WalebKassa

Thanks Nate for giving us some context for the progress being made towards the first update. I am looking foward to seeing what other improvements and fixes come in the future!

This was really interesting to see! Glad to see other parts of the team doing their best. I am really looking forward to hearing the soundtrack for the game though. The royalty-free music used in the original game was nice, but it got repetitive after a while. Not much longer to go!

This made me laugh. I really like this idea. It's a simple solution to the life support system discussion and stays true to the humor of the original game.

Thank you for the update Nate! You guys are doing awesome work, I can't wait to see what else you guys have to show off!

For those interested in Geothermal Energy plants, I made some concept models for what a geothermal plant could look like in KSP 2 using Blender:

I would also like to know when this is. I was really expecting something on Friday, but we got nothing...

Definitely an interesting video! Thank you for sharing. I've gotta say it definitely changed my thoughts on how viable tidal energy would be on other planets. Our planet is extremely complex in terms of climate systems. Unfortunately there are a lot of systems that wouldn't be at play that contribute to tides and waves on planets with simpler designs in KSP. Things like nutrients in water, and even biological factors like microorganisms all contribute to how water flows across large bodies. Our planet relies on Thermohaline Circulation, which is driven through a number of variables. (Temperature Distribution, Ocean Depth, Salinity, etc.). I feel like mapping the strength of ocean currents on a map similar to how wind strength would be mapped would definitely be a stretch because there are a larger sum of variables at play when it comes to tidal formations and the strength at which waves form. The best way to dumb something like this down would be with two variables, How deep is the water, and what is the proximity of orbiting bodies. Planets with closer moons would have stronger tides overall than planets without moons. Basically, waves would be stronger the closer you are to a shoreline or coast, and then overall are either increased or decreased via the mass and proximity of orbiting moons. As we've seen with some of the exoplanets mentioned before, how these planets interact would be a huge problem. Normally a simple one time calculation would be done at the beginning of a game to determine these maps, but if the distance between planets and moons is changing it would definitely impact tidal formations. Depending on how complex these calculations are, it could use up unnecessary processing power for something that has a single use. Although, I am in no way an expert at optimizing algorithms and such.

Interesting note on those nuclear plants...I mean even if they do shutdown if there is an issue I definitely believe that there should be a larger range of alternatives. I mean, when we look at hypothetical bases on the moon, or on other planets it's a lot more complicated then just pointing at a planet and hoping you land somewhere on it. I assume there will be other resources to mine and collect, so I don't see why we can't also make placement more thoughtful with the possibilities of alternative energy. I also have a couple of years in game development myself (Nothing professional, just indie stuff), but these mechanics for generating wind maps and procedurally generating features is something that's been done before in other games. As much as I would love for planets to have simulated ecological systems, it's definitely not the focal point of a game about launching rockets and hoping they don't explode. However, I'm afraid some of these aspects may be overlooked, because environmental factors are so incredibly important especially when you're colonizing an entirely new planet.

I definitely understand Tidal-based energy being a stretch with how complex oceans are. However, mechanics that support things like Geothermal energy and Wind energy can be easily generated in terms of game mechanics, with height maps correlating the strength of wind in certain regions. On hotter, more geologically active planets, Geothermal vents could be procedurally generated surface features that are scattered across the planets surface, each with some random variables that control it's activity and therefore controls the amount of energy generated from the Geothermal Energy Plants. With what we've seen in the past in terms of solar panels I don't think it would be impossible to implement larger variations of solar energy plants. Nuclear plants can definitely support a larger grid, but I think we also have to account for things like radioactive waste (If waste ever becomes a biproduct). That way I definitely think investing in larger renewable grids could be beneficial if you're looking to avoid radioactive Kerbals. With how destructive KSP can be sometimes I also wouldn't doubt that these forms of nuclear energy have a chance of meltdowns or explosions which could really pose as a dangerous threat to those larger colonies.

Hello Everyone! This is my first post on the KSP forums, so I'll try to keep it simple. From my understanding, we've seen a couple variations of Nuclear energy production for colonies in the game. Solar panels have always been a big part of producing energy for various crafts and satellites, but I was curious to see if anything regarding wind, wave, geothermal, or biogas energy has been referenced somewhere? For example, if you're on a planet with strong tides a coastal colony with wave-based energy generators would be plausible. Or if you're on a planet with a dense atmosphere and plan on building a colony at higher altitudes perhaps some wind turbines would be best. I think it's great that we get to see near-future technologies being implemented into the game, but there are a great deal of other viable ways to generate electricity on other planets. Technologies such as these are becoming increasingly more affordable. I think in the early stages of colony construction renewable energy technology could be a vital solution as they don't require a source of fuel (Disregarding resource cost for construction of course). As someone with experience in Environmental Science, I think implementing alternative energy production is crucial in any desolate environment due to minimal maintenance and cost. This might even make colony placement decisions more interesting by strategically developing colonies in locations where environmental features matter and they can be self-sustaining without the need for additional input of fuel resources. Let me know your thoughts!

As a game developer I can understand how frustrating marketing a project can be. With everything that has been happening in the world, its easy to understand why we haven't been getting a lot of content showcased over the past couple of months. I just hope that the goal has remained the same and that the developers can continue forward now as things begin to settle later this year. Also, all of these new fuel types have me so excited. (More specifically Metallic Hydrogen) I would like to see some comparisons between parts from the original game with their updated looks as well!

I am really happy that we are getting these short Show and Tell videos recently. I hope that it remains a regular occurring thing. I joined the forums just to share my appreciation for the KSP 2 developers, even if we still got a while yet before the game's release.