After reading this: We need weather and clouds!

[Sir_Robert]

Just now, tjt said:

Hmm..I agree it can be worked around. I think your use of the term "annoying" is telling though. Would adding weather substantively improve the game experience or would it just add an annoyance to be time-warped over?

One of the Mariner missions was stuck in orbit for months due to a freak storm on the Martian surface. Even NASA sort of time-warped - they left the lander in orbit until the storms died down and then commenced with the mission.

Weather would basically boil down to 2 options:
1) Insignificant winds/rain that amounts to a pretty picture.
2) Weather that might hinder launches and force you to wait for the skies to clear.

Situation 1 is effectively just clouds. Looks great, nothing more. Everyone here is already in favour.
Situation 2 wouldn't add any interesting flying through a storm. It'd just force people to wait before launching. Or whip a capsule around on re entry, which either randomly destroys it (no fun), or does nothing but add a pretty picture of your capsule being whipped by the storm.

The Mariner mission getting stuck in orbit is interesting in real life. In a game about space mission, it just forces you to not play and wait. That's the reason people are against it.

[Tyko]

1 minute ago, Sir_Robert said:

Weather would basically boil down to 2 options:
1) Insignificant winds/rain that amounts to a pretty picture.
2) Weather that might hinder launches and force you to wait for the skies to clear.

Situation 1 is effectively just clouds. Looks great, nothing more. Everyone here is already in favour.
Situation 2 wouldn't add any interesting flying through a storm. It'd just force people to wait before launching. Or whip a capsule around on re entry, which either randomly destroys it (no fun), or does nothing but add a pretty picture of your capsule being whipped by the storm.

The Mariner mission getting stuck in orbit is interesting in real life. In a game about space mission, it just forces you to not play and wait. That's the reason people are against it.

Yep, I agree with that and am also against game-impacting weather. I'm always happy with pretty visuals.

[StupidAndy]

I say that there should be a mod for weather, a mod, maybe an official mod, but a mod so it isn't mandatory, or kinda like the comnet in 1.2, where you can also just have it turned of.

 but there should be something for weather, because i want  to have something like in The Martian where you can have a kerbal be blown away. right now the only thing i can think of that can do that is wheels.

but there should be something for weather so you can have it like a real space program, and have it like Spirit and Opportunity where you have to worry about the clouds for your solar power, oh and the clouds should have the ability to block Kerbol so you don't just land and say "oh yay! now i only have to worry about the planet"

it might make the game significantly harder, but it might make it more fun too, so you have to worry about more things, like remote tech, and life support so it isn't like you can just go out and say "yay! now i just have to get a VERY big rocket and all my problems will be solved!" you actually have weather that can do things, like blow away your lander (of course it has to have an atmosphere, so the only places would be Eve (which has enough problems already to worry about) Kerbin, Duna, and Laythe.

!UNRELATED TOPIC! maybe have something else for batteries and the RTG to have a lifespan, like on Voyager!

Edited November 5, 2016 by StupidAndy
im an idiot...okay.

[NSEP]

Clouds? Yep, but keep the preformance high.

Weather? Maybe for those hardcore players. If thee is no On/Off option? No just no.

[pandaman]

If weather were to be implemented I could not envisage it not having a toggle, probably even default to off.  In fact I would expect even purely visual stuff like clouds to have the option to turn them off.

Weather effects that have an actual physical game play function other than purely visual, however they may be implemented, would to me fall in the same category as life support - added realism and associated difficulty, but purely optional for those that want to use it.

[Higgs]

On October 31, 2016 at 10:20 PM, RX2000 said:

Install a mod with some clouds?

I agree though, the graphics for stock KSP could use a little overhaul, with some clouds & better textures for planets.

Not everyone can or is willing to run mods. Some must be more picky with what mods they run than a person with food allergies at a buffet serving only allergenic foods. Tldr: mods =\= always the answer. Making as many mods stock as reasonable would go a long way. Weather or even just clouds is just 1 example.

[Rath]

My computer is allergic to mods.  Also, no mod is able to perfectly simulate what the devs could do with their game.  Also, weather would effect me a lot more if there were airfields peppered around kerbin to fly to.  "I don't have enough fuel to reach the next runway/it's too short/I will fail my contract, I need to try and land in high winds and low visibility."

[BigFatStupidHead]

Weather would be interesting. I would love to see some exo-weather making planet exploration a little less dull. And Kerbin could have weather belts- very calm weather around the equator to avoid the entire problem of messing with beginner rocket launches and launch windows, to more adverse and variable as you go further towards the poles.

[Sharpy]

Yesterday, I descended into one of Duna's canyons.

You think my screenshots from this thread were pretty? Currently, my opinion is "Screw clouds. Make these dust storms stock."

I won't post screenshots, because static screens really can't convey it. I'd need to make a gif or something.

The dust storms are rare. They don't appear in the 'common' biomes - high/mid/lowlands/poles/polar highlands. They appear only at very low altitudes. And they are a sight to behold.

I saw them before, on the bottom of a polar crater and normal crater. But these let me descend to altitude of 1500 or so. The storms weren't very intense.

Yesterday I reached altitude of 250.

The bottom of the canyon is basked in everpresent dim, dull fog. It's like a transparent surface of a lake, with peaks frequently sticking out as isles. But then, occasionally, a dust storm starts. It blows along the canyon, it blows fast - very fast, and it's intense. Everything goes dim. Dark reddish brown clouds all around zip past at insane speed. I can't help checking solar panel efficiencies, and really want to huddle behind a hill to wait it out, despite realizing it's purely visual.

[Stoney3K]

On 11/1/2016 at 8:12 AM, tjt said:

Are you prepared to wait over a year for your next launch window to another planet because inclement weather prevented you from launching?

That's just an example of bad planning. You can launch an interplanetary craft into a parking orbit ahead of time (when the weather allows it) and do your transfer burn when the window pops up.

[Azimech]

I'm a very strong proponent for both clouds and weather. I've got people wanting to sail with my ships. There are people wanting to use sailplanes on Kerbin or Eve.

As an option, obviously.

Edited November 9, 2016 by Azimech

[StupidAndy]

well, the weather doesn't have to be on kerbin, i wasn't thinking about kerbin, more like eve, or duna