are you with Mechjeb or Kerbal engineer

[robopilot99]

A recent poll indicated 85% of players want delta-v readouts in the game. The discussion also came up whether the majority of players want the minimalist approach of Kerbal engineer or the full autopilot of Mechjeb. Vote and choose the one that you perfer

Edited April 29, 2014 by robopilot99

[astropapi1]

¿por qué no los dos?

Seriously, I like KER's clean table with lots of info for building stuff, but I love MJ's custom windows for flying. I also enjoy the autopilot, but that's another story.

[EuSouONumero345]

For the math part of it, I use Kerbal Engineer. I know MechJeb has Delta-V readouts, but it's mainly an auto-pilot, and I normally use it when I am feeling lazy, when I've been testing a rocket that didn't work for hours, so I use it to skip the launching part, you know, when the thing gets boring

[CalculusWarrior]

Curiously, both! I do like Engineer's data readouts a lot better though.

[Tex]

Definitely Engineer. I'm against all types of autopilot, because everybody should be able to proficiently do all the maneuvers! I feel that autopilot is kinda cheaty.

[Liowen]

Neither as both have the same level of lazy intertwined in them. KER you just don't want to test things, and Mechjeb you just do not want fly the craft for whatever reason. Neither is better than the other and neither is worse than the other, it is a matter of prospective to what you favor.

And yes I used Mechjeb for a bit, but more to help me learn how to dock. My feelings even then ere the same as now, at the time I did not have the time to invest to learn to dock. Since then I took the time using trail and error to learn much like building a craft to fly. I am sure I have angered some with this statement though.

[RocketPilot573]

I use Mechjeb, but I never even touch the autopilots.

[r4pt0r]

Neither as both have the same level of lazy intertwined in them. KER you just don't want to test things, and Mechjeb you just do not want fly the craft for whatever reason. Neither is better than the other and neither is worse than the other, it is a matter of prospective to what you favor.

And yes I used Mechjeb for a bit, but more to help me learn how to dock. My feelings even then ere the same as now, at the time I did not have the time to invest to learn to dock. Since then I took the time using trail and error to learn much like building a craft to fly. I am sure I have angered some with this statement though.

#truth

[Sophistry]

I don't use either, but if I did it'd be Kerbal Engineer, and that'd be what I would want any stock Dv indicator to emulate. To me, MechJeb seems like its meant for people who are already good at manoeuvres to pass off routine tasks to the autopilot, letting them concentrate on other aspects of the game; although I feel I am good at manoeuvers, I am not at the point where they are entirely routine. The second use I see for mechjeb is in a testing role: enabling you to compare two designs or something with as few variables as possible.

[Madrias]

Realistically, I don't use either. Sure, I've tried MechJeb in the past, but it was during a lazy streak where I was getting tired of fiddling with orbital transfers and transfer windows, of gravity turns and rockets that explode on the pad. Delta-V calculation was furthest from my mind.

I've tried Kerbal Engineer, but for what I do (spaceplanes), it's a little... lacking. My strategy for interplanetary travel involves getting a spaceplane into orbit, docking to a big orange jumbo tank in orbit, sending myself screaming across space to another station where I drop off my expended tank, and use the planes VTOL rocket landing capabilities to cruise down to the planet's surface on 4 Toroidal Aerospikes. I suppose it's why I've never really been afraid of Eve, I can manage to build a "heavy return assembly" that bolts on under the plane and allows me to sling myself back from the heavy atmosphere on very efficient engines (Interplanetary mod's Thermal Turbojet and the Thermal Rocket Nozzle, the first of which flies by hot atmosphere and the other, well, is a rocket, to some degree), deposit my heavy return assembly back at Eve Station, run my plane back home, and then send a mission out with my mobile Kethane refinery to convert Kethane into fuels to refill my depleted orange tanks.

So in the end, I've found neither to be overly useful for me. Mechjeb is great when you're feeling lazy, but it's inefficient on fuels. Kerbal Engineer is great when you're building rockets, but a spaceplane pilot like me found little use in it back in 0.21 and I've not used it since.

[nettcod]

I am with neither. They ruin the fun and anyone who uses either of them is having fun the wrong way and should stop using them. *SARCASM*

[m4v]

Engineer is minimalist? this is a minimalist readout:

- Make ship

- hyperedit ship to 11461728000m solar orbit.

