Ahres

While your concerns are definitely valid, I wouldn't let them bother you too much yet. Nate has called it more of an "Adventure" mode than the Career mode we know from KSP1. I don't think it'd be called Adventure Mode if you are using torchships for your first Mun landing.

PREACH

Maybe we should throw those into your Repository to help keep the general public a little more calm

My fellow space enthusiasts, aerospace engineers, and demolition experts, I've been ushering our dear Kerbonauts around the Kerbolar System since version 1.1. It's been quite the ride, as all of you well know from your own experiences. I did things a little differently from some - I learned gravity turns, docking, landing, planetary transfers, etc. on my own without the help of YouTube or any other materials. For the most part, it was only myself, my patience, and the in-game tutorials that got me to where I am today. In the beginning when I realized what this game was, and how it was everything I wanted in a space game, I just couldn't let myself spoil the journey of learning orbital mechanics and building up a space program from scratch. All the while not even initially knowing what it actually takes to get a rocket off the ground. I wanted to learn from the game while pulling from my own background in physics, my interest in aerospace, and through trial and error. It made for the most rewarding game experience I've ever had. I went from rockets' pointy ends being where the flamey end is supposed to be, and gravity turns consisting of going straight up until leaving the atmosphere and burning horizontally like crazy, to incrementally becoming more and more efficient in all aspects of the various standard missions that can be done, to the eventual successful landings on all 13 of the other terrestrial bodies. I'm mentioning all of this because now with Kerbal Space Program 2 closing in, I'm worried there are things that perhaps I've missed out on in the original game. While I will state my own accomplishments and playstyles, I'd like to hear from the KSP community about what we think are the essential items that should be on everyone's bucket list before the sequel arrives. Whether it's accomplishments that can be done in the stock game, like seeing the Mohole or an SSTO on Laythe, or things entirely different that are only achievable in a modded save like exploring some of the Kopernicus planet packs. For me, I'm mostly a stock player, and there are some experiences I want to save for KSP2. So I don't really need suggestions like extraplanetary launchpads or near-future/far-future/interstellar missions - although you can certainly still list them for other people that tune in here. I've personally never done an Eve-return vehicle, nor a Jool V or grand tour mission. So those are on my list for sure. I've done plenty of crewed surface bases and ISRU refueling stations. I've also done USI-LS and OPM. What else am I missing out on though? I feel like there's a lot of KSP out there to be played that I just haven't taken the time to experience, whether it's exploring new worlds or ultra-realism or whatever else may be out there. Please, feel free to give your recommendations.

Haha. Because your clients and mine are older rich folk that want their projects done and want them done yesterday.

oh boy there's a generational knowledge gap if I ever saw one.

Vl3d, as much as a lot of us love that GIF it's going to be removed for photosensitivity reasons. Happy Good Friday!

This got me excited until I took the time to look if this was the first KSP2 video from PD that had a PEGI rating. Turns out they've had it since the very beginning.

Good point, thanks Pthigrivi. So readily visible nebulae are acceptable in my opinion. But the starfield is quite off still. The Trapezium image is thought-provoking. I'd expect a starfield to be present in the same magnitude of the Expanse silhouette image @PDCWolf posted upthread. So why is that not the case here? Are the brighter/closer stars simply drowning out much of the stars in the background?

I'm bringing this up because I missed it the first time. There were some comments in the Episode 5 thread about how great the skybox looks. And while it does look better than imagery and footage we've seen in the past, I was also slightly confused about the "magic color clouds". Mostly because this is not something we see with our own eyes. Would someone be able to see something like this in interstellar space with the naked eye? It doesn't seem like it. Granted, we're in the Kerbal universe and not our own. Plus the KSP2 shot shows a few stars and color clouds at first but then just clouds and no stars.... How in the world does that make sense? No stars visible? When you're in interstellar space? +1 to the Expanse's look

We're ready for our dream game, we can't help but grasp at straws! Another subtle detail to throw out there that someone else pointed out, but discussion never caught on about was that in the Mun mission footage in Episode 5, time warp seems to kick in for the last second or two. None of the other footage has any time warp in it. Could be suggesting a faster release cadence for Feature Videos from here on out. I had already pretty well conceded that the game isn't releasing before September. Shadowzone's prediction just makes sense to me. So maybe a release date announcement in July while the world is a little more excited about aerospace than usual.

I believe it's already mentioned somewhere on this thread. But at 1:31 in the Feature Video it sure looks to me like we already know what to expect for lighting on an interstellar voyage. And I like it.

Has the beard gotten so out of hand that they're not granting you any cameos?

As I said further up the thread, I'm really interested to see if next month's earnings report shows a narrower window.

We may not need to wait too long for more news on a release date even if Intercept won't be at PAX East. T2's next earnings call is in May, and I hope their earnings report will have a narrower release window for KSP2 included.

This is a fair point. I think about what it'd be like to start a craft that takes off from LKO in a standard level of brightness and then see it in deep, interstellar space where you can't even tell which star is Kerbol because they're all so far away. Someone in Episode 5 mentions how cold, and dark, and alone one needs to feel when they're in between stars. I'm excited to experience that. And I feel like that means very dim, or completely dark, vessels in interstellar space. Then on the other end of the trip, think about how relieving it will be when your vessel has come so far that you can finally start seeing it again in the natural light of another star. I think that'll be way satisfying.

My input isn’t very helpful, but I’ll post it anyway: I like it!!

So the big question is now... why the completed picture, but not the completed Mun landing footage?

Looks like you called it, Thundy!

I'm not sure I thought that either. More like "It's behind by 2.5 years, surely they'll release it ASAP so it can start making money" sort of thing.

Ah see? Now we're getting somewhere. I'm so ready to see the game released that I hadn't considered T2 would hold off on release even if the game is ready if it means an increased profit. Why didn't you say this right off the bat?

Why do I think announcements from the developers at the bottom of the totem pole would be more accurate than the businesspeople at the top? Maybe our life experiences are just that different, so here's where I'm coming from. I'm a civil engineer. Let's say I'm working on a project that's funded by a private owner but the general public knows about it. If someone from the public wants to know when the project will be finished, do you put more stake in the word of the owner (who doesn't know anything about engineering) or the word of the engineer (who knows something about engineering)?

You're just messing with me right?

And here's the disconnect again. It's easy to see where you're coming from. You're hanging your hat on the earnings reports because they're basically straight from the top of the totem pole. It makes sense. Officially, KSP2 is currently set to release in FY23. I agree with that 100%. Do you see where I'm coming from though? You saying that the CY22 announcements are irrelevant, beyond a shadow of a doubt, seems factually incorrect to me. You don't think all the social media announcements from Intercept and Private Division saying KSP2 will release in 2022, and that KSP2 will release on console in 2022, that Steam says KSP2 will release in 2022, and that the game's Creative Director says KSP2 will release in 2022 are no longer correct? ...That seems bold. Don't you think it's possible that Intercept is confident in a release in Q1-Q3 of FY23 so they say CY22 to the general public because no one knows when T2's fiscal year is but then the earnings report just simply says FY23 to be professional with investors?

I'd agree. The difference between you and me is that I think the CY22 announcements are still relevant as well, while you're discounting them. And that's fine. But you're ignoring my Steam argument, for what it's worth. It's just a theory, I know. But I believe it to be correct. Also, just so you're aware. You have a post above that says FY23 gives them an extra 6 months of a release window. But T2's fiscal year goes until March 31. So it's only 3 months. So if you are right, thankfully it's only an extra 3 months and not an extra 6.