Need help picking out Mods, came to you experts.

[Bedlem]

I want to tailor KSP a bit to fit my goals and wishes I am sure it is possible but I have run into a ton of warnings about "compatibility with each other" or "it's only 32 bit so you have to make sure when you install these to also....." So I decided to bring this to the experts. Here is what I am looking to do in order of importance:

1. Must be able to mine resources and build a functional base to refuel and with luck even build new ships and rockets at I think I saw a mod that does this in fact I think I even have it installed right now but have had trouble getting that far in research. This will require some way to move the materials too for refueling I think that was called Kerbal Attachment system?

2. More realistic flight system (I think this is called Ferrum or something like that I do not currently have it) With 1 and 2 I could also be interested in life support systems that can also be made self sufficient at the base (mun or mimas) with a lot of work.

3. More parts to make realistic flight more friendly. Aka Fairings to put around payloads and possibly some more plane parts? Would like to have awesome space shuttle.

4. Some future technology eventually like I have seen in Scott Manley's Interstellar quest. To beam power and harvest antimatter etc. some big big projects for end game.

5. More Science projects to work on possibly something that is continuous but not entirely unbalancing. Like an orbiting space station with a science lab that you fly projects up to to be researched for 10 science per project or something. You could haul up 10 projects for 100 science in a shuttle after you dock or if the life support stuff is running, run up 2 projects and a ton of supplies for your researchers.

What mods can I get to do this? How exactly do I make them work and play well with each other; if it is a RAM issue and I need to install some odd texture pack items where can I snag them and how do I set them up to run correctly etc? If you guys can help me out with this and think there is something else that would go with this group without causing further difficulties I would appreciate that as well.

Thanks again,

Bedlem

Edit:

I will post what mods I currently have in my gamedata folder in a bit to let you know where I have been really in playing. Also something to help with making rendezvous with craft for docking. (MechJeb? I have it installed, but have not really used it. Researched up 2 of the parts for it in my tech tree, but it has never been on a craft that has.....survived.)

Edited July 9, 2014 by Bedlem
Add after signature.

[Guest]

http://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/1upc6g/scott_manleys_interstellar_quest_modlist/

E: To be more specfic:

1. Kerbal Attachment System and either of Kethane or Open Resource System (ORS included with Kerbal Space Program Interstellar).

2. Ferram Aerospace Research.

3. Procedural Fairings, and a bunch of parts mods (KW Rocketry, notably) come with fairings.

4. Kerbal Space Program Interstellar.

5. Kerbal Space Program Interstellar includes some, but there are a ton of different ones out there, DMagic's, for instance.

Edited July 9, 2014 by regex

[Bedlem]

Wow thanks for that link. I am looking for a bit more in depth information though if you would care to share. Let me try to get these straight.

1. Kerbal Attachment System

2. KSP Interstellar

3. Ferram Aerospace

4. Procedural Fairings. What else do I need to snag here to make space shuttles that work well with cargo bays etc. is that B9 Aerospace Pack?

What else do I need to snag mod wise to fit my aforementioned goals looks like I am missing quite a bit. From this list of 4 to get there.

[Guest]

B9 pack has a lot of cargo bays and there are a few others around, like Porkjet's Spaceplane Plus. The mods I've already listed meet your requirements, save that you might want to add TAC Life Support. KSPI has resources and a lot of end-game stuff. I'd also suggest picking up KW Rocketry, that adds a lot of really nice looking parts but B9 is going to eat up your system memory, so choose other parts mods wisely.

[Bedlem]

B9 pack has a lot of cargo bays and there are a few others around, like Porkjet's Spaceplane Plus. The mods I've already listed meet your requirements, save that you might want to add TAC Life Support. KSPI has resources and a lot of end-game stuff. I'd also suggest picking up KW Rocketry, that adds a lot of really nice looking parts but B9 is going to eat up your system memory, so choose other parts mods wisely.

Wow, didn't realize KSP Interstellar had all the mining stuff built in does it also let you set up remote vehicle assembly bases?

1. Kerbal Attachment System

2. KSP Interstellar

3. Ferram Aerospace

4. Procedural Fairings.

+

5. TAC - Does this come with some way to build the modules for it at the base or refine O2 from mined water or have hydroponic modules for food growth or something or do I need to seek out another mod for that?

6. B9 Pack, um which one; looks like curse had a b9 reloaded and a rebuilt or a repaired or something or would you snag the one from that link you put for scott manley's?

