New planets?

[MrMadGameplay]

Hey, I was just wondering if anyone knows of any plans for a new planet in 0.16, 0.17 or 0.18 because I think I speak for everyone here when I say, 'I JUST CAN\'T WAIT TO LAND ON ANOTHER UNKNOWN PLANET!'

[AlternNocturn]

Planets are planned to be released all at once, but they don\'t know what version they\'re going to appear in. From what I\'ve read they\'re waiting for certain code changes to be made to the base game before even thinking about adding new planets.

[Bekiekutmoar]

And some important features are also required before new planets and moons are added; docking, course-plotting and probably also EVA (Extra Vehicular Activities) and other stuff.

Reaching the Mun (11400 km from Kerbin) is perfectly possible with the current stock parts available in KSP. Getting to another planet will be a different story however, as the distance will be far greater. Attempting to reach a planet that has a minimum distance of 2.000.000 km from Kerbin (\'realistic\' KSP-distance) with current technology available will roughly be the same as trying to throw a dart at a fly 1000 meters away ... !

[Bluejayek]

And some important features are also required before new planets and moons are added; docking, course-plotting and probably also EVA (Extra Vehicular Activities) and other stuff.

Reaching the Mun (11400 km from Kerbin) is perfectly possible with the current stock parts available in KSP. Getting to another planet will be a different story however, as the distance will be far greater. Attempting to reach a planet that has a minimum distance of 2.000.000 km from Kerbin (\'realistic\' KSP-distance) with current technology available will roughly be the same as trying to throw a dart at a fly 1000 meters away ... !

I disagree. It will be easily possible to reach another planet, although a higher time warp would be nice. The REAL problem is the return flight. If it is a planet that has the mun\'s gravity, it would be ok, but for another kerbin, youd need to carry a massive ammount of fuel there so you can take off again.

Plenty of people (including myself) have made ships capable of entering kerbol orbit, and having enough to maneurver around.

It is the docking and refueling we really need, so we can launch full tanks to the new planet and refuel out of them when your lander gets there.

[MrMadGameplay]

I disagree. It will be easily possible to reach another planet, although a higher time warp would be nice. The REAL problem is the return flight. If it is a planet that has the mun\'s gravity, it would be ok, but for another kerbin, youd need to carry a massive ammount of fuel there so you can take off again.

Plenty of people (including myself) have made ships capable of entering kerbol orbit, and having enough to maneurver around.

It is the docking and refueling we really need, so we can launch full tanks to the new planet and refuel out of them when your lander gets there.

I agree, I think if there was other planets, not only will the gravity be a problem on return but will the alignment of the planets. This is because if you think, you will have to fly to another planet when it is the closest to Kerbin and if once you are ready to leave, the planet has reached a point past Kerbin (if its going at a faster rate round the sun) then you will have to wait 1 year Kerbal time to be able to return and it will be very challenging that\'s why it would be fun.

[Anachronda]

I agree, I think if there was other planets, not only will the gravity be a problem on return but will the alignment of the planets. This is because if you think, you will have to fly to another planet when it is the closest to Kerbin and if once you are ready to leave, the planet has reached a point past Kerbin (if its going at a faster rate round the sun) then you will have to wait 1 year Kerbal time to be able to return and it will be very challenging that\'s why it would be fun.

Perhaps what we need is a Kerbal analog to Gor, the counter-Earth. In the same orbit as Kerbin, but on the opposite side of Kerbol. That way you always know what the alignment is (always terrible).

[Anachronda]

Perhaps what we need is a Kerbal analog to Gor, the counter-Earth. In the same orbit as Kerbin, but on the opposite side of Kerbol. That way you always know what the alignment is (always terrible).

Yeah. And that way, there could be a counter-KSC and a counter-VAB. The Kerbonauts wouldn\'t have to carry enough fuel to get home if they can convince those lunatic breKmen on breKin to let them refuel and use their launch pad.

[Talisman]

Because the mod closed the other thread, I assume this is the general planet thread he meant.

