Should the game's map be expanded?

[RenegadeRad]

We have plenty of planets out there to explore in the game, and when you reach all of them, the game kinda starts to feel boring.

First of all know that I am aware we can have huge computer and technical issues.

Should we have more planets out there? New systems, stars and probable nebulae for resource collecting and stuff? The map except the Kerbol system and some "iconic things we place in the map" would be randomly generated and use the chunk system just like in Minecraft? Discuss.

Please give your ideas and some points to prove it, and please don't be rude or oversmart while criticizing, give the reason kindly.

[Basto]

6 hours ago, RenegadeRad said:

Should we have more planets out there? New systems, stars and probable nebulae for resource collecting and stuff?

New planets? I would say yes. Here is a mod that does it for you but I think that a few more planets would be appropriate in the stock game. 

As far as other systems go I really don't see it fitting into the stock game. You would need all sorts of scifi engine tech to make it even remotely feasible. Burns that last a year (without time warp) plus the prospect of waiting 50-100 years between maneuver nodes does not sound fun to me. 

 

[RenegadeRad]

@Basto

Cool name

I think I agree on you for the other systems one, it might ruin the aspect of the game. Just wondering, would it actually feel OK if we had advances tech to do such stuff but they would be hard to get, and you can get them after enough hardwork in science or career mode?

[Basto]

15 minutes ago, RenegadeRad said:

@Basto

Cool name

I think I agree on you for the other systems one, it might ruin the aspect of the game. Just wondering, would it actually feel OK if we had advances tech to do such stuff but they would be hard to get, and you can get them after enough hardwork in science or career mode?

There are really two directions you can take it. And I don't see either way working out no matter how hard you make it.

Full on scifi with faster than light travel or more conventional methods involving nuclear/solar sail/chemical. 

The first option essentially changes the nature of the game from space simulator to scifi (yes I get that the game is not a completely realistic simulator but they have consistently shied away from blatant scifi).  At that point I would say you are no longer playing the same game and may as well go and play something with that play style in mind (No Man's Sky, anyone?). 

The second option going back to reality just doesn't sound very fun to play. 

Edited March 31, 2016 by Basto

[RenegadeRad]

@Basto

A very good example you have (no man's sky) ; also I'm quite surprised that you are actually using your common sense to describe that as "balant sci fi" . . I completely agree  because even if Kerbal space program is not completely realistic, it's "fiction" is plausible in a way in a few years or decades. And adding such balant Sci-fi things would ruin aspects.

Ok what if you can only send sattleites to other systems? It would use gravity assist and stuff. Or, what if we make such a situation that we add and can use telescopes to discover and learn the "infinite" randomly generated universe (which will have an observable limit with you technology class, which again won't be too goddamn sci fi). Or make star systems closer to kerbol system. And why don't we add huge cities on kerbin? Everywhere, which would be randomly generated if there are data problems. If not, I think this should happen. You will have scenarios where you have to be careful that the debris doesn't land on cities and cause mass genocide 0_0

I know there is a mod, but, it doesn't "fill" kerbin or make it lively atleast.

Edited March 31, 2016 by RenegadeRad

[pandaman]

Expand the current solar system in stock, yes please.  And now we have 64 bit (or will have very soon) it becomes a realistic possibility at least.  Perhaps before adding more planets though it may be better to add a bit more 'depth' to the existing ones.  

[jbterminator]

From the ksp planned features wiki, it showed that gas planet 2 is in development. So hopefully with this new 64 bit it might be released in the future after 1.2 but correct me if I'm wrong.

But I most definitely agree that there should be more planets added, maybe an atmospheric moon or a black hole or something. Besides, I never visit Dres. (Well maybe once).

Edited March 31, 2016 by jbterminator

[storm_soldier2377]

No, make the existing ones interesting first. I remember when I first landed kerbals on Duna I felt that, while I was glad about my achievement, I also felt disappointed because there's nothing really there. A different low-res texture your kerbals are standing on and a different color atmosphere. That's it, nothing else, no reason to explore. The only part of the planet that I conquered was the 5 square meters I landed on. I want more, and by more I mean more variety on the planets themselves rather than a different color rock to land on.

Edited March 31, 2016 by storm_soldier2377

[StrandedonEarth]

I agree that there needs to be more to do when we land on other planets and moons, but I'm not sure what that should be aside from mining or base-building. Ideas are needed.

As for other systems, I had a few thoughts on this. The first step would be finding a system, which would mean having a large space telescope in orbit somewhere. For the travel itself, I'd take some cues from Larry Niven's "Known Space" fictional universe. In that universe, the ancient Thrintun (my avatar is a Thrint!) hyperdrive required a realspace velocity of 0.8c, while the modern hypedrive only needed to be outside of a gravity well. Combining those two for KSP purposes, you get a hyperdrive that needs to be traveling at a very high velocity, outside Kerbol's SOI. Basically, one would have to get on the correct escape trajectory with a minimum energy (velocity based on distance from Kerbol, which would translate to the required velocity outside the SOI) at which point the hyperdrive would get the green light, that it's ready to activate once it has left the SOI.

What would you find when you get there? I'm not sure if it should be a randomly generated system so everyone gets their own experience, or a standard system so players can help each other out with tips and advice. Or a variety/selection of standard systems. I would think any target system should have at least one gas giant to help with capture, and at least one habitable oxy-atmosphere planet.

