ansaman

From: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2475237/elon-musk-outlines-plans-for-mars-base-alpha "Musk also admitted to being a big fan of PC game Kerbal Space Program, which simulates the challenges of space travel, requiring real-world astrophysical calculations in order to succeed. "Kerbal Space Program!" Musk exclaimed when asked if he had heard of it. "Kerbal is awesome!" He added."

Then they would be roamin' all over the universe

Yes, it did... a lot. I changed the physics delta time to .06 and everything seems OK, but I will be careful. I don't know how much is pushing my luck.

A lot of people here are a lot more knowledgeable about computer graphics and settings especially regarding KSP. I have a very modest desktop system and I get pretty reasonable performance... it is playable. What difference does half-res versus full-res make regarding performance and visuals? What sort of changes happen if you change the max physics-delta per frame setting (default .04)? I know it can keep the simulation from slowing down if it is increased, but is there a downside?

Just remember, KSP takes place in an alternate universe that is leaking into our own disguised as a game. We are all being prepared to meet and accept the Kerbals so when they start kidnapping us and grinding us up for fertilizer (they are obviously intelligent vegetables) we will shriek with glee every time we see them. There is a time displacement which is difficult to compute which explains how DevNote Tuesdays leak into Wednesdays and even Thursdays. I am fully prepared to meet our Kerbal overlords and I have a 55 gallon drum of Round-Up herbicide for my protection.

They are VERY protective of their children which they keep hidden because of a being called Harvester who is rumored to snatch the children up and eat them in a salad. They call the act of reproduction "doing the Falanghe" but they never have been seen doing it.

Unless I am mistaken (and I would love to be corrected) The effective day on Kerbin for a non-wandering synchronous satellite has been quoted as 5h 59m 9.4s. That is the best figure I could find.

Perhaps you are right... you have convinced me. I give up. (Cockpit Voice Recorder: "Sounds of Human Suffering")* *Yes, they actually use these terms in some official CVRs.

Perhaps you can come up with a better implementation idea. I was thinking about it as a writer who could storyboard the missions.

Hey folks... it is an IDEA... not a debate. I threw it out there. Maybe someone at SQUAD thinks it is worth thinking about.. maybe not. Once the game is mature and the difficulties are ironed out... what then? As an example, if you want to do the research, KOEI did a game called "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and they did something like fifteen different versions of the same game with different weighting for military, diplomatic, and economic aspects. Some of them are still ugly as hell. The fuel tanks that look like 55 gallon drums. Perhaps that is intentional.

What if they developed a some special cool artwork for some of the parts? You could "earn" the bling and it wouldn't change game performance. I mean everybody ooohs and ahhhs over the "curvy" graffiti and some of the little easter eggs on some of the parts. What if they snuck in a new easter egg and gave clues to find it in a series of missions or achievements? They is real fun potential here... and the dev work would be minimal for a few skins or a few items.

I don't see the problem. It is not for money, it is not a competition. If someone wants to cheat, they cheat themselves of the adventure. Like I said, I had a ball looking for the unknown when I decided to look for the tracking dishes and found them. It was exciting and new.

I bust out laughing reading this.

Vanity parts or bling. Custom unique Kerbals. Perhaps an part that replaces a part with better capabilities. Perhaps an addition to a status screen that shows completed tasks. Perhaps a custom made craft file that would be fun to use.

Well, I am not a programmer, but if they want a person to write scenarios, I am available. I know it can be hard to come up with new ideas on a continuing basis. Well do the current challenges include in-game benefits for completion? I get the impression that the challenges of which you speak are not programmed per se. I am talking about a download like the asteroid intercept that NASA took part in. Objects have to be created, backstories written. It adds a little adventure and roleplay. Of course, not being a Redditor I am not sure what has been done in the past. I am talking about something new in-game on a monthly basis to do based on my excitement on discovering the auxiliary tracking stations actually existed. It was a lot of fun doing reconnaissance to see.

Thanks. I am getting the same issue.

Oh... while this is all fun... a link to a live status page for the entire NASA Deep Space Network: http://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html

I have nothing but good things to say about the 1.2 Pre-Release and the means by which the whole project has been presented. Devs have been listening. It is not just bug reports, but game play, interface, game balance, and other aspects. For me, since I am a serious addict with thousands of hours of game play since 2013, I have been forced to dump all of my mods and play manually. I was delighted to find that I had learned something and I was able to do it, particularly since many of the previous problems with map view and maneuver nodes have been corrected. The tracking stations and relay satellites provided a whole new level of game play and planning. I had to build a Deep Space Network (DSN) and eventually was forced to create a high-powered Keosynchronous relay satellite. Upon getting a probe to Duna and Ike, I found that no only did I have to deal with power issues on the dark side of bodies, I had to deal with Loss of Signal (LOS) and diminished data rates as I had opted to try it out with a single ground station. There are almost always some windows with LOS or diminished signal. I had to plan my maneuver nodes around control loss issues and I had to plan my science transmissions around the loss of connectivity. It gave the whole thing a larger feel for reality since we often hear about JPL having to download data over extended periods and to plan burns and corrections around the capabilities of the Deep Space Network. When I was done, I felt that special feeling of accomplishment that I remember when I first achieved orbit so long ago. Having said all that, I feel that there is still room for game development even as 1.2 has proven to be far more mature. I crave surprise content. Upon getting 1.2, I excitedly built a high speed jet to reconnoiter the new tracking stations to see if they were just points on the map view and I found there were actual massive DSN dishes that actually moved if you approached closely enough. I bet with a little work a system of weekly or monthly puzzles, encounters, and surprises could be developed to expand a mature KSP to a service. It could be a push or pull service. As an example, a cut-scene with narrative explains that KSC has detected an unknown object entering the system and the player is challenged to identify the object (it turns out to be an unmanned alien probe) and upon doing that a spacewalk allows your Kerbal to retrieve an artifact which grants an increase in technology or a new part or even more simply a spiffy professional craft file. Squad needs a writer. Screen grab from my Duna-Ike Mission:

Thanks...

I don't know... are you "Hungry Like the Wolf?"

EPIC!

Discussion in another thread: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/topic/148205-example-what-a-network-looks-like-with-no-ground-stations/ Hope this helps. Someone even displayed some math skills!

I felt that the ground stations made it a little easy early in the game and I wanted to see what it would take. Obviously by some of the discussion there are different ways to skin the cat. You get a gold star!

Good point, but with a lower orbit (and with settings for strict Line of Sight) there might be gaps in connectivity to KSC. It would be a good project or math problem to calculate just how low an orbit configuration would still allow continuous connection with KSC. Of course, a fourth satellite would help fix that. I am betting that for each additional satellite, the minimum orbit is lowered.

Satellites 1, 2, and 3 are in Keosynchronous orbits roughly forming an equilateral triangle. The backup is always in view of at least one satellite and most often two. KSC is always in view of two satellites. This gives coverage out to the range limits of the system.