stephensmat

Science brings us to where KSP1 essentially is now, with updated graphics and such. Over at KSP1, it was the modders who made colony parts and extra planets. Everything after this is brand new territory. Gotta be honest, the colonies system is the only other thing on the Roadmap I'm crazy for. The rest is just icing. Besides, we've said it a hundred times. If they get the bugs fixed at a foundational level, then the next update comes faster.

Cannot, for the life of me, make out a single word.

My money is on heating and re-entry effects. I'd love for it to be Science Mode, but I doubt we'll get there until some of the main issues are corrected. That said, I get the impression that the Devs are climbing the walls wanting to release Science. Its going to be the thing that brings a lot of players back, including myself.

The only thing this game is lacking for me now is Direction. I'm waiting for Science mode, and part of me thinks the 'news' at "Space Creator Day" is going to be about that. They wouldn't wait an extra week, for a live show, for another incremental bugfix.

I'm waiting for someone to say something about CM Nerdy_Mike's comments on the Discord Dev Tracker. Am I looking in the wrong threads?

I have utmost respect for anyone who puts the effort in, even when not being paid. Kudos, for that reason above all else. I also agree with using a carrot instead of a stick. A thought out, reasoned plan like this is sure to get the attention of modders, if not the Devs. My concern is the Science Points; and that's not limited to your scenario. In KSP1, I've usually unlocked the whole tech tree by the time I've landed on Minmus two or three times. In KSP1, it's not an issue, because excess points are profitable. I'm a little concerned about what will happen after that with KSP2. I hope there's some mechanic for making use of extra points.

Probably heating/re-entry. They've been showing us a lot of that. It's one of the main additions that needs to be made before we get to Science Mode.

The Falcons had plenty of failures too; they were just easier to build and launch. SpaceX has a surprisingly Kerbal-like philosophy: Try. Fail. Fail Better. It's been an interesting week for people who follow these things. NASA has admitted SLS isn't going to work, and Starship is ready for the next test flight.

Ooh. Now that's interesting. I have a feeling the Resource Update will change over the whole game. I'm content to wait. I appear to be the minority, but it's a big busy world, and there's plenty to do in the meantime. The Devs are the ones that make KSP2 their career, and full time occupation. I'm glad for their efforts, and gladder to leave them to it.

There are two or three major bugs that make longer missions unsustainable. The Devs know what they are, and are working them already. We know some of the code is already included, like anomalies and such. Data miners have found evidence of that. Things like precision manouvers and QOL additions can come from modders as well as Devs. Which sounds like an excuse, but people are willing to invest the time. That's where I'm at too. I'll be investing a lot more time once Science happens. And I think, at this point, having more people involved is worth it to the Devs, given how much feedback they rely on for EA testing. Also true. The main things that need to be fixed right now are orbital decays, RUD errors, and Heat effects. All things that are the current top priority. The problem is that KSP is a "Try, Fail, Fail Better" game. We need to be REALLY sure when something falls apart because we screwed up, as opposed to when the game screws up.

Appearance isn't the point. To make exploring the planets a mission progression, you need capability. In KSP1, I had my tech tree unlocked by the time I got through the the Mun and Minmus. For the kind of 'increments' you're talking about? I could take a ship to Duna, with a telescope part, and a detachable orbital probe, go from 0 to 100% in one mission. One thought I had from the 'Mission Control' image we got today? What if the Science/Colonies were Mission Based? To unlock a certain part, you need a particular experiment/mission completed. To put a colony somewhere, you need to complete the following checklist. Like prospecting. You take a probe to photograph the area, head out in a Rover to check the area, then start landing your colonists.

The part I'm focusing on is: "You'll be up to your ears in Science soon enough." My guess is, they need to add heat effects first; and correct a few major bugs. Unfortunately, it's the complicated ones that take the longest. Also of note, is the 'Mission Brief' button. Unless that's a mini-menu; I'm wondering if some missions will have 'intro videos' or something. If that's the case, then it's likely Science Farming will be harder. (Not a real problem. In KSP1, once you've unlocked everything, the science points are just to make money, which we know we won't have in KSP2) Based on this, admittedly single image, I'm thinking the science will be more mission based. I'm actually hoping for that. To unlock 'Part X' you need to complete 'Mission Y'. To get a Colony in 'Biome 1', you need to complete the following experiment checklist...

