Kerbal Space Program

[Spike88]

Since we don't have a proper thread, I'd figure I'd make one.

For those of you not familiar with the game, it's an indie game that lets you create your own Space Program and attempt to fly throughout the Kerbol Solar System. Here's the synopsis from the actual site:

KSP is a game where the players create and manage their own space program.
Build spacecraft, fly them, and try to help the Kerbals to fulfill their ultimate mission of conquering space.

It's kind of like Orbiter, but you make your own rockets. It also uses a 9/10th scale for the galaxy and features little green men.
If you're interested you should swing over to the website:
http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/
You can download a Demo on the Downloads page. Also, there are plenty of Let's Plays and photos floating around.
If you're interested, I suggest buying now, as the game will go up in price come actual release.
*Note: the Demo is of the .13 version of the game, the current version is .17.1 and will be .18 shortly. Also, the game is only in Alpha




News:
For those of you who have the game, but haven't been following along on the recent news in regards to .18, here is a summary. -I'll try and update this with feature updates.

• Alpha .18 is currently in the 5th Experimental phase, which means the bugs are being worked on prior to release. There are typically 7 phases before release, so the update should be in our hands soon. As there is a 16 hour livestream coming out on the 30th to celebrate the games 2nd anniversary. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the launch of update also.
• Kerbalkon will start November 30th 2012 9:00AM EST, 2:00PM GMT. It will be a 16 hour long livestream which will feature "Announcements", "contests", "special guests", and "Special Previews of upcoming services!"
• Lagsbane, a KSP mod, will be implemented in .18. Essentially when unity starts to fall behind in physics calculations(either when you have large ships, or your large ship explodes on the runway) it has two options. One is to continue to try calculating the physics at current speed, which causes the game to lag and the frames to skip. The second option is for Unity to go into "slow-mo" and try and calculate the physics at a slower pace.
  It will be a slider, meaning if you don't want the game to go into slow-mo and would instead suffer through the FPS drop, you can. Also the MET timer in the corner will change colors depending on how far the game slows down.
• Other Features added to .18:

1. Docking - When you dock two vehicles they become one
2. Flight Planner - Accessed from the Map mode, let's you set maneuvers to make docking easier. Can also be used to plan burns to get to other planets, or even do gravity assist maneuvers(slingshots).
3. Electricity - Generated from generators(heavy), alternators, or Solar panels
4. Lights - From landing lights on aircraft wheels, to lights you can attach to your space craft. They drain electricity. If they start to run low on electricity, they will dim, flicker, and then go out.
5. Solar Panels - Generate electricity, are destroyed if you enter the atmosphere with them deployed(due to drag), or if you fly into them.
6. Art passes on most of the planets, these also lead to better performance
7. If you are on the dark side of a planet, your ship will be in shadow. In .17 and below, your ship seems to self illuminate.
8. Resources - Rocket tanks carry Oxidizer and fuel, while Airplane fuel tanks only carry fuel. This means that any aircraft engines will need air intakes. You can also transfer resources such as fuel between docked ships
9. New parts and part touch ups - Trusses, touch ups to the standard fuel tanks, space station parts, sensors(don't have a use yet), and antennae have all been added to the game.
10. Fairings - If you have an engine, and put a decoupler below it, the engine will be covered by a fairing. This will lead to rockets looking a little more uniform.
11. The ability to rename flights mid flight. You can set what they are, which changes their icon on map. The options are Ship, Space Station, Base, Rover, Probe, and Debris.
12. Improved Staging - Only the "necessary" parts IE. Fuel, and engines show up on the staging bar. You can also change staging while your flying the ship.
13. Action groups - You can set objects to be activated by using the 1-10 keys. This could be used to set up an abort sequence. You could put 1 to cut engines, launch any Solid Rocket boosters, and then use 2 to decouple the ship, and fire the escape tower.

Mods:
For those who actually have the game here are some recommended mods:
Protractor Mod:

Lets you stick a protractor to the side of your rocket, perfect for calculating when to do your interplanetary burns. However this mod will be obsolete once flight planning is released in .18


Flight Engineer Mod:
Let's you place two computer chips on the side of your craft. The Kerbal Engineer gives you statistics on your ship while it's in the hangar. These include total fuel, delta V, and your Thrust to weight ratio.
The Kerbal Flight Engineer gives you the same spastics as the regular Engineer, but also gives you the same statistics after your ship is launched. Letting you monitor them as you continue your flight.

Mechjeb:
Suck at piloting? Want to get to space without the hassle? This mod is for you. Basically it's an advanced autopilot with several functions. It can be used to get your rocket into orbit, or even land on other planets without user error. Although, it also has uses for the more advanced pilots. As it lets you set your attitude(prograde, retrograde, etc.) perfectly with the click of a button. You can also use it to see if your rocket isn't making it into space due to your lack of piloting, or because of a design flaw.

Avro Engineer: While I do not use this one, it gives you feedback on your aircraft design, taking out some of the guest work.

Ferram Aerospace Research: Alters the game physics to be more aircraft friendly. Another mod I do not use, but for those of you who prefer to fly aircraft in KSP.

Fairing Factory: Use a Web application to create a fairing for your payload. The website spits out a part, you put it in your craft and have at it. Another one that I haven't used, and will eventually make it into the game.

Payloader: One of the complaints with the current version of KSP is that you can't combine to craft together. Meaning if you build an awesome launcher around one payload, you have to try and recreate it if you create a new payload. This mod remedies that by letting you combine any payload and launcher together. Another one that I haven't used, and will eventually make it into the game.