ScramUK

Instead of things like 'jump gates' and 'warp drive'... The spirit of Kerbal Space Program would be better preserved with something like deep hibernation / cryogenic sleep etc.... This would unlock a much faster time warp. Though power is more likely to be the governing factor of interstellar travel in this case. Shutting down all systems and ensuring that there was enough power left over to keep life support ticking for such an extended period of time would create new challenges. Interesting events such as anomalous activity , asteroid fields, nebulous gasses etc etc could be taken into account when in transit, interrupting warp and prompting investigation, and / or course correction.

I guess you simply get two types of people who play KSP and get their sense of enjoyment from accomplishing their goals in different ways. Me? Well, I'm a trial & error kinda guy. For me the majority of the fun is simply getting there...or trying to. And then there are those that enjoy creating their designs and using them to successfully accomplish their mission. Automation has never detracted from this. Hell, even playing Flight Simulators, I would set up my FMC and do the entire flight automated almost; with the exception of landing - I just loved doing those myself. However, different games reward in different ways... In Flight Simulator, I enjoyed an authentic experience, accomplishing my flights, and getting a really soft landing; messing up was a pure frustration... especially since FSPAX made a log of your flight, killed your pilot and your companies reputation. In KSP, I just enjoy ****ing up every bit as much as I enjoy bringing those Kerbals back in one piece. Primarily because it's simply a sandbox game at the moment, with no penalties for failure. When a career in KSP implemented, the source of my enjoyment is more likely to come from succeeding in missions... However, while this is Kerbal Space Program, and not Orbiter for example; I am less likely to take the game as seriously somehow. I just love having fun with it. And to be honest, DAMN KSP is good fun. Orbiter is great, but KSP's accessibility, comic art-style and minimalistic UI makes it a winner for me. You may also wish to check out orbiter if you haven't already done so... It's free, and a pretty realistic space simulator with a GIANT modding scene.

Thank's for that - I'll give them a bash =D

Just gave MechJeb a shot just now using my 'Kerpollo 10 B'. Every part of the mission was entirely automated. Mechjeb did everything from getting me into orbit, circularising that orbit, doing the trans-lunar burn, and then did a pinpoint landing next to my 'Kerpollo 10 A'. It did all this far better than I ever could, conserving soooo much fuel in the process. Even after I was pushing buttons like a chimpanzee on amphetamines. The entire flight left me feeling somewhat hollow and horrifically bored. I've just finished removing all of mechjeb's files. One thing i do hope to see in stock KSP in the future is the information panels - I'll miss them I bet. But I'd rather not traipse down the slippery road of automating aspects of KSP.

I like this Idea.... The construction of a grand starship / station... Would be a neat end-game that requires several missions to complete. Would also necessitate the use of EVA's to connect parts, struts, fuel lines - etc. Another thing I'd like to perhaps see is NPC controlled missions. The player sets them up - assigns the kerbinaut, and they'll do their best to accomplish that goal. As operations / ideas get more complex, more resources would need to be applied on any one project. Having ships ferry bits and pieces, as well as precious minerals from other planets around Kerbol would be neat. Of course such operations would be LATE game when the player has amassed enough funding. The player would also need to set up every detail of the mission. From designing the ship to setting launch dates, and setting up a step-by-step plan of the mission the NPC would undertake, and then saved for re-use.

I like this Idea.... The construction of a grand starship / station... Would be a neat end-game that requires several missions to complete. Would also necessitate the use of EVA's to connect struts, fuel lines - etc.

The last ship I made that size kept hitting off the landing pad on take-off.

I've played KSP stock. I feel that having the autopilot performing all of the maneuvers would take away some of pleasure (and hilarity) I find in KSP. And that's 50% of the game play / enjoyment right there. I do like the information feed you would get from mech-jeb however. I guess I simply prefer my trial-and-error approach. It's a far more gratifying experience in my opinion. Personally, I've always enjoyed the challenge of a mission far faaar more than its eventual success. I almost feel sad when i click that 'End Flight' button, because the fun has come to its end.

I wonder - how would KSP handle flying into a gas giant? Would Jool have any solid surface at all? Or would it be like flying into a soup that gets thicker and denser the deeper you go?

Awesome! More Kerbol satellites for me to slam things onto....

Y'know... I love being involved in this type of development. Not only are you given the current build of the game to mess around with, but they keep coming out with new features. It's like getting your bang for your buck by buying an already fun alpha build... and then having the developers shower you with a TON of extra features, tweaks and game play additions. When playing KSP, you can really see its potential; therefore becoming more invested in the products development. Which is why y'all are frothing at the mouth for the next update.... I am too . However, It's GREAT having 0.16 to play with while I wait.

I like to collide kerbals at high velocity... The things I have done -they keep me up at night. On a VERY low orbit on Mun using the ship I simply called 'Orbiter V1'; The periapsis got as low as 3k, and happened to be directly over a ship I previously landed 'TAK v2'... Bringing a kerbal out of each ship, I tried to get them to high five one another on passing. It's kind of like trying to hit a pin with another pin took a few passes to accomplish it.. Upon collision the brave little Kerbinaut from TAK v1 was shot into the nearby ship at around 200 m/s, vaporised onto the ships hull with enough force to induce a spin on the craft. Status of Orbiter v1 cew: Bill & bob are freaking out... Jeb remains in orbit.....somewhere in the northern hemisphere of Mun

Kerbal is to mimic the properties present on earth, the planet itself, however has been made a tenth of the size. So, (un)naturally - the planet would be roughly 10 times as dense.

Wow... That's really cool.... Was surprised to read that... Congrats guys xD

The only time Jeb is upset, is when Bill and bob are happy.