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Mobile Version of KSP


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On 12/4/2017 at 4:09 AM, Scout1218 said:

All of these ideas could work but the issue is actually making the port. We don’t want another console catastrophe...

 

Well I can’t remember exactly where I found the info, but the Core i7-4700MQ is clocked at 2.4 ghz, and the A11 chip in the iPhone 8 has a 2.4ghz clock speed. However, the i7 is an x86 chip and the A11 is an ARM processor. 

Here’s a semi-decent article about the iPhone vs a MacBook Pro in geek bench.

https://9to5mac.com/2017/09/22/iphone-8-geekbench-test-scores/

I totally agree, we don't want another extremely poor quality port. However, I was talking about the fact that with modern mobile devices the performance is there to run the game, and with some appropriate UI design it could also be controllable. In my mind, a competent dev is implied, although realistically not always a given.

Performance between CPU architectures is a really difficult issue to properly characterize. In many ways it's an apples vs oranges thing, and clock speed doesn't really mean anything. Still, I've run KSP on an old laptop with a Core2 Duo CPU, which is slower than a modern ARM SoC.

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On 12/6/2017 at 12:18 AM, Lord Aurelius said:

I totally agree, we don't want another extremely poor quality port. However, I was talking about the fact that with modern mobile devices the performance is there to run the game, and with some appropriate UI design it could also be controllable. In my mind, a competent dev is implied, although realistically not always a given.

Performance between CPU architectures is a really difficult issue to properly characterize. In many ways it's an apples vs oranges thing, and clock speed doesn't really mean anything. Still, I've run KSP on an old laptop with a Core2 Duo CPU, which is slower than a modern ARM SoC.

Memory bandwidth and graphics performance are also relevant to KSP, both of which are, in mobiles, just the pits.

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On 12/9/2017 at 1:03 PM, Corona688 said:

Memory bandwidth and graphics performance are also relevant to KSP, both of which are, in mobiles, just the pits.

That's not entirely true. Sure, a mobile device won't be up to what a full PC can do, but the latest Snapdragon 835 GPU (Adreno 540) is roughly equivalent in performance to the Intel HD Graphics 4600 (what most Haswell CPUs shipped with). I've played KSP on that GPU.

For memory bandwidth, the Snapdragon can do 18 GB/s. This is close to a dual channel Haswell chip as well with slow DDR3, which does a little over 20 GB/s.

 

Overall, mobile performance has come a long ways. Considering that I was able to run KSP on an old Thinkpad with a Core2 Duo which is much slower than the Haswell chip mentioned, I don't see any major performance obstacles for running KSP on mobile devices. You won't necessarily be building 1000+ part motherships, but for relatively small vessels the game would likely be completely playable.

Sources:

https://www.anandtech.com/show/11201/qualcomm-snapdragon-835-performance-preview/3

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Qualcomm-Adreno-540-GPU-Benchmarks-and-Specs.207856.0.html

http://www.corsair.com/en-eu/blog/2015/september/ddr3_vs_ddr4_generational

Edited by Lord Aurelius
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  • 1 month later...
On 11/28/2017 at 8:25 PM, 5thHorseman said:

Yeah KSP would destroy a phone.

Though I bet they could make a ship constructor that allowed you to build a ship and export it somehow to your VAB.

Love the idea, 

I have many times wanted to have a simple craft creator. Sometimes I'm on a road trip and like hmm what if I change the center of mass and lift to the back and then have to wait 7 days to test it because it's on my console. Having a craft creator app would be AWESOME. Maby Test Flights for In Atmosphere only. And only up to 5,000 M. This way quick testing can be done but not all the other stuff like planets and Orbital mechanics would need t be added.

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On 12/6/2017 at 2:08 AM, stibbons said:

KSP forums: There's no way consoles will be able to run the game! 

Well if you just go by the observational evidence...

(Note I've never observed the console ports directly and am going by others' reports alone)

(Also note it was a joke)

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I'm a fat fingered muppet at times so trying to fly delicate manouvres on my 5 inch touch screen is just not going to work.  Even my 10 inch tablet would be a bit fiddly.

So, device specs aside, i don't see a practical way to get 'the full KSP experience' playable on a mobile.

That said i think there is a place for official mobile 'assistance' and reference apps.

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On 8. 2. 2018 at 11:23 AM, Jiub said:

There actually is an app already which i got installed, it's called Spaceflight Simulator and it's obviously inspired by KSP

its getting also a lots updates lately ... I didnt play it more than 10 minutes, but i want to see where it is heading. It is actualy promising for mobile game.

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  • 1 year later...
On 11/28/2017 at 11:20 PM, Eric S said:

KSP's too CPU-intense for most phone/tablets.  Simple Rockets is about as close as you'll come to KSP for your typical phone.  

 

I made a benchmark (doing calculations, accessing allocating and using memory, etc.) and ran it on 3 laptops (all of them run KSP and heavier games quite confortably) and on 2 smartphones: a galaxy s7 edge and a galaxy s9+ edge. The benchmark used only one core. Both smarphones were faster than the laptops and also have decent GPUs. Besides, the smartphones have more cores (8 cores). I tried a 3D realistic game on my cellphone and it was smooth, even simulating water.

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On 11/28/2017 at 3:03 PM, kris10127 said:

If a mobile version is added it will get tons more people playing the game. It will also make it so more people are able to play the game because pc`s and other consoles are expensive if you add mobile way more people will get the game.

It would destroy phones/tablets like others have said. But theirs the next best thing its a game called Simple rockets 2. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...
22 hours ago, KSPFan846 said:

Make a mobile version of Kerbal Space Program, on Android and IOS!

do you SEE the amount of tiny buttons on the UI, I doubt that you'll be able to press them with your FAT THUMBS!

Spoiler

don't take that as an offence, we all have fat thumbs, or thumbs too fat to press those tiny buttons!

 

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Spoiler

Then a multiplayer mobile game.

Cooperative net mode. Same game instance on several connected phones.
One player sees the controls, another one - Kerbals, third one is switching between map and other auxilliary screen.

 

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