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KSP Loading...KSP Enhanced Edition is getting some love


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We are sad to hear that after 14 years and 293 days (55 times longer than its planned lifetime) exploring the surface of Mars, Opportunity has ceased operations. So long, little explorer! On the bright side, KSP Loading… is back with fresh news and updates! Do you want to learn about all the current developments of KSP? Here’s the place to be, so let’s get started!

KSP Enhanced Edition

You’re reading correctly, KSP Enhanced Edition is the first item in this issue of KSP Loading…! It’s been a while since our last update to KSP on consoles, but we’ve had something very special for you in the making, and we’re thrilled to finally shed some light and reveal all the juicy details you’ve been craving for!

For a while now, we have been working hand in hand with BlitWorks on a console-optimized free update for KSP Enhanced Edition, as well as its first DLC: The History and Parts Pack!

Releasing on the same day, both the History and Parts Pack and the free update are filled with content, including new parts, revamps, suits and features that console players will be able to enjoy for the first time! Without further ado, let’s dive into the details:

Free Update 

As we mentioned before, KSP Enhanced Edition is getting a content-filled console-optimized update that will take bits and pieces of all updates we have released on PC after 1.2.1; some of the ones that people like the most, as well as performance improvements, bug fixes, and more!

Kerbal Personal Parachutes

Personal Parachutes are coming to KSP Enhanced Edition! Kerbals with level 3 and above experience will have fully steerable personal parachutes. You will be able to deploy the chutes using the cursor or via the secondary radial menu.

via Gfycat

All part revamps up to PC 1.5

There has been a big effort on our side to give old parts a fresh new look, all with the intention of having a more sleek and cohesive part catalog. While staying true to the game’s original essence, the geometry and texture maps of these parts were completely redone. Some of these parts also include new texture variants to choose at will. Yes, you’re getting the variant switcher, too!

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New Suits

Both the recruit and veteran classic EVA and IVA Space Suits have been given a well-deserved overhaul and console players get to enjoy it, too! We knew that such an iconic element of the game needed to stay true to its identity, so we are keeping its style, while also giving it a sleeker look.

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Kerbals can now be placed in external command seats in the VAB/SPH

Another highly requested feature that we are including in this update is the ability to assign Kerbals directly from the VAB/SPH into an EAS-1 External Command Seat, so that Kerbals appear in their respective command seat as the vessel is spawned.

History and Parts Pack DLC

Largely based on its PC counterpart, this console-optimized DLC will include a broad range of new parts, new space suits as well as new launch sites and runways that players can use throughout Kerbal Space Program. Additionally, the History and Parts Pack includes several missions inspired by historical moments in space exploration.

Historical Missions

10 pre-made missions inspired by humankind’s own space exploration. Now you can spacewalk, pull off a crash landing, and attempt to recreate some of the most memorable moments inspired by historic events. All with our unique Kerbal twist, of course. Are you up to the challenge?

New Parts

More than 70 new parts inspired by the American and Russian Space Programs during the Space Race Era. Want to build Soyuz- and Saturn V-inspired rockets? With the History and Parts Pack you will be able to!

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Vintage-spacesuit

The History and Parts Pack includes a Vintage Space Suit that will match perfectly with your Space Era-inspired crafts.

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New Launch Sites

With the History and Parts Pack you will also have the ability to launch your crafts from 4 additional complexes: the Woomerang Launchsite, the Dessert Complex, the Island Runway and a brand new Mun Launchsite, not currently available on PC!

Lack of Mission Builder

Some of you may notice we haven’t included the Mission Builder from the Making History Expansion for PC. After some investigation, we were not confident in maintaining a solid user experience in navigating the menus and setup controls required for its use. Additionally, implementing a sharing feature which is core to the value would have required significant time investment for our team. We did not believe that the tradeoff time-wise made sense as it would have sacrificed some of the other content.

PC Update 1.7

As we revealed a few weeks ago, the development of update 1.7 keeps us busy, too! As has been the case with our previous releases, this free update will be packed with content! For instance, we continue with our endeavor to update and modernize our part catalog, but there’s more up our sleeves that we’ll be revealing along the way. For the time being check out some of the revamps that 1.7 will include in its repertoire.

Part Catalog Revamps

24-77 “Twitch” Liquid Fuel Engine Revamp

As you probably know by now, the 24-77 “Twitch” Liquid Fuel Engine is one of the revamps you’re going to enjoy in update 1.7. The Twitch got its geometry and textures completely redone. In addition to the classic orange, a gray & orange variant was created to match with the style of your crafts. An emissive texture for the throttle animation, as well as an animated gimbal have also been included. All this will make the Twitch Engine look great when it’s in action!

