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[Putnam]

You want fuel systems. Fuel systems is the most important thing.

[BigD145]

Needs more science lab.

[Graknorke]

Wow. Docking is HARD.
I didn't even know how maneuvers worked until right now, and getting the degrees and next encounter lined up is like dancing on a wet frzoen metal pole between to skyscrapers.

No, getting them to within 20 metres or so to each other is easy. What's hard is getting them to touch in the right places.

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Thats why the Kergods gave us RCS thrusters.

[Graknorke]

Thats why the Kergods gave us RCS thrusters.

I never remember the translation controls. There's just so many.

[BFEL]

You want fuel systems. Fuel systems is the most important thing.

Aerodynamics is better.

Having a first stage ring of jet engines for your rocket is basically cheating, because it takes practically no space and can get you up to 10000 kilometers without even touching your precious rocket fuel.
Its like instant, free orbit.

At least, that's what my experience with it has been so far.

Thinking of later using RAPIERs as the first stage and incorporating them into an asparagus that starts once the orbital burn begins. MIN/MAXING, IN SPACE!

[BFEL]

YEAH! Got close enought to station to manage a docking!
....aaaand because I put the docks on the side of both stations I can't get it to work properly and have spent the last 45 minutes dancing fruitlessly around it in hopes that they'll connect somehow 

Ah, young love.

[Siquo]

Wow. Docking is HARD.
I didn't even know how maneuvers worked until right now, and getting the degrees and next encounter lined up is like dancing on a wet frzoen metal pole between to skyscrapers.

This vid (can't find it because browser at work sucks but google for ksp docking without rcs) made them ridiculously easy for me. It's all about setting the station as your target, switch your speedometer to "target" (I didn't know it could do that) and then you can burn retrograde to match speeds. Then burn towards target a bit, then retrograde again and you'll get close really easy.

Lining up your ports with RCS can be tricky, but there's this One Wierd Trick Rocket Scientists Hate using Mechjeb on both craft to align them. You'll have to google that vid yourself, too, though

[BFEL]

, but there's this One Wierd Trick Rocket Scientists Hate

I like how you had credibility, and then you said this and suddenly you didn't

[GreatWyrmGold]

Wow. Docking is HARD.
I didn't even know how maneuvers worked until right now, and getting the degrees and next encounter lined up is like dancing on a wet frzoen metal pole between to skyscrapers.

This vid (can't find it because browser at work sucks but google for ksp docking without rcs)

Is it this one?

Lining up your ports with RCS can be tricky, but there's this One Wierd Trick Rocket Scientists Hate using Mechjeb on both craft to align them. You'll have to google that vid yourself, too, though

And how about people who don't have Mechjeb?

[miauw62]

These people should install mechjeb

[Siquo]

Mechjeb is cheating Can't check the vid because flash still broken. Basically it meant switching to the other vehicle, select docking port, do "control from here", select other docking port as target, and then use mechjeb autopilot to "stay on target". Do the same for the other vehicle and they will always line up.

Although I did find it doesn't always work for weird shapes or hard to control vehicles, like having RCS thrusters positioned so that translation and rotation can't be done separately, or having too little gyros to be able to turn fast enough.

, but there's this One Wierd Trick Rocket Scientists Hate

I like how you had credibility, and then you said this and suddenly you didn't

That should teach you, taking me seriously...

[BigD145]

Lots of real world crafts have autopilots. Other than maintenance some are completely autonomous.

[GreatWyrmGold]

Real-life rockets also have lower efficiency and can't use oscillation drives at all. It's a trade-off.

And maybe I'm just a purist. Or maybe the MechJeb-filled screenshots I've seen have been rather cluttered.

[Putnam]

I use mechjeb extensively (basically everything but takeoff, landing and docking) and I think that saying "just use mechjeb lol" is terrible advice.