KSP Loading... Preview: Breaking Ground - NEW SUIT!

[theJesuit]

Will this iva suit feature in a  release cinematic trailer?

Peace.

[Rejected Spawn]

For those of you getting overly excited about nameplates on anything, let me switch off your rockets and get your feet back on the ground for a bit.

The least performance heavy option for it is likely to use the same trick that X4 Foundations uses to paint the unique serial numbers of ships directly on the ships themselves; a list of alphabetical and numeric decals that are matched to the serial number so you don't have the 20 million combinations as separate texture files because that's beyond just regular level stupid. Getting that system to work and not eat up too much performance was relatively uncomplicated in X4 because every single ship has the same length serial number so every letter or digit goes into a fixed "slot" and there's only a small number of slots on each ship. Constructing a counterpart in KSP would be easier in terms of where to put it because all kerbals look the same but it would be multiple times more difficult to ensure "Billy-Bobbald" and "Bob" get their letters arranged in a way that neither of them looks awful, the amount of work that goes into it would also be MUCH greater than any of you seem to have suspected and it would provide nearly no benefit to gameplay. Sure enough it's a fun little detail and even I would like it - but it's at best a tiny forgettable novelty to most players and nowhere close to a realistic priority before sorting out so much other stuff that we'll have reached KSP3 DLC9 long before there's nothing else that would be far better to spend development resources on.

Obviously I'm not speaking on the behalf of Squad here, I'm only stating what's realistic so you guys can stop this hype train Before its apoapsis means burning up on the way down. Planned explosions and fire are good. Unplanned ones are generally bad.

Edited May 11, 2019 by Rejected Spawn
Dun goof'd the spelling.

[Paaaad]

4 hours ago, Pthigrivi said:

Oh are they? I guess that makes sense. Maybe not a big deal after all. But yeah, generally I’m all for giving the little guys more unique character. 

At least until you make your own Kerbal in the F12 menu. Pretty sure you can put in a custom name there. Plus there's save file editing...

[swjr-swis]

First of all, about the new suits: they look snazzy. Tron-like glowlines, my dudes.

A recurring theme seems to be that DLC will come with new suits. I'm ok with that, it fits usual DLC policies of adding cosmetic stuff to a game. Less ok with adding DLC-only functionality, but I'm not gonna start on that; I consider that boat sailed.

 

On 5/11/2019 at 1:36 AM, nestor said:

The camera has no functionality at the moment.

The part I'm hoping may still be up for ... adjustment ... is about the placement of that helmet cam. Kerbal heads are big all by themselves, ok? With helmets on, even bigger. And now they're gonna get implements sticking out of them, requiring even more space.

It's already difficult to make a kerbal fit a 1.25m cross-section without their heads or helmets clipping into other stuff. Those head cams are going to make things worse.

Any chance of reconsidering this and fitting the cam in another way? Maybe like the streamlined bumps for the helmet headlights? Or even inside the helmets... as big as their heads are, there's still a huge unused amount of space in there. Or if you insist on the external thing: how about on the side of the shoulder, below the helmet?

If not for the aesthetics, think of the childr... I mean, think of the ergonomics. That cam is a snagging hazard, getting eternally stuck behind wires, handles, hatch rims, antennae, rock ledges, etc. Making regular movement through a crammed cockpit/station interior difficult, and emergency evacuations downright dangerous.

Rethink this, please?

[Gargamel]

8 hours ago, RealKerbal3x said:

Well, we can always hope. Let's try to summon @St4rdust.

8 hours ago, RedSun Rocketry said:

I messaged him

 

9 hours ago, RedSun Rocketry said:

ok

I hope he does

9 hours ago, Nigel J. Cardozo said:

@St4rdust will you publish updates on this topic everyday?

 

Guys, interacting with the staff is pretty cool, and it's really cool to see St4rDust taking this by the reins and being really communicative with us, but it's Saturday.  She's not at work right now.  So perhaps a single ping in a thread that requires her attention would be fine, but please do not harass or feed the staff. 

Feeding the moderators is fine. 

[Xurkitree]

Gods, I love the new suit!

If I ever get both DLCs i can finally assign unique space suits for each Kerbsl class - Pilots get stock, Engineers get MH Vintage Suit and the Scientists get the BH futuristic suit

[VoidCosmos]

6 hours ago, Gargamel said:

 

Guys, interacting with the staff is pretty cool, and it's really cool to see St4rDust taking this by the reins and being really communicative with us, but it's Saturday.  She's not at work right now.  So perhaps a single ping in a thread that requires her attention would be fine, but please do not harass or feed the staff. 

Feeding the moderators is fine. 

Ok. Sorry for that

[Salmon]

I think the KSP servers are going to crash with so many downloads when breaking ground is released.

[MechBFP]

8 minutes ago, Salmon said:

I think the KSP servers are going to crash with so many downloads when breaking ground is released.

The vast majority of sales will be on Steam, so unlikely. 

[RealKerbal3x]

2 minutes ago, MechBFP said:

The vast majority of sales will be on Steam, so unlikely. 

I bought the game on GoG.com so even if the KSP store/Steam go down I'll still be able to buy the DLC.

Unfortunately the release date happens to coincide with me going on a camping trip, so it'll be a couple of days before I'm able to buy the expansion at all.

[GluttonyReaper]

54 minutes ago, Salmon said:

I think the KSP servers are going to crash with so many downloads when breaking ground is released.

Back in the day, it was pretty much a given that this would happen whenever an update dropped -  even the 1.0 release swamped down the KSP site to usability for the better part of a day. Good times...

