The (Possibly) Next Part Update

[whitejj01]

The (Possibly) Next Part Update

 

I've noticed recently that almost every time a new piece of tech is developed by NASA (and/or others), SQUAD adds it into the game. For Example: NASA develops an inflatable heat shield and tests it, SQUAD adds the 10m inflatable heat shield to the game.

NASA reveals its final plans for the design of the SLS & tests the engines that will be used on EM-1, we get some giant new fuel tanks and two engines, one of which looks an awful lot like the SLS's main engine cluster.

I think that by June of 2018, when the SLS finally gets flight-tested, we are going to get a whole bunch of new parts, including a 6-kerbal capsule (for Orion),and probably some new higher-capacity lander cans, meant to seat four or maybe six kerbals.

 

What do you think? Will SQUAD add Orion-Type parts when the time comes?

Post your Answers and questions/comments below.

Edited January 21, 2017 by whitejj01

[GluttonyReaper]

49 minutes ago, whitejj01 said:

ASA reveals its final plans for the design of the SLS, we get some giant new fuel tanks and two engines, one of which looks an awful lot like the SLS's main engine cluster.

Pretty sure this was NASA and KSP officially collaborating. Otherwise, everything else feels like coincidence to me - inflatable parachutes/balutes have been an idea for a long time.

That said, those kind of parts would not be unappreciated  

[Sharpy]

Squad creates new part in KSP, submits to NASA.

NASA does extensive in-game testing. If tests are promising, it creates a prototype. Tests of prototype commence, results are submitted to Squad.

Squad adjusts part's parameters to match test results, releases in game.

That's how it works.

[regex]

All I really want is for the stock/vanilla parts to look like they came from aerospace manufacturers and not from a junkyard. Everything else is just gravy.

[Carl]

4 minutes ago, regex said:

All I really want is for the stock/vanilla parts to look like they came from aerospace manufacturers and not from a junkyard. Everything else is just gravy.

Some of them did come from a junkyard though...

[GKSP]

14 minutes ago, Carl said:

Some of them did come from a junkyard though...

My early game career rovers do too!

 

[regex]

33 minutes ago, Carl said:

Some of them did come from a junkyard though...

And that's a real shame in my opinion. vOv

[LordFerret]

34 minutes ago, Carl said:

Some of them did come from a junkyard though...

...or found laying beside the road.

[worir4]

2 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

...or found laying beside the road.

Those are the best one. Every one has a duty to clean up litter!

SQUAD does calibrate with some space agencies. Like with the SLS and Asteroid day parts.

[DoctorDavinci]

3 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

...or found laying beside the road.

The best one's are found in junk piles out back of the KSC ... or my personal favorite:

Training Wheels - found attached to a stroller left unattended in the KSC lobby

[suicidejunkie]

Now I'm imagining a stroller propped up on cubic octagonal struts in the bad part of the space center.

[Sharpy]

MK3 cargo bays are made from crates the Rockomax 2.5m fuel tanks are shipped in

[Overland]

its only the large parts that look like anything . simply because kerbals only ever seen mark 2 and 3 in the flesh.. in flyby of the kerbol system or crashed on kerbin itself.. then copied by kerbals

mark 1 never had enough range or lost in the black void

they were a kerbalisation to provide smaller parts.. made from local and imported ingredients

they also may contain nuts

Edited January 19, 2017 by Overland

[Stef Morojna]

8 hours ago, DoctorDavinci said:

The best one's are found in junk piles out back of the KSC ... or my personal favorite:

Training Wheels - found attached to a stroller left unattended in the KSC lobby

Or the good old pool fuel tank

 

 

[Sharpy]

1 hour ago, Overland said:

they also may contain nuts

Jeb really doesn't appreciate your remark about his sanity.

[Guest]

>2018

>orion parts added

>still no 2.5m SRB

okay.jpg

[Frozen_Heart]

Hopefully they add SpaceX style landing legs, the current ones just don't cut it for 2.5m rockets.

[Dafni]

5 minutes ago, Frozen_Heart said:

Hopefully they add SpaceX style landing legs, the current ones just don't cut it for 2.5m rockets.

Yes, let alone 3.75m boosters. We need SpaceX style landing legs!

[Hannu2]

14 hours ago, regex said:

All I really want is for the stock/vanilla parts to look like they came from aerospace manufacturers and not from a junkyard. Everything else is just gravy.

Maybe they could have current tanks made from old oil barrels found at junkyard as mark one versions at beginning. Later into game and research player would get little bit lighter, stronger and more polished models. It would need few new parts, but I do not think is it so bad anymore as it was with 32 bit executable.

[Frag2000]

You guys have no clue of what you are talking about. Here is in fact what is happening.

The Roswell case was in fact a Kerbal scientist that came here with an automated pod to collect science ... but miscalculated the fact that he would need communication with the kerbal network. He lost contact with the network and crashed to the ground since he was not a pilot. He was lucky and EVA just before the impact, rolled on himself few times and survived with luck.

So now he works with the Nasa and give them hints in exchange of snacks.

You guys should keep attention in your history classes before posting here.

