I can't launch a rocket

[Pewsh]

I just downloaded the game and went through all the tutorials. I created my own career mode game and tried to launch my first rocket, but it won't launch. My rocket consists of a Command Pod Mk1, a FL-T200 Fuel Tank, a LV-T30 Liquid Fuel engine, a Mk16 Parachute, and a Communotron 16. I set the stages so that stage 1 deals with the fuel tank, and stage 0 is the parachute. I go to launch, click Z to put it on full throttle, press spacebar and....nothing. What am I doing wrong?

[Scarlet Ribbon]

I'm having a similar problem, only it appears to actually be a (permanent) game bug in my case -- I can't progress stages of a flight with the spacebar, as they're permanently locked (the light in the lower left is purple). Even in the first flight tutorial (second tutorial) I cannot get it to let me launch despite following instructions exactly as I did the first time around. The purple light doesn't turn off, even though it's supposed to.

Restarting the application hasn't helped.

[Ethel]

Alt L toggles lock on stages, you might have hit that on accident.

[Obsolete]

I am also having this issue. I just bought the game. I put together a very basic rocket similar to the rocket in the tutorial. I've held shift to throttle up and space does nothing. I tried using Alt L, but it didn't help. Thanks for any suggestions.

[Scarlet Ribbon]

Ethel: I know that it is supposed to, but it's not working.

zingfodd -- Do you have the purple light in the lower left corner at launch too? Can you replay the flight tutorial and complete it? I've tried restarting the application, restarting the flight tutorial, starting a career -- absolutely nothing fixes it. I am literally unable to complete the flight tutorial, even though the tutorial itself is supposed to unlock the stages for you.

[Obsolete]

I've completed the flight tutorial. However, outside of the tutorial, in science game mode, I have a solid purple light in the lower left and can't start the rocket. I tried having the kerbal eva out of the module thinking I could maybe have him whip out a zippo and light the fuse, but that didn't work either.

[Obsolete]

Here's a little video showing what I'm doing: http://youtu.be/QzebkhpbfWI

[Elliot Stabler]

Right click on the engine and select "Activate Engine".

[Obsolete]

I went back in to use alpha's suggestion, but tried just throttling up and spacebar first. Rocket fired right off. Well, and the parachute to, but that was my fault :P. So it's working for me now. Maybe it was the good karma of the folks in this discussion :).

[Scarlet Ribbon]

I think I figured it out. If your mouse is in the lower left corner, it can lock your stages because it thinks you're trying to edit them.

[Matttheruler232]

no still it does not work

[Vectura]

If the light at the bottom left is purple, then the staging is locked. Press Alt+L so that it turns green. Then throttle all the way up with shift, turn on the SAS with T, and press Space to stage.

[Lachm52]

Nothing is working

[V3trox]

Do you have crew in your spacecraft?

[EarlessCandy320]

turn the engine on then press shift

[ICUP]

I've had this problem recently and I found out that my unmanned rocket was the cause of not being able to launch.