Since then though, it tends not to happen anymore, or at least it lasts a short enough time that it hasn't affected me for a while. 

Edited May 12, 2019 by GluttonyReaper

[St4rdust]

On 5/11/2019 at 11:33 AM, Nigel J. Cardozo said:

@St4rdust will you publish updates on this topic everyday?

Yep

[razark]

On 5/11/2019 at 7:14 PM, swjr-swis said:

That cam is a snagging hazard, getting eternally stuck behind wires, handles, hatch rims, antennae, rock ledges, etc. Making regular movement through a crammed cockpit/station interior difficult, and emergency evacuations downright dangerous.

So, you're saying it fits the "Kerbulz r dum and make stuff out of trash and it goez all LOL-splody when they launch it!" aesthetic, then?

 

Sounds like a good enough reason to rethink it, then.

[Guest]

Take a word of advice; please make us be able to use the veterans suit! It looks good and I don't want to have just four, It is an amazing suit and I want it's work

4 hours ago, St4rdust said:

Yep

This will be interesting

[Tyko]

Please disable parachute models on EVA spacesuits - all of them. 

[scottadges]

I'm wondering, will this be a total replacement of the non-DLC suit, or by purchasing the DLC we get an additional option? (Maybe this has already been answered in previous threads.)

It would be great if we have the ability to select old suits or new suits rather than a wholesale replacement.

As a benefit with the DLC, it's great to have a new suit. But what if you like the old suits and you've got the DLC installed?

 

Edited May 14, 2019 by scottadges

[RealKerbal3x]

5 hours ago, scottadges said:

I'm wondering, will this be a total replacement of the non-DLC suit, or by purchasing the DLC we get an additional option? (Maybe this has already been answered in previous threads.)

It would be great if we have the ability to select old suits or new suits rather than a wholesale replacement.

As a benefit with the DLC, it's great to have a new suit. But what if you like the old suits and you've got the DLC installed?

 

It'll probably use the suit switcher system first used in Making History. I guess if you have both DLCs installed, you'll have the option of the stock suit, the MH retro one, or the BG futuristic one.

[VoidCosmos]

18 hours ago, St4rdust said:

Yep

Thanks @St4rdust !!!!

[JPLRepo]

2 hours ago, RealKerbal3x said:

It'll probably use the suit switcher system first used in Making History. I guess if you have both DLCs installed, you'll have the option of the stock suit, the MH retro one, or the BG futuristic one.

Correct.

[scottadges]

6 hours ago, JPLRepo said:

It'll probably use the suit switcher system first used in Making History

Hah! I didn't even realize suit switcher was a thing? I'll have to google how you use that. Thanks!

[Ratwerke_Actual]

2 hours ago, scottadges said:

Hah! I didn't even realize suit switcher was a thing? I'll have to google how you use that. Thanks!

It's the hanger symbol next the Kerbal, when selecting crew.

[klesh]

Im not a huge fan of these suits at all, especially the neon all around them.  Looks like I'm the minority, so I'll chose not to use them.

 

17 hours ago, Tyko said:

Please disable parachute models on EVA spacesuits - all of them. 

But what if you want to EVA from orbit and land on a planet's surface with your chute?  Parafoil a wingsuit from space to the surface while sitting in a command chair etc.

I agree with giving us the option not to wear them, and in most cases in space you'll not want it, but it's got to be flexible so as to not prevent imaginative parachute uses. 

[Tyko]

19 hours ago, klesh said:

But what if you want to EVA from orbit and land on a planet's surface with your chute?  Parafoil a wingsuit from space to the surface while sitting in a command chair etc.

I agree with giving us the option not to wear them, and in most cases in space you'll not want it, but it's got to be flexible so as to not prevent imaginative parachute uses. 

Yea there’s no perfect solution, but several options 

1) Just hide chute model and assume they are integrated - this is just a texture change and requires zero functional changes

2) give the player the choice of having them present - I have not once used a parachute since they came out and never intend to. I should have the choice of leaving them off.

3) have them triggered by environment. - if you’re leaving the cabin in an atmosphere the chute shows up. If you’re going EVA on an airless body they don’t show up

[klesh]

On 5/15/2019 at 10:57 AM, Tyko said:

Yea there’s no perfect solution, but several options 

1) Just hide chute model and assume they are integrated - this is just a texture change and requires zero functional changes

I don't mind having the chute on the suit, when I want it.  It looks the part and seems reasonable.  Clearly having it on when you never intend to use it is what should be avoided.  It's akin to having spacesuit lights on at all times.

 

Quote

2) give the player the choice of having them present - I have not once used a parachute since they came out and never intend to. I should have the choice of leaving them off.

 

I agree with this.  They seem to be okay with adding more PAW buttons these days, especially under the advanced tweakables toggle. Would an pair of EVA With Chute / EVA Without Chute buttons make sense?  I wonder how they're going to handle cargo backpack vs parachute in this new DLC.  It seems like its either/or with the chute/cargo backpack.

 

Quote

3) have them triggered by environment. - if you’re leaving the cabin in an atmosphere the chute shows up. If you’re going EVA on an airless body they don’t show up

 

My problem with this is ap player wanting to EVA in space and perform re-entry in just the spacesuit, or a command chair.  That initial space-EVA would mean no 'chute with an environmental-only trigger.

[AVaughan]

Maybe replace the chute with generic storage space for storing eva usable items.  Then add the chute to that storage space by default.  (And make it deployable whilst in that storage space, that way no functionality is lost).  That would remove the out of place chute graphic from the suits, and players who want more space for other items, or who wish to remove the chute entirely can do so using whatever mechanism is available for adjusting eva loadouts.