7. (Possibly KW Rocketry, going to go take a look at that mod right now not familiar with it.)

Is there anything that I should do process wise or apply to get the memory down I saw something on that Scott Manley Interstellar site about running some sort of texture reduction software, but I did not really understand what it was trying to do and I do not want to mess it up. Do I need to run that?

Also is there anything I should get to make flying the ships much easier? Mechjeb? Some docking gui addons?

Sorry if I am asking too many questions, just trying to build a plan.

Additional Edit:

KW Rocketry... wow yes please.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Bedlem
Punctuation, Commas make things easier to understand.

[micha]

The NavyFish Docking Port Indicator add-on makes docking a doddle (IMHO). At least it worked well for my first-ever docking

Enhanced NavBall makes flying a little easier. MechJeb (from what I've read) can be used as a complete autopilot.

Active Texture Management can reduce your memory usage. I've only used it in the basic mode, which does all its magic when loading the game; it doesn't break anything and you can just uninstall it if you don't want it (it does reduce the quality of the textures..). There's a more aggressive mode but I think that requires more tweaking to other mods.

[Mr Shifty]

Wow, didn't realize KSP Interstellar had all the mining stuff built in does it also let you set up remote vehicle assembly bases?

You'll need Extraplanetary Launchpads to do remote vehicle assembly and launch.

[Bedlem]

The NavyFish Docking Port Indicator add-on makes docking a doddle (IMHO). At least it worked well for my first-ever docking

Enhanced NavBall makes flying a little easier. MechJeb (from what I've read) can be used as a complete autopilot.

Active Texture Management can reduce your memory usage. I've only used it in the basic mode, which does all its magic when loading the game; it doesn't break anything and you can just uninstall it if you don't want it (it does reduce the quality of the textures..). There's a more aggressive mode but I think that requires more tweaking to other mods.

Okay Now we are talking fellas...

Here is what I am sitting at needing to get and throw in my gamedata folder now:

1. Kerbal Attachment System

2. KSP Interstellar

3. Ferram Aerospace

4. Procedural Fairings.

5. TAC - Does this come with some way to build the modules for it at the base or refine O2 from mined water or have hydroponic modules for food growth or something or do I need to seek out another mod for that?

6. B9 Pack, um which one; looks like curse had a b9 reloaded and a rebuilt or a repaired or something or would you snag the one from that link you put for scott manley's?

7. KW Rocketry

8. Interplanetary Launch Pads -Does this mod have the aspects built into it for gathering resources to build these things or does it use resources from the other mods?

9. NavyFish Docking Indicator

10. MechJeb

11. Active Texture Management (Just use Basic Mode) Does it really hurt the look of the game tremendously or is it barely noticeable?

Looks like I am almost where I want to be now just want to know about those questions on 5, 6, and 8. Is there anything else I need to snag as a back end mod to make these work or does that look good to you guys?

[TheMunRules#1]

5. TAC - Does this come with some way to build the modules for it at the base or refine O2 from mined water or have hydroponic modules for food growth or something or do I need to seek out another mod for that?

TAC just provides the storage and on board systems. It has parts that refine waste water and oxygen and for pulling oxygen out of water, but nothing for growing food. I believe there are other mods out there that do this though.

8. Interplanetary Launch Pads -Does this mod have the aspects built into it for gathering resources to build these things or does it use resources from the other mods?

I believe it depends on Kethane being installed for mining ore which is turned into metal and then parts.

11. Active Texture Management (Just use Basic Mode) Does it really hurt the look of the game tremendously or is it barely noticeable?

Active Texture Management is great. Hasn't changed the look of my ksp install at all from what I can tell and I have pretty much all the mods you have listed plus more installed.

I would also suggest getting Kerbal Engineer Redux. This is very useful in planning missions as it tells you stage-specific delta-v and thrust-weight-ratios while in the VAB and during flight it gives you lots of other good data. But I'm not sure if it is redundant if you have mechjeb. I don't use mechjeb as I prefer flying all my missions manually.

[LethalDose]

TAC just provides the storage and on board systems. It has parts that refine waste water and oxygen and for pulling oxygen out of water, but nothing for growing food. I believe there are other mods out there that do this though.

I think Biomass is what you're looking for. I just started using it, but it's fully integrated with TAC-LS (uses waste, CO2, O2, Water, etc).

