Devnote Tuesdays: The 0.24 Update Goals Edition

[AlamoVampire]

i myself am STILL ultra super mega hesitant about KSP multi player, while, yes, I know a LOT of players are over joyed at the idea, I myself, not so much so, but thats because of prior MP experiences. Until I see concrete proof of how its gonna work, consider me, if it were a go-no go poll as no go.

[Monger]

As always, an amazing list of features. I guess the multi joint thing might have serious consequences for rockets in the long run, doesn't it?

It is probably a little unfair of me to criticise this, but: do you really have to make such big updates? It sounds like the features are spread out so far that each of you only works on one topic.

The last KSP release has been at the middle of december, so 6 weeks before you announced the next steps for 0.24 . Of course the holidays delayed everything for quite a while, but it sounds like we won't see 0.24 before the beginning of april (at least 1 month for development and then two weeks of test).

Isn't it possible to concentrate one one feature after another (in this case: contracts), so that all or at least most of the team is involved in this one feature?

I don't need such big releases. Small releases are perfectly okay as well, as long as they come regularly.

[DancZer]

What will we gain from the new Unity? Better performance and stability?

[KerbMav]

Well, it looks like the sandbox single player gets the short end of the stick again, from a standpoint of added content/playability. Yeah, woo hoo, better part connections. I have that now with the Joint Reinforcement mod, so whoopty-doo.

Eh, the game is fine as it is for me, but it would be nice to have more landing legs & landing gear, more command pods, better FX, sounds, memory use, etc., more... just more.

You dismiss a new feature because there is a mod for it - and ask for additions to the game for which there are already mods ... ?

May I offer you a hot beverage?

Regarding Multiplayer: I am unsure how this would even work, as I have never tried the mod. But I think it makes sense to take this into account early instead of finishing a game and ripping it apart afterwards to add a multiplayer feature.

Building a house first and adding a basement later risks damage to the whole structure, I think the risks in programming are quite equal.

I'm waiting for 64-bit support to play again, as I've just grown tired of the ram-related crashes.

Did you have no success with texture compression?

Is the game's space program going to be a private aerospace company, only funded by contracts? Or will it be at least partially governmental, with some steady subsidizing? It occurs to me that the amount of subsidizing could be a pre-game selection which would serve as a difficulty setting.

Someone mentioned the option to trade science points for funding, which sounds like a nice way to bolster the budget after the tech tree has been filled out or during "bad times".

Isn't it possible to concentrate one one feature after another (in this case: contracts), so that all or at least most of the team is involved in this one feature?

The development process consists of a variety of different tasks and not everyone is an apt coder/designer/modeller/...

Exaggerated examples: As a flight company you cannot send half you staff from accounting to help out installing a new engine to one of your aircrafts - or tell a waiter to stand in for the chef in a four star restaurant. Would be fun though ...

Edited February 5, 2014 by KerbMav

[One-Way Films]

I hope that in the next few updates they make at least a few baby steps towards fixing the part-count lag. And joints being fixed (kinda) could be some baby-steps!

Edited February 5, 2014 by One-Way Films

[Virtualgenius]

Still NO decent win64 client support from unity who do I need to bribe over there to get that made available

[Wahgineer]

Finally, more rigid connections! The days of super strutted rockets are over! And thew mission control center gets some use, too.

[kiwiak]

I wonder if changes if connections between parts woudl breake old crafts or screw witch some mods.

Well even if every saved craft was doomed and all mods had to be somehow redone its still worth it.

[Luckfish]

I'm a little concerned about the Contracts. To me this implies that the next logical step is currency, and I'm pretty sure that with the large portion of things I've seen I think that would be a detriment, wouldn't it?

I have the same concern. I had tried out the Mission Controller Extended mod, liking the sound of it at first. I soon found myself constantly sweating the budget, and after a couple of reverts back to the VAB while ironing out the bugs on a new ship design and an aborted mission (Jeb's pod parachuted safely), I was quickly out of money. I know it brings more realism to the game, and I should probably switch to Sandbox mode if I want to play around un-fettered by budgets, but I definitely like having certain constraints (i.e, tech tree) that Career poses.

Perhaps having an option to turn on/off budgets in Career, or possibly having a steadily funded public budget over time (perhaps rising and falling over time like NASA's), augmented by missions by private companies wanting Telecom satellites and mineral (Kethane, perhaps) outposts on other bodies.

[Kialar]

I am so dissapointed that ressources have been cancelled/delayed/whatever and multiplayer is coming instead. I am not a big follower of multiplayer games, too much griefing experience.

Looking forward for growing career mode, but with much less excitement than before the mp-anouncement. From my point of view mp is a waste of time.

But I hold on myself and will not continue ranting.

[Roastduck]

Did any of you actually read the part about multiplayer? It's not like we'll have servers up and running for .24. They're just laying down the infrastructure so that CAN implement multiplayer later, if they decide to.

[Kialar]

Laying the infrastructure binds manpower. For a feature I have no intend to use. From my point of view it is waste of time.

But other people are free to have different opinions on this topic.

[KerbMav]

I definitely like having certain constraints (i.e, tech tree) that Career poses.

Perhaps having an option to turn on/off budgets in Career,

There are also players who disliked the absence of science points gathering/experiment reports in sandbox - so they started a career game, edited the save file to have sufficient points for the whole tree and enjoyed the game in a way they liked better.

So, if you dislike running out ouf money ...

[Capt Snuggler]

No update to space plane parts they look so tired.

