Infinite Aerospace

So, what's the word? Does this patch make a meaningful improvement to the game? I've found it's been running quite nicely since 0.1.3 dropped to be honest but there's a few really irritating bugs, such as docking ports off-set when loading a game.

Hoping people will report back on whether the changes are positive and noticeable.

I've gotta ask, do the developers ever actually interact with these posts or just 'post and disappear'? They *really* could help themselves here with a bit of actual person to person communication.

A procedural heat shield system is sorely needed to be honest.

Agreed, that would be a nice addition.

I just want to know some more about science mode, and career progression. They're not really doing a very good job of generating interest in upcoming updates if I'm honest. I don't understand though *why* there's a complete unwillingness to go into some details? Unless of course nothing about science and progression is ready...

So, there's a few things I'd love to see added and/or tweaked to how the procedural wings are generated, see below: 1) Wing fuel tanks, is there a method of adding an internal fuel volume which conforms to a given % of the wing volume. This would allow players to make much more realistic aircraft and allow the main fuselage to be much more payload-centric. 2) Angle 'snapping', what if someone wants to make a rectangular, or square wing? With the current system it's not the easiest thing to do, why not implement a drop down menu at the very top of the procedural wing system, with some basic geometry, allowing the user to adjust the scale rather than having to create the shape entirely. 3) Curve, the wings right now are entirely angular, based on straight lines and angles. I'd love to see a method to blend the wing shape a big more, give it curved edges, perhaps add a slight dihedral curve. 4) A potential 'compound' wing, where multiple procedural wings can be attached to one another. So instead of having to make two wings and then attach them together with the offset tool mainly. 5) An option for integrate airbrakes, or spoilers.

I never understood the disable P.A.I.G.E one either given that there's literally an option that is toggled Yes or No when creating game, first experience or something along those lines. If you select no P.A.I.G.E is disabled anyway. I also agree 100% about the UI vs. KSP1, it's much better thought out this time around with all your flight information on hand in one part of the UI.

Don't worry that's something that bothers at least some people here. I still can't believe the total silence regarding science and progression. Don't think there's anything with regard to thermal system being implemented. As far as I was aware it's purely bug fixing.

100%. I've been wanting to make an engine set with linear aerospike/s, truncated aerospike/s, rotation detonation engines. The Dart engine is crap, it's one of those ones I have a hard time justifying using it (like the NERV, which is also so poor compared to the SWERV).

Thing is, the questions seem rather cherry picked. I'm not at all surprised anything in any detail about science was avoided, this was all really basic as to what science is going to be. When it's going to be coming around? Why would you just totally ignore that sorta question and instead ask how Nertea is pronounced?

Pretty minor delay in the grand scheme of things.

When we transition from LEO to Cislunar space for example and start making use of the resources on the Moon and near Earth asteroids, you get rid of one factor, resource scarcity. But in order to have this new frontier become and economic zone, you need to (and we will) attach a 'monetary' value to those commodities, realistically anyway. You *could* technically trade one commodity for another, but that then essentially defeats the point of currency and it means that resource acquisition becomes the most essential goal. I suppose that all depends on how the whole make-up of the game is setup. I'd love to think it's setup in a manner where it's 'optional' as to which route to go down. Perhaps it could be broken up into several distinct 'types'. A) Focused on launch, and transportation sorta services, imagine something along the lines of a United Launch Alliance. B) An organisation that goes out and does the prospecting, resource extraction. The reason that sorta thing is potentially important is because, in the real world for example Corporation X might mine a commodity, but then Corporation Y might be one contracted to transport, to move that around. In a system where it's resource OR money, how does Corporation Y make an income? So I honestly think there's an argument for a resource AND monetary system.

That final part is something I've alluded to a few times, both on here and Discord. How can we not, at this stage have the faintest idea what what science mode is going to like in KSP2? Unfortunately I'm not sure it'll be any better than KSP1 at this point, the game is a prettier, slightly refined KSP1 experience at this point, it's done little in the grand scheme of things to set itself apart from KSP1. But yeah, we don't have a vague timeframe of when to expect science and progression, or what those features are going to look like. Which is, concerning IMO.