[Bedlem]

TAC just provides the storage and on board systems. It has parts that refine waste water and oxygen and for pulling oxygen out of water, but nothing for growing food. I believe there are other mods out there that do this though.

I believe it depends on Kethane being installed for mining ore which is turned into metal and then parts.

Active Texture Management is great. Hasn't changed the look of my ksp install at all from what I can tell and I have pretty much all the mods you have listed plus more installed.

I would also suggest getting Kerbal Engineer Redux. This is very useful in planning missions as it tells you stage-specific delta-v and thrust-weight-ratios while in the VAB and during flight it gives you lots of other good data. But I'm not sure if it is redundant if you have mechjeb. I don't use mechjeb as I prefer flying all my missions manually.

Thanks guys, I appreciate picking your brains. Updating:

Here is what I am sitting at needing to get and throw in my gamedata folder now:

1. Kerbal Attachment System

2. KSP Interstellar

3. Ferram Aerospace

4. Procedural Fairings.

5. TAC-LS

5.5 Add Biomass

6. B9 Reloaded

7. KW Rocketry

8. Interplanetary Launch Pads

9. NavyFish Docking Indicator

10. MechJeb

11. Active Texture Management (Just use Basic Mode)

12. Kerbal Engineer Redux

13. Deadly Re-entry

14. Procedural Wings

14.5 Procedural Tanks (Its called StretchyTanks)

15. Kerbal Joint Reinfocement (KJR) I actually read about this and was thinking about adding it myself, but I completely forgot about it 3 days ago.

16. ScanSat sounds like it could be awesome and a lot of fun. -OH WoW you can use this to map the different biomes? GOLD Pure Gold.

17 Kerbal Dust Experiment (KDEX) OPTIONAL I need to research this a bit first.

As far as the Kethane pack is that not built into KSP interstellar or do I need to also snag that from somewhere to get the metal et al for making the rockets with Interplanetary Launch Pads?

Also any packs to add some more science projects? Or is that inside interstellar or one of the other packs already.

Again thanks everyone I really do appreciate this you have saved me weeks of research and I hope that once I get this list finished it will help other people.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Bedlem
Add Hodo and Micha's Suggestions without a new post (Yet)

[Hodo]

B9 reloaded is the one you are looking for. Scott Manleys link is way outdated I believe.

If you are going to use Ferram Aerospace Research (FAR), you might as well use Deadly Re-Entry (DRE), and Procedural Wings. Procedural wings will help you create bigger better looking and functioning wings over the slap bits together and watch them fly apart wings that come in all the current pack. I also suggest Kerbal Joint Reinforcement (KJR) by Ferram4. It will increase the connection strength on all things so you don't need to strut them to stupid ends like the base game. Giving you a far better looking craft and with less parts.

[micha]

You might also want to double-check that MechJeb and KER don't duplicate each other. Haven't tried MechJeb myself, but based on what I've read it does what KER does + have the option to run as an autopilot. I use KER so far since I'm still happy to fly myself.

As for more science, check out Kerbel Dust Experiment (KDEX), it's a standalone mod.

Also have a look at ScanSAT, adds instruments to map planets/moons (for science as well as picking landing spots).

[Bedlem]

18. Kerbal Alarm Clock

19. Final Frontier

20. Infernal Robotics

Thanks to Micha for posting in another add-on suggestion for these. I meant to snag the alarm clock from watching it in use in Scott Manley's Interstellar but forgot till I saw it in that post. And Final Frontier will be great to make my Kerbals have a Kareer.... K's are important to Kerbals.

Edit: Funny note while doing research the Life Support module says WARNING: This Mod Kills Kerbals. There is nothing about that statement that I do not find hilarious.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Bedlem

[Hodo]

You might also want to double-check that MechJeb and KER don't duplicate each other. Haven't tried MechJeb myself, but based on what I've read it does what KER does + have the option to run as an autopilot. I use KER so far since I'm still happy to fly myself.

Can't agree more here on the MJ KER debate.

I used to use KER, but switched to MJ to try it out. I now like the ability to have smaller information displays with only what I need to know and not a lot of other information.

[R0cketC0der]

Actually StretchyTanks is kinda outdated and doesn't get updated any more. Use procedural parts, which is the successor to StretchyTanks and can do a lot more than it.

[Woopert]

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it yet, but the NearFuture Techonologies (by Nertea) part packs are really nice as well.

