Humanization

[Souper]

I got this wicked idea, what if we made the Kerbals Humans? Not just change the color of their skin to beige, but replace their models into that of a human being. Along with that, change around the name generator to create human-sounding names and non-fixed surnames.

As for their behavior, well...to maintain the feel of KSP, don't give them actual human intelligence. Keep e'm goofy.

[Thomas988]

That is the best idea for a mod and the most morbid! Crashing rockets is no joke anymore.

But seriously, how would one even do this? It took Squad weeks to create Valentina, and she is a Kerbal. This would require a total revamp of not just the existing models, but even perhaps the parts (such as the pod internals and the external seats) that would house humans. But making them stupid like Kerbals just sounds... oddly wrong to me. I don't know why, but that just doesn't sound right.

Interesting, nevertheless.

[smjjames]

No thanks.

Besides, you'd have to change not just the models, but the animations as well.

[Souper]

And maybe when those humans-in-place-of-kerbals hits the ground at high speed, instead of turning into a puff of smoke they turn into a puff of red-colored smoke?

And as for keeping them stupid, well,.....Humans from other universes don't have to be exactly like the ones from ours, do they? Kind of like it's a cartoon.

[Whirligig Girl]

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It's worse than that Jim.

[Elowiny]

I am against this idea, because of the name of the game :

KERBAL Space Program.

[Souper]

Well.....we can make a mod with the name HUMAN SPACE PROGRAM. Maybe even edit the title screen to say that too!

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http://imgur.com/a/w1KRE

It's worse than that Jim.

OH GOD. KILL IT. KILL WITH FIRE!

[sumghai]

As has been noted, in order to replace Kerbals with humans, one would need a plugin that can access/manipulate the stock Kerbal models and animations - these are encoded inside the sharedassets file inside one of KSP's subdirectories.

Models

As part of an upcoming update to RealChutes, stupid_chris and I figured out how to access the Kerbal models, and we obtained a list of component meshes. So far, we were able to visually show/hide specific meshes, but it would take a bit more work to actually substitute them with custom models.

Animations

This is a more complex task.

Although it is also possible to access the list of joints and bones that make up the Kerbal skeleton (and in certain cases, manipulate them), at the end of the day, the rigging was made specifically for Kerbals in mind, so apply the default rig to the newly-humanized models would result in very awkward gaits and poses.

You'd need to figure out a way to access and replace all the skeleton rigging definitions and animations with new human-specific ones, which I suspect won't be a trivial task.

[Arron Rift]

I thought of this a while ago too. Just make them little space-men with blacked out visors, like Space Engineers. Main problem would be re-animating EVERYTHING like walking, climbing, etc.

While it seems kind of neat and I'm sure some people would love it, somehow it makes things seem less fun. Death becomes morbid instead of hilarious.

[CaptainKipard]

I am against this idea, because of the name of the game :

KERBAL Space Program.

Airtight logic right here.

Anyway I've been pining for a Human Space Program since I first bought this game. No one seems to know how to go about doing it, but stupid_chris and sumghai discovered the Kerbal model hierarchy, so we have that going for us, which is nice.

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Ah, sumghai ninja'd me

[Souper]

By the way, not sure if you all are also thinking this, but i was imagining the human models would be made in the same style as the kerbal models. No skin textures (just a single color), not all facial features, etc.

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By the way, my modding skills are next to nonexistent, so if you want this to be made, i can't do it...But i'm sure you guys can!

[CaptainKipard]

By the way, not sure if you all are also thinking this, but i was imagining the human models would be made in the same style as the kerbal models. No skin textures (just a single color), not all facial features, etc.

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By the way, my modding skills are next to nonexistent, so if you want this to be made, i can't do it...But i'm sure you guys can!

See, if someone were to do all the technical legwork, I would totally make a next gen human model for the mod. I'm absolutely in favour of more realistic graphics in mods. People claim the game would lose it's charm. I disagree; it would make the experience more immersive.

