Overview
The purpose of this guide is to do nothing more than to describe the basics of this seemingly complex game. It’s meant to be taken at the user’s own pace.
Understanding of terms – The Basics
KSP can seem like a daunting game to new players. It has a plethora of parts (and many more that can be added by modifications), plugins, and user created applications. This can turn people off from a game, and that’s why I’m here: to prevent that.
We’re gonna start with the basic terms.
Navball – The big ball that you see at the bottom of the screen when you launch any rocket or spaceplane. It has two major markers on it – the prograde and retrograde markers.
Prograde – The direction your rocket or spaceplane is heading. It is denoted by the circle with three lines coming out of it at 90 degree angles to each other.
Retrograde – The direction that is exactly reverse of prograde. This is denoted by a circle with an x in the center, and is what you point your spacecraft to if you want to slow into an orbit from an
escape trajectory or deorbit your spacecraft.
Escape trajectory – A trajectory where your spacecraft is traveling so fast, that you escape the planet or moon’s gravity.
Deorbit – Purposefully remove something from orbit
Normal and antinormal – The heading 90 degrees from your orbital direction. For example, if you’re heading at 90 degrees, your normal and antinormal is 180 and 270 (Not respectively, don’t ask me to identify them).
Maneuver node – A very handy tool for adjusting your orbit. Allows you to adjust normal/antinormal, radial/antiradial, and prograde/retrograde.
Delta V – The velocity needed to transfer to a different orbit from your current orbit (measured in m/s).
Controls
Here’s a list of all of the controls, what they do, and when they were added.
System/UI Commands
+ Zoom view in 0.08.5
– Zoom view out 0.08.5
Alt+F2 Open debug console 0.08.5
MOrbital Map toggle 0.11.0
Tab Cycle focus in Orbital Map 0.11.0
Shift+Tab Reverse cycle focus in Orbital Map 0.11.0?
Backspace Reset focus in Orbital Map 0.17.0
Insert Staging view 0.18
Delete Docking view 0.18
.Time Warp increase 0.11.0
,Time Warp decrease 0.11.0
Alt+.Physical Time Warp increase (in orbit) 0.17.0
Alt+,Physical Time Warp decrease (in orbit) 0.17.0
. (numpad del) Toggle Navball 0.12.0?
] Cycle through active ships (forwards) 0.14.0
[ Cycle through active ships (backwards) 0.14.0
F1 Screenshot 0.07.3
F2 Toggle UI visibility 0.13.0
F3 Toggle Results Screen 0.14.0
F4 Toggle Ship Labels 0.14.0
F5 Quicksave 0.14.0
F9 Quickload 0.14.0
Ctrl+F10 Load saved game state dialogue box (hidden feature, looks in /KSP/saves/scenarios/) 0.14.1?
Alt+F12 Debug menu 0.19.0
Flight Controls
WPitch adjustment (up/back) 0.07.3
S Pitch adjustment (down/forward) 0.07.3
AYaw adjustment (port/left) 0.07.3
D Yaw adjustment (starboard/right) 0.07.3
QRoll adjustment (clockwise) 0.07.3
E Roll adjustment (counter clockwise) 0.07.3
C Toggle camera view [auto/free/chase] in 0.13.3 0.07.3
C Toggle IVA view 0.17.0
V Toggle camera view [auto/free/orbital] since 0.17 0.17.0
Left-Shift Increase throttle 0.07.3
Left-Control Decrease throttle 0.07.3
Space Advance stage 0.07.3 Yes
T Toggle S.A.S. Module and S.A.S functions in other parts 0.07.3 Yes
F Hold to temporarily invert S.A.S. Module and S.A.S functions in other parts 0.07.3
Alt+L Lock current stage 0.08.4
Caps Lock Toggle between instant or precision control mode 0.08.5
R Toggle RCS Thrusters 0.11.0 Yes
H RCS Thruster forward 0.11.0
N RCS Thruster rearward 0.11.0
I RCS Thruster translate down 0.11.0
J RCS Thruster translate left 0.11.0
