"I only use MechJeb for..."

[godefroi]

We've all heard it, "I use MechJeb, but only for [x]," and it got me thinking.

When I just started out, I tended to have MJ plan all my transfers (to moons, it never really successfully planned a transfer to any planet other than Duna), but nowdays, I tend to plan my transfers myself, and when they're really long (Ion, or low TWR interplanetary transfers), I occasionally have MJ execute them for me.

So, is it better to have MechJeb plan your maneuver nodes, and you execute them, or is it better to plan your maneuver nodes yourself, and have MechJeb execute them?

Also, what is it that YOU "only use MechJeb for?"

[KvickFlygarn87]

Execution of long nodes. 'Cause I can't be bothered to write a kOS program for it.

[Guest]

Data readouts, occasionally Smart *** (mostly because it's RPM-enabled) and, when testing, occasionally ascent AP. Landing predictor is handy if you don't use FAR. For everything else, MJ is too dumb, (I can plan lunar transfers myself).

[Liowen]

To the first question I am not sure if it is better or not as I have not used that function before to be honest.

As for the second question I have only used MJ to help me with docking, until recently that is. I have finally gotten better at it to where I can do it on my, although most likely not as efficiently as some at least I can now do that. Other than that I have not used it for anything else, not even the TWR or DV calculations (which I have been told I cannot do interplanetary missions without them....yet I have done them without those numbers successfully).

[CalculusWarrior]

Seeing where my ship will and and showing how aggressive an aerobraking maneuver will be. It definitely beats tabbing out to use an external web service.

[Frank_G]

I find that mechjeb is a real helpful and versatile mod, but i switched over to VOID, because i only used mechjeb for information purposes.

And i always try to keep mods that add new parts and different gameplay to a minimum. Most mods i have installed are audio / visual enhancements.

[The Destroyer]

Doing everything 0.17. Then MJ seemed to be confused by planetary transfers so I dumped it and I'm glad.

[NecroBones]

I use it for informational displays, fine-tuning and executing nodes (to save time), and often I'll let it handle launches for me, just because I've done countless numbers of them and sometimes like to catch up on the forum while MJ does the ascent. I still do most landings by hand (unless it's tedious for some reason, or I want it to put me at a specific location despite the atmosphere), and I plan all of my transfers myself. I do my own rendezvous maneuvers, unless I'm in a hurry, and I do my own docking. I'll use MJ's maneuver planner for setting specific AP/PE altitudes, circularization, and inclinations, just because it's faster to punch in a number than to drag maneuver handles around.

Occasionally I'll use the "kill rotation" button too.

And that's about it.

[Dkmdlb]

I only use mechjeb for everything I don't want to do by hand.

I like to plan my own maneuver nodes because I can get them just how I want them. I usually let mechjeb execute the longer ones, especially the interplanetary ones.

[Zeroignite]

Used to use MJ heavily for smartASS, ascent, landing, info, orbit manipulation, burning nodes, and fine-tuning approaches/rendezvous. Never used it for docking.

Nowadays with RPM (which admittedly uses MJ for a lot of the info backend), I find I can hold and burn a maneuver more precisely by hand. Precisenode transfers are a bit fiddly, but between that and the Alexmoon calculator I do ok. Ascent autopilot is still super-convenient, especially with FAR where you need to avoid any sharp control inputs or suffer rapid unplanned disassembly. A bit ago I found that unless you want meter-accurate landings, flying them manually spends a lot less delta-V, and now that I have FAR I can't use it for atmo'd worlds. I do miss the aerobrake predictor.

[Cmdr. Arn1e]

Mainly use it because A) I'm lazy Easily distrac... ooh, a squirrel... C) just to see how it would do something I've learnt how to do myself - usually to my dismay! (because it doesn't like what I've done already)

[Ortix]

i use it for ascent because i'm lazy and I like to browse facebook while my ship is ascending. No but for realzies. When you're assembling an interplanetary ship launching can become boring and time consuming if you screw up the launch window. Either way, ascending and sometimes landing.

[ialdabaoth]

I only use it so I can have a radially attachable probe core.

