What's the gameplay actually like?

[Vantezzle]

I haven't really played the game, but today's events reminded about it.

Should I give it a try?What's the gameplay like?How much content is there?Are there any must-have mods?

[Wasneverthere]

To answer those questions: yes

the carrier mode's primary gameplay loop consists of building a
spacecraft, trying (and often failing) to fly said craft, redesigning it if necessary, and taking the science and funding to try and fly somewhere more difficult to get to.

A lot, if you like the core gameplay (you'll just have to try it yourself to see if you do)

I wouldn't say there are any must have mods, at least not anymore; that said kerbal engineer is
still nice to have for extra craft details.

[ShelLuser]

Look it up on youtube, tons of vids there.

[MechBFP]

It depends on how you want to play it. You can go the airplane engineering route, the crewed rocket engineering route, the uncrewed (probe) engineering route, the exploration route, the challenge route, the sandbox route, the career route, the science mode route, or a combination of some/most of those.

[--<[ Blei ]>--]

Originally posted by Tezzle:

Should I give it a try?

YES

It's really simple because you lern step by step how things work.
you start with the smallest rocket and then start to think bigger, be more creative and learn all the funktions without having to read manuals...

uh...okay, by faaar not all, but enough to get stuff done.

you start to get to orbit, then to the moon, then try getting to Mars which is further away and you will need to design a whole new rocket, landing-gear to be well equipped for that.

rockets become boring?
try planes... you can also travel to space with them, but it's usually harder than just with rockets.

I also have to say, that this game really (at least i guess) taught me alot of how the gravity in the solarsystem works.

I have like 140h in the game and i could spend even more hundrets.
I mean, i just made it to Moho which was really hard, but maybe to Moho next AND back.... there are always challenges.

JUST BUY IT, it's a masterpiece !

[GunsForBucks]

No mods are must have although some really take the pain out of learning some things.


Many people say this is a flight simulator game and even the game itself does not teach basic things assuming you have played flight sim games before.. I feel a lot of people stop playing or just get frustrated and quit playing over this. Just remember SAS mode will bring up dots on your hud you can click on to set the vector you want your ship to follow, no one seems to tell you this, people just assume everyone knows this.

For me the game is about problem solving. I don't look anything up or mod and just work things out on my own.. can be frustrating but very rewarding when you do make things work.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2111705328

Another itch this game scratches is my tinkering side... as a kid I loved to take things apart and rig things up and this game is all about that.. also blowing stuff up ha ha. Ended up a heavy equipment mechanic in life and now that I am retired, making these giant machines really takes me back as well.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2087443330


The game in any mode lets you set your own game parameters and custom difficulty in many ways so really it is up to the player to find the way they want to play. It isn't about challenge, at least to me, it is more about just having fun.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2044309515

Oh I guess a love of space and sci-fi is also a big influence for me.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2092548627


One time I spent a week just making boats when I found out jets worked in water ha ha ha. It served no "purpose" in the game, just did it to see how fast I could make something go and stay on the water... it gets tough as they pick up speed, especially rocket boats...

[will88]

its a ton of fun once you get the basics...you tube is where i learned...quill 18 i think his name is...he has some good beginner videos....dont use mech jeb mod till you can do some things on your own

[GunsForBucks]

Oh there is also a free demo out there you can try as well. I played that for a few hundred hours waiting for a sale. It has most, if not all, of the base game equipment but is only limited to the home planet and its 2 moons.

[Eekhoorn]

This game manages to consistently entertain me for over 8 years now. In its category it is the best game you will find. The amount of stuff I've learned form playing this is staggering! Really wish I had this when I was a kid; that most certainly would have influenced my career choice.

KSP is a learning tool, it's crazy fun and it's endless.

I'm a huge KSP advocate. Everyone should own a copy of KSP.

But hey, you already have the game in your library. Just hit spacebar and go!

[Vantezzle]

Thanks everyone for your help! Decided to give it a try and so far I'm loving the career mode! For some reason i always thought it's sandbox only.

[El Rushbo]

It used to be while still in development. For me it's career or nothing, I like having to unlock newer tech as I gain science points through exploration. And the budget limitations call for taking a step back from your design and encouraging an effort to make the most efficient designs. It's a game I would've killed to have as a kid. Yes, the learning curve is pretty steep, but again that makes it all the more rewarding when you accomplish something. The game didn't hold your hand through it, you earned it. And in regards to difficulty, just remember: In this case it really is rocket science. You'll get the basics down and find yourself making things more and more elaborate and complex all the while going about space flight as a basic routine. In the long run the only limit is your imagination.

[ravzir]

Damn, I might get back into it again... Maybe this time I can actually build space stations, or at least learn how to do a rendez-vous. Never managed to do this before. Any tips?

[GunsForBucks]

Originally posted by ravzir:

Damn, I might get back into it again... Maybe this time I can actually build space stations, or at least learn how to do a rendez-vous. Never managed to do this before. Any tips?

Personally I gave up on that... but people who mod use MechJeb

[Eekhoorn]

Originally posted by ravzir:

Damn, I might get back into it again... Maybe this time I can actually build space stations, or at least learn how to do a rendez-vous. Never managed to do this before. Any tips?

Doing a Rendez Vous is quite simple once you understand the mechanics. You need to start simple. Just launch something to 450Km in orbit around Kerbin and make that you're target and keep it there for a while.

Use the target to make a "closest approach" manoeuvre. See what happens if you're lower or higher than your target and soon you will get a better understanding how it works.

Make orbits first rather than trying to launch it directly close to the target (the latter is harder to do right).

Once you make your closest approach keep and eye on the relative velocity of you and the target and start bleeding of speed when you get closer. It takes a while to get a feel for it but what seems impossible when you start becomes a mundane task soon.

Building a spacestation in LKO is the best way to grasp the mechanics.

Here's a video from Scott Manley who is way better at explaining things than I am.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St515zjUZHY

[Wobbly Av8r]

Originally posted by ravzir:

Damn, I might get back into it again... Maybe this time I can actually build space stations, or at least learn how to do a rendez-vous. Never managed to do this before. Any tips?

You've been given links to tutorials so I'll try and keep my info brief; even though rendezvous is just another extension of orbital mechanics, think of rendezvous in three distinct steps:

1. Intercept
2. Approach
3. Docking

The intercept strategy (the prerequisite) will really vary from one situation to another while the approach and docking are essentially similar once a proper intercept is established.

The learning curve on this one is fairly steep, but then so is the reward "curve" of doing so successfully!

[GunsForBucks]

Originally posted by Wobbly Av8r:

Originally posted by ravzir:

Damn, I might get back into it again... Maybe this time I can actually build space stations, or at least learn how to do a rendez-vous. Never managed to do this before. Any tips?

You've been given links to tutorials so I'll try and keep my info brief; even though rendezvous is just another extension of orbital mechanics, think of rendezvous in three distinct steps:

1. Intercept
2. Approach
3. Docking

The intercept strategy (the prerequisite) will really vary from one situation to another while the approach and docking are essentially similar once a proper intercept is established.

The learning curve on this one is fairly steep, but then so is the reward "curve" of doing so successfully!

What reward? Payoffs are weak, I would rather take tourists to Minimus and avoid the tedious stuff personally. You can launch a stupidly large station from surface and if you build anything too large the game gets buggy and laggy anyway.