Kerbal Space Program’s Identity Crisis

[ZooNamedGames]

Kerbal Space Program. A game that entered the market in 2012 and 2013 as a great way to build and launch Lego style rockets, was a massive success for an indie game. 

Built on the idea of exploding your way to success and the stars (least for me in 2013, see the old mottos of “add more boosters/struts”, “went better than last time”, etc).

Needless to say, in the 5-6 years since then, the game has changed and evolved. In ~2014, KSP finally made the first step to taking itself serious as it received the NASA Asteroid Redirect Mission update which brought real NASA concepts to KSP. Then, in 2016, KSP got the next realistic addition when the B126 (whatever the number) added the Asteroid Day Pack to the game.

Truly KSP has grown in more ways than could be counted. As such, it does beg the question now that new packs have been added like Spaceplane+ and such. 

The question is- what is KSP’s current image? What does it want to be? What does it want to become?

Today, the game has become a mash of content and goals while the focus has been lost. Which is helping to blur the question- what’s next? More KSP content? More DLCs? KSP2? Understandably Squad/T2 don’t want to announce any plans they’ll have to cancel and end up building hype for promises they can’t keep- makes sense. But the lack of direction, the merging of so many ideas and directions has left the game aimless. 

Now I know as a sandbox game it shouldn’t force a perspective. Leave that to the player. But it can’t hurt to give a theme. A style. A direction. Some fresh indication of what KSP is. 

Without this, asking for new suggestions, new content or DLC is kind of ineffective. Some clear indication of intent needs to be present to show what’s planned and what kind of future to expect.

This is just my opinion on the matter however. So take it as it is. Thanks for bothering to read. Have a nice day.

Edited July 19, 2018 by ZooNamedGames

[Gargamel]

*B612.   Close enough.

You're right, a sandbox game shouldn't force direction on a player.  But an open world game is different.  And KSP has both.  Leave the sandbox game be, it's fine as is.  But the stock career (et al) modes need some direction to it.  Landing on a planet is the same as landing on the Mun, just "harder".  There is no real in game goal or reward for doing so, just the first world achievements.  There needs to a be a series of loosely defined paths one can take to focus their career game.  Make a bunch of paths, so you can change your mind as you want, but it takes a little work to do so.  There needs to be more 'endgame' stuff to do. 

[Kerbart]

Survival Mode

Either metaphorically or literally.

In the first case, the game would be a lot like career. Only the contracts are grander, bigger, and you don't get to pick them.

Contract #1: here's 5,000,000 Kerbucks. Land 3 Kerbals on both moons, and bring them back to Kerbin. Good luck. Deadline: 50 days
Contract #2: Land an (unmanned) rover on Duna and make surveys of these three locations. Here's 10,000,000 Kerbucks. Deadline: 300 days. Good luck

Etc, etc. Maybe with science, maybe without. Maybe a partially explored tree. And an inventory of parts that are free to use (as you have them in (limited?) stock).

 

Scenario 2: Kerbin is pelted by a never ending barrage of asteroids and space junk striking the planet. How many can you stop before x amount has crashed onto the planet? Or destroys the KSC?

[Fireheart318]

59 minutes ago, Kerbart said:

Survival Mode

Either metaphorically or literally.

In the first case, the game would be a lot like career. Only the contracts are grander, bigger, and you don't get to pick them.

Contract #1: here's 5,000,000 Kerbucks. Land 3 Kerbals on both moons, and bring them back to Kerbin. Good luck. Deadline: 50 days
Contract #2: Land an (unmanned) rover on Duna and make surveys of these three locations. Here's 10,000,000 Kerbucks. Deadline: 300 days. Good luck

Etc, etc. Maybe with science, maybe without. Maybe a partially explored tree. And an inventory of parts that are free to use (as you have them in (limited?) stock).

 

Scenario 2: Kerbin is pelted by a never ending barrage of asteroids and space junk striking the planet. How many can you stop before x amount has crashed onto the planet? Or destroys the KSC?

Devs and people who actually know what they're doing with mods, you know what to do!

I want to point out the part where you mentioned parts in stock. IIrc, there used to be some sort of "in stock" system that never really went anywhere and eventually disappeared. I'd like to see that come back, as well as have everything else you said.

Edited July 14, 2018 by Fireheart318

[ZooNamedGames]

2 hours ago, Fireheart318 said:

Devs and people who actually know what they're doing with mods, you know what to do!

I want to point out the part where you mentioned parts in stock. IIrc, there used to be some sort of "in stock" system that never really went anywhere and eventually disappeared. I'd like to see that come back, as well as have everything else you said.

I’ve mentioned how the system you could exist and how it could exist along with adding a system to “find parts by the side of the road”. Where parts would be scattered across Kerbin, but wouldn’t be visible through UI and could only be spotted by scanning the terrain. Spawning randomly across Kerbin (and maybe elsewhere) and the parts themselves are random and could be parts in your tech tree or even parts beyond your current tech level. Finally putting the “manufacturer” to use and allowing a bit of verity and more important something to do during long duration flights like observations. 

