Sunday Things - kerbal space edition
posted in Media by Cargo Cult on Sunday July 14 2013
Saturdays are for getting confused about dates and setting the following day's article to appear on Monday. Oops. Anyhow, one brief edit later, here are a few screenshots from a few weeks' escapades in the utterly fantastic Kerbal Space Program. Imagine a cross between Lego, Newtonian physics and the Space Race, all undercut with gloriously silly black humour.
Having a degree in physics and astrophysics? Kind of handy. It is rocket science! Although of a kind where if you understand the principles involved, you need never touch numbers or equations. Truly seat-of-the-trousers flying.
Article comments (now closed)
2. Blimey!
Posted by phuzz at 6:59AM, Monday July 15 2013
I've got a degree in physics too, but I'm still pretty rubbish at KSP. Not so much from getting the wrong orbit (although that happens), no, usually I crash from trying to cut corners. (TOP TIP; Don't cut corners in space!)
Eg, 'I don't need all those batteries' == probe that runs out of electricity on the dark side of the Mun, and therefore can't be controlled for it's next burn, and so spreads itself across the terrain (fun explosion though!).
Or there was the one time (so far) I've managed to land some kerbals on the Mun, in a lander based heavily on the included one.
Only trouble is, I'd messed up the engine sequence on the way down, and drained some fuel from my ascent engine.
'No problem' thinks I, 'I'll just drain the remainder from the four descent engines into the main tank'. So, I went round and filled up the center tank. Then I thought, 'well, there's plenty of fuel left in the descent engines, why don't I use those to boost a bit, then use the single engine'.
Of course, what actually happened was as I lit off all the engines, one ran out of fuel almost straight away, sending the craft looping. My frantic smashing on the spacebar served only to eject the four outer engines, and to fire the ascent engine at full throttle, whilst facing straight down.
Goodbye brave kerble-nauts, at least you got to plant a flag. :(
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=154971251
3. Map Sat
Posted by phuzz at 4:01AM, Tuesday July 16 2013
Also, I just discovered the ISA MapSat plugin, that creates pretty maps of the object you're orbiting:
http://kerbalspaceport.com/isa-mapsat-3-3-4/
Although it did take me a few minutes to find the parts hidden under 'Aerodynamic', and the button on the interface in the bottom left that looks like a set of callipers (neither of which is mentioned in the instructions).
4. Linky linky
Posted by Pace at 7:12PM, Tuesday July 23 2013
I didn't first read this from a link on this site did I? It seems like just the sort of thing I would see here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island
5. Re: Map Sat
Posted by Cargo Cult at 9:10PM, Sunday August 4 2013
Ooh, fancy. Will install!
(My Kerbin-time is such that missions to Eve and Moho are becoming increasingly possible. Duna? Don't even try. Luckily I have an old, ion-propelled probe about to make a flyby. Unfortunately not fitted with MapSat...)
Article is now closed for commenting.
1. You are clearly much better at this game than me
Posted by parm at 3:37AM, Monday July 15 2013
Your Kerbonauts are smiling. Mine are mainly screaming and/or on fire and/or dead.