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/52042-0-23-5-Near-Future-Technologies-(6-07-14-Solar-update)

[tychochallenge]

I want to tailor KSP a bit to fit my goals and wishes I am sure it is possible but I have run into a ton of warnings about "compatibility with each other" or "it's only 32 bit so you have to make sure when you install these to also....." So I decided to bring this to the experts.

1. KSP Interstellar/kethane/extraplanetary launchpads/kerbal attachment system

2. Ferram Aerospace/procedural fairings/TAC lifesupport

3.procedural fairings/ one of these: kerbin shuttle orbiter system/component space shuttle/tiberdyne shuttles/shuttle engines/b9aerospace(with ATM)

4. once again, KSP interstellar/ or near future propulsion pack if you think KSP Int. is too complicated for you.

5. KSP Interstellar(sciencelab)/ some mod i forgot its name, but it adds a couple of station modules for experiments in space.

if you go over the limit, install active texture management, it automatically reduces memory usage of textures, extremely useful when using b9aerospace.

and yes mechjeb if you have trouble docking, but trust me, if you practice enough you will get the hang of it very easily. On my first docking, i didn't even know about the docking feature and how to use rcs. Now for me, its a piece of cake. And get kerbal alarm clock. It makes interplanetary transfers THAT much easier! Kethane and KSP interstellar go together, in kethane, you convert kethane into oxidizer, liq fuel, monop, or xenon. In ksp interstellar, you use science lab or refinery to mine aluminum on mun or ike and convert it into aluminum /oxidizer; collect lithium from oceans and convert it into tritium; collect antimatter and use it to power your largest reactors, etc. More info can be found here: https://github.com/FractalUK/KSPInterstellar/wiki#resources

Edited July 10, 2014 by tychochallenge

[Bedlem]

Actually StretchyTanks is kinda outdated and doesn't get updated any more. Use procedural parts, which is the successor to StretchyTanks and can do a lot more than it.

Could not find procedural parts listed anywhere, I think the search term is so generic it is just giving me TONS of entries do you happen to have a link to it? I will nix the tanks mod I guess.

Can't remember if anyone answered this or not, is the Kethane mod inside interstellar or do I need to download it separate?

Do I install both near future tech and interstellar or should I just do one or the other?

[Hattivat]

You need to download Kethane separately. As for the in-situ resource utilization, Kethane adds a resource that by the powers of magic can be found pretty much anywhere and transformed into whatever you need. It's fun and gives you nice options, but it's also extremely unrealistic. Interstellar on the other hand gives you realistic In-situ resource utilization options, which means they are far more limited in terms of locations, although not necessarily any less powerful - the ability to electrolyse water into hydrogen (liquid fuel) and oxygen (oxidizer) turns Laythe into the Saudi Arabia of rocket fuel.

As for the interstellar vs near future - near future is the kind of technology that we could sensibly build now, whereas interstellar's tech is more of the "mad scientist" kind. Both are fun in their own different ways.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Hattivat

[Bedlem]

As for the interstellar vs near future - near future is the kind of technology that we could sensibly build now, whereas interstellar's tech is more of the "mad scientist" kind. Both are fun in their own different ways.

Next question I was going to have was:

Could I have both Interstellar and Near Future installed without compatibility issues?

After research: Yes and No. There is no game crashing issue they will both install and run along beside one another, but they each have a balance that is independent of one another. If you have one you should not have the other because it 'can' make the game and some of your ships too easy/powerful. I choose Interstellar because it is the more complex and hopefully has a huge payoff for learning how to use it eventually.

Okay so I am going to add Kethane to the list, I thought it was included/added into interstellar till this response :-(

So Now the full list looks like:

1. Kerbal Attachment System

2. KSP Interstellar

3. Ferram Aerospace

4. Procedural Fairings.

5. TAC-LS

5.5 Add Biomass

6. B9 Reloaded

7. KW Rocketry

8. Interplanetary Launch Pads

9. NavyFish Docking Indicator

10. MechJeb

11. Active Texture Management (Just use Basic Mode)

12. Kerbal Engineer Redux

13. Deadly Re-entry

14. Procedural Wings

15. Kerbal Joint Reinfocement (KJR) I

16. ScanSat sounds like it could be awesome and a lot of fun. -OH WoW you can use this to map the different biomes? GOLD Pure Gold.

