Jump to content

My farewell to Kerbal Space Program


HarvesteR

Recommended Posts

Hi,

There’s no good way to ease into news like this, so here it is: I’m stepping down as Lead Developer of KSP.

For the last five and a half years, I put all my work, my thoughts and my time into KSP. I’ve watched it grow from this little unassuming idea for a 2D game in which you’d put together rocket parts to see how high you could get, into a complete spaceflight simulator, a space agency tycoon, a planetarium of truly astronomical scale, a home for little green men and their space program, a Kerbal space program.

KSP has become far more than the game I imagined half a decade ago. When we first set out to take on this project, I could not have expected anything even remotely close to what it ended up becoming. To say KSP surpassed my every expectation would be, at best, a colossal understatement.

There was a time, years ago, when any single design decision of mine had the power to drastically change the direction of the project. There was the danger that by even moving ahead on development of one area instead of another, the entire feel of the game, the intent it carried, could be morphed into something else. There was a fine line we needed to stay on, lest we let the project slip and become something other than what we intended. That is no longer the case, and that’s a very good thing. It means that conceptually, the game is complete.

This isn’t to say KSP’s development is complete, however. Far from it. Plans for KSP reach far into the future, and there are enough ideas to keep us all going for years. The console versions are coming up, there are new updates in development, the list goes on. For myself, however, I desperately need to have something new, to create more than one game in my life.

I need to make one thing perfectly clear: development on KSP will continue as always. No features, upgrades, bugfixes or anything of the sort are being discontinued because of my leaving.

This I say with absolute confidence, because I have complete trust in every member of the KSP team, and I know they are fully capable of handling anything that comes their way.

The KSP team deserves more praise than I can give them. This is a band of outstanding people, all brilliant and excellent at what they do, never tiring, never doing anything less than their best. I’m very proud of what we have accomplished together. It’s something I’ll carry with me for ever. I also know beyond any question that KSP would not have become what it is without every single one of them. I am forever grateful and in awe of all the work they put in.

And of course, I must give all my thanks to the founders at Squad, Ezequiel and Adrian, who took this wild leap of faith with me, putting their unconditional trust in me without ever requiring any failsafes or guarantees of success. We all know games are a notoriously risky proposition in the best of times, and they nonetheless extended their full support to me, at a time when none could tell what lay ahead.

Lastly, but most certainly not least, I have to thank every single one of you, the community, our players, kerbalnauts, space enthusiasts, reckless rocket engineers, our friends. All of you, who like us, believed in our weird little game and supported us throughout the years with your ever-inspired ideas, your unparalleled willingness to help, your relentless honesty and your unfailing loyalty. I cannot thank you enough for all of it, and I can only hope I am so lucky to see you again in whatever comes next.

This isn’t goodbye. It’s just farewell for now. In the meantime, however, I hope you all enjoy playing KSP as much as I enjoyed being part of its making.

Signing off,

Felipe Falanghe, aka HarvesteR

image
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Felipe for everything you've done, I can hardly believe it's happening, but no one can do the same thing forever, we all need to expand our horizons and face new challenges.

Good luck in everything you do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, there's a bit of sad news.

I've been following KSP's development and its community for the better part of five years, and it has to be my favorite game of all time. There is simply no way that KSP would be what it is today without HarvesteR's contributions, if it even existed at all. The combination of fairly realistic spaceflight, self-built spacecraft, and tycoon-style gameplay is simply brilliant.

But ideas are a dime-a-dozen. What's really exceptional is taking a new idea and having the drive and talent to take it from scribblings on a napkin to an actualized, functional product. It seems obvious now that KSP was a good idea, but back when it started I bet it was a very difficult sell to develop a game in a genre that didn't even exist yet. 

It's been a great ride watching KSP go from almost-unknown indie game to blockbuster success, and seeing the flow of development as the game fleshed out. Very few developers are as engaged with their communities, it's been fascinating to "see behind the curtain" a bit as things progressed.

So @HarvesteR, thank you very much for your years of hard work on KSP, and I hope your next endeavor finds as much success as KSP has.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for creating my all time favorite game, you will be missed. Ever since i saw the original KSP thread on the Orbiter Forums, I have been hooked to the game you have made and it has taught me so much about space and has captivated my interests into what is beyond Earth. Your game has inspired me to try become a pilot, a job i will enjoy very much thanks to KSP. Once again thank you!

 

Wish you the best in the future.

Edited by worir4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, Harv, it's sad to see you go. I'd like to thank you for creating a game that over the past two years I've been more and more involved with as I joined the mod team and participated in experimentals, et cetera. I've had amazing experiences because of this game. I've laughed, chuckled, snorted, raged, and occasionally made a complete and utter idiot of myself.

I hope you had as much fun as I did with KSP, and I wish you the best of luck as you move on into the wild blue yonder!

Spoiler

QPULOG4.png

One last trip from the KSC...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good luck in your future endeavors Felipe, and thank you for all of the blood, sweat, and tears that you have put into Kerbal Space Program. It has been an absolute pleasure working with you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for everything Felipe. You created a game I fell in love with years ago, and that I spent far too much time in before I decided I might as well get paid for it. You've left big shoes to fill but we'll take care of your brainchild as best we can :)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, end of an era. I hope you find something exciting and fulfilling for your next project! I understand how doing the same thing for five years can take its toll. You've built something wonderful here, and I'm confident you and your team have put together something that will leave a lasting legacy. Thank you for all of your hard work!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you so much for making KSP a reality!!!! Good luck with your future plans! What you've done creating this game...its importance and the imprint it will leave on all the people who have played it and will soon play it, cannot be understated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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...