Hello from N.C!

[vsully]

I am a kind-of noob to KSP (i have some stuff in orbit around Kerbin, an lander around the Mun) Could someone show me how to land on Duna? I am not very experienced at deep-space flight. Also I can't download anything off of the forums. When it downloads it turns into a .txt file. I am running on a Mac. Any advice on anything would be appreciated.

[zekes]

have a nice low periapsis, but still about 5k up, then let the atomsphere slow u, then use engines and parachute combo to land.

[Northstar1989]

I am a kind-of noob to KSP (i have some stuff in orbit around Kerbin, an lander around the Mun) Could someone show me how to land on Duna? I am not very experienced at deep-space flight. Also I can't download anything off of the forums. When it downloads it turns into a .txt file. I am running on a Mac. Any advice on anything would be appreciated.

Glad to have you aboard Vsully!

What exactly seems to be the problem you are having with your Duna landing? Is it smashing into the ground at high speeds? Are you just struggling to figure out how much fuel you need to carry with you? Any additional information would help more experienced players a LOT in giving you some pointers...

Regards,

Northstar

[vsully]

Just how to get there. I know how to fly to the Mun, but how do I get to Duna in the first place?

[Pecan]

Woo, New Caledonia, nice to see people from all around the world :-)

How are you trying to download stuff from the forum? There usually isn't anything here that you can download, just links to picture galleries, file depositories, etc.

[Coutesy of Google Translate, if it helps;

Woo, Nouvelle-Calédonie, agréable de voir des gens de partout dans le monde:-)

Comment essayez-vous de télécharger des trucs du forum? Il est généralement pas quelque chose ici que vous pouvez télécharger, juste des liens à l'image des galeries, des dépositaires de fichiers, etc.]

[vsully]

The stuff here:

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/43488-18-Rockets-and-Counting!!-Early-Rockets-From-V2-to-Atlas-B

[Pecan]

Gah! Nearly forgot - I was posting a reply several hours ago when I was invited to the pub and ... you lost ^^.

In the post to which you link the names of the rockets (eg; V2) are links to mediafire, a file repository. Click on that link and you'll be offered the option to download the *.craft file concerned. It should be saved with the same, ".craft" extension, if not it's just your computer being too helpful to be helpful (I hate modern OSs). Everything except the executable (*.exe and *.dll) files in KSP are designed to be text-files As Well, so we poor humans can read them if we need to. A *.craft file can therefore be read in a text editor/viewer but it still describes a ship.

Having downloaded it just move it into your KSP\<save game name>\Ships\VAB (or \SPH if it's a spaceplane) folder and make sure it's got a .craft extension, eg; V2.craft. Next time you go into the VAB/SPH, as appropriate, the ship will appear in the 'load' list.

Getting to Duna: (isn't much harder than Mun)

Have a look at the tutorial in my signature for ships/landers if you need to.

Work out when the planets are aligned to give you a "transfer window" using http://alexmoon.github.io/ksp/ or something similar. That'll tell you when to go, which way to go and how fast to go - simple (if you can understand it). If you can't understand that tool then practice going between Mun and Minmus - it's much the same as going from Kerbin to one of the moons but when going directly from one to the other you have to consider whereabouts in their orbits (around Kerbin) they are as well. As with the moons around Kerbin, so with the planets around the sun - if they aren't in the right relative positions it is better to wait until they are.

[PS: Since you're still typing in English perhaps you aren't in New Caledonia, where the hell is "N.C"?]

Edited November 20, 2014 by Pecan
Pub gibberish seemed a bit prevalent

[Northstar1989]

Hey Vsully.

You said you have a lander "around" the Mun- does that mean you haven't managed a landing yet?

If so, I *highly* recommend watching my Twitch live-stream (which I'm going to be starting up in a few minutes), where I'll be launching a Mun lander to Kerbin orbit and then proceeding onwards to making a Mun landing. I'll be checking chat periodically, and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you or other players have...

Regards,

Northstar

[vsully]

I have landed on the Mun before but only in "Scenarios" and "Training". N.C stands for… North Carolina. The other thing I have trouble with is how other people put multiple T-45 engines on the bottom of a Rockomax tank?

[Pecan]

...The other thing I have trouble with is how other people put multiple T-45 engines on the bottom of a Rockomax tank?

There are two ways to 'cluster' engines.

The 'official' way is to use a multi-coupler; bi-coupler, tri-coupler, quad-coupler which convert a single stack into 2, 3 or 4 respectively.

The other way, which is used for all sorts of things, is using Cubic Octagonal Struts. They'll attach to just about anything, just about anywhere and create a new node to which you can attach just about anything extra. The struts themselves are massless so apart from extra part-count there is no drawback to having them.

If you want 7 engines under a tank, for instance: place the one in the middle as normal. Now grab a Cubic Octagonal Strut and put it towards the edge of the bottom of the tank and put an engine on the new node that provides. Change to symmetry-6, click the strut you just placed and adjust its position so that the (symmetrical) set of struts+engines fit around the central one. The editor allows some 'clipping' (overlapping) of parts, which can make things look better but people regard as various degrees of 'cheating' (it's a single-player game, have fun the way you want to).

With a bit more work you can use WASD to turn the struts inside the tank before you attach the engines, which makes them fit flush against it but then it's harder to adjust their position later.

[Whirligig Girl]

Hello from a fellow North Carolinian!

[vsully]

Ok thanks for the tip on multi engines. I tried to call the V2 file .craft instead of .txt, but the file format still is .txt even though the name isn't.

[Master Tao]

Yes, .craft files are plain text. You'll need to save the file with a plain text editor. You can do that with TextEdit: copy & paste the text in to a new document, then go to Format > Make Plain Text and save it with the extension .craft. Then, just place it in your VAB or SPH folder.

[vsully]

I tried that but the file format is still txt, though the extension is .craft.

[Northstar1989]

I have landed on the Mun before but only in "Scenarios" and "Training".

What seems to be the difficulty that is holding you back from doing the same thing in a normal game?

Regards,

Northstar

[vsully]

Update: I have landed three times on Mun in the real game. All three ended in disaster, the first two didn't have enough fuel to get back to Kerbin, and the third my computer froze up just as I landed and the lander tipped over, stranding Buzz, Brian, and Tomtop on the Mun. I am now launching a mission to the Mun with the Apollo spacecraft.

Edited November 25, 2014 by vsully