Tier One Space Center CONFIRMED: It's a barn!

[Fourjays]

I quite like the design, it reminds me of the early days of rocket testing at White Sands.

http://moonandback.com/2012/03/26/what-goes-up-comes-down-but-not-necessarily-where-aimed-this-week-in-space-history/

If it looked more like that I'd be cool with that. That converted barn in the second picture would be perfect! In comparison, what has been show off so far looks too farm/junkyard/comical/steampunk. Not helped by the low quality of the models/textures which I sincerely hope aren't the finished article.

[problemecium]

It's cute but I fail to see why they needed to bring a rusty wheelbarrow to leave in the yard of the brand new space center o_O

[Fiddlestyx]

Wait... this is real? It's awesome.

[Norpo]

To be honest, I don't see that much of a problem with it.

I just imagine Jeb converted his junkyard into a space agency by adding a launch pad (Either that, or someone threw out a perfectly good launch pad, you won't believe what kerbals throw away!), but over time the members of the newly founded kerbal space agency made it more like a space agency, and less like a junkyard with a launchpad.

[Markus Reese]

The level of win is strong with this one!

[Pthigrivi]

But guys the WINNEBAGOS!

Seriously I think you guys are missing it a bit. This is about the humble beginnings. When you open up its just going to be this ramshackle outpost for space rednecks to launch themselves into space. Its gonna be epic to build from that to the full modern setup.

[tater]

This is Robert Goddard ( I think); that seems like a pretty "temp" shed made of wood.

Ah, the brown fields of home. (my neck of NM is rather more spiky, both in plants and rocks)

[lordmuffin]

Gosh darn space hillbillies.

[zekes]

Kerbal Way-out-in-Nowhere's-space Center

[razark]

I quite like the design, it reminds me of the early days of rocket testing at White Sands.

"The 937-square-foot blockhouse itself had 12-foot thick floors... . The walls were 10 feet of reinforced concrete, the pyramidal roof was 27 feet thick, and the door was blast proof."

Yeah, that sounds like what we're looking at.

[BagelRabbit]

I posted this in the Official KSP Thread, but I'll post it here too. I would be so incredibly happy if this happened.

Out of all of the things I want most in 0.90 now, it would be several cows aimlessly wandering the early KSC. Think about all of the possibilities! They could eat the stuff in the sandbags over time, requiring replacements. They could be easily felled with a small projectile, to fulfill special contracts or to boost the amount of Snacks that the Kerbals would have. They would be able to live in the KSC barn, and you could see them chewing their cud in the VAB! Most importantly, they would lend the overall scene an even more homely appearance!

KSP 0.90: The Cow Update.

Please make it happen devs.

[Frank_G]

I am just imagining Jeb, riding a solid rocket booster and crashing into a barn, while laughing madly...

Call the Update... KSP: CATTLETECH!

[CaptRobau]

I have no problem with the idea behind the models, but the textures have to be improved. They look nothing like the art style established over the course of development. The textures don't need to be photorealistic à la FASA or something, but a bit more refined and less cartooney would make this go over a lot better with everyone.

[SRV Ron]

This little known TV show of the 70s

Junkyard owner Harry Broderick assembles a team to pull off the ultimate salvage operation. With former astronaut Skip Carmichael and fuel expert Melanie Slozar, Harry builds the spacecraft Vulture in order to bring back the equipment left on the moon during the Apollo moon expeditions.

http://www.tv.com/shows/salvage-1/salvage-1-153823/

[Vallius]

Actually, the general style of the Tier 1 space center is growing on me. When the kerbals decided to go to space, they first had to buy the farm (I just know the pun will be over-used in early missions). It's fun and quirky. After all, it's not like Werhner von Braun had the modern VBA when he built his first large rocket. Since Kerbal is explicitly avoiding weapons, it would go against the spirit of the game to use military-type facilities (like we used in real life) at tier 1. The other logical starting point for the space center would be a farm on prime real estate.

Yes, the textures need serious work to look more believable, and the models need some polish to look less blocky, but otherwise I like the general theme. It isn't that the kerbals aren't yet capable of a better space center, it's just that they can't afford it yet. They need to spend most of their early cash just for the parts and fuel.

Don't you see? They're not incompetent--just broke.

