Gaming The Kerbal Space Program - Version 1.2.x

[MattBaker]

My rockets tend to wobble, and handle like greased pigs.

Obvious solution: More struts, more SAS, more RCS.

My manned lunar rocket (design looks similiar, but not the same, to the Duna rocket) wobbled like hell, too. Like 45° in both directions. Then you simply take a few struts, connect everything with everything and wobbling is stopped.

 

[astrosammy]

My first two manned rovers (the second one is on the other side to rebalance the center of gravity).





Maybe a bigger design will work.


Next rollover... at least this one slowly jumps up, leaving enough time to rotate it back to its normal attitude.

 

[N_Molson]

Obvious solution: More struts, more SAS, more RCS.

Other solution : shorter, multicore design. Taking inspiration from the Delta 4 "Very Heavy" proposals works very nicely for me. A Munar rocket has not to be that big, a "Delta-4 Heavy + SRMs and crossfeed" configuration allows me a "Kerbollo" style mission ("3 Kerbals-CM" + "2 Kerbals-LM", with transposition, docking & LM extraction after TLI).

And yeah, struts make life easier. And things less explosive. Usually.

 

[BruceJohnJennerLawso]

Sorry but I don't get that one. Even with stock parts it's quite easy to build big Mun landers depending on what you'd define as big. A simple manned lunar landing of mine would carry 14 tons to the Munar surface so I'm quite sure you could optimize this to 20 ton-modules which sounds quite large to me.

If I might describe my method for those parties interested? My technique for simple munar landings was, as usual, nuclear based.

Part A - Sprento class HLV launches its payload into Kerbin orbit. The Spento payload looks pretty much like the Apollo CM, save that it has four NTRs arranged around the core fuel tank for propulsion. (I can show a diagram if you need to see one) The Sprento class is basically a Falcon Heavy knockoff, tricky to fly, and prone to exploding at high G accelerations, so payload is limited by gravity drag quite a bit.

Part B - Munar module (I think I named it a Rompmor or something like that) launches into LKO unkerballed. CSM stack rendezvouses with it & docks.

Part C - Sprento CSM performs TMI after shutting down pretty much everything on the MM to save resources.

Part D - Sprento CSM performs MOI, crew EVAs to the MM. MM undocks, performs PDI, lands, takes off, rendezvouses, then transfers crew. The MM is discarded, although it can be easily used later as part of a space station if needed (It used a pair of RTGs for power, so there are no worries about loss of control due to power shortages)

Part E - Sprento CSM performs TKI, coasts back to Kerbin, then jettisons the service module. The capsule undergoes reentry, lands, & hopefully somebody bothers to come pluck our heroes out of the water.

 

[N_Molson]

Two stupidly happy Kerbals. Typical.

I tell you, they're not home yet ! You break your rover, you come back on your (tiny) legs !

 

[Quick_Nick]

 

[Pipcard]

I finally got KSP!

 

[N_Molson]

Kerbal IV-H. 310 tons on the pad. Nearly 40 tons to KEO.



The crossfeed is set the following way :

1) Upper middle tank depletes
2) Liquid boosters depletes
3) LRBs jettison
4) Lower middle tank depletes

That config is quite efficient. The 3 Mainsails are up to the challenge. The decouplers can be used to isolate the tanks. The upper stage is a "Poddle" engine with 18 tons of propellant, quite close from the actual Delta IV-H upper stage.

Notice the fairing, got it from the "KW rocketry" addon. Make things suddenly look much better.

 

[Fabri91]

Gentlemen, I present you the PolarExplorer, with detachable nose-section/rover:

With drop-tanks for extra range, enough to reach a pole, loiter a bit and fly back:

 

[Pipcard]

Formation flying!

 

[N_Molson]

Another successful Kerbollo mission. Again I ended up with masses surprisingly close from the reality. The Kerbollo CSM has a gross mass of 18 tons, the MEM 15 tons.

If I replace the MEM descent engine by 2 small radial engines (that have a lower Isp), I should even be able to make room for a small rover. That MEM is a bit "high on legs" though, which makes landing on uneven terrain especially dangerous !

I hope that crewmembers will be able to transfer between docked modules without having to perform an EVA, that would be convenient ! It seems that for now, Kerbals have not discovered the concept of the hatch. :lol:

 

[rodion_herrera]

Dunarise on Ike...

Just concluded my Duna and Ike visits. Kerbals are now home. Now contemplating whether to go to Dres or go directly to Jool (both attempts will be my first).

Incidentally, I found out something rather odd. If I take out the KSP directory/folder from the Steam folders, and place it in another drive, my framerate rockets up to over 100%...that's really weird--I wonder what Steam is doing to cause all the lagginess.

-RODION

 

[N_Molson]

Maybe your second drive is faster ? I bought KSP directly on the KSP site and experience low framerate on complex rockets/assemblies. Seems very closely related to the physics engine.

The KSP site is down again. I hope this is not another cyber-attack. They have been plagued enough with that.

 

[XeroZohar]

Incidentally, I found out something rather odd. If I take out the KSP directory/folder from the Steam folders, and place it in another drive, my framerate rockets up to over 100%...that's really weird--I wonder what Steam is doing to cause all the lagginess.

-RODION

It's a rare occurrence these days but the Steam Overlay has been known to slow some games' framerates because it doesn't play well together with the game's rendering engine. This might be the case here.

 

[rodion_herrera]

It's a rare occurrence these days but the Steam Overlay has been known to slow some games' framerates because it doesn't play well together with the game's rendering engine. This might be the case here.

Well I fixed it--managed to find a solution by using Windows 7's mklink command. It's basically a "folder redirection"... but instead of moving my entire KSP folder to my D: drive, I made a copy, and then used mklink to point to that folder (I first had to rename my Steam KSP folder to something else, so that mklink won't get confused). So now, whenever I press "PLAY" on my Steam interface, it sees the link and then runs the one on my drive D: :thumbup: Very fast now! I dunno if I should share this solution to those suffering from the same issue down at the KSP forum. You guys think I should?

-RODION

 

[Fabri91]

Sure, why not? It might also help the developers of both Steam and KSP find a solution.

 

[rodion_herrera]

Sure, why not? It might also help the developers of both Steam and KSP find a solution.

Ok cool thanks

-RODION

 

[Codz]

Just landed my first rover on Duna.

 

[Pipcard]

Yesterday, I did my first interplanetary landing

and made my first manned Mun landing.

 

[N_Molson]

Always a great moment ! Your Kerb seems to enjoy it !

You can even land and ascend with an half-tank I think