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Click here for the high-res images

LV-1 “Ant” Liquid Fuel Engine

The LV-1 “Ant” Liquid Fuel Engine is one of the parts that most desperately needed a makeover. With a decent specific impulse in vacuum and a very low mass, this engine has helped small satellites and crafts find their way in space for years, its aesthetics never stood out, though. Luckily, our art team took up the task of improving the look of this tiny engine. The geometry and texture maps were redesigned, and a new bare variant has been added, as well as a blazing emissive texture.

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Click here for the high-res images

LV-1R “Spider” Liquid Fuel Engine

Being the radial version of the Ant Engine, the LV-1R “Spider” Liquid Fuel Engine allows for a greater variety of mounting points. With a reworked geometry and new textures, the “Spider” looks better than ever. Players will be able to choose from a shrouded and a bare variant for this engine, as well. An emissive texture for the throttle animation, as well as an animated gimbal have been included.

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Click here for the high-res images

Vernor Engine

The VR-N1ER Veer-Governor, popularly known the “Vernor” Engine has also been heavily revamped. Our artists not only reworked this part’s geometry and texture maps, but also added a pretty nozzle with a metallic look that includes an emissive texture that will glow when the Vernor heats up.

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Click here for the high-res image

O-10 “Puff” MonoPropellant Fuel Engine

Being the only monopropellant reaction engine with throttle control, the O-10 “Puff” was selected for a well-deserved makeover. The art team added new textures for the “Puff”, including a new emissive texture for the throttle animation.

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Click here for the high-res image

The Bug Hunt

As with every release, with update 1.7 we are determined to include a broad range of improvements and bug fixes in an ongoing effort to improve the KSP experience and reduce the amount of bugs that inevitably arise with every release. Our QA and development teams have been very busy confirming, reporting and fixing issues. For example, we recently squashed a bug where symmetry would break animations on some parts. The team also fixed a Null-Reference Exception triggered when RCS was enabled with an EVA Kerbal, which resulted in the Kerbal not being able to move. Our goal is to make each KSP release more and more stable and our team is working hard to achieve this.

Meet the team

For those who are interested in getting to know the people behind Kerbal Space Program we’ll continue with our “Meet the team” section of KSP Loading… until we’ve presented all of our team. This time it’s the turn for one of our programmers, Marco “Samssonart” Salcedo. Having worked at Squad for more than 8 years, Marco is a true KSP veteran despite his young age, and has been in the backend of KSP since the very beginning. Here are a few words from him.

I’ve been playing games since my childhood and started making my own simple games since I started programming in high school. I have a bachelor’s in Computer Engineering and a master’s in Computer Science, both with a specialty in graphics and interactive technology. Aside from games and technology, I’m a big music freak, I attend as many gigs as I can afford; I like to work out, I practice martial arts; and spending time with my family, girlfriend and cats.

Finally we want to remind you that you can share and download missions on Curse, KerbalX, the KSP Forum and the KSP Steam Workshop.

That’s it for this edition. Be sure to join us on our official forums, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Stay tuned for more exciting and upcoming news and development updates!

Happy launchings!

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3 minutes ago, CobaltWolf said:

Ant and Spider are looking fantastic y'all, that's what I like to see.

I second this, massive step up in the art direction here. Unfortunately, I have a hard time with how inconsistent the styling is with the revamp parts, and it looks like it will end up in the trap of the game before the revamp where there are multiple art styles that don't mesh at all.

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I snorted coffee out my nose, and I really like my coffee, so that was sad. The mini engines are actually good, which is hilarious. Do you have like... rogue artists that go off and do their own thing and return triumphantly, having defined yet another art style? Then fire them and hire more?

I'd love your art lead to sit down, write a blog post and explain what on earth is going on with these revamps. I'm sure it'd be informative.

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16 minutes ago, cineboxandrew said:

So uh... Who's the new artist?

Haha! These parts, especially the bare variants, look to be quite the refreshing step up in execution over some of the previously shown parts... and they still retain the character of the original parts which is really nice to see. 

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7 minutes ago, Nertea said:

The mini engines are actually good, which is hilarious. Do you have like... rogue artists that go off and do their own thing and return triumphantly, having defined yet another art style? Then fire them and hire more?

So you want them to be worse?

Okay... strange desire in my opinion, but whatever floats your boat.

 

 

Would actually make sense for you, you don't want your own revamp rendered redundant, right?
Unintentionally, I made my best alliteration yet with that,

Edited by Delay
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5 minutes ago, Delay said:

So you want them to be worse?

Okay... strange desire in my opinion, but whatever floats your boat.

He was being sarcastic. ;)

Love the new models for the Ant and the Spider. I might actually make use of them again!

Also... I saw that little bit about the new launch pad for console... Any idea when that might come to PC? (Yes, I know about Making History. Read the bit in the OP again before you try to tell me about the fact that there are multiple launch sites already... You'll see which one I'm talking about.)

 

Edited by MaverickSawyer
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It's great to see work continuing on the part updates, and even more so for the much needed attention to consoles. I do hope there are plans to integrate the delta-v calculations for those users who can't use mods on consoles.