[Souper]

We already know what hyper-realistic humans look like from real life. We wanna see KSP-style humans!

Besides, making a next-gen model would be a crapshoot since the community would slam you almost immediately for breaking the whole (leave-your-imagination-to-fill-in-the-blanks) element. That's what makes KSP so great!

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Wait, i have an idea! What if you make the stockalike human model for the actual mod, then made a MOD for that mod which adds the realistic human model?

[sumghai]

We already know what hyper-realistic humans look like from real life. We wanna see KSP-style humans!

Sure, you can have KSP-style humans with overly-exaggerated gaits, emotes and such - but the default Kerbal animations/rigs are not suitable for this purpose, because they were rigged to the Kerbal model.

You will need to make new animations from scratch specifically for these KSP-style humans, no matter which way you look at his.

[Dr. Jet]

Humans... Pff! Humans are not nice. They are too bald... and pink...

Model something beautiful instead - like this:

And this won't change the game acronim! "K" in "KSP" as well may stand stand for "Kitty".

Edited April 13, 2015 by Dr. Jet

[FreeThinker]

Humans... Pff! Humans are not nice. They are too bald... and pink...

Model something beautiful instead - like this:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/fc/c6/96/fcc6969cb2eec8cf56040cbcfdd04f4c.jpg

And this won't change the game acronim! "K" in "KSP" as well may stand stand for "Kitty". http://mmaa.su/images/smiles/c_biggreen.gif

great artwork, made it yourself?

[cicatrix]

NO WAY! As a mod - maybe (RO fans would like it), but never to the main game.

[sarbian]

As has been noted, in order to replace Kerbals with humans, one would need a plugin that can access/manipulate the stock Kerbal models and animations - these are encoded inside the sharedassets file inside one of KSP's subdirectories.

It would work with an Assetbundle. You "just" need unity pro (until KSP move to U5).

[Hotblack Desiato]

Sure, you can have KSP-style humans with overly-exaggerated gaits, emotes and such

in other words...

but I guess that could only be done as mod, since squad wouldn't be allowed to use simpson-characters.

[Kibble]

Humans... Pff! Humans are not nice. They are too bald... and pink...

Model something beautiful instead - like this:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/fc/c6/96/fcc6969cb2eec8cf56040cbcfdd04f4c.jpg

And this won't change the game acronim! "K" in "KSP" as well may stand stand for "Kitty". http://mmaa.su/images/smiles/c_biggreen.gif

WOOF WOOF!

It should be dogs!

[Dr. Jet]

great artwork, made it yourself?

Do I look like Amy Thompson?

The only quality picture I've ever drawn is my self-portrait. Complete lack of vertu and talent, thus three months of work and still left unfinished... Will never repeat again.

WOOF WOOF!

It should be dogs!

Of course there should be dogs! Who wants to risk losing one of theirs precious nine lives in dangerous early experimental launches like Laika mission?

Edited April 13, 2015 by Dr. Jet

[RobotsAndSpaceships]

I'd be all for this for my realism overhaul install. Whenever I send a kerbal on EVA, my immersion takes a kick in the balls.

No thanks.

Besides, you'd have to change not just the models, but the animations as well.

Good thing it's an optional mod that no ones forcing you to use.

[FreeThinker]

Edited April 13, 2015 by FreeThinker

[Renegrade]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/fc/c6/96/fcc6969cb2eec8cf56040cbcfdd04f4c.jpg

It's called the 'CSA' for a reason~

'Muricans sent dogs and chimps into space - Canada sent genetically engineered cats. It's much easier to build a manned spacecraft around a four kilo cat than a fifty kilo person. Well, once the kitty-litter problem was solved anyhow.

(To anybody confused: look at the flag on the space suit)

[FreeThinker]

One thing I never understood is why we send giants into space, when we could send Kerbal sized little people into space. It would reduce cost more than 50%. If we use chimp sized people from the start, we would have saved so much, we could already have colonized mars!