[Ethan3369]

I know alot dont want to have mutiplayer but its a feature that will allow for so many people that are on the fence about ksp because its hard to get help if you cant get youtube or dontlike learning that way so if multiplayer allows people to collabeate on a single rocket and share rockets easily it could possible allow alot more to play ksp and make making large constructions easy so I think we should give multiplayer a chance.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Ethan3369
forgot sig

[cziken20]

Still NO decent win64 client support from unity who do I need to bribe over there to get that made available

You talk about windows xp 64-bit or widnwos 7? Because it works on each i think. If you talk about more ram use possible then i could agree with you but it isn't so needed.

[MidwestB]

I am so excited about the rigid connections. I'm hoping that tanks will be able to be held together much more strongly without struts, as that could seriously reduce the part count of my largest launching stage by 152 parts! And if radial decouplers are stronger too, that could reduce it probably another 100 or so! Plus multiplayer foundations for the future being made and contracts, this is shaping up to be a great update.

[lyndonguitar]

I'm guessing parts will be bought now yes?

[Schmonzo]

I'm guessing parts will be bought now yes?

Very good question and one that I'd like to get answered too.

Also hope that multiplayer will never be mandatory for the spaceprogram to be fun instead of a grind, because I am one of the (few or just not annoyingly loud) people who dread the idea of having to play in multiplayer...

[Roastduck]

Very good question and one that I'd like to get answered too.

Also hope that multiplayer will never be mandatory for the spaceprogram to be fun instead of a grind, because I am one of the (few or just not annoyingly loud) people who dread the idea of having to play in multiplayer...

I hope so, too, even though I'm interested in multiplayer. I want to have missions done my way, but I think it would also be cool to start a space program with my friends and have super-elaborate missions that would take one person forever to get going. Multiplayer would also make it easier to use KSP in a classroom setting.

[capi3101]

If y'all don't mind me asking, and I certainly hope I don't sound rude or impertinent here, how exactly do y'all envision multiplayer KSP working? Would it be competitive, cooperative, some sort of mutual sandbox, how? Just curious. Has this been addressed elsewhere?

[MajorSpittle]

Great Job Squad. I am really happy to see that a new tutorial is being done and that Multiplayer support is being started in the pipeline. I typically only play Multiplayer games because I like to socialize with friends in different areas while playing. I was anxiously awaiting the release of Dayz and Playing World of Tanks when KSP caught my attention from a blog on the intranet at work. The people I play online with are interested in KSP but the problem is we can't play together in a multiplayer environment. We can't share designs, progress, or anything else so KSP ended up sidelined by the ones that have bought it. Just the other day I was talking to my buddy about how I have a Space Station orbiting Duna with landers and I wanted to drop its orbit to about 10KM and undock a lander to start it air braking while I thrusted the Space Station back up into orbit and if the game was Multiplayer it would be nice to have him piloting the lander while I controlled the Space Station. We really want to collaborate on missions and designs but are just unable to do so in real time. The Tutorial should help some of my friends that got quickly frustrated with the learning curve and Multiplayer will create a stronger and larger community around the game. I think it was a very wise call to start projects that will expand the customer base and ease the learning curve so people don't give up on the game before they even figure out that you can't just shoot a rocket straight up to acheive an orbit. I have a feeling that when Multiplayer is released this game's popularity will increase ten-fold and hopefully your staff can increase to finish the game quickly. Good-Luck and work hard!

[Captain Sierra]

So Unity 4.3 makes KJR redundant, great!

Multiplayer work already? We're just happy that you finally accepted the fact that we might be right and KSP should have multiplayer support, that doesn't mean we want it NOW!

Rather, I think that effort would be better spent on enhancing sandbox some and any work on MP should be pushed back 'til later.

In short, due to the nature of KSP, better single player now = better multiplayer later.

Okay, contracts are worrying me less now. Does this mean we'll be seeing reputation and money come in this update? or is that reserved for .25?

Glad that building is no longer leglected, but the problem is that the current space center scene's default camera orientation sort of hides it behind the VAB. May I suggest moving it between the tracking station and R&D center to that area? it looks about the right size. That would also open up a nice area nearer the launchpad for me to build my test bases at.

Tutorials getting reworked. Does this mean the stock craft are due for a revamp too? Do I need to go run the Improved Stock Crafts challenge over again? Glad. They seem WAY too simplistic for what the game has become, and there is NO DOCKING TUTORIAL. To alleviate the forums of people asking how to dock, for the love of God please give us a good dockign tutorial. It would save newer players so much time and headache.

[Captain Sierra]

If y'all don't mind me asking, and I certainly hope I don't sound rude or impertinent here, how exactly do y'all envision multiplayer KSP working? Would it be competitive, cooperative, some sort of mutual sandbox, how? Just curious. Has this been addressed elsewhere?

By the nature of KSP, it'd likely be a mutual sandbox style thing. What people do in there is up to them (within limits of the save). I imagine having both 24/7 lobbies hosted on servers by Squad or someone and also P2P links where you can either invite a friend to an existing save of yours or to a brand new clean save.

I'd expect to see multiplayer rooms for people doing naval warfare, people doing competitive resource mining, collaborative projects, etc.

KSP, being a sandbox game, lends itself to all of the above without having to change much.

[Dust]

Looking forward to contracts and more rigid joints.

Question: With contracts added in 0.24, is it going to make a compelling reason to start a new career mode to get the full career experience? What will 0.24 look like if you are already tens of thousands of science points deep into the tech tree? Of course I have no complaint because a game in alpha doesn't necessarily have to guarantee to not break the user experience once in a while.