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RO & RP 1 Installation for 1.8.1

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NathanKell edited this page Aug 9, 2021 · 141 revisions

Welcome to the installation instructions for RSS, RO, and RP-1 on KSP 1.8.1.

This version of KSP & KSP-RO is no longer supported. Please move to KSP 1.10 and accompanying versions. No support will be given for 1.8 installs. New Guide Here!

RSS/RO/RP-1 is complex and fragile. Please carefully read and follow every word of this detailed guide.

Not following this guide to the letter will break things and make you very frustrated. Unlike previous guides, this is a complete guide to install not only core RO/RP-1 but also the essential extra mods used alongside it. As a result, it is LONG. Don't be intimidated by the length; the extra words are to better hold your hand through the process.

This same guide is also available in video form, thanks to Carnasa.

Table of Contents

Disclaimer: Known Issues

1. Main Installation Instructions

2. Additional Mod Installation

3. Next Steps

4. Optional Instructions

Disclaimer: Known Issues

Note: The following is an incomplete list Neph is putting together as he remembers things. These are the issues you will encounter if you follow this guide exactly. They are mostly harmless.

  • Proc tanks appear black in the editor sidebar. (This is no longer an issue with the release of 1.5.10.25 version of Texture Unlimited, However this version of Texture Unlimited needs to be explicitly selected in CKAN as it is officially designated for versions beyond 1.8 only. It does work, however also on KSP 1.8.1)
  • ROTanks are missing their top in the editor sidebar.
  • Even if you installed the right version of RSSVE, AVC will tell you that it's incompatible with your KSP and Unity version. (This is no longer an issue with the latest release of RSSVE for 1.8.)
  • Scatterer doesn't load clouds over Earth as displayed in the main menu. This is normal and expected.
  • The "perfectly rigid clamps" option of Kerbal Joint Reinforcement can cause wobbly rockets.
  • Principia doesn't play nicely with the newer airlaunch feature. If you plan to fly a lot of X-planes, you may want to leave Principia out of your install.
  • If your game freezes right before loading the main menu just close it and launch again.
  • Using SCANsat v20+ will cause extreme memory usage, often in excess of 32 GB. This can be resolved by going to SCANSat/PluginData/Settings.cfg, and setting "VisibleMapsActive = False"
  • If you have a Linux installation, you have to start the game from the local game directory, or the game will pick up the wrong physics files (resulting in procedural wings overheating at launchpad and other issues)

§1: Main Installation Instructions

Note: This is a guide for KSP 1.8.1. If you wish to install on a different version, you will need a different guide.

Preparing for Installation

  1. Install a new copy of KSP 1.8.1. Do not try to install on top of your old modded KSP.
    • NOTE: If this is a Steam controlled copy rename or move the game directory (in Steam/steamapps/common/) so that Steam cannot find your modded installation and attempt to overwrite or change it.
  2. Delete all files out of the Ships folder and subdirectories (including those inside @thumbs), but leave the folders. (This is no longer required with current CKAN versions. It will ask you if you want to overwrite the ship files during FAR installation)
  3. Install CKAN and point it at your new KSP 1.8.1 installation.
    • Go into Settings in the top left corner and click "Compatible KSP versions". Make sure to ONLY leave checkmark for 1.8 version.
    • If you don't know how to install or use CKAN, read CKAN 101.
    • NOTE: CKAN will not overwrite a mod folder that you installed/modified manually. Unless you already know what you're doing, make sure that your GameData folder ONLY contains the Squad folder.

Main Installation

Note: Pay attention when choosing to install a recommended or suggested mod. Have an idea of what it does and if you want those features. Most mods will have a forum page that includes a brief description of their functionality.

  1. Via CKAN, select "Real Solar System"
  2. Via CKAN, Select one of the "Real Solar System Textures" in the resolution you want to play with. Higher resolutions look better but at the cost of performance and higher RAM/GPU requirements.
  3. Via CKAN, select Realism Overhaul
  4. (For RP1 Players) Via CKAN, select Realistic Progression One.
  5. (Optional) If you are NOT playing RP1, but want more realistic re-entry heating, Via CKAN, select Deadly Reentry.
  6. Press green "Apply changes" button to start installing the selected mods and dependencies. Do NOT let CKAN install any "Recommendations" or "Suggestions".
  7. Launch KSP to verify that the game runs. Go into a new Sandbox or Career mode and just check that nothing looks obviously wrong or explodes.

§2: Additional Mod Installation

Just RO/RP-1 is never enough. You probably want some more mods. This section contains detailed installation instructions for the most essential ones.

Some of these mods may only be for an older version of KSP but will still work. To make sure you see them in CKAN, Tell CKAN to allow Compatible KSP Versions of 1.8, 1.7, and 1.6.