[klgraham1013]

i feel like this question has been relevant for almost as long as KSP's development.

[Gargamel]

15 hours ago, Kerbart said:

Survival Mode

Either metaphorically or literally.

In the first case, the game would be a lot like career. Only the contracts are grander, bigger, and you don't get to pick them.

Contract #1: here's 5,000,000 Kerbucks. Land 3 Kerbals on both moons, and bring them back to Kerbin. Good luck. Deadline: 50 days
Contract #2: Land an (unmanned) rover on Duna and make surveys of these three locations. Here's 10,000,000 Kerbucks. Deadline: 300 days. Good luck

Etc, etc. Maybe with science, maybe without. Maybe a partially explored tree. And an inventory of parts that are free to use (as you have them in (limited?) stock).

 

Scenario 2: Kerbin is pelted by a never ending barrage of asteroids and space junk striking the planet. How many can you stop before x amount has crashed onto the planet? Or destroys the KSC?

Isn't this just the mission builder? 

[klgraham1013]

1 hour ago, Gargamel said:

Isn't this just the mission builder? 

The mission builder is not connected to an overarching career in any way.

[klesh]

I think it's a little late for KSP to be trying to decide what it wants to be.  That ship sailed 3 years ago when they released 1.0.

[StrandedonEarth]

On 7/13/2018 at 9:26 PM, ZooNamedGames said:

I’ve mentioned how the system you could exist and how it could exist along with adding a system to “find parts by the side of the road”. Where parts would be scattered across Kerbin, but wouldn’t be visible through UI and could only be spotted by scanning the terrain. Spawning randomly across Kerbin (and maybe elsewhere) and the parts themselves are random and could be parts in your tech tree or even parts beyond your current tech level. Finally putting the “manufacturer” to use and allowing a bit of verity and more important something to do during long duration flights like observations. 

I do like this idea. The whole space program could be based on found parts, with R&D based on reverse engineering them. We already have crashed UFO Easter eggs in game; finding them should be required to acquire certain techs. 

I imagine this could be modded in, although I suppose it would be a major project. 

Edited July 15, 2018 by StrandedonEarth

[ZooNamedGames]

3 hours ago, klesh said:

I think it's a little late for KSP to be trying to decide what it wants to be.  That ship sailed 3 years ago when they released 1.0.

It’s only too late when the developers give up trying to actually work on KSP.

[DoctorDavinci]

I don't look at it like KSP has an identity crisis ... It's more like KSP has multiple personality disorder where the user gets to change the personality of KSP by adding mods

If you want a meh vanilla go of things, play stock ... want realism, play with rss and that rabit hole ... want more places to go, use kopernicus ... want to blow up some enemies, use BDAc and any of the many mods that the team maintains for it

KSP has MPD and that is it's personality (MPD is just another MLA for describing KSP and it's personality )

Edited July 16, 2018 by DoctorDavinci

[StarStreak2109]

On 7/13/2018 at 8:24 PM, ZooNamedGames said:

Kerbal Space Program. A game that entered the market in 2012 and 2013 as a great way to build and launch Lego style rockets and was a massive success for an indie game. 

Built on the idea of exploding your way to success and the stars (least for me in 2013, see the old mottos of “add more boosters/struts”, “went better than last time”, etc).

Needless to say, in the 5-6 years since then, the game has changed and evolved. In ~2014, KSP finally made the first step to taking itself serious as it received the NASA Asteroid Redirect Mission update which brought real NASA concepts to KSP. Then, in 2016, KSP got the next realistic addition when the B126 (whatever the number) added the Asteroid Day Pack to the game.

Truly KSP has grown in more ways than could be counted. As such, it does beg the question now that new packs have been added like Spaceplane+ and such. 

The question is- what is KSP’s current image? What does it want to be? What does it want to become?

Today, the game has become a mash of content and goals while the focus has been lost. Which is helping to blur the question- what’s next? More KSP content? More DLCs? KSP2? Understandably Squad/T2 don’t want to announce any plans they’ll have to cancel and end up building hype for promises they can’t keep- makes sense. But the lack of direction, the merging of some many ideas and directions has left the game aimless. 

Now I know as a sandbox game it shouldn’t force a perspective. Leave that to the player. But it can’t hurt to give a theme. A style. A direction. Some fresh indication what KSP is. 

Without this, asking for new suggestions, new content or DLC is kind of ineffective. Some clear indication of intent needs to be present to show what’s planned and what kind of future to expect for the future.

This is just my opinion on the matter however. So take it as it is. Thanks for bothering to read. Have a nice day.

Couldn't have said it better. Thanks for writing this!