Stock vs Kerbal engineer redux

[temetvince]

This isn't a is Mechjeb/KER cheating thread. Please don't turn it into one.

I am however, looking for your personal opinions.

I started playing KSP stock. I played it for quite a while, and even made it to Duna (albeit horribly so) stock. Then I learned about mechjeb and played with it for awhile. It has taught me a lot. I've also installed Kerbal engineer redux. I really like the information it gives.

I'm starting to think that, for me at my current play level, mechjeb is just too much. However, I'm still unsure about KER.

I'm not really sure exactly what to ask. I'm just trying to figure out whether KER is right for my current play style or if I want to try to go vanilla again. I haven't visited any other planets other than Mun, Minmus, and Duna. Do you feel like using KER to visit the rest of the planets would take away any long term sense of satisfaction? Or does everyone use it for long voyages?

Again, just kinda looking for your thoughts on KER or vanilla for my first "play through" now that I have more of an idea of what I'm doing. I suppose if I don't use KER I'd just have to use a ton of charts for launch windows and stuff? Or would it be better to just play and try to figure it out?

[Frederf]

It depends on what you mean by "use." The MJ "take me there" button spoils the fun of course but any of the transfer window planners (KSP_TOT is amazing) simply allow you to tailor your rocket to be efficient which can add tons of challenge and reward. KER I admit I only use for pre-launch dV/TWR calcs. With moderate pre-planning the stock (or with preciseNode) nodes are more than enough. If you're at the level I think you are the tools replace paper and pencil calcs saving you time so use them. Pretend it's your own division of engineers. I wouldn't play as if I knew less than I did. Primitive's cuteness wears off sooner or later.

Even with a KSP_TOT snapshot solution you'll never hit it spot on anyway. There's always the need for a mid course correction.

[Red Iron Crown]

KER doesn't calculate launch windows AFAIK, though it does show the current phase angle and angle to prograde. For finding windows you need another tool, I like Transfer Window Planner. You can also use a web tool like alexmoon.github.io/ksp/ to calculate them. Calculating transfers manually is a bit beyond my modest math skills, so I use tools without shame and don't feel any lessened satisfaction from interplanetary missions.

[Superfluous J]

If it somehow became impossible to get an in-game tool that told me the dV of every stage and the rocket in the VAB, I'd quit playing because the game would no longer be fun for me.

I suggest this: If you're getting frustrated with the lack of information in stock, give KER a try. If you like playing less with KER installed, uninstall it and go back to stock information displays. Neither is wrong, or even inferior. It all comes down to if the game is more fun that way.

[CaptainKipard]

KER is the very first mod I used, which kinda says a lot. Those readouts are sorely needed in stock. They don't take away anything for me. They add the satisfaction of being able to respond to real data (which I suspect real astronauts have) in real time. It makes precise piloting a lot more fun. I don't use MechJeb, but I do write kOS scripts. That's also a lot of fun, for similar reasons. It gives me precise control.

[sarbian]

I'd like to mention the fact that you can disable some of MJ2 modules ( wiki ) if you feel some are compatible with your vision of gameplay and others are not.

[Pds314]

Just recently reinstalled KER after months calculating and guesstimating Delta-V by hand, and yeah, no way in heck am I uninstalling it ever again. Being able to see the differences a change makes, ESPECIALLY in RSS, is critical.

[temetvince]

Thank you everyone. I appreciate the feedback. Also, I'm going to check out preciseNode, I've never heard of it before!

[metl]

You might try the newer 1.0.11 KER. It integrates into stock extremely well. and you can customize on the fly what information gets displayed.

[Paul Kingtiger]

I played for a week with no mods and the game was ok, but without any useful numbers it was very hard to learn how to build rockets, apart from tedious trial and error.

Then I discovered KER and I haven't played without it since.

It takes the game from child like trial and error with only success/failure feedback to being able to plan a mission with real data. Even with KER you'll have missions fail but you'll be better able to work out why it failed and so build the next mission to avoid whatever went wrong. I highly recommend KER to first time players, because with it you have access to core concepts like DeltaV and TWR.

[bdito]

KER should be integrated into stock. It's that necessary. Building rockets without a deltaV readout per stage turns it into a guessing game and that's absurd IMO. The inflight readouts are also essential for more advanced players that require precision.