Installing mods mid-game?

[velve]

Title pretty much says it all, is it ok to do so? Google didn't turn up an answer on this one. Are there any mods I should watch out for that are known to break saves?

I decided to do a vanilla play-through but one mod caught my eye that I figured I could really use just to enhance the experience a bit it is the "Kerbal Alarm Clock mod". Its the one mod I feel I really need so thats the question is it safe to chuck in mid-game or not?

Also on a side note, there isn't by any chance and IRC channel or something where I can quickly pop in and fire off small quick questions without clogging up forum space?

[Specialist290]

You shouldn't have any issues with installing mods mid-game in general. About the only issues I can think of would be either issues caused by changing the properties of parts on active craft or anything that changes the structure of the tech tree while you're in the middle of a Career game, and Kerbal Alarm Clock most definitely does neither.

[FenrirWolf]

KAC won't mess up your save file so go right ahead and install it if you want to.

[Hattivat]

Yes, it is OK, installing mods mid-game is not a problem at all. Especially in case of simple utilities such as Kerbal Alarm Clock.

There are only two cases in which mods could give you problems:

1. If you use a mod that adds parts, and then uninstall it while still having crafts in flight that contain these parts. It won't break your save, but the spacecrafts in question will be automatically deleted (as in, disappear).

2. If you add a realism-enhancing mod (like Deadly Reentry), while having a mission in progress, this might make the mission impossible to successfully complete (in case of Deadly Reentry, which adds atmospheric heating, any spacecraft not prepared for it will simply burn up on reentry).

[ximrm]

If you use active texture management,there could be problems i think.

As much as i know, it converts the textures,when you start loading the game.

So adding new parts mid-game could overload the 4gb ram barrier and crash the game.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[velve]

If you use active texture management,there could be problems i think.

As much as i know, it converts the textures,when you start loading the game.

So adding new parts mid-game could overload the 4gb ram barrier and crash the game.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

I do use active texture management, the basic version this is the only "mod" I am currently using in my career.

Thanks for the help guys, now I have an idea of what to look out for.

[Hattivat]

If you use active texture management,there could be problems i think.

As much as i know, it converts the textures,when you start loading the game.

So adding new parts mid-game could overload the 4gb ram barrier and crash the game.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Adding new parts can always result in going over the 4gb barrier, but that can be fixed by simply deleting the mod that caused you to cross it, so it's not a problem. And I didn't notice it being any different with ATM than it is without it.

[velve]

The KAC is working perfectly and is exactly what I needed, love how it just knows you know.

I will use caution when installing mods with parts then, seems that is the biggest problem. So say for instance I wanted to install this B9 pack that everyone uses, its no good on a current save? It will cause problems, good to know.

[Taki117]

Part mods are fine, the only issue being that you have to manually unlock parts in the tech tree.

[velve]

Oh ok, well thats not so bad, thank you.

[Hattivat]

Let me make it clearer: Adding part packs mid-game is not a problem. You may only experience problems in two very specific cases:

a) when you add lots of mods (like 20 or so, or several very big ones) you may experience game crashes due to running out of memory. The solution is to simply delete the mods that you don't use, and the problem is solved. However,

if you delete a mod that you do actively use (actively as in, you have vessels in flight that contain parts from that mod), this will cause the vessel in question to disappear and its crew to go m.i.a. For this reason it is best to end any flights you have in progress before deleting part-adding mods that you actively used.

[Superfluous J]

Also avoid universe-changing mods. No telling what would happen if you switched from a regular game to Real Solar System midway through.

[Claw]

And the safe bet is to always make copies of your save games (and keep them somewhere safe) before making big changes to your install.

[TrooperCooper]

Also avoid universe-changing mods. No telling what would happen if you switched from a regular game to Real Solar System midway through.

Nah! Thats no problem. You just have to change the units labels from like... space-station to... submarine.

[EKS21]

The mods only "activate" after restarting the game. This means that you cant install and unisntall mods whilst the game is running.

[7499275]

I have learned my lesson. I will never add mods mid game, last time I did that it was FAR and it ended up not allowing me to perform any launches until I removed it from the GameData folder.

If its a parts only mod I'm sure it would be fine, but plugins I recommend against it.

[BudgetHedgehog]

I have learned my lesson. I will never add mods mid game, last time I did that it was FAR and it ended up not allowing me to perform any launches until I removed it from the GameData folder.

If its a parts only mod I'm sure it would be fine, but plugins I recommend against it.

Sounds odd - how exactly did it stop you? Plugins are completely ok to install partway through, so long as you have the parts to cope with them (like fairings if you install FAR or heatshields for DRE, or life support containers for a Life Support mod etc. Some plugins don't affect the game at all - Enhanced Navball, Kerbal Engineer, EVE, Editor Extensions, HotRockets.. Plugins are, almost always completely safe to install halfway through a save).

Edited June 26, 2014 by ObsessedWithKSP

[7499275]

Sounds odd - how exactly did it stop you? Plugins are completely ok to install partway through, so long as you have the parts to cope with them (like fairings if you install FAR or heatshields for DRE, or life support containers for a Life Support mod etc. Some plugins don't affect the game at all - Enhanced Navball, Kerbal Engineer, EVE, Editor Extensions, HotRockets.. Plugins are, almost always completely safe to install halfway through a save).

Had some weird bug when I tried to launch any vehicle it would display the HUD but a black screen, no clock numbers and no surface numbers. Froze the game up, of course that made about the 15th mod I added in total but Ram usage was still okay.

[blizzy78]

Also on a side note, there isn't by any chance and IRC channel or something where I can quickly pop in and fire off small quick questions without clogging up forum space?

In the top bar at this very page, click "IRC Chat."

[Padishar]

Also on a side note, there isn't by any chance and IRC channel or something where I can quickly pop in and fire off small quick questions without clogging up forum space?

No one seems to have answered this bit so I will point out the "IRC Chat" button at the right end of the top menu. This uses a web-based IRC client to connect to #kspofficial which is the main IRC channel for KSP stuff. There is also a less official channel where lots of modders hang out called #kspmodders

Edit: hmmm, no-one except for that ninja...