how easy is this game to get into?

[Firestarter]

Im an idiot and im definetly no engineer, ( im TERRIBLE at math ), that being said can someone like me even begin to play this game? im willing to try and learn and hope that maybe i can even learn something about aircraft and space ship physics along the way.

but is this gonna be like taking a college course?

[Chibbity]

If you aren't afraid to do a bit of Google searching or asking questions here on the forum, anyone can learn to play.

No actual math required, it's just a video game after all.

Plenty of mods available as well that make the game easier or provide extra information.

[MaGicBush]

Yea it's not to bad, though I do prefer the old alpha version before the "physics update." That made me stop playing a few years, but I am back and was able to get into orbit fairly quickly without tutorials. Someone new would probably benefit from a youtube video though.

[Ogre420]

If you want to learn the very basics try...

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO-JFyNTqjIljuPwaHkGZpMOLTtfCuIYg

This is a VERY old version of KSP but most of what it teaches still applies.

[Host Migration]

Theres no maths involved, you'll need to know what the center of mass and lift is but thats easily found out with some experimenting or a google search.

[Wowee]

It's quite hard to master this game, but it's fun to just build a space craft and and to watch it blow up on the launch pad. There is a lot of trial and error but it's a lot of fun.

If you have fun with the KSP career mode, it will teach you about rocket science and aviation.

[Meatbug]

As someone who is new to the game and has played only the training missions so far (only the last 2 or 3 missing), i'd say it takes a little getting used to, but it's also no rocket science (hurr durr).

Sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming with all the new and different things you need to learn and it also feels like it's not explained too well all the time.
I felt a bit clueless at times, but i kept trying and it worked out.

I feel like i learned enough to now start my own stuff without help. And as others said, you probably can find a lot of help in video tutorials etc.

[Randox]

Yes and no.

The game does have a steep learning curve once you start to get into it, but it's designed to be easy to experiment with too. There are things you may want to Google, like what a gravity turn is, because you'll save time and pain.

On the math front, this is all done for you, and the game has actually added extra tools on this front as well. It's a very long way of saying the game is good at allowing you to develop an intuitive understanding of how things work.

The stuff I would suggest you'll want to consult the internet for are the maneuvers. How you get from A to B. Gravity turns for getting into orbit. Hohmann transfers for how to move between different of different altitudes, or between say, a planet and moon.

It sounds complicated, and some of it kind of is, but I knew ♥♥♥♥ all about this stuff when I started. But I played around. And when I learned all I could, I turned to the KSP forums (unlike many steam games, this game has active official forums worth using), and I turned to YouTube. Eventually, I was interested enough to do some light research too, because this stuff is interesting. As a bonus, I now intuitively understand how a gyroscope works (it's related to how you change your orbit in space). Didn't see that coming :D


As long as you set appropriate expectations you'll have a blast. Accept that you will not be docking to a space station or landing on other planets on the first day. Heck, just getting into an orbit can be a puzzle, and there will be a gulf at times between knowing to do something, and being able to actually do it. I've been playing this game for years, and I totally didn't accidentally ram a space station last night at 20 m/s (70 km/h or 45 mph), cutting it in half, while trying to dock to it.

[AoD_lexandro]

Its hard at first, simply because we have to work out how to play. Once you actually get the gist of just mashing things together to do the job it becomes a lot easier. And once you work out that a manouvere to the mun is essentually the same as going to another planet, then your "getin gud".