I\'m hoping for a large jovian with a handful of unique moons, a very close to kerbol 'mercury'esque planet. Perhaps a couple of other Terra/Kerbin like planets with varying gravity/athmosphere densities.

[Endeavour]

Before new planets we need the click to warp feature or at least higher warp. I have never even made a full orbit around Kerbol because of how long it takes.

I believe that some of the better players here would be able to make the trip using just patched conics, but flight planning would be helpful for sure.

[Fifflethecat]

HarvesteR said they won\'t release the whole solar system at once because the engine can\'t handle gassy planets so they will be making the rocky planets first.

[samstarman5]

HarvesteR said they won\'t release the whole solar system at once because the engine can\'t handle gassy planets so they will be making the rocky planets first.

That\'s interesting since Harv put it forth as it being best to put out the solar system wholesale. I normally encourage people to search, but it might be relevant to this thread to share the link to this.

[Fifflethecat]

That\'s interesting since Harv put it forth as it being best to put out the solar system wholesale. I normally encourage people to search, but it might be relevant to this thread to share the link to this.

Right here in the Dev Chat with HarvesteR

[16:02] <@Capt_Skunky> <markodash> can we get a thick atmosphere monn/planet ahead of the full system release? it would be a change of pace from the normally airless bodies

[16:02] <@HarvesteR> oh

[16:03] <@HarvesteR> well, yeah, I don\'t think we\'d be able to release the entire solar system in a single update

[16:03] <@HarvesteR> because our terrain system still has no support for things like gas giants, or ring systems

[16:03] <@HarvesteR> so we\'ll probably start with the rocky planets first

[16:04] <@HarvesteR> and yeah, those will have several types of atmosphere

[16:04] <@HarvesteR> the venus-like planet would have a thick atmosphere

[16:04] <@HarvesteR> the mars-like one would have a very thin one

[16:04] <@HarvesteR> should make for some pretty interesting flying there

[Rocketscience101]

Planets are planned to be released all at once, but they don\'t know what version they\'re going to appear in. From what I\'ve read they\'re waiting for certain code changes to be made to the base game before even thinking about adding new planets.

Everybody says something like this, because someone saw the video of the interview with harv, were he said that, but later, during a dev. discussion, he says that the terrain system isn\'t ready to release all of them at the same time. So he said, with planets he was going to release the rocky planets first, then the gas giants.

[samstarman5]

Right ... in the Dev Chat with HarvesteR

Thanks!

Considering they are already looking to introduce the very new feature of EVA\'s in 0.16, I feel the rocky planets should be around the bend. Heck, Minmus\' presence speaks volumes to that. Be patient, kerbalites!

I look forward to the stories of attempting transplanetary flight with the current stock inventory, as well as attempting it myself. Docking and new inventory will make it easier, but I feel we can do it with what we have. It will just be extra challenging, as KSP should be.

[Khrissetti]

Before other planets are released, won\'t the devs have to deal with the \'space kraken\' which makes some ships travelling at interplanetary speeds/orbits unfliable?

Mind you, I don\'t know whether a patch/mod has already been released to fix this problem.

[AlternNocturn]

Before other planets are released, won\'t the devs have to deal with the \'space kraken\' which makes some ships travelling at interplanetary speeds/orbits unfliable?

I thought the dev team already conquered the Kraken.

[flaillomanz]

I thought the dev team already conquered the Kraken.

Thats it! KSP now needs... monsters. In the seas. And in space.

What? Why are you looking at me like that?

[Khrissetti]

My sundivers still seem to be spinning wildly (Though in fairness I haven\'t upgraded from 15 to 15.2 yet)

[PakledHostage]

My sundivers still seem to be spinning wildly (Though in fairness I haven\'t upgraded from 15 to 15.2 yet)

What happens if you turn off the SAS/ASAS? I\'ve only ever encountered 'spinning wildly' once while in Kerbol orbit, and that was when I had a SAS on my spacecraft. I was able to stop the spinning by turning the SAS off and controlling manually. In my case, the controls were reversed in one hemisphere of the navball, but not in the other. The SAS couldn\'t handle that and caused the ship to spin wildly. It took a fair bit of luck to get it back under control, but I was able to control fine once I had it gathered back up.