17 Kerbal Dust Experiment (KDEX)

18. Kerbal Alarm Clock

19. Final Frontier

20. Infernal Robotics

21. Kethane

Oh while I have this forum to ask about it I have a joystick that I am going to be setting up to play Star Citizen; I was thinking about throwing it in to deal with flying aircraft now that Ferram should let planes fly, but I have heard that joysticks are clunky switching from planes to rockets due to some issue with changing their functionality. Anyone have input on that or additional information related to any addons/mods I still need to snag?

[G'th]

Something I would recommend to save RAM would be to get rid of all the different fuel tanks mods introduce and just rely on Stretchy Tanks/Procedural parts. You might lose out on some aesthetic qualities, but what you save in RAM and gain in utility by sticking to procedural parts is really worthwhile.

Anyway, for an awesome space shuttle, there's only one I can really recommend, and that's Component Space Shuttle, which is a replica of the whole shuttle stack. I recommend it mostly because it'll be easier to play with than a custom B9 based orbiter, but also because out of all the other pre-made shuttle mods, CSS is the only one that mostly plays nice with FAR (it also has a huge cargo bay, which is awesome). KSO, another great shuttle mod, doesn't play all that well with FAR as of yet.

I'd also recommend getting Fustek Space Station parts as well as the Cacteye Space Telescope to give yourself some more things to build in space.

And lastly, look into Rasterprop Monitor. Once you fly IVA with RPM, you'll never want to leave! If you decide to get it, pair it with Hullcam and possibly VesselViewer. It also integrates ScanSAT and Mechjeb functionality.

It should also be noted that you can pick and chose which parts of NearFuture you want, as they all come as separate downloads on the forum page. I personally get the solar panels and trusses myself.

[peadar1987]

I'd go for Crowd Sourced Science as well (and maybe custom biomes) http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/56510-0-23-Crowd-sourced-Science-Logs-SCIENCE-NEEDS-YOU!

I also use Chatterer and Hot Rockets, which don't really do anything but add some nifty effects, which I like!

Hmm... What else... Distant Object Enhancement and Environmental Visual Enhancement (adds clouds and city lights, makes the game look so much better!).

[Bedlem]

Something I would recommend to save RAM would be to get rid of all the different fuel tanks mods introduce and just rely on Stretchy Tanks/Procedural parts. You might lose out on some aesthetic qualities' date=' but what you save in RAM and gain in utility by sticking to procedural parts is really worthwhile.

Anyway, for an awesome space shuttle, there's only one I can really recommend, and that's Component Space Shuttle, which is a replica of the whole shuttle stack. I recommend it mostly because it'll be easier to play with than a custom B9 based orbiter, but also because out of all the other pre-made shuttle mods, CSS is the only one that mostly plays nice with FAR (it also has a huge cargo bay, which is awesome). KSO, another great shuttle mod, doesn't play all that well with FAR as of yet.

I'd also recommend getting Fustek Space Station parts as well as the Cacteye Space Telescope to give yourself some more things to build in space.

And lastly, look into Rasterprop Monitor. Once you fly IVA with RPM, you'll never want to leave! If you decide to get it, pair it with Hullcam and possibly VesselViewer. It also integrates ScanSAT and Mechjeb functionality.

It should also be noted that you can pick and chose which parts of NearFuture you want, as they all come as separate downloads on the forum page. I personally get the solar panels and trusses myself.[/quote']

I looked at the Procedural parts mod, but it seemed like it was a touch out of control maybe I was looking at the wrong mod location, but it did not appeal to me.

Do you happen to have the correct link for this? Also what is necessary to

For the space shuttle I do not want to get a space shuttle I want to make a ship that can fly to orbit and return.

Rasterprop Monitor I looked into it, it seems interesting and might be something I add later, but just trying to get the minimum to meet my goals right now.

As far as the visually appealing addons I expect them to 'waste' RAM so while they might look nice, for my needs they are extraneous. If I end up having lots of RAM free or if they make this thing go 64 bit I would snap them up.

[micha]

The next release due Soon will have 64-bit support for Windows. Since it sounds like you're about to embark on an epic adventure it might be worthwhile for you to just have a play with all the bits for now and get used to everything and then get serious once .24 is out. Although you'll have to wait for all your mods to be updated if necessary.

Btw, for ScanSat also get "ScanSat for all". Due to game engine limitations it can only scan if a ship has a ScanSat part and this additional mod tweaks every command pod to do so.