Edited January 19, 2017 by Frag2000

[DoctorDavinci]

2 hours ago, Frag2000 said:

You guys have no clue of what you are talking about. Here is in fact what is happening.

The Roswell case was in fact a Kerbal scientist that came here with an automated pod to collect science ... but miscalculated the fact that he would need communication with the kerbal network. He lost contact with the network and crashed to the ground since he was not a pilot. He was lucky and EVA just before the impact, rolled on himself few times and survived with luck.

So now he works with the Nasa and give them hints in exchange of snacks.

You guys should keep attention in your history classes before posting here.

Everyone should learn from this ... the above is true and it happened because they sent Bill instead of Jeb 

[regex]

3 hours ago, Hannu2 said:

Maybe they could have current tanks made from old oil barrels found at junkyard as mark one versions at beginning. Later into game and research player would get little bit lighter, stronger and more polished models. It would need few new parts, but I do not think is it so bad anymore as it was with 32 bit executable.

I don't personally find a single compelling reason to do that. Not only does it increase the game's resource usage unnecessarily, it retains the tone those parts set for the game. The things I like about those parts, the carefully hand-drawn textures and simple depictions of actual real life hardware, are overshadowed by the tone they set for Kerbals as lazy engineers. Clearly Kerbals are our engineering equals, their aircraft are well built and some of their rockets are technologically advanced engineering marvels. The trashcan motif that served a cobbled-together indie game with a fuzzy end vision built in someone's spare time at work no longer fits in this new paradigm of a polished game with millions in sales. I don't find it "charming" in the least.

My$0.02 USD.

Edited January 19, 2017 by regex

[katateochi]

21 hours ago, whitejj01 said:

What do you think? Will SQUAD add Orion-Type parts when the time comes?

Would adding an Orion capsule cause some scale issues? Looking at pictures of Orion and Ares, the command pod fit's with the orange tank of the upper stage of the Ares-I and IV (it's flush or even slightly more narrow than the tank).  Our current Mk1-2 pod (which is more of an Apollo analogy) fits flush with our current orange tanks, but an Orion capsule would be wider than the Mk1-2 so then it wouldn't fit with our current tanks. So would we also need a new set of tanks to go with it?
tbh I'm happy building Orion style craft out of the current stock parts, in fact I'd rather not have a set of "pre-made" Orion parts which you just clip together and ta-da: Orion. 

 

4 hours ago, Frozen_Heart said:

Hopefully they add SpaceX style landing legs

I'd far rather they added a generic stock hinge (in a few sizes) and some more generic structural parts so we could make our own landing legs and make them how we like.

Actually, I'm kinda opposed to having too many specific parts which mimic the RL space programs.  I think that would make KSP more like an airfix kit, where players can just select the indented parts and clip them together as "instructed". I think that takes away from the challenge and creativity of using non-specific parts to construct a replica; trying to balance appearance with functionality.  I also think that the specific parts have less potential to be used in new and interesting ways; a Falcon-9 landing leg would be great but it's just a landing leg, whereas a hinge and a bunch more structural parts would open up so many more possibilities for designs.  
I think structural parts is one of the areas where the stock game is lacking; we need more basic shapes, ie a triangular structural panel, a curved panel, a bulkhead type part (with multiple nodes), more girder like parts (only less like I-beams, maybe just simple simple rod shapes).....etc. And we really need a stock hinge! I'd far rather see development time go into those sort of things than making parts to match RL space program parts.

[idamoofus]

If they add a 6-Kerbal capsule before a 2-Kerbal capsule, I will plant my face into my keyboard hard enough to shake half the crud inside it loose. Oh and smaller RCS tanks. And about a billion other ideas I have for parts that really should be in the game already.

Still, I like the idea of it. The only problem is the possibility of having to add even wider parts than the 5-meter ones, since I'd imagine they'd need to make the Orion larger than 3.75 meters to fit in line with the regular pods. While I think it could happen, I doubt Squad will prioritize it over the many things they're said to be working on now. And who knows when that will be done?

[whitejj01]

On January 19, 2017 at 4:22 PM, katateochi said:

Would adding an Orion capsule cause some scale issues? Looking at pictures of Orion and Ares, the command pod fit's with the orange tank of the upper stage of the Ares-I and IV (it's flush or even slightly more narrow than the tank).  Our current Mk1-2 pod (which is more of an Apollo analogy) fits flush with our current orange tanks, but an Orion capsule would be wider than the Mk1-2 so then it wouldn't fit with our current tanks. So would we also need a new set of tanks to go with it?
tbh I'm happy building Orion style craft out of the current stock parts, in fact I'd rather not have a set of "pre-made" Orion parts which you just clip together and ta-da: Orion. 

I  think SQUAD always adds their own little touch so that there's no pre-defined set of parts for duplicating a real world mission. Technically, for the proposed Orion pod to work (and to make an accurate Apollo rocket with the Mk 1-2) we'd need a new set of 5m parts. assuming the orion pod was 3.75m,we'd need the bigger fuel tanks in order to re-create the SLS rocket as it is in NASA's final plans. Also, FYI, I'm pretty sure the Ares program was cancelled to make room for the SLS in NASA's budget.