Anyone up for barn raising?

[SorryDave]

When SQUAD announced upgradable buildings, I thought it would be cool to start with an actual junkyard or backyard facility, but did not expect it.

The junkyard looks good. I can't wait to see how many missions I can complete before upgrading the facilities.

[Red Iron Crown]

I'm curious about how the buildings will look in the interim stages of upgrading, between what's shown here and what KSC looks like now. Another reveal in tomorrow's dev notes maybe?

[cantab]

Which would be fine if we were starting with Goddard level technology. The barn/trailers don't fit in with a group that is at the level of launching crewed Mercury class spacecraft.

Many of the parts, notably the capsule, do take inspiration from the Mercury program and similar. The performance, though, is much below that. The Kerbals have it easy - a rocket that gets them into orbit would be nowhere near on Earth. Also, it's well established that the Kerbals (well, some of them) are brave bordering on stupid. They're quite happy to get straight in the pod and go for it, no unmanned test flight nonsense.

[Oafman]

So, the developers have been horsing around, and this is the new KSC? It looks complicated, kind of like a maize. Ewe have to ask, what is the point? All this work on a KSC farmyard, and still no sign of the tractor beams us turkeys have been requesting.

Anyway, perhaps I have been milking this theme for too long. Some may think this is a load of bull, but hay, I think it's a good direction in which to moo-ve. If it fields good, do it. He who dairies wins. I'm done.

[Alshain]

The lack of a dirt runway is just bull. Your saying KAX and Firespitter can't fill that role? Basically Squad is thumbing their nose at the mods and modders with that. No mods will ever put plane parts in early tier so why bother right? I mean, after all planes can't be invented till after we land on the Mun, that's just the logical way. They are saying if you make plane parts, you can't put them in the first few tiers because there is no runway to use them on, that is just a stupid limitation.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Alshain

[Red Iron Crown]

So, the developers have been horsing around, and this is the new KSC? It looks complicated, kind of like a maize. Ewe have to ask, what is the point? All this work on a KSC farmyard, and still no sign of the tractor beams us turkeys have been requesting.

Anyway, perhaps I have been milking this theme for too long. Some may think this is a load of bull, but hay, I think it's a good direction in which to moo-ve. If it fields good, do it. He who dairies wins. I'm done.

Careful, you may reap what you sow, especially if HarvesteR gets wind of the comment you fielded.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Red Iron Crown

[Oafman]

HarvesteR

How did I miss that one!

[John FX]

Myself I really like the idea of an actual junkyard to match the one where a lot of early parts are said to have come from. I like the idea that Jeb (and his wife too) was the guy that used to run the junkyard/farm and somehow got into making rockets. I like the rusty/wood look for the first buildings, maybe we could have shiny airstream trailers (with actual reflections) for between the rusty trailers and buildings?

I`m glad the hard work of getting the bones of the system are mostly done, not many people seem to get it that that was the hard work and the pretties just sit on the top of that...

Of course anything can be redesigned and made to look better, it seems a little more polishing could go into the rusty shacks from all accounts, hehe.

(Just thought, if you think the design criticism is bad for these models watch out for when the female kerbals get shown off for the first time)

Edited November 10, 2014 by John FX

[cantab]

The lack of a dirt runway is just bull. Your saying KAX and Firespitter can't fill that role? Basically Squad is thumbing their nose at the mods and modders with that. No mods will ever put plane parts in early tier so why bother right? I mean, after all planes can't be invented till after we land on the Mun, that's just the logical way. They are saying if you make plane parts, you can't put them in the first few tiers because there is no runway to use them on, that is just a stupid limitation.

I somewhat concur with this, but I wonder if the absence of the runway and SPH isn't to try and make things simpler to start with. Really it hinges on how much it costs to get them - I think the tier 1 runway and SPH should be cheap enough that you can get them after your first couple of contracts if you want.

[Tw1]

How did I miss that one!

Ha. Looks like he planed it from the very beginning!

I call it if the unlikely event of a Harvester Kerman ending up in the game somehow, eventuates.

(Just thought, if you think the design criticism is bad for these models watch out for when the female kerbals get shown off for the first time)

As long as they don't go about it completely stupid, I don't see how there could be a lot done wrong. That's more altering an existing model, and modeling an organic type object is a bit different to an architectural type thing.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Tw1

[capi3101]

Just now saw this...pretty awesome starting out with Dr. Goddard's original lab there (shouldn't there be snow on the ground, though?)

[Alshain]

I somewhat concur with this, but I wonder if the absence of the runway and SPH isn't to try and make things simpler to start with. Really it hinges on how much it costs to get them - I think the tier 1 runway and SPH should be cheap enough that you can get them after your first couple of contracts if you want.

Yeah but that doesn't make sense to me. Farms have crop duster runways, they don't have launch pads. So if anything there should be a runway first.

[rtxoff]

You guys are so boring, i am perfectly ok with an cowshed as starting building. Why do must everything in a game make sense? I mean Kerbals themself don't make sense why should their starter building?

Cows and pigs around the launch platform? I say yes, let them watch and burn while the rockets lift off.

Relax and have fun with the game.

[KSK]

Which would be fine if we were starting with Goddard level technology. The barn/trailers don't fit in with a group that is at the level of launching crewed Mercury class spacecraft.

