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A space oddity.

<span class="bold">Kerbal Space Program</span>, the video-game space simulator, is available now, DRM-free on GOG.com for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, with a 25% launch discount!

It's here! Since it first showed up on our gamedars, <span class="bold">Kerbal Space Program</span> has managed to go viral a few times over. Today it hits the big 1.0, and we couldn't be more excited to welcome the ultimate and amazing space-program simulator to GOG.com. With a premise as deceptively simple as "build a working starship", <span class="bold">Kerbal Space Program's</span> success is in creating the perfect blend of realism, ridiculousness, and learning. Learn from the game, learn from the community, learn from your own dumb mistakes. It's a game in which you win when you lose, and win even more when you finally succeed. With fully-fledged, physics-based space flight, a vast solar system of moons and planets, unbelievable customisability, and nearly limitless mod support, <span class="bold">Kerbal Space Program</span> is the one, unique game that everyone should try at least once.

Once you actually manage to launch your ship into orbit, once you're past your first moon landing, and once you step foot on your first alien planet - check out kerbalstuff.com, where over 500 mods await to turn your game up, or inside out, with more tweaks and additions than you can imagine.

Float in a most peculiar way in <span class="bold">Kerbal Space Program</span>, available now, DRM-free on GOG.com! The 25% discount will last until Sunday, May 3, at 4:59 PM GMT.
Damn, that's expensive. No space program for me.
Ok the rules for reentry have changed.

:-|

I... confirm.
Thanks for the pointers!

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Kardwill: Once there, you can adjust it at your leasure, to explore Kerbin or to reach other bodies.
So for example, you can burn vertically until your AP is around 100, then wait until you are near that point and burn
I guess seeing this is a simple as pointing my mouse toward the AP? I'll "test that out" shortly ;)

Also, Tallima mentioned something about "Now that you're in orbit, turn on your map. Set the Mun as your Target. Click on your orbit and select the increase forward velocity icon and drag it until your orbit barely touches the Mun's orbit.

Now rotate your forward velocity mark point around your orbit until your projected orbit makes contact with the Mun."

Have you ever played the demo? I'm guessing the demo doesn't let me do this (adjusting forward velocity icon and such?). Or if you have and it does, how would I do that LOL - I'm not seeing it on the map screen.

Finally, is the reason I'm feeling a fuel crunch because I can only build a 30 part ship? Or should I be able to reach Mun with a 30 part ship and I'm just really, really, REALLY inefficient?

Thanks again! Now if only I can get decent at reading the NAV Ball... ;)
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Ixamyakxim: Thanks for the pointers!

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Kardwill: Once there, you can adjust it at your leasure, to explore Kerbin or to reach other bodies.
So for example, you can burn vertically until your AP is around 100, then wait until you are near that point and burn
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Ixamyakxim: I guess seeing this is a simple as pointing my mouse toward the AP? I'll "test that out" shortly ;)
That's it. hover your mouse on the AP marker, and you will see it.

For the demo : Don't know, since I play the whole game (and the present demo is not the one that was around when I bought it)
Note that if you are in a career game (or with start-of-career-game-like limitations, which is possible since the "30 parts" is one of them), then the nav nodes are not available at the start of the game (one of the reasons why career is NOT a beginner mode)

For reaching the moon under 30 parts : Seems a little tigh. I would be able to do it, but it would probably be a one-way trip, with no landing and no return.

IMPORTANT : I don't remember if the game tells you this, but if you pull up the nav ball, you can pilot in map screen. Very useful when you have to navigate without nav nodes.
Post edited May 02, 2015 by Kardwill
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MaceyNeil: a new person should ALWAYS start in sandbox.
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Kardwill: I disagree on this one. For the newbie, Science mode allows a more progressive discovery, rather than dropping you in hundred of parts all at once.
You can then go to Sandbox once you've built some rockets and got a general "feel" of the most basic parts, sure, but I heavily recommend Science for the first steps (Well, after the "build" and "pilot" tutorials, obviously)
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MaceyNeil: So long as the rockets don't hit upper atmosphere and suddenly start rolling around like a ball for NO APPARENT REASON.
This has been a long standing issue.
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Kardwill: My own rockets often do that in 1.0. But I think it's mostly a problem of having center of mass at the rear (especially as my fueltanks are drained), and friction at the top. It's like throwing a dart feather-first : Not very stable.
Rockets with an heavy second stage (and thus an heavier "tip") have proven more stable for me, thus far. Adding winglets at the bottom, trying to limit my speed and not doing violent manoeuvers at low altitude helped, too.

But getting to orbit is harder than in 0.9, that's for sure...
So they are continuing to make space access harder. Been getting progressively worse, though more complicated arguably is welcome (although part limits are still what let the game down consistently; over 300 in an orbit and your looking at 2-3fps).
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Ixamyakxim: Finally, is the reason I'm feeling a fuel crunch because I can only build a 30 part ship? Or should I be able to reach Mun with a 30 part ship and I'm just really, really, REALLY inefficient?
you can upgrade your facilities. Simply right-click on them.
upgrade your vehicle assembly building to allow more parts
upgrade the launchpad to allow heavier/taller rockets
upgrade the mission control to get those navigation markers(iirc?)
unless that part is removed in the demo

but, 20 parts should get you to the mun, i think :p. just into orbit and back though, not landing.
(though I don't what parts exactly you have available in the demo, so maybe i am too optimistic)

but for that it is important to practice the ascent as Kardwill desribed it.
If you waste too much fuel on reaching the orbit, it will get so much harder to build your rockets because you have to carry around all that extra fuel.
what I usually try to aim for is:
-go straight up until 1-2km height
-slowly,but gradually turn east (90° on the nav ball)
-at about 15km your rocket should reach an angle of 45°, don't try to push it further too much then, or will end up to low
- switch to the map screen, and watch your AP, if it reaches 75000, stop your engines (press 'x')
- wait until 10-15s before your rocket reaches the AP, turn to prograde, full throttle until you have a circular orbit

if you have trouble controlling the rocket while turning
- add some winglets
- lower the throttle, you often don't want to go full power
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Kardwill:
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immi101:
Thanks again to both of you for all the helpful pointers! Time to work on refining my process - seems like beyond being a great game this one has a very nice community too. I'm certainly going to be upgrading from the demo at some point - I think the person in this thread who said something like "If you think you'll like the game, you'll probably love it" was spot on.
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Kardwill: For reaching the moon under 30 parts : Seems a little tigh. I would be able to do it, but it would probably be a one-way trip, with no landing and no return.
With 30 parts you can definitely land a Kerbal on the Mun and back. Although career mode also start with a 18t limit, and the best I can do with that is land a probe and back.
Product page indicates 10.7 is the minimum Mac OS version. 10.6 is the actual minimum according to the app.
Attachments:
It appears that v1.0.5 is now available. I hope you GOG guys will have the update soon, too.


Thanks in advance!

-BO
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Bobo_Sims: It appears that v1.0.5 is now available. I hope you GOG guys will have the update soon, too.

Thanks in advance!

-BO
We will :)
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Bobo_Sims: It appears that v1.0.5 is now available. I hope you GOG guys will have the update soon, too.

Thanks in advance!

-BO
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JudasIscariot: We will :)
Thanks! :)
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JudasIscariot: We will :)
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Bobo_Sims: Thanks! :)
It's already live between my last post and this one you are reading :)
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Bobo_Sims: Thanks! :)
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JudasIscariot: It's already live between my last post and this one you are reading :)
Yup, I noticed. I came back to say "That was fast", and here's your post about it :)