1.2 is available, should I upgrade?

[Magzimum]

So, 1.2 seems out for trials, and we can get it from Steam or from the KSP site.

I am in the middle of a very successful stock career. A few newbie questions:

1. Will my current career just load the same, so that I can continue?
2. Will my ships all exist, assuming I use no mods?
3. Will my designs load in the VAB / SPH?

And yes,

• I am aware that 1.2 is in some finalization process, and may still contain some bugs. If the side-effects of upgrading are manageable, I am willing to suffer from a few bugs so that I can jump on the bandwagon.
• I am aware that I may need to manually move the saves and designs to the correct folders or something. Let's assume that I manage to follow instructions on this too. This thread is not about how to upgrade (I think).

I hope I put this in the right thread.

[Alshain]

Depenmd

8 minutes ago, Magzimum said:

 

1. Will my current career just load the same, so that I can continue?
2. Will my ships all exist, assuming I use no mods?
3. Will my designs load in the VAB / SPH?

 

The answer to these questions are irrelevant.  If you feel the need to ask them, the answer is "no", do not upgrade.  If you at all care about your existing stuff, do not upgrade to a test version (ever).  You can copy the entire folder elsewhere though and still try the test with a new save game or with a duplicate of your existing stuff.  The game is not tied to Steam's DRM or any other DRM so you can have as many copies as you like on your hard drive.

Answers

1. It should, theoretically
2. Yes.  Though some parts have changed size, like the Puff engine.
3. Yes. Assuming no mods.
 

Edited September 15, 2016 by Alshain

[Tex_NL]

1. Probably not. Your game probably loads but new features like communications will render many craft useless.
2. Without mods you have a reasonable chance most of your ships survive. If they still function remains to be seen.
3. Again, Without mods you have a reasonable chance.

If you decide to upgrade do it wisely. Do NOT overwrite your current game. Instead make a clean and separate install. Copy, don't move, COPY! your save to the new installation. (Make sure the original stays untouched even if the new game gets corrupted for whatever reason.)
If it all works you're golden. Happy happy joy joy.
If it fails. Nothing gained nothing lost. Go back to the old game.

Long story short: Think before you act! Make absolutely sure you can revert to you old game if things don't work out as you expect.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Tex_NL

[steuben]

Once 1.2 goes gold  I'm going to say yes. But, while it's still plastic wait and enjoy the show.

[Corona688]

Once 1.2 goes gold it probably WON'T be compatible -- porkjet's new parts are way different from the old ones.

For me, the The 1.2 prerelease, with all the same parts as 1.1.x, has been compatible so far.  I was able to plunk in an old save and load it without issue and fly some of my old craft.  The new communication features defaulted off, and took some digging to find in the game difficulty options, but nothing exploded when I  turned them on (except that some of my craft were now too far away to operate).

I play stock.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Corona688

[Magzimum]

5 hours ago, Alshain said:

The answer to these questions are irrelevant.  If you feel the need to ask them, the answer is "no", do not upgrade. 

Thanks for the really clear answer (and thanks for those who voted it up, supporting it). The need to ask came from sheer lack of understanding of what's going on, so such an answer probably is just what I needed. But your answer was clear and useful. I decided to (at least for now) postpone the upgrade. 

For anyone who cares, a little background: I am finally in the situation to explore the last planets in my career (Dres, I am coming for you!) and moons (Jool-5 mission in planning)... so I am more interested in these new worlds and missions because I have never visited these planets/moons yet. New gear and interface can wait a little. Frankly, my main concern right now is rather personal: I am planning a Jool-5 mission, and possibly later a Dres-Awareness, and I am afraid that I complete these after everybody moves to 1.2 and the challenge is moved on as well, so that my post won't count... so I mainly just wanna check that my progress is not being endangered by this upgrade. I'd like to entertain you with a cool post in the threads of these challenges, and get a badge!  

 

[Alshain]

@Magzimum I would definitely hold off then.  The biggest problem you face with a test version is that there is a patch almost every day with a few fixes.  That means whatever we tell you now is obsolete tomorrow.  They could patch a bug intending to fix it and find out it actually permanently corrupts everyone's save file.  Those of us participating understand that.