Mods that should be integrated into KSP

[Tortoise]

Let's talk about mods,

specifically the most popular and game-enhancing ones that everyone should have.

Which mods do you think should definitely be added to the real version of the game?

My opinion:

Mechjob - Used to make Dv calculations and stuff. ( I don't use it, but it seems that a lot of people do )

FAR - Ferram Aerospace Research: Improves aerodynamics and stuff, making the game more realistic and fun. (Lift, drag, all that stuff. It's no longer calculated by just mass.)

Deadly Re-entry - Makes re entering the atmosphere more realistic, causing you to burn up if you come in too fast. Also adds heat shields.

TAC Life Support - Allows you to add food,water, and oxygen resources to your ships and require them to keep kerbals alive. It is consumed over time, and needs electricity also, to keep kerbals from getting too cold or something in space.

Most popular

Kerbal Engineer Redux

Deadly Re-entry

Ferram Aerospace Research

Limited communications (ScanSat)

Edited May 1, 2014 by Tortoise

[Uncle Mort]

Space station modules. There's an inflatable module mod I use but I would really like more stock habitat parts.

[Clockwork13]

Let's talk about mods,

specifically the most popular and game-enhancing ones that everyone should have.

Which mods do you think should definitely be added to the real version of the game?

My opinion:

Mechjob - Used to make Dv calculations and stuff. ( I don't use it, but it seems that a lot of people do )

FAR - Ferram Aerospace Research: Improves aerodynamics and stuff, making the game more realistic and fun. (Lift, drag, all that stuff. It's no longer calculated by just mass.)

Deadly Re-entry - Makes re entering the atmosphere more realistic, causing you to burn up if you come in too fast. Also adds heat shields.

TAC Life Support - Allows you to add food,water, and oxygen resources to your ships and require them to keep kerbals alive. It is consumed over time, and needs electricity also, to keep kerbals from getting too cold or something in space.

Most popular

(List to be added, as comments come in)

1. Mechjeb is considered cheating to a lot of people.

2. A lot of people would enjoy this, I wouldn't that much because I'd have an even harder time building a working spaceplane.

3. A lot of people would like this, but I can see a lot of conflict over this. It adds challenge to the game that some people don't want while others do.

4. This would change gameplay a little to much, but it would be nice if there ever were to be a new "realistic" gamemode.

[Anister]

Dont forget Kethane, Extraplanetary Launchpads, Infernal Robotics and perhaps B9/Firespitter

[rkman]

All those are on the "what not to suggest" list http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/36863-What-not-to-suggest

Mechjeb = autopilot

FAR = Realistic aerodynamics

Deadly Re-entry = Reentry heat

TAC Life Support = Life Support

[Uncle Mort]

All those are on the "what not to suggest" list http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/36863-What-not-to-suggest

As far as I can see that list precludes everything.

[zeel]

I would certainly like to see procedural fairings in vanilla.

As for the ones you are pointing out Mechjeb is very widespread - but also cheating. FAR and deadly re-entry mechanics are already planned features, possibly life support as well.

[Jouni]

The game should have autopilot for unmanned probes. After all, it's definitely cheating to manually fly a probe, it there is no kerbal nearby to control it remotely with a reasonable delay.

[Red Iron Crown]

KER. We desperately need a dV counter at the very least.

Procedural fairings, with an in-game reason to use them. Make rockets look like rockets.

RLA Stockalike. Fills some gaps in the stock part lineup while matching the style.

Kerbal Alarm Clock. This is so useful for multiple simultaneous missions and interplanetary planning that I find the game almost unplayable without it.

[Mitchz95]

KER, KAS, and Deadly Re-entry.

[Bearsh]

KER, KAS, and Deadly Re-entry.

Theres got to be a way to turn it off or else the players who don't want to think about speed of reentry and having their mission fail, Or else the millions who don't want that will stop playing or make mods that turn it off.

[Ikaneko]

Cargo bays! Basically B9 Aerospace as a whole.

[chaos_forge]

One extremely useful mod that I think nobody would be against adding is Kerbal Alarm Clock. Having multiple missions at the same time is virtually impossible without it. Thankfully, with the advent of persistent maneuver nodes, it seems the devs might be planning to implement it.

[rkman]

As far as I can see that list precludes everything.

This forum is full of things which that list does not preclude.

[BudgetHedgehog]

KAC, Enhanced Navball (it was supposed to be stock anyway), PreciseNode or similar, RLA Stockalike and SPUE all should be stock.

Edit: Also, I'd like for FAR (with some kind of fairings. I don't like Procedural Fairings so fixed ones would do nicely, like the ones from KW) to be stock too, along with RPM, Antennae Range, Environmental Visual Enhancements, NavballTextureExport, HullCam VDS, Toolbar, DOE, EditorExtensions, KerbQuake, SCANsat or similar, SelectRoot, TweakableEverything, SurfaceLights and, of course, FloorIt.

