Ehco Corrallo

I actually don't have a rule of thumb. Sometimes my chapters are as short as 300 words, sometimes they're a lot longer. The standard chapter length in the novel I'm working on now is about 10,000 words. But in another project, it ranges from 1,000 to 4,500. 1,000 is a day's work, approximately, that's why I recommended it. In general, it's best to choose a length that works for the particular composition. I have a lot going on in my novel, for instance, so I change points of view, and jump forward in time quite frequently; the variation allows for longer chapters. If you're working from a single point of view, you might want to make things shorter, barring the whims of plot.

Chapters in novels aren't always that long. Sometimes they're only a few pages. Chapter length isn't really indicative of a particular composition; ultimately, the 'distance' between "once upon a time..." and "the end" is the deciding factor. With that said, about a thousand words per chapter (4 pages) is a good number.

I like where this is going...Nice work.

Probably because I'm a horrible person, and I haven't really had time to respond to all of the great entries here. You're on the board now. Feel free to pick up a badge from the OP. Jhawk1099's Score: 3 Episodes of Munar Awesomeness. Unfortunately, no. It's an awesome mission, (gotta love SRBs) but it's not quite as silly and excessive as the (admittedly murky) mission statement requested. I'm happy to discuss it (lest you think I'm draconian, or something) but otherwise, I have to decline the submission. I apologize for the ludicrously belated response. Looks like you've got a good start, though. I'll be keeping an eye on this...

Newsflash! The Flaming Goat Foundry Works is happy to announce that research into new wheel technologies has begun, along with the prototyping stage of their latest project: The Golith Superliner, a BigS aircraft for BadS pilots. The Golith Superliner will be the first aircraft in the Foundry Showroom built to be compatible with 1.1. The Dune Runner series of rovers will receive an overhaul as well, to bring them into code with the new wheel module. Expect to see a rover dropship at some point in the near future! As always, requests and comments are appreciated! Here at the Flaming Goat Foundry Works, the customer is always right unless they're wrong!

It doesn't cover any of the subtleties of writing, but it's fantastic if you want to touch up your basics without much trouble. And it covers some obscure punctuation rules; there's a very comprehensive section on capitalization, for example. It's very fun to read if you're the kind of person who notices misused apostrophes. I've been there. It was with the Second World War, but still... Oh, yeah, I know a ton of sword names, too. Writing is weird.

I "accidentally" memorized the progression of firearms from matchlock muskets to the modern assault rifle, just while trying to figure out where a novel would be set...But lumberjacking? That's digression at its very finest

If you do enough research, you don't really have to pretend you know what you're talking about I've learned quite a bit because of being a writer. I know the medical difference between evisceration and disembowelment, for instance.

Especially if you have any confusion about the difference between affect and effect, or any preconceived notions about where periods should go within parenthesis.

I spent the longest time misinterpreting that rule; confusing experience with knowledge. You don't have to have been an astronaut to write books about astronauts, but you do have to learn about space, and astronauts, and anything else that comes along with that. Reading is one of the best ways to improve your writing. On a side note, I'd like to add an entry to your list: Read The Elements of Style. It's pretty formal, but it's still very helpful.

I think you described it fine. Think about Kerbal names, though. They aren't terribly complex (only two syllables), but I haven't really encountered any repeats. Planet names are probably handled on a syllable basis, and if there's a numerical naming convention tied to that, there'll be quite a few combinations possible. Varying lengths will help to establish variation also. I'm a little fuzzy on the math, so I can't give any concrete numbers, but even if you just took the syllables in "Gashraimpetiousminorosis" and rearranged them, you could get a considerable number of possible combinations. Getting 18 quintillion names isn't a very steep task. Getting 18 quintillion interesting names is only slightly harder. Besides, even if there are repeats (even as many as three identically named planets) you won't encounter any. Your chances of encountering a repeat, given that there is one, are about 1 in, well, 18 quintillion, and as I think it's already been established, that's a pretty big number. I'd also like to put things in scale: if you discover one million planets, you will only have discovered one eighteen-millionth of the planets in No Man's Sky. Look at all these place values! 1 is 1/1,000,000th of 1,000,000. 1,000,000 is 1/18,000,000th of 18,000,000,000,000,000,000. Correct me if my math is horrifically inaccurate.

I thought I misread the devnote, too. (At which point I grew worried that I might be spreading an unsubstantiated rumor: "The physics bubble is gone, guys!") Then, likewise, I realized that I'd misread the OP.

It was in one of the devnotes. I'm not quite sure which one, but it was there. It may have been two or three back. Got it. "Even better, vessels in atmosphere within range of the active vessel are no longer deleted during quickload, and he adjusted the “switch to” logic so users can cycle between nearby craft upon quickloading."

This is going away in 1.1! Squad actually said so! Gone!

Yep. It's actually one of the three main paths that the player can take (trading, exploring, and fighting). There's mining, too.

I was feeling partially prolific, so I finished another chapter. Again, here's the link and excerpt: "The cockpit began to shake. Little short shudders began rocking the passengers. Emily glanced left at Conrad. Conrad looked forward to Kareem, who was curling and un-curling his fingers around the throttle. The shaking stopped. The Fang settled. The crane pulled away slowly with a wrenching sound. Kareem let out a long breath." Rattle Enjoy!

The old mk1 cockpit hung around until 1.0.5, even after the mk1 inline cockpit had been overhauled.

Still pushing for 1500+ m/s mark... In the meantime, there's this. Not my fastest run, but my most intact one. The cockpit is clipped into the space between the bicoupler and the forward fuselage to ensure a dragless design.

When I'm building insane aircraft: The Flaming Goat Foundry Works. I still haven't made a flag for the Foundry, so I've just been using the Australian Air Force insignia. In a book I'm writing: A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. I have no idea what it stands for, but I'm reasonably sure it stands for something.

Another new chapter is finished! Here's a link and excerpt, as per usual: "Today though, Cypris Maricela Alta Cranford-Tracker wasn’t staring up at a lopsided Phoenix IV; the launch pad was empty and quiet, and shrouded by fog. The runway was bustling with techs that morning, and if Cypris had looked left and slightly behind her, she would have been able to watch the last of the fuel being loaded into the main engine of the silky-white Fang X-IIIA that was sitting on the tarmac just to Cypris Maricela Alta Cranford-Tracker’s left and a little behind her." Engine with Wings Hope you like it!

Awesome challenge! I'm going to give it my best shot. Just one question: can I jettison a cockpit so I can use the EAS Command Seat?

So you might be able to pilot ships around the same size as the big NPC ones?

The cockpits in No Man's Sky have almost the same level of functionality as the IVAs in KSP (yay acronyms!). There's a decent amount of information shown on the ship's HUD, and you have at least 180 degrees of camera control. With that said, I think they've shied away from larger ships because making planetfall is an (almost) essential part of the game, and landing in particular was more feasible with small ships. (The lead developer has stated that it's entirely possible to go through the game without landing on a planet.) There are a lot of sci-fi games with large ships, No Man's Sky doesn't seem to be among them. (That's not a final verdict however, the devs have been very closemouthed; larger ships may be a thing.)

I'd like for the 1.25 fuel tanks to get a texture overhaul.

It's never too late for hype. Speaking of which... Here's a handy-dandy hype-clock!