I noticed the SRB's help build a lot more normal with their increased burn time.

Somehow this gets to Duna:

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...reenshot13.jpg

In the past that would barely get to Mun, if at all. The payload is a lot lighter though; getting a lander anywhere is still pretty tricky. Ended up with this to get a manned mission to Mun:

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...reenshot14.jpg
Pretty similar to my old designs. Longer burning boosters help, but I think a lot of people forget the unmanned modules are a lot lighter. :hmmm:

Same probe as before, manouvered with RCS and got another encounter with Moho.

Approaching.
http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/5828/mohoprobe1.jpg


http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/3704/mohoprobe2.jpg

And leaving Moho.
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8168/mohoprobe3.jpg

Someone discovered you can actually make engine clusters with struts in .18

http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/...ters-with-0-18

I've done a little light testing of it and I've come to a couple conclusions.

Under light load conditions a Rockomax engine (The big one) will do better then 6x small rockets.

However, under heavy load conditions (On launch at least) the 6x small engines will actually do a fair bit better.

I'm attributing this to the fact that small engines are just better in the atmosphere then the big one, and the heavy load meant they were in the atmosphere for a longer part of their burn. In the light load condition the big rocket was able to thrust into lower atmosphere conditions faster where it did better.

It should also be noted that a engine cluster has MUCH MUCH LESS overheating problems then a single big one.

Duna Lander I

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/9361/dunalanderi1.jpg

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/4...nalanderi2.jpg

@Rilder

Cool! Thanks. :up:

Have to try that out and see how it goes. :)

Loving the lander Lionclaw.

Meanwhile at Werner Von Kerbals Space Program:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YCN-a0NsNk

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/4...enshot10yk.png

It's not a docking, because the docking clamps fell off during launch, but it's as near as dammit. Bill and Jeb meet up and exchange ships, Jeb, being Jeb decides to meet Bill whilst upside down, and then collide with Bills solar panel and knock it off.

Jeb then de-orbitted safely, whilst Bills parachute failed and he plummeted into the ocean. Oh well, can't win them all. :yep:

Woohoo! :woot:

My first docking attempt. And my first successful rendezvous.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/pict...pictureid=6115

Now I have to figure out how to put up large things so I can build a station.

How hard is Docking / Rendevouz?? I havent even rendevouzed with anything yet so can anyone give me a quick step by step explanation on how?

Easier than I expected. I learned it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1b99FQpxd4
I followed the method, and docked.

Basically, you get two craft in orbit, and select your target. Get close to it (using the info on the map to know when your closest encounter is), and then try to get your speed relative to it to 0. Once you've done that, point at it and burn, until you get another close approach, closer than the last. Zero your relative speed, then point at it and burn. Eventually, you'll work yourself in close to it. I got mine down to .1 km, and then used the RCS to move close and dock.

It sounds harder more complicated than it actually is. It may not be the best method, but it works. Before this, my closest pass was about 5 km from another vessel, moving at a high relative speed. The new tools make it much easier.

Definitely not the most fuel efficient way by a long shot, but not much choice given that this game doesn't have the needed navigation aids that a game like orbiter has for plotting intercepts. Which are really difficult to do correctly in a fuel efficient manner, as it involves increasing or decreasing your orbit so that you are faster or slower than your target, then matching orbit again at just the right moment so that you slide into place. It is definitely one of the more challenging tasks to do successfully in orbiter (even more tricky than transitioning between planets/moons).

I am hoping at some point this game will approach orbiters level of sophistication when it comes to navigation software/MFDs. I actually am really impressed at what players have been able to accomplish in KSP with such rudimentary navigation instruments, particularly earlier on. Anyone remember trying to make stable orbit back when there wasn't really a map or anything?

I never achieved orbit in the pre-map versions of KSP. Usually it was just sub-orbital flights.

Was more used to Orbiter and the MFD's. Pretty difficult to get to orbit without any instruments at all when you're starting out.


With 0.18 I've visited Moho and Duna so far. in 0.17 I escaped Kerbin's sphere of influence but I didn't achieve any encounters, very difficult without some sort of navigational aid.

I remember in Orbiter getting to the other planets was hard enough with TransX or IMFD. Made it to Mars, Venus (game crashed before achieving orbit IIRC.) Almost made it to Saturn, but the oxygen was depleted in Dansteph's Delta Glider... So close. :/\\!!

But that was years ago.

Came to realise, it's around 9 years ago when I first started playing Orbiter seriously. :o Time flies. :-?

Whoops, rambled on a bit off topic. :oops:

WOrking on docking now, I have a ship that I use to reach a near perfect 75KM low orbit and Im using a 2nd to get up there, so far Ive got up to the altitude now just catching up to the other one... no luck yet. I hope I get it soon!

So if I buy it now I will not have to pay again when it is officially released right?

Anyway I bought it messed with the demo a bit and the pictures of KSP posted here and in the other games screenshots is really convincing enough as is.

Correct, they do a "minecraft purchase model" . Every time a new version comes out you have access to it, so long as you remember your username and password.

Oh well that is not a problem for me I usually jot that type of info down on a note pad and keep store it I use my own encrypting which is my impossible to read writing.