wpetula

Same release date as Half Life 3.

The closest thing to asteroids that we've seen in-game is the ring debris.

Some of the KSP Show and Tell videos appear to be taken in a deep, sand-colored valley of some sort. Is this environment just a test scene, or is it located on an in-game planet or moon? The amount of terrain detail and the inclusion of a sun / atmosphere seems to indicate that this place is a real location in-game. If not Kerbin or Laythe, where could this be?

As you may have noticed, development on this mod has slowed to a stop. Please note that I am not giving up on the mod! The computer I was using was ill-equipped to handle KSP (it was an office computer) and needed to be fixed. Development will begin again in late June / early July.

I share the same concerns as you guys. I don't want KSP 2 on console to be left behind in support and updates. At the same time, I do not want to wait 1-2 years for the console version to release (I don't have a good computer yet). I wish they could update PC and console version at the same time, but this would require a lot of work and planning on the developers' end. I would rather see a delay for console release on PS5-gen consoles than PS4-gen consoles (the PS4 wait wouldn't be worth it). As a console player (until recently), I would be disappointed to see KSP 2 not release on the PS4 or PS5. I would also be equally disappointed if the KSP 2 port matched the performance of KSP 1's console port.

Most painful moment? I was trying to land a lunar craft on console for the first time. I was making final adjustments when I accidentally set the throttle to full and tipped over. Nothing says "successful landing" like desperately trying to reorient the navball while the ship catapults into oblivion.

Absolutely agree. I was only concerned because the devs described a scenario where the tutorial just pops up before a major milestone (getting into orbit). If the tutorials appear without the user asking them to (which I hope won't happen), the solution can be spoiled. If the tutorials teach a concept instead of "giving the man a fish", then I have no complaints. I doubt the devs would just throw people the answers.

I believe so too (if it is a teaser for new content). 12 solar systems with the level of detail the devs have shown us so far would take forever to implement....no way they could finish it all by 2022.

KSP 1 is an extremely difficult game, especially for people who aren't familiar with orbits and space travel. The developers stated that they are making KSP 2 more accessible by adding tutorials, better interfaces, and other quality of life improvements. Reaching a broader audience and improving the feel of the game for everyone is great, but I am worried that it's going to ruin the best part about KSP. KSP 1 is immensely satisfying when you finally understand how a concept works after playing with it for some time. If the tutorials in KSP 2 are too abundant or reveal the answer to a problem before the player has had time to tinker with it, the "AH HA!" moment is lost. I think the quality of life improvements are amazing; I just hope the developers don't accidentally strip KSP of its magic.

Anyone remember NovaSilisko's scrapped storyline for KSP 1? There was supposed to be a distant planet orbiting Kerbol with the ruins of a dead alien civilization.... YOOO exactly!

Good work so far on your first planet pack! However, I do have some tips to improve the quality of your celestial bodies. 1. Try to avoid using noise for your height maps. Sometimes, noise is good, but other times, it makes your celestial bodies samey and boring. I recommend creating height maps by stitching together google satellite images. There's a tutorial for that in the forum below. 2. Gas giants textures are ridiculously hard to make by hand. I recommend using Gaseous Giganticus, a free, versatile program that does the hard work for you. The tutorial for that can be found in the forum post above. 3. When working with textures, I recommend using 4096 x 2048 or greater. This helps make the celestial body look good up close and in ScaledSpace. 4. Always focus on quality over quantity. I'm not saying that you aren't doing you're best, just make sure that each celestial body is unique and challenging. I would personally rather see a planet pack with two absolutely amazing celestial bodies than one with 20 celestial bodies that all look and feel the same. Hope you find this helpful, and good luck on your modding journey!

PROGRESS UPDATE #11

Eeloo could have deadly geysers of water that shoot out into space (hinting at a subsurface ocean). Players would have to choose a landing spot carefully to avoid getting launched into oblivion.

How to create a config file and understand what the variables mean The config file is an extremely important aspect of making textures. While the config file is not a texture itself, it implements your textures into the game and makes adjustments to them. The Kopernicus Wiki does an excellent job of explaining the purpose of each section and variable in a config file. Using the wiki, you can create a functioning celestial body config and actually know what you're doing. https://kopernicus.github.io/wiki/

If you're still working on this, I have some excellent resources for you! Making a config In-depth explanation of all the config variables https://kopernicus.github.io/wiki/ Making textures and realistic worlds My favorite sources for inspiration And If you have any additional questions, I am happy to help answer them.

PROGRESS UPDATE #10 Remember that "upcoming moon" teaser that I scrapped? I made the moon in the teaser without a plan, and that was a mistake. So, I removed the moon from the game entirely and waited for inspiration. Inspiration finally struck.

