Milky Way Skybox is a mod that replaces the default skybox with a better looking one. It is a very minor improvement, but it’s cool to be able to see and identify multiple planets in the sky at once. Distant Object Enhancementĭistant Object Enhancement is a mod that, well, enhances the visibility of distant celestial objects. It doesn’t have a big performance impact, but that wouldn’t really matter too much during reentry, as you are just waiting until you near the surface to deploy your parachutes. It makes reentry look much cooler, I really recommend it.

The effects it adds are a flame trail and sparks. Reentry Particle Effect Renewed is a mod that enables disabled reentry particle effects. It’s a very subtle touch, but it gives that feeling of being above a whole world. PlanetShine is a mod that makes the light reflected off of planet surfaces visible on crafts. It can make your performance take a good hit, so install it sparingly. It makes the look of planet atmospheres more realistic, and improves the look of oceans. Scatterer is another visual improvement mod. That’s all there really is to say about it, it’s a simple visual enhancement mod. I use EVE Redux and the EVE Redux Stock Planet config files, which are available through CKAN.

Environmental Visual Enhancements ReduxĮnvironmental Visual Enhancements Redux, shortened to EVE Redux, is a mod that improves KSP’s visuals and improves performance. The reason I recommend this mod with ReStock is because ReStock has a dedicated config for this mod. Waterfall is a mod that, when configured, revamps all the engine plumes in the game to look realistic! Don’t worry, configuring the mod is as simple as downloading a config file from CKAN. It also adds smaller versions of already existing parts, like the smaller version of the Twin Boar, the Boar. For example, it adds more parts in the 0.625m and 3.75m size categories. ReStock+ is an optional addition to ReStock that adds some extra “missing” parts to fill categories. ReStock is a mod that revamps every part in the game, giving them all a beautiful makeover! I highly recommend this mod along with the next one in the list. Visual mods have little to no effect on gameplay and simply make the game look better. This list will be relatively bare bones at first, so if you don’t see a mod here that you think should be here, please reply to this post with a suggestion or send a Modmail! Visual This list will be separated into categories. To update all your mods at once, click Add Available Updates, then click Apply Changes. These include game save altering mods like Kopernicus. There are some mods which you should always wait until it is updated to the latest version of the game. CKAN will warn you about installing incompatible mods, but you can ignore that and install it like normal. To install a mod that isn’t updated to the latest version of KSP, click on the mod in the CKAN list, click the Versions tab on the right, and click the checkbox next to the latest version of the mod. Many mods in KSP are not updated to the latest version of the game, but (most of the time) that’s fine! From my experience, almost every outdated mod will work in the latest version of KSP. CKAN will also automatically install any dependencies the mod has. You can select multiple mods at a time, then click Apply Changes to install them all at once. It won’t install until you click Apply Changes, the button with a green checkmark next to it. To install a mod, click the checkbox to the left of the mod, under the Installed column. When you open CKAN for the first time, make sure the Filters button is set to All, otherwise it won’t show all mods (obviously). After that, just open the file and it does the rest for you! The software will automatically update when prompted to, there is no need to change any files yourself. Installing CKAN is as simple as going to the Github page, clicking Releases on the right, and downloading the appropriate file for your operating system. CKAN is a free, open source software that acts as a mod repository for KSP. This method is outdated now that CKAN exists. The traditional method is dragging and dropping a mod’s folder into KSP’s mod folder, including any dependencies.

CKANīefore you begin, you need to know how to install mods. I decided to list a bunch of mods in a post, categorized, to help new players decide what they want. There are quite a few posts from new players asking about what mods they should install.

Ksp addons