But what would you do when you get there? Interstellar colonization is the ultimate challenge, which requires a colony ship. Rather than building some zillion part monstrosity, the crowning achievement of Kerbin's R&D facility would be the development of the hyperdrive and a "colony module," both of which should be sizable and massive. The colony module (which would hold at least a few dozen kerbals, if not over 100) is the piece that needs to be landed on the habitable planet, and would serve as the new tier zero KSC (basically just a barn VAB), capable of bootstrapping everything the new colony needs, starting with resource gathering. I see two mineable resources being needed: ore for metals, and volatiles for fuels. As resources are gathered, more buildings can be built, like upgradeable manufacting facilities and a tracking station and so on, to be able to build bigger and bigger rockets to explore the rest of the system.

Of course, a system that complex is deep into mod territory, if not too deep. I think it would be worthy of paid DLC if it became part of KSP as the ultimate end-game, which would actually become a new beginning. More fleshing out is needed, but I think I've presented a decent framework.

Disclaimer: I haven't tried or even looked at the 'Interstellar' mod, so I have no idea how that works

 

[Angeltxilon]

On 31/3/2016 at 10:09 AM, RenegadeRad said:

Should we have more planets out there?

The idea of new planets and moons has been suggested many times. So, yes.

On 31/3/2016 at 10:09 AM, RenegadeRad said:

New systems, stars and probable nebulae for resource collecting and stuff?

The problem of add more stelar systems, is that requires the addition of interstellar propulsion and the extremely very big distances betweem systems could cause failures to game mechanic.

The squad team, in fact, had acclarated that will not add this type of thing in the game.

On 31/3/2016 at 10:09 AM, RenegadeRad said:

-snip-

 

[RenegadeRad]

16 hours ago, storm_soldier2377 said:

No, make the existing ones interesting first. I remember when I first landed kerbals on Duna I felt that, while I was glad about my achievement, I also felt disappointed because there's nothing really there. A different low-res texture your kerbals are standing on and a different color atmosphere. That's it, nothing else, no reason to explore. The only part of the planet that I conquered was the 5 square meters I landed on. I want more, and by more I mean more variety on the planets themselves rather than a different color rock to land on.

I agree, probably make the biomes interesting but randomly generated, so that you can have your own experience, just like in Minecraft, biomes are there but are randomly generated, and it will be generated in a chunk system, meaning not the whole planet will be randomly generated, from outside in space it would look as it is now, but when you land, random generation starts, and wherever you go, biomes are generated in that area in a chunk system and will be saved,

8 hours ago, StrandedonEarth said:

I agree that there needs to be more to do when we land on other planets and moons, but I'm not sure what that should be aside from mining or base-building. Ideas are needed.

As for other systems...(continued)

Awesome!

44 minutes ago, Angeltxilon said:

The problem of add more stelar systems, is that requires the addition of interstellar propulsion and the extremely very big distances betweem systems could cause failures to game mechanic.

The squad team, in fact, had acclarated that will not add this type of thing in the game.

I did say that " The map except the Kerbol system and some "iconic things we place in the map" would be randomly generated and use the chunk system just like in Minecraft?"

[Angeltxilon]

57 minutes ago, RenegadeRad said:

I did say that " The map except the Kerbol system and some "iconic things we place in the map" would be randomly generated and use the chunk system just like in Minecraft?"

In KSP all the movements must be thought, even thinking the strategy, you can not control all the rocket parts as you would like and there are probabilities of fail.

A thing like a "stelar map that is builded while" the rocket fly, is extremely unviable, because there is not planification possible.

Also, chunks renderization is not possible with the requeriments of ksp, that need have all the things (stars, planets, moons, probes, etc) coordinated to work well.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Angeltxilon

[RenegadeRad]

I see...

[OhioBob]

I really don't like the idea of going interstellar with hyperdrives, etc.  That seems a little too sci-fi to me.  However, my thought is perhaps Kerbol could be made into a binary star system with a realtively nearby companion star (the companion would be just far enough away that both stars could maintain stable planetary systems).  Reaching the companion star, and discovering its family of planets, could be done with some advanced technology but without getting real sci-fi.

[LorenLuke]

Some minor planetoids should be added, methinks. I mean, everyone loves Pluto, but few seem to care about Eris or Ceres which are also in the solar system. Similarly, make in-system discoverable objects that are railed planets, as opposed to just the various asteroids, no need to go extra-Kerbolar to find them.

[RenegadeRad]

2 hours ago, OhioBob said:

I really don't like the idea of going interstellar with hyperdrives, etc.  That seems a little too sci-fi to me.  However, my thought is perhaps Kerbol could be made into a binary star system with a realtively nearby companion star (the companion would be just far enough away that both stars could maintain stable planetary systems).  Reaching the companion star, and discovering its family of planets, could be done with some advanced technology but without getting real sci-fi.

Good point, I think it is slightly possible that this could happen in reality that another system close to the main system with stable orbits. And planets. But imagine this - that would make it kerbol system very unique, a planet with intelligent life which is a actually a binary Star system with stable, unique planets. And one of them contains life.

Interesting...

[fireblade274]

23 hours ago, storm_soldier2377 said:

No, make the existing ones interesting first. I remember when I first landed kerbals on Duna I felt that, while I was glad about my achievement, I also felt disappointed because there's nothing really there. A different low-res texture your kerbals are standing on and a different color atmosphere. That's it, nothing else, no reason to explore. The only part of the planet that I conquered was the 5 square meters I landed on. I want more, and by more I mean more variety on the planets themselves rather than a different color rock to land on.

this all the way