Essential Extra Mods

  1. Open CKAN and go to Settings → CKAN Settings.

  2. Locate the list of Metadata Repositories and press New.

  3. Select the one called MechJeb2-dev and confirm it is added to the list.

  4. Close settings and press the refresh button.

  5. Select the following mods:

    • B9 Aerospace Procedural Wings (Fork)
    • Hangar Extender
    • KRASH
    • Kerbal Engineer Redux
    • Kerbalism - RealismOverhaul Config
    • KSP Wheel
    • Mechjeb 2 - DEV RELEASE ( https://github.com/MuMech/MechJeb2#via-ckan )
    • Persistent Rotation (do not install if you intend on using Principia)
    • Procedural Fairings
    • Procedural Parts
    • RealAntennas
    • ROCapsules
    • ROEngines
    • ROSolar
    • ROTanks
    • RSS DateTime Formatter
    • Ven's Stock Revamp or ReStock
      • (not both! you'll already have Ven's Core and Ven's New Parts, those are fine either way)
    • Optional: Atmospheric Autopilot
    • Optional: Editor Extensions Redux
    • Optional: Filter Extensions
    • Optional: Kerbal Alarm Clock
    • Optional: Kerbal Renamer
    • Optional: Kerbal Wind (From GitHub)
    • Optional: KSC Switcher
    • Optional: Precise Maneuver
    • Optional: Procedural Fairings for Everything (download the 1.7 release from GitHub)
      • this depends on Procedural Fairings, listed above
    • Optional: RCS Build Aid
    • Optional: Trajectories
    • Optional: WASD Camera Editor (version 0.7.0.1)

  6. Install the selected mods. Ignore the suggestions & recommendations for now.

  7. Read this biased comparison and decide if you'd rather play with TestFlight or TestLite. Do NOT install both.

  8. Optional: Install Principia. See the link at the top of this README to download: https://github.com/mockingbirdnest/Principia/blob/master/README.md

    • WARNING: Principia is a complete modification of KSP, changing fundamentally how the game works. It may induce some bugs, and even when it works perfectly it makes learning the RP-1 mechanics even more difficult. Think twice or thrice before installing it if you never played both RP-1 and Principia.
    • What is Principia and why should I care? If you're a hardcore orbital mechanics enthusiast and have lamented that KSP doesn't properly simulate orbital perturbations and Lagrange points, then Principia is for you. If you're either new to RP-1 or are scratching your head and asking "What's a Lagrange point?" then you should probably pass on Principia and focus on mastering all the other the game mechanics. Only few orbits around the moon are stable, building comms network around moons is possible only for couple of months. Read this overview (also linked in the sidebar) for more info.
    • NOTE: Principia and Persistent Rotation conflict, as Principia provides & implements a more realistic model for rotation during timewarp.

Optional Visual & Sound Mods

NOTE: For the visual pack of EVE/RSSVE/Scatterer it is important to install the specific versions specified below, even if a new version is available, as these are known to work properly together.

§3: Next Steps

Congrats, you're done. Here's what you should do next:

  1. Consider trying some of the optional installation steps below.
  2. Maybe install even more mods from our Recommended Extra Mod List. Note that page is a mix of KSP versions and some of the information there might not be as up to date as this page. Consider this page to be correct if the two contradict each other.
  3. Proceed to New Career Setup if you are playing RP-1.
  4. Consider some thoughtful musings about your new installation.
  5. Finally, scroll back up and locate the wiki sidebar. The "Getting Started" section contains a wealth of information for help and instruction. It is recommended that you start by reading through the FAQs and then work your way down through the tutorials and resources.

§4: Optional Instructions

Hide Unconfigured Parts

If you want to clean up your parts list in the VAB, make empty folders called NoNonRO, NoNonRP0 in your GameData folder to hide parts not properly setup for RO and RP1

Get the Latest Realism Overhaul

If you want to use the latest updates to RO, do the following:

  1. Go into your GameData folder and COMPLETELY DELETE the RealismOverhaul folder.
  2. Install RO from Github branch: https://github.com/KSP-RO/RealismOverhaul
    • If you are unsure how to do this, read this article: How to Install a Mod From Github.
    • You only need to put the RealismOverhaul folder into your GameData, not the EngineGroupController folder.

In the discord channel it was mentioned in March 2021, that the latest Realism Overhaul is actually necessary for some of the other mods.

Install In-Development RP-1

If you want to try the in-development build of RP-1, then follow these steps:

  1. Go into your GameData folder and COMPLETELY DELETE the RP-0 folder
  2. Download the master branch of RP-1 from here: https://github.com/KSP-RO/RP-0
  3. Inside the downloaded zip, navigate to the GameData folder and copy the RP-0 folder into your installed GameData folder.

Kerbal Space Program RO/RP-1. Join the discord server for support.

About RO and RP-1

RO/RP-1 Setup

Getting Started

Learning More

Additional Articles & Links

Contribution and Development Notes

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