[BudgetHedgehog]

Info and planning and executing most manoeuvres.

I find ascent to be hit and miss because of FAR so I launch manually, landing is hopeless in atmo (and I can land using less fuel on non-atmo bodies manually anyway. It's a lot more hair-raising though, my suicide burns are really REALLY close to actual suicide), docking is way more fun when done manually and from IVA and I don't really bother with Smart A.S.S.

Interplanetary transfers though I don't let it compute because of how often it messes them up. I go by KAC transfer windows, manually place a node, use the node editor because stock node editing is just awful to tweak it and then I'll let it execute the burn. I could do them myself but I am pretty lazy though so I'll use it for Hohmann transfers and sometimes rendezvousing, mainly thanks to the autowarp feature. If I did it manually, I just know I'd overshoot.

Edited April 28, 2014 by ObsessedWithKSP

[shadowsutekh]

I've already had to delete a few posts. If the moderators see posts considered trolling/flamebait or off-topic argument over mechjeb which has been done over and over with the same points, they may be removed, and users warned or infracted as the situation demands.

That said, you're welcome to discuss the questions posed in the original post but tread lightly, it's a slippery slope.

[DevL]

Informational displays, punching in and tweaking manoeuvre values (delta V, shifting the node a given amount of time).

[Superfluous J]

I've never used it for any purpose. I do not look down on those who do but I don't personally see any appeal for its automation features and the informational displays are available in at least 2 other mods, both of which are likely smaller due to their more focused nature.

[Moar Boosters]

Mostly just the numbers and setting up the occasional "circularize at apoapsis" node. I don't really trust many of it's features. I can't get it to setup interplanetary nodes properly, and it mostly crashes my spaceships or wastes fuel when I've tried the autopilot features.

[godefroi]

Well, for me, I don't use it to plan transfers (never really used it for anything but Mun and Minmus transfers, outside one or maybe two Duna transfers), but I do find the node execution occasionally useful, especially when they're far out, or when they're very touchy (as some of the Jool transfers turned out to be in my Jool-5 attempt). I think VOID's data readouts are better, especially because they're readily available in the HUD, and there's more there, such as transfer angles for planets etc.

When I'm putting boring things into orbit, I do sometimes use the ascent guidance (I don't use FAR), but landing and docking for me never seem to work. Tylo is hard to land on whoever (or whatever) you are.

[Jouni]

I have used the information displays, the Maneuver Planner, the Maneuver Node Editor, and the Warp Helper. Those features are really helpful, when there are a lot of things going on. Setting up maneuvers by hand still takes a lot of time.

What I'd like to see in the future is a mix of the Maneuver Planner and the Launch Window Planner. Often I don't want to wait for the optimal window, when there is a good enough launch window earlier.

[luizopiloto]

I only use the translatron feature of MJ... to build VOR towers arround kerbin... using my skycrane...

[awsomejwags]

EVERYTHING! Except mun landings

[Kerbonautical]

I use MJ for all sorts but it depends how I'm feeling. Sometimes I'll land by hand and others with MJ. If I'm a bit busy I let MJ do almost everything. If I want a specific precise approach I'll set the node and let MJ handle it and if I'm making small tweaks I fly by eye in the map mode without nodes.

I think MJ really helped me to learn how to do these things, because I find occasionally the autopilot can become confused (usually involving timewarp for rendevous) leaving you to fly it yourself. Thanks to already knowing what to do I found it really easy to perform my first manual docking attempt once I'd figured out how to actually use the RCS the right way.

It really didn't help with learning how to land however since MJ is rather brave about it. I learnt in the end it's a lot easier to kill the horizontal speed at a reasonable height when landing manually as the computer is a LOT better at judging height than me. I use it for the greater part of a 70:30 ratio, but there's a lot I can do that MJ can't, or at least not that I know of, such as free returns and gravity assists

[R0cketC0der]

I use MJ mainly for information.

Other than that, I'm sometimes using the rendezvous autopilot when I'm lazy, but I'm docking myself, because it is more fun and MJ takes over ten times the monoprop I need for docking. I'm also using it to execute any long burns(>2min) for me.