KSP wins PC Gamer's Best Simulation award!

[Hobbes Novakoff]

KSP won PC Gamer's Best Simulation award! Also, they mention @Space Scumbag (aka SWDennis)'s robot.

http://www.pcgamer.com/best-simulation-2015-kerbal-space-program/

[Mastermemorex]

Congratulations. Certainly they deserve it.

[Space Scumbag]

I like it.

 

Because I can.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Space Scumbag

[Glaran K'erman]

It most definitely deserves it, congratulations all around.

[Sandworm]

Best simulation?  Really?  Better than X-Plane 10?

I'd say that KSP is perhaps the best GAME that is also not to a simulation, but it certainly is not the "best simulation" game out there.  There are many flight sims, which are still games, that are head and shoulders above KSP when it comes to simulations.  X-Plane is used by Nasa and gamers alike, as is true for MS flightsimulator.  That's the sort of thing I expect to win a "best simulation" award.  KSP as best educational game, or best space sim, but not best simulator.

>> "...but, as it turns out, you can simply brute force a solution by adding more rockets."  Um ... so ... that isn't how simulators are supposed to work.  Games yes, simulators no.

Edited December 21, 2015 by Sandworm

[ModZero]

10 minutes ago, Sandworm said:

but not best simulator.

You must be a lot of fun at parties. Newsflash: in the gaming context, the term "simulator" is much wider. I mean, seriously, you'll find theme hospital in the genre. And it doesn't even have an articulated cockpit.

Anyway, congratulations to Squad. 

[Glaran K'erman]

10 minutes ago, Sandworm said:

Best simulation?  Really?  Better than X-Plane 10?

I'd say that KSP is perhaps the best GAME that is also not to a simulation, but it certainly is not the "best simulation" game out there.  There are many flight sims, which are still games, that are head and shoulders above KSP when it comes to simulations.  X-Plane is used by Nasa and gamers alike, as is true for MS flightsimulator.  That's the sort of thing I expect to win a "best simulation" award.  KSP as best educational game, or best space sim, but not best simulator.

>> "...but, as it turns out, you can simply brute force a solution by adding more rockets."  Um ... so ... that isn't how simulators are supposed to work.  Games yes, simulators no.

Just checked and X-Plane 10 came out years ago, this award is for 2015. Also, I think KSP has the right blend of technicality and "gameness" to make it a great candidate for this award. 

[Hobbes Novakoff]

51 minutes ago, Sandworm said:

>> "...but, as it turns out, you can simply brute force a solution by adding more rockets."  Um ... so ... that isn't how simulators are supposed to work.  Games yes, simulators no.

Thing is, you can brute force something in real life too. For example, chess-playing AIs. Just because you can solve something by adding more McGuffins doesn't mean that's not realistic.

[Kerbol Macrosystems]

Being able to brute force an engineering problem is actually quite realistic. In real life engineering sometimes you just use a bigger hammer and be done with it instead of finding an elegant solution. Like real life this does have some draw backs. Watch any video of a giant KSP rocket and see how many times it has balance or RUD issues until it's tweaked into behaving. Like everything in KSP the risk/reward is tweaked to a point that getting that brute force solution isn't easy, but it is fun. 

[KerikBalm]

Orbital rendevous to go to the moon with a single saturnV launch?

Nah..... lets do an earth orbit rendevous, using multiple saturn Vs, and a direct ascent from the moon...

Nah.... thats too many rendevous, lets just build an even bigger rocket, we'll call it the nova rocket. No rendevous for us! not around Earth, not around the Moon!

^ The above was a seriously considered brute force approach to getting to the moon, and it could have worked (but been much more expensive)

Brute force can work.

[Xorth Tanovar]

Hell, a good example closer to Planet Earth is the F-4 Phantom; living proof that if you give anything enough thrust it will fly. Remove the thrust and it drops like a brick.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Xorth Tanovar

[lost_in_space]

20 hours ago, Hobbes Novakoff said:

KSP won PC Gamer's Best Simulation award! Also, they mention @Space Scumbag (aka SWDennis)'s robot.

http://www.pcgamer.com/best-simulation-2015-kerbal-space-program/

I don't agree with this statement in the article:

"Watching a rocket wobble, break up, and explode is almost as satisfying as watching one safely launch."

I never find explosions satisfying.  They make me angry I didn't do it right the first time.  Ego?  Perhaps.

[pincushionman]

Have to agree, it's "Best simulation [game] [of 2015]." The un-included caveats in brackets are important. "Simulation game" genre is very, very broad, including SimCity and the like, "Tycoon" games…and Goat Simulator. Being a games review site, PC Gamer might not even include "true" flight simulaors like x-Plane, MSFSX, or Flight Gear. Probably depends on how the editors feel that year. And also, as noted, X-plane was out before this year.

[Hobbes Novakoff]

Well, it's the Game of the Year awards 2015, so I wouldn't say the caveats were un-included. (Is un-included even a word?)

[Hobbes Novakoff]

4 hours ago, pincushionman said:

 "Simulation game" genre is very, very broad, including SimCity and the like, "Tycoon" games…and Goat Simulator. Being a games review site, PC Gamer might not even include "true" flight simulaors like x-Plane, MSFSX, or Flight Gear. 

I don't think they meant "best sim game," i. e. a game in which you derive enjoyment from setting something up and seeing what happens [i. e. Beam.NG Drive or Turbo Dismount] or from performing tasks akin to real-life situations [i. e. X-Plane, Euro Truck Simulator, etc.]. I think they meant "best simulation [of a thing] in a game." For instance, in KSP, your goal is to land somewhere, or orbit somewhere, or dock something, etc. The physics are realistic, but they aren't the entire premise of the game. KSP's premise is to build rockets (or planes, or giant robots) that accomplish something, constrained by the physics engine. TL:DR: In something like X-Plane, the aviation sim is the entire premise. It's why you bought the game. You buy X-Plane to experience a realistic aviation sim. You buy KSP to experience building things and sending them around the solar system. The realistic physics sim is part of that, sure, but it's not the entire premise. If you look at KSP's "about" page, you scroll down nearly a third of the way before they mention the physics sim.

[Hernandez]

Sadly still waiting for the 1.1 update to play, as no matter whether vanilla or modded, I suffer constant memory leaks and end up losing everything I've done upon ctd.

That said, I'm more than happy to wait, game is flippin' amazing!