Is KSP very realistic?

[Youtube: BoyDilly]

In terms of parts, physics and how rockets work. I'm not talking about names of the planets or those green kerbals.

[andylaugel]

Yes and no. The solar system depicted in the game is around 1/10th the scale of our own. The physics are limited in a way so that lagrange points don't function in the game. But real physics formulas for gravity and forces do apply. A knowledge of physics will help you play the game, but aren't required.

[Arran Chace]

The science behind the Orbital Mechanics are about as close as it can get to reality, same formula are used, same math is applied. Just like above poster said, everything else in not.

Its thus so realistic, some university's used KSP as learning tools for their aeronautica students, and thus SQUAD made even a educational version to cater classroom usage.

In that regard the game is pretty realistic, and dont let the cartoony look fool you.
But dont think if you mastered KSP, you can apply for a job at JPL , but you do understand the math and theory behind i, and gain a bit more insight on how complex spacemission really are.

[Manwith Noname]

As above, it is and it isn't. Kerbin is 1/10 of the size of Earth but has the same mass or thereabouts. This means you don't need to go as high or as fast to reach orbital velocity. As a result, parts do not 100% reflect real life and are instead designed to work with this sort of scaling for gameplay.

There are however mods that make the game much more realistic. Realism Overhaul is a compilation of those if you wanted to look them up. Not sure if Principia is listed as part of that but that's very much worth checking out too.

[SecretEnemy]

Physics wise the game uses patched conics only, so spheres of influence are in fact perfect spheres. Special orbits involving lagrangian points are impossible as spacetime isn't modeled. All physics are newtonian.

Space itself in KSP is a true vacuum, so solar wind and the force of light have no effect on spacecraft. Additionally, orbits won't decay as long as you are above a body's atmosphere (Karman line), so exospheric drag and the effects of gravitational anomalies aren't modeled either.

The major Joolian moons are so massive compared to their size and their real-life counterparts that one of them, Val, would be ejected from the Joolian system after a few orbits if they weren't on fixed rails....

Rockets themselves are a collection of parts flying in formation. All engines have a 100% throttle range, unlimited starts, and run no risk of suffering flame outs from fuel line vapor. All fuel is hypergolic for some reason, and has no inertia/slosh.

Despite all of this, KSP is still the best space sim currently in existence.

[Manwith Noname]

Originally posted by DFS SecretEnemy:

The major Joolian moons are so massive compared to their size and their real-life counterparts that one of them, Val, would be ejected from the Joolian system after a few orbits if they weren't on fixed rails....

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1130227951

[andylaugel]

Originally posted by Manwith Noname:

As above, it is and it isn't. Kerbin is 1/10 of the size of Earth but has the same mass or thereabouts.

Actually Kerbin is around 1/100th the mass of Earth--5.29x10^22 kg for Kerbin vs 5.97x10^24 kg for Earth. But it still works out to about 9.81 m/s/s gravity on the surface. Kerbin does have to be made out of much denser stuff than Earth for this to work though-1/100th the mass in 1/1000 the volume is x10 denser.

[Manwith Noname]

Heh, yeah I thought I should reword some things when i read it back with coffee but didn't. That along with how high you need to go to reach orbital velocity. Height is only really affected by atmosphere and terrain.

[acorn cop]

I feel like tolerance of part connection is not real. Like if your rocket goes out of control and spins around like crazy with full throttle I think that rocket would break into pieces and explode but in the game nothing happens, you just spin around like a paper plane, lol.

[SecretEnemy]

Originally posted by gandhi's flip flop:

I feel like tolerance of part connection is not real. Like if your rocket goes out of control and spins around like crazy with full throttle I think that rocket would break into pieces and explode but in the game nothing happens, you just spin around like a paper plane, lol.

Yeah, crafts are really just a bunch of parts flying in formation. Joints will perpetually remain in the elastic state until they aren't, in which case they immediately snap apart. Parts themselves seem to be made out of extremely brittle explodium, which will resist any deformation until it's impact tolerance is exceeded. Once its impact threshold is exceeded the explodium shatters apart and spontaneously combusts, producing an explosion. Explodium is also aparently very heat tolerant... up to a certain point before it once again spontaneously combusts.

I'm pretty sure most parts in the game are made out of an explodium-asbestos composite....

[Empiro]

Originally posted by gandhi's flip flop:

I feel like tolerance of part connection is not real. Like if your rocket goes out of control and spins around like crazy with full throttle I think that rocket would break into pieces and explode but in the game nothing happens, you just spin around like a paper plane, lol.

Definitely mods like FAR can make this better. Realism overhaul and mods like Principia can add things like real scale solar systems and n-body mechanics. It's all about how much realism is most fun for you. I think stock KSP strikes a pretty reasonable balance for most players, and you will definitely learn quite a few things about how orbital mechanics work.

[Knarrwinkel]

Originally posted by BoyDilly:

In terms of parts, physics and how rockets work. I'm not talking about names of the planets or those green kerbals.

You had a couple of these odd questions the last few days. It seems like you bought the game expecting it to be just another LEGO set and just then realized that you need to learn the physics aspect as well. That's why you want to know if it is "addictive" or "realistic" because you hope that any of the answers will give you enough vigor to actually do more than a few funny explosions on the launchpad.

But the real answer is that you need to start learning how to play the game either by playing the tutorials or watching the tutorial videos by Scott Manley or anyone else. If you really despise the whole physics aspect then maybe it's just not your game. And no amount of answers how much other people are addicted or drawn to the physics you don't like will change that.

[Катя Мяу <3]

Probably the most unrealistic thing in the game are the oversized heads of the Kerbals.
Like, how do their necks not immediatly snap? Or is that just a ballon filled with hot air?
I wish I could dissect Kerbals, just to see whats inside that head.

[Cody]

Its a great introduction to rocketry and orbital mechanics, but ultimately no, its not realistic. The lack of 3-body mechanics makes a massive difference from real-life.

[Technicalfool]

Originally posted by DFS SecretEnemy:

The major Joolian moons are so massive compared to their size and their real-life counterparts that one of them, Val, would be ejected from the Joolian system after a few orbits if they weren't on fixed rails....

That's Bop, and that's why Principia makes Bop's orbit retrograde. I believe some of the commits for that mod refer to "retrobop", because eggrobin has a quirky sense of humour.

In general though, yes. KSP is as realistic as something that's meant to be fun to play allows. If you want, the usual mod-set is RSS/RO with Principia if you want to turn it into "NASA Simulator 2019". You may also want some part-mods to go with it. Just be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it, and a Moon landing is very much harder than a Mun landing.

[Manwith Noname]

Originally posted by Technicalfool:

That's Bop, and that's why Principia makes Bop's orbit retrograde.

Unless it detects the Kopernicus plugin.

Edit: ...but it's Vall that gets ejected, see the screenshot above.