New Kerbonaut recruit reporting for duty

[theoneandonlyboiler]

Hi there!

Well, I’ve known about Kerbal Space Program for a long time, but I only decided to buy it after version 1.0 was announced. The plan was to install 0.9, have a short look at it, try out a few things and get a feeling for the controls. You know, so when 1.0 arrives I would be able to dive right into it. Well, that didn’t quite work out as of now I have already played 34 hours and will probably play many more before 1.0 comes out. It’s just of these games that you can’t put aside once you started. Last Friday I intended to play until around 9pm and then watch a movie before going to bed around midnight, but when I quit KSP the clock was showing 5am the next day So far I’ve done dozens of orbiting missions around Kerbal, Mun and Minmus, landed on Mun four times and on Minmus twice. Well, and I guess I will do a few more Mun missions during the week to unlock some more techs and then have a shot at Duna on the weekend.

Now, I should have known that I would not be able to just have a short look at it. See, I am absolutely passionate about everything about space and the exploration of it. I’ve spent hundreds of hours watching documentaries, reading books and articles about space and space exploration. I’m also a science fiction fan, having watched hundreds of movies and TV series and read dozens of novels. And you know what else I’m absolutely passionate about? Computer games! Now you do the math.

What I really enjoy about KSP it that it is both fun and challenging. It's easy to learn the game, but hard to master it. And it has a really good difficulty curve where each new mission incorporates well known elements that are no problem by now, but also new challenges that need some serious figuring out and probably testing to get right. And there is also a high feeling of accomplishment when you get it right. When I first went to the Mun with a completely new and untested heavy rocket and made it there, had a perfect landing and got back to Kerbin with the last drop of fuel (meaning my guestimating about the fuel needed for the mission was absolutely spot on) I felt like the king of the world By now Mun landings are almost routine (having done 4 so far), but still every one of them feels great and I have made multiple screenshots of every single one because I was so damned proud seeing my lander standing there on the surface with Bob Kerman standing next to it grinning all over his face

And of course it can be absolutely hilarious at times. Once I had a rocket that was too heavy for its first stage, so it didn’t lift and only sat there on the pad. I then thought **** it and hit stage 2 so at least I would see some pretty fireworks before I had to go back to redesign the rocket. As expected the whole thing exploded in an epic fireball, boosters flying of in all directions and the landing pat blew up too. But when the smoke cleared you know what was still there, lying on the destroyed pad? The capsule, with Bob Kerman in it, smiling like a child at christmas...

So, fantastic game, even though it isn’t finished. But with the help of all these fantastic mods here on the forum the time until more features are added can be easely bridged. I will be playing this for hundreds of hours at the least and will be having a fantastic time planting Kerbal flags all over the system. And if time allows I will show up in some of the threads here as it seems to me that you have a really great community here

cheers

[Yukon0009]

Welcome aboard the forums! Yes, watching a first stage rip apart the second stage is funny for me,too.

[Starhawk]

It’s just of these games that you can’t put aside once you started. Last Friday I intended to play until around 9pm and then watch a movie before going to bed around midnight, but when I quit KSP the clock was showing 5am the next day

It definitely can be extremely addictive.

I am absolutely passionate about everything about space and the exploration of it.

You're in good company here. There are a lot of people who are passionate and knowledgeable about space, science, engineering, etc.

What I really enjoy about KSP it that it is both fun and challenging. It's easy to learn the game, but hard to master it. And it has a really good difficulty curve where each new mission incorporates well known elements that are no problem by now, but also new challenges that need some serious figuring out and probably testing to get right.

That is definitely one of the most important aspects of the game. One of my favourite quotes is 'KSP doesn't have a learning curve, more of a learning wall.'

And there is also a high feeling of accomplishment when you get it right. When I first went to the Mun with a completely new and untested heavy rocket and made it there, had a perfect landing and got back to Kerbin with the last drop of fuel (meaning my guestimating about the fuel needed for the mission was absolutely spot on) I felt like the king of the world

I know exactly what you mean. It's so rewarding when you get it right!

if time allows I will show up in some of the threads here as it seems to me that you have a really great community here

Welcome to the forums! Look forward to seeing you around.

Happy landings!

[Tex]

Welcome aboard! I'm also having trouble trying to hold off on playing!

[Sampa]

Welcome don't worry...you're Not the first with the time problem and won't be the last

[Lubo]

Welcome on board mate.

U have a very long and plesant journey right before u

couple of weeks ago i felt exactly the same, being so proud about a moon landing and eyeballing Duna

The now challenge for me is to get a surface sample from Eve and back with one Big Ship.(Probably building it it space)

Check out all the other moons

and goof around with all this wonderful mods!

Special thx to the Community for all this great work and future great work. Cant wait for v.1.0

What is Football?, play Kerbal(l)

[Starwhip]

Welcome!

I, too, have not been able to put the game down. Soon enough it will have been two years since I started.

I need to haul booster over to Jool, Moho, and Eeloo. They haven't gotten my attention yet.

And don't feel bad about "not mastering the game". Nobody really does.

But soon enough...

You'll get pretty darn close.

[theoneandonlyboiler]

As announced, after my initial success with Mun and Minmus I tried to tackle Duna on the weekend. Well, all I managed to achieve during all that time and after countless complete failures (as in not even reaching Kerbin orbit) was a rocket that barely made it into orbit with the help of the transfer stage (you now, the one that should only be used for transfer). So the “lander†had to fire its engines during transfer because the transfer stage didn’t have enough fuel left after I had to use it for achieving orbit around Kerbin. Therefore the mission was reduced to an incredibly expensive Duna orbiting mission. And I had barely enough fuel left to make it back. I actually had to put the ship into an elliptical orbit with a periapsis within Kerbins atmosphere so the ship would gradually slow down each revolution and finally deorbit by itself. Man was that mission a failure (and the deorbiting was tedious as hell). But then I went to the wiki, read a few things about engine efficiency and rocket design and now I have a rocket that makes it into Kerbin orbit with the intended stage and with fuel to spare. Funny thing is, the rocket is now about 50% lighter but still has about the same payload. Funny because until now I was under the impression that if my rocket doesn’t make it into orbit the solution would be to add more fuel, more thrusters, bigger thrusters, more stages etc. Well, apparently not *g*

I still don’t use any math or mods that help with construction though, because I think it’s much more fun (and more rewarding) just guestimating what is needed, test that stuff, watch it explode in hilarious ways and then go back to vehicle assembly and adjust it until it works.

Edited February 25, 2015 by theoneandonlyboiler