ScaledVersion //Updates what your celestial body looks like from in space. { type = Atmospheric //Does your celestial body have an atmosphere? If not, write "Vacuum". fadeStart = 70000 //Altitude at which the surface starts to fade out of view fadeEnd = 75000 //Altitude at which the surface is completely faded out of view. Now, the ScaledVersion textures are visible. Material { texture = (filepath)/Sule_color.dds //Put your KittopiaTech-generated color map here (if your celestial body has an ocean, the color map should be the water on a transparent background). normals = (filepath)/Sule_normal.dds //Normal map file path goes here. shininess = 3 //How shiny is the celestial body? specColor = //What color does the celestial body shine? rimPower = 3 rimBlend = 0.2 Gradient { 0.0 = 0.06,0.06,0.06,1 0.5 = 0.05,0.05,0.05,1 1.0 = 0.0196,0.0196,0.0196,1 } } } PQS //Deals with the surface and terrain. { Mods { VertexHeightMap { map = (Filepath)/Sule_height.dds //Height map file path here. offset = -500 //Offsets the terrain (meters) deformity = 3000.0 //difference between the highest and lowest altitude in meters. scaleDeformityByRadius = false order = 20 enabled = true } VertexHeightNoiseVertHeightCurve2 //This one is kinda confusing. It deforms a certain range of altitudes. { deformity = 100 ridgedAddSeed = 123456 ridgedAddFrequency = 12 //Change stuff like this to add more or less noise to the terrain. ridgedAddLacunarity = 2 ridgedAddOctaves = 4 ridgedSubSeed = 654321 ridgedSubFrequency = 12 ridgedSubLacunarity = 2 ridgedSubOctaves = 4 simplexCurve { key = 0 0 0.1466263 0.1466263 key = 0.7922793 0.2448772 0.6761706 1.497418 key = 1 1 6.106985 6.106985 } simplexHeightStart = 0 //Where should the deformation start? simplexHeightEnd = 6500 //Where should the deformation end? simplexSeed = 123456 simplexOctaves = 4 simplexPersistence = 0.6 simplexFrequency = 12 enabled = true order = 200 } HeightColorMap //If you don't have a color map, use this to color the terrain. Otherwise, remove this section. { blend = 1 order = 500 enabled = true LandClasses { Class //Each class colors the terrain based on altitude. { name = Bottom altitudeStart = 0 altitudeEnd = 0.7 color = 0.1,0.1,0.1,1.0 lerpToNext = true } Class { name = Base altitudeStart = 0.7 altitudeEnd = 0.75 color = 0.7,0.55,0.2,1.0 lerpToNext = true } Class { name = Low altitudeStart = 0.75 altitudeEnd = 0.85 color = 0.7,0.6,0.4,1.0 lerpToNext = true } Class { name = Grad altitudeStart = 0.85 altitudeEnd = 0.95 color = 1.0,0.9,0.7,1.0 lerpToNext = true } Class { name = High altitudeStart = 0.95 altitudeEnd = 2 color = 0.95,0.95,0.9,1.0 lerpToNext = false Don't forget your closing brackets.

You do not need an understanding of coding at all to make a planet mod! You only need 2 mods to start: Kopernicus (required) and KittopiaTech (highly recommended). The download pages are simple and easy to find. Making a planet involves 2 key parts: maps and configuration files. Maps include all the textures for the planet, and the configuration contains all the "code". The code is hard to understand at first, but https://kopernicus.github.io/wiki/ helps a lot. It's a great resource that explains what all the variables mean. Texturing a planet involves making maps (color map, normal map, height map, etc.). The forum page below has many great resources for making planet textures. This reply is a very brief overview of planet modding. If you have any more questions, I would be happy to help answer them.

I'm in awe. This small speck of a moon contains more detail than the entirety of KSP 1 combined! I can't wait to see what the other surfaces look like

Quality over quantity. Always. Unfortunately, making 10+ quality solar systems with 6+ planets each (some with moons) would extend the release date into the next decade.

I've been working on a planet pack, and I wanted one of the celestial bodies to be focused on underwater exploration. Unfortunately, KSP gets really buggy and unpleasant when dealing with the ocean floor, so underwater topography and biomes might not be feasible after all.

I always get attacked when I explore Jool on EVA. Inevitably, my kerbal descends to the "surface" where it turns into spaghetti and gets launched directly into the Sun.

Obviously, KSP 2 is going to be more expansive and beautiful than KSP 1. So, will the community abandon KSP 1 in favor of the sequel?

"Screaming, white death".

No idea! Right now, I'm still focusing on designing planets and moons. Once the solar system is complete, I will look into implementing interstellar support. I was probably zoomed out too far. The rim appears when you get closer to the planet.