I mention it because I get the sense that it is more common to use SAS or ASAS, than not to. Maybe the common thread is what I experienced? I\'ve flown countless missions into Kerbol orbit, and I\'ve only ever encountered the Kraken the one time I had a SAS installed.

And if SAS isn\'t the common thread, then maybe there\'s more than one bug... Kraken and Kraken Jr?

[Richy teh space man]

I think a couple of asteroids around Kerbin or the Mun would be a nice addition, at least until they sort all the other stuff needed to make other planets work in the first place

And I agree with the afore mentioned higher warp speed on the time too

[sal_vager]

I think a couple of asteroids around Kerbin or the Mun would be a nice addition.

Has anyone had a chance to see if the part gravity mod still works in KSP? If I recall correctly it came with a persistence file that placed some munlets, asteroids and blackholes around Kerbin and the Mun.

The old persistence file won\'t work now I think, but you should still be able to place the asteroid and munlet manually.

[Kryten]

I thought the dev team already conquered the Kraken.

Nope. It\'s a fundamental part of the game code right now, it\'ll probably be most of a version\'s work fixing it.

[hunter558]

I think the whole idea of planets, especially those of incredible distance, gas giants with many moons and so on will push KSP beyond currently feasible technologies. I mean, humans cannot currently reach Jupiter with manned missions, land, and return in any capacity as far as i know. I\'m wondering whether this game will end up as a realistic space simulator or a sci-fi solar system colonizer.

[Randox]

The real problem is that there is no point adding another plannet (at least not one with an atmosphere), because you would never be able to leave it. There are two problems.

First, you can\'t get a stock rocket into orbit that has the power to take off, perform the transit, land, takeoff again, and make another long distance transit journey. And even if you could get suck a rocket to take off and make the trip, you still can\'t land it.

Picture your normal take off rocket, and picture beeming it up into orbit (or use a launching mod to get it up there). The first problem landing, once its fully implimented will be heat. If you use the engines to slow your descent, your going to use up nearly as much as you would to take off, so you will never have enough fuel left over to launch again. So you\'ll need some sort of heat shield part to go bellow the engines to keep your rocket from vaporizing while it waits for friction and fluid dynamics (air can only get out of the way so fast) to slow it down. Your also going to need something to keep it upright. If you fire bottom mounted engines, your rocket will immediately invert itself, if it hasn\'t done so already. So you need either need a parachute or rigging for a top mounted engine to keep your speed under control, and to keep you upright, keeping in mind that either solution when deployed during landing without a lot of support connections to lower parts of your rocket will promptly transform your magnificent vessel into its own fleet, and none of your new, much smaller, ships are going to be in any shape to land.

And if you think you need to land slowly on the Mun, wait until your landing a full sized rocket on another, possibly bigger, Kerbin, and your rocket turns into a pancake. We will probably need stronger landing gear that sticks down further, and has some flexibility, to help the rocket come to a stop over half a second instead of all at once, or its going to break.

Realistically, you need two things. Aside from a array of giant parachutes, or a top mounting array for some seriously heat tolerant engines, you need the ability to refuel a rocket with other rockets, and ideally, you want to be able to assemble a ship in space much like a space station. While you could always build a ship on the ground and refuel it in orbit, possibly on arrival, and after landing (which will require many other vessels to act as tankers, and require the first ship to be carrying a crew support module to carry the tanker crews home in), a ship that is going to handle well during landing is going to handle like garbage during takeoff (if it is even capable to doing so).

So yeah, as cool as it would be, there are some parts and features missing that would make this a lot more awesome.

[Guest]

On the kracken subject, I have encountered the kracken once on a solar escape attempt. Nearly didn\'t make it.