Remember that there are quite a few sub-orbital contracts to fulfill before the player gets offered a contract to orbit Kerbin. For all we know, it will be quite possible for the player to replace the barns and trailers by something a little less basic by that point. Take a look at this picture of Little Joe - which was used for sub-orbital testing of the Mercury capsule. I don't know about you, but that doesn't look terribly far removed from barns and trailers to me.

[Alguien]

I am not even going to repeat what others said about the quality of the models and textures.

Weren't your guys claiming Kerbals were pretty good at engineering and building instead of being ORKZ WITHOUT WAAAAGH? Because i see this buildings and other than the bad quality of it, they just scream Ork/ghetto.

They don't fit the game (ok i will give you the trailer park), IF the player started with old begining of the century rockets then yes, a barn/old factory would work fine, but we dont, as we can see with your techtree which has the player start with 60s level technology for rockets

IS NOT EVEN A CLASSIC RED AMERICAN BARN WITH A TOWER SILO, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

[Red Iron Crown]

Orbiting Kerbin is one of the initial available contracts.

[Alshain]

IS NOT EVEN A CLASSIC RED AMERICAN BARN WITH A TOWER SILO, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

I'm an American and I cringed when I read this. 1. You do know we aren't the only people in the world with a space program and 2. Red bards are european, the color comes from linseed oil used as a sealant which had rust and even blood added to it.

[Krevsin]

I'm an American and I cringed when I read this. 1. You do know we aren't the only people in the world with a space program and 2. Red bards are european, the color comes from linseed oil used as a sealant which had rust and even blood added to it.

I am a european and I cringed when reading this. 1. You do realize that europe is a congregation of many nations and many barn-building practices some of which don't even remotely involve the colour red.

On a less facetious note, I have no problem with the idea of starting in a barn and having trailers, but the texture and model work is, to put it mildly, sloppy. I would elaborate, but i'd just make the thread sound like an echo chamber so I'll just link the excellent critiques posted on Reddit and imgur.

http://www.reddit.com/r/KerbalSpaceProgram/comments/2lpao5/my_thoughts_on_the_kerbal_space_program/

http://i.imgur.com/onpH9fp.jpg

[Beale]

I don't understand the Junkyard aesthetic too well.

Your average amateur observatory looks something like this:

Or:

No need for "Slumdog Millionaire" corrugated iron, metal plates bolted together.

Just simple wooden structure with a concrete or metal frame. Keep it simple, keep it similar to existing KSC style (Just a little more basic looking).

Building a space centre from materials you could get at a local hardware store seems perfectly "Kerbal" to me IMO, without being too silly ("Lol kerbals, moar boosters xD").

Here is a quick 5 minute mockup of a Tier 1 observatory base, made of wood and concrete.

The textures might be on the verge of the "photo-realistic" side, but hopefully I can get my idea accross.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Beale

[Alshain]

I am a european and I cringed when reading this. 1. You do realize that europe is a congregation of many nations and many barn-building practices some of which don't even remotely involve the colour red.

Yes I do know that, and it isn't isolated to just one of them but it was definitely not originated in America, and the "Classic American Red Barn" is not a thing. European was the correct term and what I said is correct, your facetiousness needs a history lesson.

[Moesly_Armlis]

These barn buildings do look alot different than what kerbals should be capable of. But still like them nonetheless. Only now I imagine that the kerbals recieved the televised broadcasts of the humans early space program, that they then decided to mimic what they obsevered.

[Alshain]

These barn buildings do look alot different than what kerbals should be capable of. But still like them nonetheless. Only now I imagine that the kerbals recieved the televised broadcasts of the humans early space program, that they then decided to mimic what they obsevered.

It's not what they are capable of, it's what they are capable of on a budget. It's supposed to be an OLD farm they bought CHEAP.

[Krevsin]

I don't understand the Junkyard aesthetic too well.

Your average amateur observatory looks something like this:

http://oldsite.astro-sharp.com/images/dome/keith_dome_800.jpg

Or:

http://cdn.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/1073/5098153887_156fb62b5c_o.jpg

No need for "Slumdog Millionaire" corrugated iron, metal plates bolted together.

Just simple wooden structure with a concrete or metal frame. Keep it simple, keep it similar to existing KSC style (Just a little more basic looking).

Building a space centre from materials you could get at a local hardware store seems perfectly "Kerbal" to me IMO, without being too silly ("Lol kerbals, moar boosters xD").

Here is a quick 5 minute mockup of a Tier 1 observatory base, made of wood and concrete.

The textures might be on the verge of the "photo-realistic" side, but hopefully I can get my idea accross.

http://puu.sh/cL8Ka/12bd31bac1.jpg

Wow, that actually looks really good. The textures need work (as you pointed out), but it's a good start!

- - - Updated - - -

Yes I do know that, and it isn't isolated to just one of them but it was definitely not originated in America, and the "Classic American Red Barn" is not a thing. European was the correct term and what I said is correct, your facetiousness needs a history lesson.

I believe you misunderstand what being facetious means

[KSK]

Orbiting Kerbin is one of the initial available contracts.

It is? So much for my last post then, although I still think that Little Joe made for a pretty good early kerbal rocket.

I guess I tend to spin out the early contracts a bit to make sure I get a couple of the intermediate altitude record ones that I can farm (heh) for funds and rep.

[Red Iron Crown]

It is? So much for my last post then, although I still think that Little Joe made for a pretty good early kerbal rocket.

I guess I tend to spin out the early contracts a bit to make sure I get a couple of the intermediate altitude record ones that I can farm (heh) for funds and rep.

In fairness I think it is a bit of a "stretch" goal for any but experienced players.