- point prograde

- burn all your fuel

- read your resultant orbital speed and subtract 10000m/s

There, dV readout with unparalleled accuracy.

Edited April 29, 2014 by m4v

[jwenting]

what about "both"?

[pslytely psycho]

Both.

Engineer is much better for designing rockets that actually have a chance of completing their mission.

Mechjeb for auto pilot.

Slideshow launches were the reason I originally used mechjeb. And sometimes I just don't want to do everything manually.

Not to mention, I suck at interplanetary transfers. I can do them, but I need far more delta-v. I always give it a go. But, I have never manually come up with a better flight plan. I am pretty good at landings, but sometimes I just don't feel like doing it.

It's a game after all. A wonderful one that actually teaches very high concepts. And ruins sci-fi movies....

I'm glad both are available.

[LethalDose]

I use VOID for dV, TWR, Mass, etc.

Do, uh, so few people use VOID that it doesn't merit listing on these polls? I love that program.

[Uncle Mort]

Mechjeb: used it from fairly early on and it gives me all the info I need.

[John FX]

Interesting, it seems there are a fair few players who want a Dv readout but who don`t want to have to use KER or MJ...

[Seret]

I tend to have both installed, and equip the craft with the most appropriate one. If it's an orbital tug where I might want to automate some of the tedious bits like getting intercepts then I'll use Mechjeb, but if it's an interplanetary exploration vehicle then I'd just go for the more minimalist KER. Horses for courses.

[FREEFALL1984]

I use mechjeb, mostly for calculating my Dv but I like the ability to perform the most mundane of maneuvers, such as circularizing after launch, and helping me find optimal transfer windows, which I can do with other tools (or often by eye) but I wont let MJ perform my transfers for me since it seems unable to think on its feet and adjust appropriately. I also occasionally use the translatron for shuffling around on the surface onto flatter terrain. And I sometimes like to use the descent planner if I'm aiming for a small hard to reach biome since the targeted descent allows you to identify biomes so easily. I never use the rendezvous manager since its incredibly inefficient and spend several times more Dv than I do. And the docking autopilot, while very clever, takes a lot of fun from the game, docking for me is more fun when I do it myself.

This being said, I have completed the tech tree twice over without any MJ or KER, and while I find the tools very useful, newer players should always play the game as it was intended (by a little trail and error and a bit of intuition) before using such mods at least until they are able to repeatedly perform anything required.

[Red Iron Crown]

No poll option applies to me, it needs a "Both" option. I like KER's readout better in the VAB, but MechJeb's during flight. Nice to cross check their calculations against each other, they don't always agree.

I also use MechJeb's autopilot without shame, it's a better pilot than me for most things and piloting isn't my favorite part of the game. I can't hear the haters over the sound of all the fun I'm having!

[BudgetHedgehog]

I am with neither. They ruin the fun and anyone who uses either of them is having fun the wrong way and should stop using them. *SARCASM*

In other words, "Hey! Hey you! Stop having fun, dammit! You're doing it all wrong! Stop! Your fun doesn't count!"

Pathetic.

EDIT: I didn't see what I was supposed to see, ignore this post

Edited April 29, 2014 by ObsessedWithKSP

[Tommygun]

I use both because MechJeb often malfunctions and can't give me the DeltaV, but Kerbal Engineer will.

.......It also has that cool retro tape player.

[Red Iron Crown]

In other words, "Hey! Hey you! Stop having fun, dammit! You're doing it all wrong! Stop! Your fun doesn't count!"

Pathetic.

Try highlighting the post you quoted, it doesn't mean what you think.

[BudgetHedgehog]

Try highlighting the post you quoted, it doesn't mean what you think.

Ugh.. It's hard to tell sometimes. Sorry.

[lajoswinkler]

I use both because MechJeb often malfunctions and can't give me the DeltaV, but Kerbal Engineer will.

.......It also has that cool retro tape player.

I like the magnetic tape player a lot, but what is it used for? There are already 2 pieces, those green PCBs, one working in VAB only and one both for VAB and space. Is it just a fancy part?

I don't need MechJeb, it takes a lot of the screen and the only things I need are delta-v and TWR counters. Engineer has even more and I use only two things.