Jump to content

Switch support?


Recommended Posts

Kerbal space program is my favorite game of all time. And I'd love to take it with me, on the nintendo switch. I would love if squad would port it to the switch with in the first year of release! I'd even be willing to port it just for me if I was allowed. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In light of the recent console port debacle, I think this is a terrible idea.
Performance on a high-end PC is... not fantastic. Performance on the switch would be awfull, and If history is any guide, the port would be a mess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

KSP is... not a lightweight game with regards to number crunching. The idea of doing it on hardware with less grunt than a mid-range gaming laptop is flawed from the start, tbh. To shine, you need to feed it an overclocked desktop class CPU, and you're not going to get even 10% of that power in a small portable doohickey.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

While I really enjoy both KSP and the Switch, the game is just too much for it. An original game similar to KSP built from the ground up to run on Switch would be much more preferable. If we're talking Nintendo 1st party, I'd play a Pikmin space program. :wink: 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 01/21/17 at 0:49 PM, molecule9 said:

I don't think this is the kinda game nintendo fans would like.

Congratulations!  In all the years I've been on these forums, you have just taken top spot on the list of most ridiculous things I've read here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/21/2017 at 9:19 AM, rkarmark said:

I would love ksp on the go! Power would be a problem but turning down the settings should work. 

"Turning down the settings" won't help.

Usually, you see speedups in games from turning down the settings because the GPU isn't rendering frames fast enough, and by reducing the number and quality of effects to render, you can lighten the load on the GPU until it is once again rendering frames with adequate speed. KSP, however, is a very CPU-heavy number-cruncher; on the weak CPU of a Nintendo Switch, it just isn't going to be able to practically keep up with all the physics calculations.

In effect, for most video games, there are three sequential bottlenecks: the CPU, the GPU, and the screen.

Each "tick" of the game, the CPU runs all* of the physics, takes player inputs, and essentially runs the game forward by one tick. It then sends a package of rendering instructions to the GPU, telling it where all the relevant objects are, what textures they're using, etc.

*Unless you are using some sort of OpenCL/CUDA physics acceleration.

The GPU then renders the frame, producing the pixels that you will see. This tends to be a lot of very simple but repetitive math, which is why GPUs are basically giant bricks of hundreds to thousands of floating-point arithmetic units. The more complicated the rendering instructions, the higher resolution frames to render, and the more effects you try to run, the more work the GPU has to do.

The GPU then sends the frame to the monitor, and tells the CPU "I'm ready for another frame".

For most games, turning down the graphics settings works because the physics, AI, etc, are very simple, and are easy to run in 1/60'th of a second (the refresh rate of a typical monitor). What's limiting you is either the speed at which the GPU can render the frame, or the refresh rate of your monitor.

KSP, however, is a hardcore physics simulator, with vessels consisting of hundreds of parts interacting by rigid-body physics, plus other fun stuff like aerodynamics, thermodynamics, checking the communication network, checking the orbits of unloaded vessels, etc. The graphics probably wouldn't even need to be turned down to run on a Nintendo Switch; it just doesn't have the sort of CPU that will semi-gracefully handle all the physics calculations coming its way. Even the more powerful CPUs of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One are marginal for running KSP.

You could maybe play a limited version of KSP on the Switch with a bit of optimization and strict caps on things like number of parts, but I can tell you this: turning down the graphical glitter won't change the fact that KSP is a very CPU-heavy game that you are hoping will run on what is essentially a smartphone/tablet CPU.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Starman4308 They were already planning a Wii u version which is less powerfull than the Switch (in docked mode) so it must certainly be possible.  Technically it has that same power in mobile mode but it would drain its already terrible battery life quickly so it might not be wise.  Regarless, it must be capable of running the game because the Wii U was and external batteries can be used.

Edited by Alshain
Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, Alshain said:

@Starman4308 They were already planning a Wii u version which is less powerfull than the Switch (in docked mode) so it must certainly be possible.  Technically it has that same power in mobile mode but it would drain its already terrible battery life quickly so it might not be wise.  Regarless, it must be capable of running the game because the Wii U was and external batteries can be used.

People talking about a Wii U port does not necessarily imply they actually would have been able to pull an effective Wii U port off. I could maybe buy the Switch, but I'm really skeptical as to whether you could make a decent Wii U port of KSP, at least not without basically tearing the whole thing down and starting from scratch with a more thoroughly optimized game engine.

Which is kind of a shame, since I would 100% agree that KSP fits into Nintendo's sense of whimsy, and emphasis on making fun games vs. making "Call Of Duty 50042: Now with 17% more graphical effects you will only notice when bragging about them".

There's a reason that, despite being a fan of PC gaming with a mid-upper end rig, I suspect my favorite console would be something from Nintendo.

Though, a small postscript: I have no doubts as to the capacity of those consoles to at least handle the graphics of KSP. I'm pretty sure most modern microwaves and toasters can handle KSP's graphics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Starman4308 said:

People talking about a Wii U port does not necessarily imply they actually would have been able to pull an effective Wii U port off. I could maybe buy the Switch, but I'm really skeptical as to whether you could make a decent Wii U port of KSP, at least not without basically tearing the whole thing down and starting from scratch with a more thoroughly optimized game engine.

Which is kind of a shame, since I would 100% agree that KSP fits into Nintendo's sense of whimsy, and emphasis on making fun games vs. making "Call Of Duty 50042: Now with 17% more graphical effects you will only notice when bragging about them".

There's a reason that, despite being a fan of PC gaming with a mid-upper end rig, I suspect my favorite console would be something from Nintendo.

Though, a small postscript: I have no doubts as to the capacity of those consoles to at least handle the graphics of KSP. I'm pretty sure most modern microwaves and toasters can handle KSP's graphics.

It was already in development.  It wasn't finished but it wasn't just talk either.  The unfortunate issues with FT and the other two consoles is the only reason we never saw it released.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 months later...
This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...