got boring. Now it is exciting again!

[lajoswinkler]

Kerbal engineer is enough for me. I see the data. Mechjeb steals the joy of riding the rocket.

[possum]

Never used it and don't want to. I do use KER.

[xcorps]

I use ascent guidance (except on new rockets, I do them manually 8 or 10 times before I autopilot them), Smart ASS, the maneuver planner, and custom windows.

I use the maneuver planner heavily to set up docking maneuvers, to change AP and PE, to do just about every common task.

Mechjeb steals the joy of riding the rocket.

I feel exactly the opposite. It adds joy to the gameplay by handling chores.

[Mokmo]

I suck at running nodes.

I did rendezvous with an asteroid in the first hours of the ARM pack, when MJ wouldn't work, and it reminded me how painful it was to time myself right for a node...

MJ runs my nodes, gives me readings so i don't have to switch to mapview all the time,

[Sun]

Except for my first ships in every update, I use MJ on every mission. I fly my missions into the ground intentionally if I forget MJ. Been using it since 0.19 (#olddays).

[NecroBones]

I use MechJeb quite a bit. After 100+ manual launches, it's nice to just let the autopilot handle those. I'll let it execute my maneuver nodes for me too (whether I set them up, or used MechJeb to create them to save time), for similar reasons. I've done it, repeatedly, so it's nice to let it execute while I look at something else on the other monitor.

[AbhChallenger]

Many features of MJ should be in Stock KSP in my opinion. Especially Smart ASS. Think about it. Orbiter has most of that.

[merendel]

I mostly use MJ for the readouts. Sometimes if I'm feeling lazy or rushed I'll have it execute a maneuver node for me, particularly if its a long burn but most of the time I set the nodes up manualy. The only other autopilot I use is the landing to get on the right decent path. I'll start the deorbit burn, let MJ clean up the angle then turn it back off and finish the landing manualy. MJ has a bad habit of landing a smidge too close to whatever I targeted on the ground, way too many times its landed on top of the base I was trying to land near. just saves a bit of fuel haveing the decent path optimized so I dont have to hover too much to correct if I do it all manualy.

[mivanit]

The first and last time I used mechjeb was in 0.14 when it crashed me into the mun at 300 m/s

NEVER AGAIN

Ive always been a fan of doing everything manually, I didn't even use maneuver nodes much until 0.23.

[Dingbat1967]

Readouts & SmartASS. I disable the autopilots via blacklisting.

[timsfitz]

I play stock KSP. No mods, no MJ. 1500 plus hours and counting.

[neamerjell]

I also love the customizable readouts! I still heavily use the auto pilot features, although I'm starting to believe that MechJeb's top priority is wasting fuel... But when I'm flying around Kerbin in my long range jet looking for a new biome I haven't been to, the heading and altitude hold is invaluable!

[Pthigrivi]

Man I don't use it at all. I like it for dV estimates and precise heads-up orbital info but I never let it fly anything. With practice you can land every bit as precisely as mech jeb, and with more efficient decent paths too. When I was testing it it came down way too steep and wasted a ton of fuel fighting gravity.

[bobcook]

When I started playing with mods MJ was one of the first ones I tried. It made the game really boring for me. Uninstalled it after a day of use. I use Flight Engineer for better displays, and I must say I actually enjoy the parts of the game that others call tedious!

[elxverde]

I got better at maneuvers when I started doing things without MechJeb. I still get certain angles wrong, but I have a better understanding of how to use multiple nodes to optimize fuel efficiency during transfers and rendezvous. Docking is much easier without it, now.

[Pthigrivi]

Yeah I should try flight engineer... is it up to date for .23.5? Mech Jeb doesnt seem to want to do dV calcs for the new Ion engines.

[xcorps]

Yeah I should try flight engineer... is it up to date for .23.5? Mech Jeb doesnt seem to want to do dV calcs for the new Ion engines.

I had to uninstall KER. It (at least yesterday) hasn't been updated. Dv calcs are completely screwed up in KER as well. It only works on linear rockets, it won't calculate anything on the side. Nor does it calc ion engines. It also will lock up during flight and show you completely incorrect or no values at all.