When comparing Environmental Visual Enhancements vs Hot Rockets, the Slant community recommends Environmental Visual Enhancements for most people. In the question“What are the best Kerbal Space Program mods?” Environmental Visual Enhancements is ranked 2nd while Hot Rockets is ranked 5th. The most important reason people chose Environmental Visual Enhancements is:
Adds city lights for Kerbin and adds clouds and better atmospheres to planets.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Prettifies the game
Adds city lights for Kerbin and adds clouds and better atmospheres to planets.
Pro Allows choosing only the wanted enhancements and skipping others
All unwanted plugins can be deleted from:
GameData/EnvironmentalVisualEnhancements/Plugins
Pro Very low memory cost
Pro Improves engine effects
Cons
Con 8K textures don't work on Macs
Macs need to use low resolution textures.
Con Unsupported by most mods
This is a very old mod, and as such the modding community has moved on to configurations for different systems. I don't even think the mod is up to date with the most recent stock parts.
Con Better alternatives as of 2021
RealPlume and Waterfall have better performance, look better, and supported by most other mods.