FAQ/Technical
From Kerbal Space Program Wiki
Technical FAQ
Contents
- 1 My download is corrupt or doesn't show up.
- 2 KSP does not install properly.
- 3 I installed mods on a previous version and since the game updated, it's now acting weird or flat out crashing.
- 4 Why is my game constantly crashing? Especially on scene changes.
- 5 I have 8GB RAM on Win7 64 bit. Why does my game keep running out of memory.
- 6 My computer has X cores, yet KSP runs at a low framerate. / KSP uses only a fraction of my CPU. What's going on?
- 7 On Mac the following message comes up: "KSP can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer"
- 8 On Windows the following message comes up: "There should be a KSP_Data folder next to the executable".
- 9 The game for Mac just bounces on the dock, but never actually opens.
- 10 I try to open the game on macOS and I either get a black screen or a lot of stuttering.
My download is corrupt or doesn't show up.
- The download may have failed to download properly due to download managers, or an antivirus program may have interfered. Please try to disable these programs for a short while and try again. If the problem persists try downloading it on another computer or on a different internet connection. Google Chrome is known to corrupt the KSP download for unknown reasons.
KSP does not install properly.
- Your antivirus program may be interfering or you do not have the permissions to unzip the KSP file. Please try disabling the antivirus software, install KSP to a directory such as
C:\GamesorC:\KSPand doublecheck that the folder is not set as 'read only' (which sometimes happens with the Steam version). On Windows you may also try to log into an administrator account to fix this issue.
I installed mods on a previous version and since the game updated, it's now acting weird or flat out crashing.
- Mods are very likely to break from one update to another, we suggest you delete your mods and wait for the mod maker to officially state that they work with the newer version before downloading and installing them again. Or roll-back the update to the previous version where you know mods work fine. Instructions to do that on Steam can be found here. For the KSP Store, since updating is on-demand, if using mods it's recommended to hold from updating to a new major version until you know all the mods have been updated. If you already updated and want to roll back, downloading the previous version installer and using it over the same folder should do the trick.
Why is my game constantly crashing? Especially on scene changes.
- Most likely you're simply running out of memory. The 32 bits KSP version can't use more than 4GB. (The windows version dies at about 3.3-3.4GB on average, the OSX version at only about 3GB.) Loose some mods or switch to the 64bits version. On PC it's also possible to use -force-opengl. (Success not guaranteed but many people have had great results with it.)
I have 8GB RAM on Win7 64 bit. Why does my game keep running out of memory.
- As with the answer above. 32bit KSP can't use that extra memory. And even a 64bits game can run out of memory when too many mods are installed.
My computer has X cores, yet KSP runs at a low framerate. / KSP uses only a fraction of my CPU. What's going on?
- KSP runs on the unity game engine. As a result KSP physics are still single threaded. The physics calculations will jump from core to core but you can only only use one out of the X cores at any one time.. More cores will end up meaning you are using a smaller fraction of your processing power. Also, bear in mind that depending on what's slowing you down, the bottleneck might not be your CPU at all-- for example, your graphics card may be having trouble keeping up with visual f/x.
On Mac the following message comes up: "KSP can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer"
- You have to change your Gatekeeper settings please look here to see how you do that.
On Windows the following message comes up: "There should be a KSP_Data folder next to the executable".
- This most likely due to you having moved the KSP executable, (KSP.exe). You are not supposed to move anything out of the KSP root folder KSP_win). If you did move it, please try putting it back, then everything should work. Another cause may be you trying to run the exe file directly inside the zip file, you have to extract all the contents first. We recommend you use the installer rather than the zip file for an easier experience.
The game for Mac just bounces on the dock, but never actually opens.
- Follow these instructions: Right click (ctrl+click or whatever) the KSP.app file and select the 'Show package contents' option Navigate to the Contents->MacOS folder, inside it you should find a Kerbal Space Program exec file Open the Terminal and type 'sudo chmod +x' (without the quotes, note the blank space at the end) and drag and drop the exec file from the previous point from the Finder to the Terminal, hit enter The Terminal will ask for your password, the mac password, not the KSP one. It will seem as though you were not typing, but you are. Hit enter after you finish typing. If the Terminal doesn't give an error message, you should be able to just double click KSP.app from the Finder to start the game.
I try to open the game on macOS and I either get a black screen or a lot of stuttering.
- This is due to low-level changes introduced by Apple in the latest version of macOS, 10.13 High Sierra. See the announcement on our support forum for more information and workarounds.
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