Edited April 27, 2014 by ObsessedWithKSP

[Twreed87]

Biggest for me would be FAR, I think, along with fairings (not procedural though). I know it's coming eventually, so I kinda wish they'd do it sooner than later so we can get used to the changes early.

[demian_travis]

Protractor is good... and realistic, I guess. Easier than sticking a real protractor to the computer screen...

[Deathsoul097]

I would say many of the functions of MJ should be stock, such as all of the info windows, and possibly a later-on-tech for the tree that allows for the Smart-Advanced Stabilization System, or Smart-*** functionality. (A must for my space stations. that way the ground is always down and free mode looks amazing.) I admit that the autopilot functionality should NOT be stock, being an avid user of said functionality. As it stands, this is a game about building and flying your space program, so I completely understand the sentiment that Autopilot should not be stock, however, I use it all of the time because 1) Dem cinematic Shots and 2) It is accurate to a degree of precision that I could never match.

Also, the argument that it is cheating is null and void, as there is no cheating in an open, sandbox, single player game.

As for other mods, PorkJet's work, the Habitat Pack, and the Space Plane Expansion fits perfectly with stock, and his plane parts are better than stock IMHO.

Blackheart's SDHI expansion Aerojet Kerbodyne and Sumghai's SDHI service module pack work brilliantly and are very stockalike, and their functionality is just as good, and almost as modular.

We need more station parts in stock, really, so Sumghai's Fustek Expansion Pack is brilliant, though a re-texture would be in need. KSO is a bit to heavy on the texture side for this, and while incredibly awesome and detailed, just doesn't fit as well as a retextured Fustek would.

As for generic parts, I feel B9 is overkill, and most of KW is unnecessary with the new SLS parts, but it has its very good, and very useful parts, such as the size 3 docking ring, fairings, (Procedural is good, but it doesn't fit wit the stock idea of building piece by piece.) MOAR SRBs! and a very functional 1.25m Sep-motor/nosecone. Perhaps the bigger strut and some niche engines too.

Other than that, its just convenience of having more stuff, and cool little trinkets. This stuff, or at least something similar, is what I think is essential for the stock game to include in the future.

[Spartwo]

The rest of KSPX and kerbpaint (and it isn't on the what not to suggest list)

[Strikerklm96]

+1 for TAC Life Support

[Collin Cutler]

HYPEREDIT!!!!! Haha jk. that is for cheaters

[Wuz314159]

Theres got to be a way to turn it off or else the players who don't want to think about speed of reentry and having their mission fail, Or else the millions who don't want that will stop playing or make mods that turn it off.

I wanted to try Remote Tech, but the thought of having to install/uninstall it every time I wanted to go back to my old saves was just annoying. So I never installed it.

KSP needs a Hard Mode. Where Remote Tech & Deadly Re-entry are the law.

[tntristan12]

I think KAS is a must have! It greatly increases the ability of a player to use multiple ground based designs in unison without having to finnick around with aligning docking ports for different levels of suspension, which gets downright impossible.

Next must have is simply mechjeb. Yes I know autopilot is a taboo subject around here but let's be honest: it's a late game feature that can be upgraded as you go along in career mode, you don't have to use it if you don't want to, it removes a lot of tedium and user error from repetitive tasks like launching the same payload multiple times for resupply missions, and it's a real-world feature that is invaluable to space travel. If you really needed to, you could pretend that instead of autopilot it's the crew/mission control taking over the craft.

Finally, FAR is totally necessary, though perhaps the bells and whistles that come with it such as simulating drag in the VAB and such could be left to the mod itself. The fact is the aerodynamic model in the stock game is so outdated it hurts to watch anymore. The rest of the game has come so far and this one area could stand to use the most attention.

[Azimech]

An incomplete list.

Simple mode: current aerodynamics, no deadly reentry, current simple communications, some mechjeb functions like smartash and docking assist.

Normal mode: FAR, no deadly reentry, communications limited with distance or you'll need a bigger dish, less mechjeb functions.

Hard mode: FAR + damage due to dynamic pressure, deadly reentry, realistic communications (no link from the dark side of the Mun), no mechjeb functions (although I like the argument in the above post), life support.

Always: Select Root, Enhanced Navball, VOID (excellent HUD!), Kerbal Engineering, Protractor, procedural wings, procedural parts, procedural fairings. But the procedural stuff limited by the tech node so people do learn how to use the standard parts first. I feel procedural parts ARE realistic and not a form of cheating. A space agency always develops according to need/budget. That means sometimes using existing stuff, sometimes designing new. And let's be reasonable: if you build something, do you really feel ships done with structural plates look better than those with procedural parts?