"Bridging" Games

[BreathinBuddah]

Hello Reader! I've an idea I'd like to share with you, and ask that those technically inclined please be as pessimistic as possible. I hope to prove it can't be done before I hope it can be done. The scope of this post is limited to: the concept of "bridging" two games with a smooth transition, specifically Minecraft and KSP, and it's technical plausibility. I understand that KSP is unfinished, and that the KSP surface will most likely be a great experience one day. I also understand the state of MC's modding "capabilities". I just love MC and I love KSP and I want it all.

You may or may not be familiar with the multi-player mod for Just Cause 2: JC2-MP. By my layman's understanding, JC2-MP uses an external executable and some fancy memory reading and writing to enable client<->server<->client transfer of game data. The concept of gleaning/inserting data between two programs' memory is interesting, and the JC2-MP results are amazing.

You may or may not be familiar with Minecraft, and it's modding capabilities. I've played tekkit, and feel it's alittle bloated, but I like the idea of progressing to modern technology in Minecraft.

You may or may not be familiar with Kerbal Space Program, and it's modding capabilities. Personally, I like the sense of exploration, but wish there was more to do on the surfaces of worlds (Bear in mind I haven't explored further than the Mun, and have played less than a month).

The Dream:

Play minecraft, with the added ability to build space centers.

Some smooth transition between MC and KSP, where one moment you're playing minecraft, having just completed your space center; the next moment you're at the main screen of KSP, overlooking the space center. Both games would have to share data to make the transition invisible. According to the official wiki Custom models in MC are coming soon; KSP Space Center building models could be used in MC perhaps. MC worlds could be converted for KSP to display as terrain perhaps.

Upon landing on a planet while playing KSP, transition over to MC for surface mode.

[sarbian]

Yes, it can be done. I'll start working on the KSP prototype right now. I should have a working mod around mid 2016 or so. Stay tuned.

[RainDreamer]

Not sure if serious.

There is a minecraft-mod-turns-game that focus on spacecraft building and space travel called Starmade. You probably should take a look at it.

You can also just do a simple alt-tab while playing both games.

[Streetwind]

Definitely not serious

BreathinBudda, you actually don't have a technical issue at your hands here, you have a conceptual issue.

The Just Cause 2 multiplayer mod you give as an example works because it connects two identical games - that means, each game understands the input coming from the other game precisely. On the other hand, Minecraft and KSP do not understand each other. Minecraft has no concept of physics whatsoever; KSP is a physics simulation. KSP has no concept of mutable terrain whatsoever; Minecraft's whole premise is mutable terrain. How the heck are you supposed to explain one to the other with an interposed translation layer? Even if you translated "a block was just broken" into exactly the data format that KSP needs, you'd still get the reaction of "what's a block?". And that's just the tiniest tip of the largest iceberg you've ever seen.

What you possibly could do with an interposed translator app would be something like this:

- You have the Minecraft client, the KSP client, and the translator app open at the same time.

- You play Minecraft.

- You construct a multiblock rocket according to a certain pre-defined way and activate it.

- A mod present in Minecraft recognizes the structure and generates an event that sends data to the translator app.

- Minecraft teleports the player character to a new dimension, with zero terrain except for a preconstructed spacecraft made of indestructible blocks that the player is now permanently trapped in, unable to do anything.

- The translator app creates a contract in KSP, telling the player to put together and launch a vessel with a specific list of parts.

- You hit alt+tab and switch to KSP.

- You accept the contract, construct the vessel and launch it.

- You fly to a destination of your choice, and land there.

- You rightclick your command pod and press the button labeled "Destination Reached", added by a mod present in KSP. This causes another event that sends data to the translator app.

- The translator app directs Minecraft to teleport the player to a new dimension, according to the "landed on <body>" ID that was handed over.

- You hit alt+tab and switch to Minecraft.

- You play Minecraft on this new map.

That is what you can do with an interposed translator: you would still be playing only one game at a time, but you could cause events that trigger something in the other game. Note that such a translator app, together with the required Minecraft mod and the required KSP mod (which you would both have to maintain over version updates!) would still take a gigantic amount of time and effort to create.

But, I ask, why would you go through all that effort when you can already have a space program in Minecraft without needed KSP at all?

[Axelord FTW]

I'd argue that Space Engineer* might be the middle point between the two games.

So, if you are looking for something that might satiate both itches of KSP and Minecraft at the same time, you might find Space Engineer* to be the best back-scratching post you've never had.

*Not to be confused with Space Engine.

[rhoark]

You could use OpenComputers to build a mission control in Minecraft that controls Kerbal vessels through kRPC.