I have no complaints about the touch-ups for the parts shown except I was hoping that there would be a variant of the Vernor without the long cowling. That cowling on it makes it difficult to place in clusters or at the fore/aft sections of ships. Otherwise, things are looking pretty awesome.

Edited by HvP
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6 minutes ago, Delay said:

So you want them to be worse?

Okay... strange desire in my opinion, but whatever floats your boat.

I want them all to be good! I don't want one metallic engine here, one plastic engine there, one faked metallicity engine over on the right. If this is the new style, bloody great! However, I would like to know

  1. What was going on before? (ie, 2 weeks ago)
  2. What the goal is for the future (is it to make everything shiny?)
  3. How does this help me make nice looking rockets? (currently, it helps me make one nice looking part. Imagine slapping that engine on a nasty looking FL fuel tank)
Edited by Nertea
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Just now, MaverickSawyer said:

He was being sarcastic.

I know, that's not what I have a problem with. He says they look great, only to then complain that they don't fit the art style manifested in the last couple of revamps, which in turn means he wants them to look worse.

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4 minutes ago, Delay said:

So you want them to be worse?

Okay... strange desire in my opinion, but whatever floats your boat.

I think the inferance of the post was with regards to the difference in quality between parts that are being shown off mere weeks apart, as Nertea has said above. Compare the bare variant of the Spider to the Twitch preview shown just above it... there's quite the gulf in quality in not only the visual aspect of it but also shows a deeper level of thought mechanically.

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2 minutes ago, Delay said:

I know, that's not what I have a problem with. He says they look great, only to then complain that they don't fit the art style manifested in the last couple of revamps, which in turn means he wants them to look worse.

Or! Redo the parts shown recently to bring them up the this brand new (14th Feb. 2019) standard?

EDIT: This seems crazy, eh? But its the responsibilty of an Art Director to ensure that situations like this do not occur... you tell one party to either step up their game or the other to fall in line with the more basic standard being set.

Edited by Poodmund
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1 minute ago, Delay said:

I know, that's not what I have a problem with. He says they look great, only to then complain that they don't fit the art style manifested in the last couple of revamps, which in turn means he wants them to look worse.

I think the issue is basically this:

EVztRLO.png

Those new engines are absolutely tiny, but seem to have about the same amount of geometry and texture detail as the new (not so new any more) Poodle. They don't look they came from the same period in KSP's development.

Instead of having a new set of parts all approaching the same level and detail and quality we seem to be getting a new range of parts, all of them higher quality than the old versions, but still wildly inconsistent.

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1 minute ago, Poodmund said:

Or! Redo the parts shown recently to bring them up the this brand new (14th Feb. 2019) standard?

2 good vs idon'tknowhowmany"bad".

The simplest solution in terms of consistency is to worsen the quality of the two good engines, as they are the odd ones out.

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3 minutes ago, Delay said:

So you want them to be worse?

Okay... strange desire in my opinion, but whatever floats your boat.

The point of Nertea's statement is that the revamp work is usually very poor all around to those of us who have very sharp eyes, like Nertea himself. The Ant and Spider are completely out of nowhere (hinting there's a new guy making these parts, and making them #likeaboss) and they hit every mark in a good way unlike the Twitch, and Poodle. (We are not impressed by the two-bell, red-bell Poodle.) Unlike every other engine so far, this Ant and Spider are a perfect "remaster" of the stock parts as we know them. Its default form is now crisp in high geometry detail and raised texture quality, and has great use of the reflective shader, and its bare form contains satisfactory choice and amounts of plumbing for its size whereas the idea of how the Twtich's new gimbal works is hard to grasp and off-putting to everyone who has an idea how gimbal hardware should work.

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Those new engines look great.

Not to add to the mob mentality, but it does seem strange that literally the smallest parts in the game are the best looking. The  number of times I've really zoomed in close on the ant and spider engines (or expect to do so in the future) approaches zero.

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8 minutes ago, Delay said:

2 good vs idon'tknowhowmany"bad".

The simplest solution in terms of consistency is to worsen the quality of the two good engines, as they are the odd ones out.

You're right actually! This is why you generally wouldn't put things like this in the game. The second you insert that level of detail, you are placing a new high bar that the art will be compared to on all the other components - and really, we should say that we're not just comparing parts, we should also compare parts <-> environment, UI, etc. This is how you create a consistent feel in the game. So personally, I would not have placed this much detail on this part, particularly given how small it is. I'm not the art lead though so meh. I would just like to understand the why here, based on the 3 points enumerated earlier. 

Now, based on what I quoted there, I guess you are of the camp that would prefer the game have 2 really detailed parts and hundreds of low detailed parts. That is an opinion that you can hold, but I am free to express my own too, which is that I prefer consistency over pure detail. 

Edited by Nertea
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