Firstly, when using solid rocket boosters (SRBs) bear in mind that you can’t throttle the thrust, nor turn them off once they’re activated (they’re basically just great big fireworks you strap to your ship), which is why they should mostly be used in the first stage of the launch to get off the ground. There’s no reason to strictly build exactly that rocket, I’m simply using it as an example of the kind of thing you may want to start out with, so now I’ll go through a few things to think about when building your own designs.
The main things to remember which aren’t so obvious are the solar panels to power the SAS, winglets and reaction wheels for control and, of course, a parachute I’ve had many an ‘oh crap’ moment upon realising I’ve forgotten to put a parachute on.
Now it may look like there’s a lot going on but once you get sticking parts together it really isn’t too bad. (Pro-tip: You may want to look at the enlarged version) Below is a picture of a simple rocket that I’ve built which will reach orbit with a fuel to spare – building in redundant fuel to allow for mistakes is generally a good idea, especially early on. Now it’s very easy to get carried away and add lots of the largest fuel tanks and engines but that normally leads to a very difficult to control and wasteful craft, with a far simpler solution generally being easier to fly. With the latest update this is no longer the case, and in fact those parts are no longer known by those names, with the SAS system built into all command modules, so you don’t need to worry about it. One important consideration that should be mentioned is that the tutorials state that in order to gain the benefit of the ‘Stability Augmentation System’, which helps you maintain a heading, you need a SAS or ASAS module. That said, I do recommend that any new players go through at least the first two tutorials, as they quickly describe the controls which you’ll need to know in order to build and fly rockets. While there are tutorials built into the game they’re a little out of date and don’t cover a few things which are very useful for actually making progress. This first part of the guide addresses some design elements for a basic rocket intended to reach orbit and clarifies some of the terms and elements of the UI which are of particular importance. With a wealth of planets and moons to visit, the possibility of building space stations and ground bases, rovers to drive around with and planes to fly it’s easy to be at something of a loss when you’re new to it. In Kerbal Space Program there are currently no set goals, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to aim for in the game. Kerbal Space Program is a complex game with a confusing array of different elements that this guide aims to make a little less daunting for newcomers.