[Fiddlestyx]

All this needs if a Fish Bowl for the Kerbal space helmets and an Aviators jacket.

[Rithsom]

I'm perfectly fine with cheap farm buildings and trailers being used as the tier one space center. I just don't want the facilities to look cartoony:

I know it's a game with little green men. But really, these textures don't fit in well with the game at all...

[Robotengineer]

I'm perfectly fine with cheap farm buildings and trailers being used as the tier one space center. I just don't want the facilities to look cartoony:

http://i.imgur.com/tnEGn5Q.png

http://i.imgur.com/TzEXTXK.png

I know it's a game with little green men. But really, these textures don't fit in well with the game at all...

I do agree that the assets are not that good, and I would rather wait a month and get all the assets right the first time, rather than have to go over them in a year. That is sort of the point of beta right? Unless .99 is going to be a HUGE art pass on planets, buildings, parts, etc. I don't think it is a good idea to put off getting it right.

[NWDogg]

This is honestly the first time in KSP's long development (that I've followed since, like, .15 or .16 or so) that I've been truly disappointed with an upcoming feature. I don't like the style at all, it looks like they ripped trailer models right out of a generic zombie shooter. I was hoping for something that had a bit more uniqueness and personality...something to set Kerbals apart from simple green-skinned caricatures of bumbling humans. With this style, it's like they could drop the Kerbals entirely and just add humans in. It's not inspired in any way.

That said, at least the assets are moddable (if I understand correctly.) Plus they are only the first tier, and most likely won't show up in sandbox at all. So at least I won't have to look at them in my game. Combined with all the other outstanding features coming up in .90 (and beyond) this won't be so bad in the long run.

[FlyingPete]

I quite like it Sounds right that the space program started out with Jeb building things out of junk he 'found lying by the side of the road' on his farm. Just like another space program started out with Zefram Cochrane sticking a warp engine and a cockpit on top of a missile.

[SkyRender]

My own take is this: Kerbals are actually pretty sharp little buggers. They know how to make a quality product and can make sure it never works outside design specifications (something even we can't manage in our own space programs, I might add). But... well, they're also very much enthusiastic about space and want to get there right away. This is why they don't even bother with designing space probes first, and start launching Kerbals right away into the great blue yonder. It fits perfectly with this mentality that, upon getting together enough funds to actually buy the "facilities" for a rocket launch, Jeb and crew would just buy up an old farm and retrofit it instead of taking the time and effort to build a complex setup. All that time and money being spent on nice-looking facilities would be time not going to space!

So yes, in my eyes, this is pretty much exactly what the first KSC would look like: a hastily repurposed series of buildings that were never meant for this sort of thing but that will do well enough for the role. Heck, just read some of the early part descriptions and you'll realize that most of the early Kerbal space flight technology has its roots in repurposing things that were never meant for use in space.

[Scotius]

At least! I will be able to fulfill my old dream. Dream about building a spacehip in a shed. And flying said spaceship to the Moon...*akhem* Mun! So much win!

[FlyingPete]

So yes, in my eyes, this is pretty much exactly what the first KSC would look like: a hastily repurposed series of buildings that were never meant for this sort of thing but that will do well enough for the role. Heck, just read some of the early part descriptions and you'll realize that most of the early Kerbal space flight technology has its roots in repurposing things that were never meant for use in space.

Exactly. When you have a tail fin found at the side of the road described as 'nothing is really known about this thing. Use at your own risk' or a fuel tank that is absolutely *not* a stolen swimming pool frame, having the early mssions launch out of a barn makes sense. They're so hopelessly enthusiastic about going to space that they aren't going to let lack of facilities stop them in the early days.

[Voyager55]

I'm not really feeling the art for the buildings. I like the idea of upgradeability, but I was expecting it to be more of a size scale rather than a complete art style change. At the moment this looks like a modder had a month free and decided to change the buildings...

Is it just me that's feeling this way?

You're not alone, i'd honestly say this is the first thing SQUAD has done that i've actually kind of hated :/ Just being candid.

Like are we going to be wheeling wooden firework powered rockets out of that barn or something? The artstyle change is just way to drastic. Also it drives me nuts how none of those campers and buildings are to scale with a Kerbal (ie windows are practically taller than the kerbal)

[1greywind]

Models, textures, overall design quality is poor. I strongly dislike it.