Kerbal Space Program

Larger and sleeker, for sure.

I just found the sheer size difference jarring when I had the pack installed, KW's were the only rocket parts not looking all toy-like in comparison.

edited 31st Mar '14 4:55:19 PM by Catfish42

The B9 parts do fit well with the larger Interstellar stuff, which is convenient.

Anyone think the new NASA approved parts are a bit OP?

That was not a joke?

What, you didn't notice that Steam update the game?

And really the Asteroid Redirect pack was announced LONG before April Fools...even Scott Manley did play some of it on his stream!

No, steam never told me it updated. >.<

So I thought it was a joke.

Big rockets always make things easier. Most of the challenge in ksp I Is Jury rigging giant ones from smaller ones. Skipping right to the big one should make it easy. I haven't played yet but I hope they're really expensive to research. When you get to the point of, say, large orbital lunar research stations, having.easy to use rockets let's you easily launch to orbit.

I'm certainly looking forward to getting to launch my lunar roving base more easily. I had it competed and going to the moon, but over shot the fast forward and wasn't able to land her.

Eh. I think they're only OP in the same way that you could call the other 3.75 stuff (from KW) OP- that is, the 5000 or so thrust is probably going to be offset by the sort of payload that would justify a first stage with 5000 thrust.

edited 2nd Apr '14 2:04:20 PM by optimusjamie

The thing is that most of the new stuff actually has much better Isp and TWR than 2m stuff...

I have a plan for those asteroids...

Which makes sense though, the smaller you make something the less efficent it becomes, happens in real life too.

...then why is it turn to be like the smaller engine like the T-series is more efficient, then less efficient going up to Rockomax stuff, THEN more efficient again at Kerbodyne level? I mean, right now IMO the Rockomax rockets are completely useless, since the LFB KR-1x2 is basically jumbo tank stacked with engine that has both better weight, TWR, thrust, AND Isp than Jumbo with Mainsail!

edited 2nd Apr '14 10:22:11 PM by onyhow

You have to consider that the ARM pack parts come later in the tech tree (in Career Mode) than most of the other rocketry parts, so it stands to reason they'd also be a little more advanced. Someone on the official forums made the comment that one way of thinking about it is that the pre-ARM parts are 50s and 60s tech, while the ARM pack parts are getting into 70s and beyond.

That would make sense if the tech tree wasn't originally designed to open choice, but not clear improvement (remember that originally it's the Mainsail that on top of tech tree in superheavy lifer tech...and you can't argue that that's NOT superior to your other available engine)...original part balancing was done so that everything has a role and there's no clear superior engine...I mean, look at the Atomic engine: the devs deliberately lower its sea level Isp AND thrust compared to Real Life NERVA engine so that it won't be a be-all-end-all engine...but now there IS a be-all-end-all engine, at least for heavy lifting!

Oh did I mention that the Mainsail and the KR-1x2 are unlocked at the same tech level? Please tell me how that make sense...

edited 3rd Apr '14 3:10:48 AM by onyhow

If you install any mods it just makes it worse.

I don't mind it too much, you still have to work at it too unlock the tech nodes.

Not that you need to go interplanetary to do it, of course. Surveying all the different biomes on and around Kerbin/Mun/Minmus should max you out.

You act like the atomic engines ISP at sea level matters, pro-tip it does not, by I think it was 3km it already has greater ISP then any other non jet engine due to the ridiculous efficeny curve.

Well, that new engine+fueltank hybrid will certainly obsolete the mainsail. Better thrust, better ISP, more efficiency all around.

I wouldn't say obsolete, but it would reduce it to somewhat of a nich.

I noticed that myself. That booster probably should be moved higher up the tech tree.

I haven't played since the update, but these new parts should really take some effort to unlock.

I think that the new ARM parts aren't OP. Hhere's why:

I can take one of the little half-sized tanks (the -200), slap a 48-7S under it, attach the lightest probecore on top, and give it an OX-STAT solar panel dead-center on top (optional). Four parts. I can then get that to make an 80km orbit around Kerbin. SSTO. Still has enough fuel to deorbit itself.

I can take one of the full-sized new tanks, the 2500-thrust new engine, slap a tiny probecore onto it, an OX-STAT panel and get that to SSTO up to LKO. And have a little bit of fuel to deorbit. So I think it's balanced, as it scales up nicely. I could slap a one-man lander can onto that instead of the probecore and still (just barely) make orbit and back.

I used the new parts to replace the first six-unit ring of onion staging, and it didn't show an appreciable increase in amount of mass boosted into LKO. 325 tons versus 310 tons with the old setup. Not a huge difference... although if you plan it right, there's a LOT of stuff you can do with that 15 ton difference.

Onion staging?

Where you have, say, SRB's in a ring and detach the entire ring as they sequentially run out. Sort of like asparagus staging without the fuel lines.

Thought that Onion was simple parallel but you shed a layer all at once. Instead of Asparagus, in which you shed a pair (usually), versus an entire layer.

Once I have fuel lines, I don't bother with SRB's anymore. That's how superior parallel staging can be (regardless of flavor).

I use parelel with SRBs >.<