Could be either, but I'm thinking it's halfway between the two. Maybe for an 'unlock' or animation. Remember, the future expansions are for Resources, instead of cash. Could be the crane is to symbolize shipments of material. I don't know if they'd make that something in the actual gameplay. I'm fine with that. The part I'm focusing on is: "You'll be up to your ears in Science soon enough." My guess is, they need to add heat effects first. Correct Orbit decay and 'disassemble on staging'. Those, at least to me, are the big ones that need correcting before expansion.

I suppose it's possible, but I don't buy that. They've already told us that they're working on releasing Science. Fixing the flaws right now is 'foundation' work. Fixes that will apply to the whole roadmap. They couldn't release anything new until these flaws are taken care of first. When Science is released, KSP2 will essentially be where KSP1 is at. Everything that comes after is brand new material. And with the 'Foundations' fixed, the updates will come faster afterwards. I know enough about programming to know that it's like watching a duck swim. Slow and steady on the surface, frantic activity out of sight. To say nothing of the fact that it gives modders more and more time, the community gets plenty of experimentation... By the time we get to the Colonies update, it'll be like playing KSP1 all over again, with better graphics. Yes, we have to wait a lot longer than we expected; but I'm one of the people that pre-ordered No Man's Sky. Good things come to those who wait.

Update: Turns out steering the old 'Outposts' are easier than the new towers. I've removed the engines, wheels and landing legs. The module on the right was my original Minmus Science Outpost. If I expand further, I'll have to add fuel gathering facilities.

I have a policy of sending 'Science outposts' to every planet and moon I can. Pretty basic. A science lab, all the experiments I can weld onto it, a crew of two or three, and a power source. Just enough to let science points come in 24/7. Mods have given me new standards for Colonies. The module on the Right is my 'original' Minmus outpost. (With the engines and landing legs removed to give the thing some stability.) The ground to the right of that is a series of experiments I had left. Next addition will likely be fuel generation. Bad place for it, as far as Minmus goes, but I'm still experimenting with these mods and wanted the flat ground.

Whew. That was quite a long and difficult bit of steering, but I managed to get two base sections connected. First time I've ever attempted it, and the first time I ever succeeded at it. The second section is power bank, Laboratory, and Hydroponic Farm. Still under construction. I plan to remove the engines and wheels, maybe bring the original small Science outpost over and hook them up. I still need some scientists for this thing.

Minmus is my 'Trial Run' for all of this. So far, my 'Bases' have all been Mobile Labs mounted on Fuel tanks, with landing legs on the bottom, and a large battery on top, with experiments and solar panels welded onto the sides. Not fancy, but good for farming Science Points across several planets. This mod is my first serious attempt at building a modular colony of any kind. It took some doing to figure out ow to land it, but I've placed my first basic module. I'm still trying to figure out how to connect these things to each other. I wish there was a 'how to'. The ones at the start of this thread are all 'Pre Redux'. (Or I think they are.) I have Mechjeb, so a close landing of future modules will be easy. I'm guessing the next step is just putting them on wheels to get them into place. Connecting them up is going to be the hardest part.

I have multiple games in KSP1, and multiple mods. I'd like to be able to control which mods are 'active' in one game over another. it changes up the experience. KSP2 has a menu option where you decide which mods are active in a game. Does anyone know if KSP1 can do that, or do I have to manually delete/add the mod folder on startup? For that matter, is there a 'mod selector' mod I can add?

To be clear, does this mod have 'life support' requirements on it's own? I plan to use it on a game I've been playing for a year, and I have several ships in flight. If it means I lose all Kerbals in Flight because those ships don't have the Life support parts, then I have to start a whole new game.

I've been playing KSP1 every day until the Science Update comes out for KSP2. I've been landing science bases on Moons and Planets in KSP1; but they're pretty much the same. A Science lab with power generators, a fuel tank with Thuds for landing, and some landing legs. Now I'm starting to look at the Colony Bases mods, to expand the experience. To be honest, it's what I looking forward to most in KSP2. For those that have permanent bases on their games n KSP1, how do you set them up? Ideally, how do you pick your spots? Look for flat ground? What's the best way to do that?

Also, remember that the Roadmap had orbital VABs. Construction in orbit, (at least in mid-to-late game) was never going to be about assembling sections. When 1.0 finally happens, we'll have a whole different idea of what orbital Construction means.