Iron Man mode and Mods

[MKI]

I was thinking about getting into an Iron Man mode game. Since its the most "legit" version of KSP you could possibly play. But then it hit me, it might be to easy with mods, but is it even playable if you don't use mods like Kerbal Engineer? Every flight would extremely important, so Squads idea of "Trial and Error" wouldn't exactly work. To much trial and you have to restart a new game completely. Which isn't exactly fun or intutive.

Is there any way to make this a little more tangible without mods that give you at least some insight as to what will happen when you deploy the rocket?

Many people say Kerbal Engineer is vital to playing this game. I would personally agree, but in no way you MUST have this mod to play the game and have fun.(the main reason why its not in stock) But when things go on ultra hard mode, it seems the game should give you something.

I know here are a number of ways to sidestep this whole problem, (like test the flight in another save) or just be VERY crafty in playing your save file. But the fact the game literally hands you nothing, makes me feel like Iron Man mode is only playable with mods. I could be wrong and find its totally playable just hard (which is justified) but the level of skill needed seems to be unnecessary for what it could be. (If you screw up you lose, compared to if you test/fail to much you equally lose)

I'm thinking about starting up my own Iron Man Mode game just to see how far and difficult this really is. Again without mods such as Engineer or Mechjeb to help with how my rockets will perform.

PS Iron Man mode is no reverts, quicksaves. Only dedicated menu saves (so you can leave obviously) But once a mission is underway and you do something, its done and can't be undone.

Edited December 12, 2014 by MKI

[Superfluous J]

I suppose you need to define "Iron Man." To me it simply means no save reverting, so I think it'd be possible to succeed in Stock Easy mode with all reverts turned off.

I agree that not using KER would handicap that sort of endeavor, but I don't know by how much because I can't bear to play the game without it long enough to see what would happen

[MKI]

I suppose you need to define "Iron Man." To me it simply means no save reverting, so I think it'd be possible to succeed in Stock Easy mode with all reverts turned off.

I agree that not using KER would handicap that sort of endeavor, but I don't know by how much because I can't bear to play the game without it long enough to see what would happen

I edited main post.

The most basic problem would be say your rocket runs out of delta-v, or has another issue that would of been seen with Kerbal Engineer such as the launchpad explodes cuse its to heavy.

[Xavven]

Well, I hate to say this, especially now, considering the controversial thread I've been posting in about the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation... but if indeed you feel that your Ironman save isn't as "legit" if you use a mod like Kerbal Engineer, then you could always build...

a delta-v calculating spreadsheet.

If that interests you, I'm sure there are some threads or tutorials about it that we could find on the forum.

[Rune]

Well, I hate to say this, especially now, considering the controversial thread I've been posting in about the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation... but if indeed you feel that your Ironman save isn't as "legit" if you use a mod like Kerbal Engineer, then you could always build...

a delta-v calculating spreadsheet.

If that interests you, I'm sure there are some threads or tutorials about it that we could find on the forum.

Yup, if you uninstall KER you will probably just get good a guesstimating masses to work out deltaVs in the editor, methinks...

Rune. That's what I would do. Hell, I already eyeball them at times and I have it installed.

[VR_Dev]

Ohh... I thought I was needed

[prophet_01]

That guestimate part is true. I played a long time without mods (300 - 350 hours), but once you are doing more than a mun landing it's not going to work reliably enough to do mission without keeping a massive reserve.

I don't consider using a spread sheet to be more or less cheaty than using kerbal engineer. You get a delta-v read out. Gameplay wise nothing changes if you let it calculate or do it yourself (I do not count the spread sheet or the calculations of KER as a part of the gameplay). I'm not saying one thing is better than the other. It's just not related to the level of difficulty. You get that info either way and that data vastly changes the mission profile and efficency.

I think that the "iron man" settings are a solution for a number of different styles of playing the game. There might be people who can actually do it without calculating the delta-v. But I guess they more or less do that stuff for the x'th time and now exactly which parts to use for the lander that worked last time. But I consider the use of kerbal engineer as a valid way to play that mode. It's still necessary to be very careful (as long as you avoid the known exploids)

Btw, I've got such a save named iron man and I named it independly right after the update release; hail the omnipresent global mainstream

[merendel]

I could do most everything but an eve return lander without KER but the craft will end up over engineered most times. I normaly use KER to help trim down a mission to be smaller. I build in a small but comfortable safety margian for fuel. Without KER I'd either have to do the dV calculations by hand(ya right I'm too lazy for that) or just strap extra tanks on just to be sure.

[cantab]

Do your own maths. It ain't difficult , just a bit tedious for multi-stage ships.

Stuff to know:

The rocket equation. Go look it up.

KSP 0.90 will tell you your rocket's mass in the VAB. For the time being put it on the pad, switch to map view, open the little i window and you can see the mass. Recover for 100% of the cost provided you aren't using certain strategies.

One unit of fuel or oxidizer is 5 kg. One unit of monoprop is 4 kg. One unit of xenon is 0.1 kg. Go look up solid fuel yourself because I forgot.

[Rusty6899]

I normally calculate delta-v but my last go at career mode I didn't bother and just designed by eye. I unlocked the tech tree on iron man mode with 20% fund rewards (I did have outsourced r&d on for the last part of it). I reckon if you calculated delta-v it would still be reasonably achievable at 10% funds. The "science data from orbit" contracts make the game too easy in terms of funds to cause any trouble.

I'd say those contracts need to be altered, as do the Admin Building options. They make the game too easy.

[Joonatan1998]

I have tried to play career on hard, with just DRE, FAR and TAC-LS (all on default settings)

It is pretty hard...

I landed an unmanned probe to the Mun (wasn't actually meant to land but...) and had a manned pod orbit the Mun, but it got unstable when returning and all the parachutes burned (and it also didn't have enough fuel, had to get out and push...) When I tried to launch another pod to the Mun it blew up (And killed Jeb)

Completely playable, but very annoying and extremely grindy. (But still doesn't solve the problems with OP Mun, Minmus and Funds to science strategy.)

[Doctor Axel]

I kind of ruined stock for myself by enforcing Iron Man difficulty on everything I do - I'm doing DRE, FAR, TAC-LS, Remotetech, and forced first-person through RPM and Probe Control Room. Apparently I hate myself =P

I have a LOT of other mods running as well, one of which is Kerbal Construction Time - this has a nifty little feature that lets you run a simulation of a flight for a small fraction of its usual cost. When the simulation is ended, the game rewinds back to when you started it. Lets you do a bit of trial and error, but with monetary limitations - and the 'real' flight is still super important. ^^

[klgraham1013]

I came in here to post about TAC-LS, RemoteTech, DRE, and all that jazz. That's my iron man mode.