What is Kerbal Space Program in your perspective?

[Columbia]

Hello, forums!

After seeing all the posts about the 1.0 update and it's aerodynamics overhaul, It came into me that there was no single genre in Kerbal Space Program. It could be considered a Space Exploration game, a Space Agency tycoon, an educational game for learning, a space simulator, or an Indie-Sandbox rocket-building game?

Well, for me, I think it's both a space simulator and a sandbox rocket-building (and planes, too!) game, which is why I like it so much.

What about you guys?

[Yukon0009]

For me it's a big, big bag full of explosions, frustration and utter FUN.

[RAINCRAFTER]

I think it's everything too, and that's why I think it's innovative, and awesome.

(My opinion so no hitting)

EDIT: Corresponding with the last post, it's also a literal explosion fest of fun.

[eddiew]

I'm definitely a builder - I spend more time in the SPH than I do flying missions. Getting a spaceplane to fly just right​ is deeply satisfying.

Not that I don't enjoy the exploration process; I actually turn my science gain way down so that it becomes a chase to the furthest corners of the solar system in order to unlock everything in the tree. At the same time, it forces me to make multiple runs to the easier targets, which in turn means lots of excuses to make a new ship because the last one wasn't quite what I want for this mission

[LordFjord]

All of the poll options + clumsy cute little green aliens + 'xplosions = fun

Kinda the smart, intelligent kind of fun.

[Dazpoet]

From the start I got it to assemble my own crafts and explore celestial bodies, further down the road I realized how awesome of a tool for understanding orbital mechanics it was as I found myself spending more and more time reading about such things on wikipedia. Nowadays I love career mode and manage my own space agency as good as I can...

Yesterday me and another dude hanged out over steam broadcast and tried getting into orbit using only extremely low TWR engines and nuclear reactors... I'd say that goes under it's own category (Pure fun).

KSP is no one category of game to me

[KN_Namida]

All of the above.

[Tex]

I rather think it should be all of the above as well. Each one of those options simply won't cut it by themselves because the game is a hodgepodge of all types of things, and without one of them the others won't be nearly as fun!

[ColourOfFire]

I would like the poll to enable multiple answers. I don't think it's simply one or the other. Sometimes I play it more for flying around, exploring and visiting planets. Other times I enjoy mucking around in the VAB making the perfect launcher.

[basic.syntax]

The poll sort of misses the contract system.

Career mode offers a series of design puzzles and flight challenges, inside a lightweight space simulator.

[Red Iron Crown]

All of the above.

This. So much this. And some things not in the poll options, too, but the high points for me are covered.

[tater]

Not the last one at all. The other choices at some level, yes.

[zarakon]

Most of the above

[klgraham1013]

I can only choose one? I suppose I'll pick space flight simulator.

[Cdr_Zeta]

Hello,

Quote Originally Posted by KN_Namida View Post

All of the above.

This. So much this. And some things not in the poll options, too, but the high points for me are covered.

KSP to me now after 'playing it' since v18 is a game of CREATIVITY AND LEARNING...it is also about fun and explosions...but for me specifically - it is a SIMULATION altho I run the missions 'FOR REAL' with the possiblity of losing Kerbals and no Kerbal Respawn on Death. I have also had to increase Science requirments 3 times or more just to make ut challenging; now I am adding resources to make it even more of a challenge...!

Cmdr Zeta

[worir4]

Regex bait

I think it does teach orbital mechanics on a basic and simplified level. A gameulator.

[Guest]

The stock game? It's a pretty good sandbox game that tries hard at providing a realistic simulation of orbital mechanics and spaceflight but falls short because of floating point errors and an impossible solar system. It is certainly not indicative of the perils and difficulties of spaceflight, or an accurate representation of the engineering required for spaceflight, nor is it really even a space program simulator. It's just a decent sandbox game.

Regex bait

You rang? Edited March 5, 2015 by regex

[Tank Buddy]

The magic of KSP is that it can be whatever you want it to be.

[Madrias]

A Simplified, cartoony spaceflight simulation game with building elements. Kinda like Space Legos except without the whole "We do your imagining for you now" thing.

I spend as little time in the VAB as possible. I just don't find rockets fun. I build everything in the SPH, and on a lot of occasions, do really crazy, kinda stupid things to get my craft into orbit.

For me, KSP ends up being the game that lets me be creative, yet is as "open world" as it gets. I just wish there were cities on Kerbin so I had some reason to land more precisely. After all, landing in some farmer's field with your brand new, still-hot-from-reentry spaceplane probably should incur some reputation loss...

[InterCity]

It's hard to say...

On one hand, it's a funny comedy sandbox full of explosions and laughing green creatures eagerly waiting to be blown up. On the other hand, it's a damn realistic physics simulation that neither allows mistakes nor it helps you if you make one, just like the real world.

KSP is simply unique. Thus I can't select one of your options, and be happy about what I chose.

[vitekc45c]

KSP is a lot like Dwarf fortress, it makes you scream at the monitor in desperation and rage when you loose something that took you hours to make. It punishes you for even the tinies mistake, destroying your hard work in the most spectacular ways. But it also makes you feel like you REALLY acomplished something, when you finaly make things work they way you want them to, or when you accomplish your goal against all ods.

[keeper]

What a question, and a good pick of answers!

I could have ticked them all i guess; I was ultimately torn between 2 (space flight sim) 3 (design crafts) and 5 (manage space agency)

But considering whats going on in my head and whats going on at my KSC is hugely different I knock off 5, and even though flying the aircraft i built takes loads more time and i actually carry out what i planned/built it to do - i enjoy building the crafts more.

TBH that was an easy answer. Sometimes i think "I wish i could launch this while i start building the next one" and more often than not even if i dont have anything to build i'll end up tinkering with past already built crafts even if i never intend on launching them again.

[Hcube]

Didn't vote nor read the comments yet- WHY is there no "all of the above" button ?

EDIT : ended up choosing the exploration option. It is the one that best contains all of the others !

Edited March 5, 2015 by Hcube

[dryer_lint]

KSP is a lot like Dwarf fortress, it makes you scream at the monitor in desperation and rage when you loose something that took you hours to make.

I always thought KSP was nothing like this.

Usually, failures aren't moments of rage and desperation. The explosions just make you giggle happily.

And of course, there's the magical magic of Reverting

[monstah]

Regex bait

You rang?

Now summon Betlegeuse!

Anyway, to me it's most of the above, but the thing that struck me the most since I began playing was the ammount I learned of orbital mechanics.