K RCS Thruster translate up 0.11.0
L RCS Thruster translate right 0.11.0
X Stop all engines (hidden 0.12 function) 0.12.0
G Toggle Landing Struts position 0.14.0 Yes
Alt+WSADQE Trim Pitch/Yaw/Roll 0.15.0
Alt+X Reset trim 0.15.0
B Wheel brakes (press twice to engage parking brakes) 0.15.0 Yes
U Toggle vehicle lights 0.15.0 Yes
] Cycle through active ships/EVAs (forwards) 0.14.0
[ Cycle through active ships/EVAs (backwards) 0.14.0
1, 2, 3… Toggle Custom Action Group 1, 2, 3… 0.18.0 Yes
Backspace Emergency abort 0.18.0 Yes
Right Click Open part info window 0.15.0
Alt + Right Click Open multiple info windows/Fuel transfer (should click on both fuel tanks) 0.18.0
Home Scroll Icons Up 0.09.0
End Scroll Icons Down 0.09.0
Docking mode
W Pitch adjustment (up/back) / Translate forward 0.18.0
SPitch adjustment (down/forward) / Translate backward 0.18.0
AYaw adjustment (port/left) / Translate left 0.18.0
D Yaw adjustment (starboard/right) / Translate right 0.18.0
Q Roll adjustment 0.18.0
ERoll adjustment 0.18.0
Left-Shift Translate up ????
Left-Control Translate down ????
Space Toggle translation/rotation 0.18.0 ????
EVA Commands
W Walk/jet forward 0.16.0
S Walk/jet left 0.16.0
A Walk/jet right 0.16.0
D Walk/jet back 0.16.0
Shift Jet up 0.16.0
Control Jet down 0.16.0
Space Jump/Reorient – Let go of ladder 0.16.0
F Use 0.16.0
L Toggle headlamps 0.16.0
R Toggle jetpack 0.16.0
Alt Toggle movement 0.16.0
] Cycle through active ships/EVAs (forwards) 0.14.0
[ Cycle through active ships/EVAs (backwards) 0.14.0
Space Orient camera to view ????
VAB/SPH Commands
Ctrl+Z Undo last action 0.08.0
Ctrl+Y Redo last action] 0.08.0
Alt+left mouse click Duplicate part or assembly in VAB 0.08.5
C Toggle Angle Snap 0.15.0
X Scroll through symmetry settings 0.08.5
Shift + X Go back one symmetry setting 0.18.0
Page Up Scroll view up 0.08.5
Page Down Scroll view down 0.08.5
Shift+left mouse click Select the entire ship 0.09.0
+ Zoom view in 0.08.5
– Zoom view out 0.08.5
W Rotate part backwards 0.15.0
S Rotate part forwards 0.15.0
A Rotate part counterclockwise (flat) in VAB 0.15.0
D Rotate part clockwise (flat) 0.15.0
Q Rotate part counterclockwise 0.15.0
E Rotate part clockwise in VAB 0.15.0
Shift Hold to rotate parts in 5 degree increments 0.15.0
Space Reset part rotation 0.15.0
Building your first craft!
First, choose a command pod. For this, I recommend the Mk1 co*ckpit, which is the dark grey one. Then, go to the Utilities tab. Select the Mk. 16 Parachute, which is completely white, and attach it to the top node of the command pod. Then find the small yellow stack decoupler (it should have the same diameter as the command pod. This will allow you to stage away the rocket when it runs out of fuel. Attach that to the bottom of the command pod. After that, go to the Propulsion tab. Find the FL-400 fuel tank and attach that to the bottom of the decoupler. Then, find the LVT 45 Liquid Fuel Engine, and attach it to the bottom of the fuel tank. Your first craft is now complete and ready for launch!
Press spacebar to launch. The craft should reach about 10,000 meters before running out of fuel (I may be wrong, feel free to correct me), and it will coast to the apoapsis, or the highest point in the trajectory. Decouple the fuel tank and engine, and activate the parachute. Jebediah will be brought down gently in the parachute, and he should have survived (unless you right-clicked the parachute and clicked cut parachute, in which case he died). Press the escape key to pause the game, and click end flight! You have completed your first flight!