Apologies I had the impression you were against it in general. But I'd agree with that.

To be fair I disagree, Kerbalism changed the game for me. To have to actually put something resembling consideration into mission planning (for long duration missions) was refreshing and challenging. There's only so far you can go with a do whatever without suffering consequences.

Agreed on most points except for timeframe. Honestly most of that was KSP1 features, even if just in a basic sense. You'd kinda expect the 'bigger, better' sequel to kinda have that but stepped up. Half of the problem with engines is right now each engine is restricted to just one form factor, there's no 'alternate' packaging to which I find incredibly surprising given Chris (Adderly) direct involvement. His ReStock mod and Near Future mods set the standard of KSP part modding.

Yeah that would at least be helpful, as long as it's truthful metrics. But herein lies the root of the issue, none of that exists, as it stands right now science could be 90% done, or it could be 10% done. There's nothing on the topic from any official source, so you have to treat it all as just conjecture. I did ask the question in the upcoming Q&A, a quite extensive one regarding science, what it entails, how the mechanics of it work vs. KSP1, what sort of changes we should expect from progression. That said I fully expect it to not make it into the actual Q&A. Where as a bogus question like 'How are you today?' probably will. I'd be willing to bet there's a fair few people would love to know a bit more about the aforementioned question/s. Mind you, I don't 'mind' the part manager, there's examples of times it's actually been beneficial for me vs. the old click specific part system. That said it does 'bog down' a bit and how it flows I think could do with a bit of a rethink but there's *something* there worth pursuing IMO.

To be fair that could also work, kinda of an 'applique' substance so to speak. It's something I'd love to explore in terms of modding if I had the faintest idea how to do it. Though the fact the toggle for 'control surface' exists, that in turn either has the procedural system either generate the control surface (and the mechanical properties that go with it) or to not do that suggests it *should* be possible to do without having to write a new system, rather just repurpose and repackage an existing system.

That is fantastic, I was surprised and frankly a bit disappointed such an option (as the collar pictured) wasn't an option in the base game to be honest. That's some great work Lux.

Indeed, I'm a big fan of space planes and single stage to orbit craft like Skylon BUT I'm not a fan of the lack of any real option to have heat shielding on the lift surfaces and bottom of the aircraft fuselage sections.

Well you could argue in the interim, if a concrete date can't be given give at least a rough date, a one that is conservative enough to not put the team under pressure but for most casual players that'd be enough. Hell even come out and say 'we're fully expecting science and progression to be finalised and rolling out in Q3 of 2023 but as always this is subject to change depending on the feedback from testers'. That would at least throw the community a line and give us something to be positively looking forward to. Then, something that just gives us a bit more of a peek into the 'method', share with us the current progress of the first major update. What are people doing? What does it look like? The mechanics of it? What sorta issues is the team running into (and overcoming)? Positivity is something the community is sorely lacking at the moment, which don't get me wrong whilst I can't understand a lot of the negativity, there's some aspects I get. I dunno, no-one has to come out and say 'the work is delayed because *insert name* made a total hash of it'. I think a lot of this sorta approach working is shoulder on us, we can all make a choice as to how to react to news, and a lot of the time that reaction has been first and foremost a bit knee jerk, and second a bit unnecessarily angry. I appreciate the response, it's nice to have something of a constructive chat about things.

I would assume from the wording he's interested in making mod/s for KSP2.

That'd add some needed 'seasoning' to the game, I think more lore is (and should be) a welcome thing.

As per title, a method to apply heat shielding to parts (specifically wings) to provide thermal protection to otherwise unprotected parts. Now obviously this would be implemented perhaps through tech free progression and the heat shielding itself incurring a cost (vs. the unshielded part) in monetary as well as mass terms. For actual implementation, just a check box in the same manner as control surfaces 'on or off'. The rationale for this, is it would eliminate the rather janky method of re-entry (tumbling as it typically is in KSP1) of anything winged or that doesn't fit under the very small footprint of a circular heat shield.