# Kerbal Space Program **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 23, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824 "2011-08-23T22:07:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/1 "2011-08-23T22:07:59Z")
[This](http://kerbalspaceprogram.com/)game is KILLING all of my free time. Basically, you build and fire rockets. Solid Fuel motors, liquid fuel motors, and decent physics. The key is to download some of the community created mods, to open up a whole range of rocket parts. So, this is a game that is in development at the moment, and is downloadable as a free game in Alpha. This means that it has some bugs (landing on the far side of the planet makes you explode, for instance). I haven’t had this much fun with a game since I got hooked on Minecraft, and I think there is more potential here. The planet currently lacks spin, but it does have (ludicrous) gravity. Someone on their wiki site has put up a chart of horizontal velocities needed to make a clean orbit, and holy cow, it works. I’m having a BLAST. Sometimes literally. Anyone else playing this? ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/2 "2011-08-23T22:23:16Z")
Yes, but I haven’t downloaded any mods yet - not sure which are the good ones. Getting into orbit isn’t THAT hard to do - but I found it satisfying. Tried going for max altitude - think it was 1300 Megameters (I’m sure I can do better) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/3 "2011-08-24T13:08:13Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Yes, but I haven’t downloaded any mods yet - not sure which are the good ones. > Getting into orbit isn’t THAT hard to do - but I found it satisfying. > Tried going for max altitude - think it was 1300 Megameters (I’m sure I can do better) > > Brian What exactly is a megameter? For mods, I would suggest the Sunday Punch mod, and the Silisko Donut Design mod… those will open up your options quite a bit, and are still firmly grounded in reality. Some larger fuel tanks, larger SRB’s, different engines, and most interestingly ways to develop a 2 or 3 meter wide rocket, with comparable fuel and thrust… BOOM! ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/4 "2011-08-24T18:07:24Z")
A megameter is 1000 kilometers The altitude readout goes to 999,999K - after that it changes to 1,000M Brian ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/5 "2011-08-30T14:56:05Z")
Thank you! I suppose that makes sense. I’ll admit, other than making bigger and faster ships, I’ve grown bored with just putting stuff in orbit. I can’t wait till they release a moon, or space station… ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/6 "2011-08-30T17:49:42Z")
I’m lovign this game. Been playing it pretty much since it came out, and I’m still sitting here at working going “Okay, so tonight I’m gonna build one with six wings and two side rockets and…” And I second getting Sunday Punch’s and NovaSilisko’s mods. They’re pretty much a neccessity. Someone also just build a near complete mod of the Saturn V, which is pretty cool. > [@N9IWP](#): > > Yes, but I haven’t downloaded any mods yet - not sure which are the good ones. > Getting into orbit isn’t THAT hard to do - but I found it satisfying. > Tried going for max altitude - think it was 1300 Megameters (I’m sure I can do better) > > Brian There’s no real altitude limit. Once you hit escape velocity, you’ll basically keep going until the game is trying to laod too much and the whole thing crashes. I think that’s supposed to be fix in the next update or two when he changes how the world is generated. ETA: Also on the KSP site, someone’s made an orbital calculator, so you can punch in your altitude and it’ll give you the right velocity for a circular orbit. (Or elliptical if you choose so) ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/7 "2011-08-30T18:57:24Z")
I just read on the forums about a dude who was trying to push to C with some cheat engines… I really hope the dev puts in some sort of awesome thing for folks that work to such things. ---
**Author:** ![buckgully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@buckgully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckgully)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/8 "2011-08-31T07:11:32Z")
So, thanks to this thread, I downloaded and have been playing for a couple of hours. And right now I’m watching my latest creation orbit Kerbal. Over and over again. For the past hour, in fact. And I’m not doing anything, because it’s out of fuel. It’s just going around and around and around, and for some reason I can’t stop watching. I have to admit, that first orbital dawn was pretty cool. Too bad my three little kerbonauts are doomed. Bill and Bob seem to realize the hopelessness of their situation, but Jeb seems to be enjoying himself. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/9 "2011-08-31T11:44:50Z")
It’s a given, in the forums, that Jeb both has ice water in his veins, and is also insane. 🙂 What is your perigee? If its’ low enough, you might be able to deploy your chute if you can catch a bit of atmosphere. If not, yeah, I have left more than a few capsules containing hero’s in perpetual orbit. The game Dev says that the game, when finished, should be persistent… leave a capsule in orbit, it’ll still be there the next time you make a run. Should be interesting. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/10 "2011-08-31T17:51:53Z")
I like the idea that the reason that Jeb is so cool is that there’s only two side windows in the command module. So Jeb can’t see outside and has no idea what’s going on. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/11 "2011-09-12T12:06:44Z")
For those interested, version .10 launched last week. Apparently it addresses some stabilizing issues, as well as debuts joystick controls and a new terrain engine. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/12 "2011-09-12T12:31:14Z")
☹ My computer won’t support this game. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/13 "2011-09-13T04:42:29Z")
I’m in orbit! I have a perigee of about 201,000 m and an apogee of 371,074 m. I have just a little bit of fuel left (maybe an eighth of a tank) and I don’t know if I should use it to get back to the planet, or to stabilize my orbit. Oddly, I saw fireworks next to my rocket on my way up to space. I hadn’t deployed any stages in a while, so I’m not sure if it was a bug or not. It was two explosions on either side of my rocket, too symmetrical to be coincidences. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/14 "2011-11-22T00:20:12Z")
I’m going to bump this thread, because the game has been updated with a bunch of new features! There is now a Moon (The Mun) and I just crashed into it. I thought I was going to skim along the surface, but I ran into a mountain! I want to try to land on it, then return safely to Kerbin. There is a new map feature to help track your orbit and a time warp feature to speed up the long waits. Give it another shot! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/15 "2013-04-30T01:56:00Z")
Took several tries and four different designs but I finally built a rocket that works! Achieved 62,000M! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/16 "2013-04-30T04:30:29Z")
Design #5 went into orbit! Unfortunately, it’s orbiting the sun. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/17 "2013-04-30T14:01:10Z")
I’ve killed so many Kerbals that I’m certain to go down in Kerbin history as some sort of Stalin. Many of their corpses now orbit Kerbin endlessly, silently. I did manage to finally get REALLY close to a lunar orbit, but my designs never have enough fuel to quite reach the Mun. My last attempt, Big Bertha IV, was a huge monstrosity of stacked liquid fuel tanks in the “asparagus” configuration. It finally managed to leave the Kerbin atmosphere, traveling at oh, 60 MPH or so. Damn thing came back down like a rock. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/18 "2013-04-30T16:27:48Z")
So is there anywhere that it actually says what the system requirements are? I’d like to try it, and apparently it does work on OS X, but nowhere on the site can I find someplace setting out the base requirements to run it. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/19 "2013-04-30T17:37:17Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > So is there anywhere that it actually says what the system requirements are? I’d like to try it, and apparently it does work on OS X, but nowhere on the site can I find someplace setting out the base requirements to run it. 😕 Yeah, I’d say their webpage isn’t that great at providing solid information, but these are the system requirements listed on Steam: OS:Snow Leopard Processor: Dual Core Intel Memory:2 GB RAM Graphics:SM3 512MB VRAM Hard Drive:1 GB HD space ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824/20 "2013-04-30T17:44:04Z")
There’s also a demo on their Web site that you can grab to see how your system handles the game. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kerbal-space-program/593824.md?page=2)