Do you prefer realism or gameplay in KSP?

[sal_vager]

Lots of things are good for gameplay, overheat mechanics are a good gameplay element for example, but what makes them good gameplay elements is the challenge they offer the player.

Unrealistic is fine if it's fun, as is realism, but neither are fun if they present no challenge, they quickly become ho-hum, the player beats the game with little effort and loses interest.

Similarly, too much challenge can be un-fun and turn players away, but KSP has a very good difficulty balance, making it fun for a lot of people despite not being 100% realistic, or 100% arcadey.

[Gerandar]

No, it's not. Challenging = good, tedium = bad. It really is that simple. Just ask yourself, is this a fun challenge to overcome or is it just something waste time on. In the case of 1.0 aerodynamics, it's a fun challenge. On the other hand, career mode I'm beginning to believe will always just be tedious and boring.

What is mildly challenging to some(SSTO'S in 1.0.x) is tedium for other(SSTO's in 1.0.x) so its all subjective on a player to player basis, I find 1.0 to be easy really easy but others seem to be struggling from what ive read here on the forums.

[klgraham1013]

There should be one more answer here.

[tater]

Another thread that wrongly forces a choice between the two. They have exactly nothing to do with each other. You might as well poll "which do you prefer, delicious porterhouse steak, or the color blue?"

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Redo this poll asking if people prefer the game to be at all realistic, or pure fantasy. Alternatively, ask if they prefer good gameplay, or bad gameplay. I can't express how lousy I think the poll is.

[allmhuran]

I have to laugh at all of the people voting for realism. Really? REALLY? You want to spend months/years getting launch clearances and performing other bureaucratic tasks? You want to have to spend years getting a degree in aerospace engineering before you have the first clue as to how to actually build anything? You want to spend days and days routing hundreds of meters worth of wiring for all of your ships controls?

At the end of the day, everyone wants gameplay over realism. The question is only where you set the bar.

[Guest]

You want to spend months/years getting launch clearances and performing other bureaucratic tasks? You want to have to spend years getting a degree in aerospace engineering before you have the first clue as to how to actually build anything? You want to spend days and days routing hundreds of meters worth of wiring for all of your ships controls?

Oh man, that's a pr0 straw man, couldn't have done better myself. gg bruh, gg.

[TheSaint]

If I didn't prefer realism I'd be playing EVE Online.

[klgraham1013]

I have to laugh at all of the people voting for realism. Really? REALLY? You want to spend months/years getting launch clearances and performing other bureaucratic tasks? You want to have to spend years getting a degree in aerospace engineering before you have the first clue as to how to actually build anything? You want to spend days and days routing hundreds of meters worth of wiring for all of your ships controls?

At the end of the day, everyone wants gameplay over realism. The question is only where you set the bar.

Can you hear me slow clapping?

[tater]

Oh man, that's a pr0 straw man, couldn't have done better myself. gg bruh, gg.

Yeah, by his logic removing anything that even slightly matches reality (say orbital mechanics) would improve gameplay.

Example: point any craft directly at another world, then hit z and you are now landed on that world. Perfectly unrealistic, so it must be perfect gameplay, right?

[Godot]

Well, I voted realism ... but I agree that it is a thin thread to walk over ... there are some cases where gameplay should take precedence.

I guess everyone who voted realism will agree that they don´t want it to be so realistic, that it includes all the bureaucracy

[SanderB]

I like a cross between the two, where easy is less realistic and hard is less gamey and on hard more realistic features are in effect or to a much greater magnitude than on easy mode (such as weather, life support and construction times).

[Robotengineer]

Realism is one of the key parts of Gameplay. Realism can be a Gameplay aspect, (orbital mechanics anyone?), and Gameplay can be realistic. Because few people seem to get it:

Realism and Gameplay are not mutually exclusive.

Realism and fun are not mutually exclusive.

[RobotsAndSpaceships]

Realism is objective. Gameplay is not.

[tater]

Proper poll questions (can't figure out how to make a poll, or I would):

1. KSP should add more realism elements and/or improve realism in future versions, and also try to make gameplay worse.

2. KSP should add fewer realism elements and/or remove existing realism in future versions, and also try to make gameplay worse.

3. KSP should add more realism elements and/or improve realism in future versions, and also try to make gameplay better.

4. KSP should add fewer realism elements and/or remove existing realism in future versions, and also try to make gameplay better.

Those are closer to the actual choices.

[Frostiken]

Do you prefer realism or gameplay?

This is one of the most trite, meaningless, ridiculously ignorant memes in gaming.

[Bill Phil]

I have to laugh at all of the people voting for realism. Really? REALLY? You want to spend months/years getting launch clearances and performing other bureaucratic tasks? You want to have to spend years getting a degree in aerospace engineering before you have the first clue as to how to actually build anything? You want to spend days and days routing hundreds of meters worth of wiring for all of your ships controls?

At the end of the day, everyone wants gameplay over realism. The question is only where you set the bar.

Really? Just... really?

Realism is easy to define, and is not subject to the person in question. Gameplay is hard to define, and is subject to the person in question. You're comparing something to a completely different type of thing. In some cases the two are the same, in others they are opposites.

I think Squad did a pretty good job, considering how there are so many people that they need to balance for.

[FlowerChild]

Realism is objective. Gameplay is not.

Realism in games is far from objective.

See my earlier point about whether engines shutting down on Eve is realistic or not. It can be argued both ways, and soon as a game has any form of abstraction within it, you begin to see any absolute concept of realism break down.

I'd say it's also far from objective outside of games as well, but that's an entirely different debate probably not suited to the KSP forums

[allmhuran]

Yeah, by his logic removing anything that even slightly matches reality (say orbital mechanics) would improve gameplay.

Example: point any craft directly at another world, then hit z and you are now landed on that world. Perfectly unrealistic, so it must be perfect gameplay, right?

I don't think you know what "logic" is mate. As I said, the question is where you set the bar.

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Really? Just... really?

Realism is easy to define, and is not subject to the person in question. Gameplay is hard to define, and is subject to the person in question. You're comparing something to a completely different type of thing. In some cases the two are the same, in others they are opposites.

It doesn't matter whether either is hard to define in a general sense, nor does it matter that they're different types of thing. The point is this: In a specific situation where you have to sacrifice one or the other, which do you sacrifice? This does not imply that sacrificing one creates the other, contrary the nonsensical ramblings of some participants here. My assertion is that people will be happy for things to be realistic right up to the point where it's detrimental to gameplay, at which point they will sacrifice realism for gameplay.

If anyone can come up with a case where that's not true I'll concede the point.

[tntristan12]

I refuse to vote in this poll. The idea that realism must involve bad/boring/hard/whatever gameplay is ludicrous. There should be an option for both, because they do not in any way exclude one another.