1.3 And More: Confirmed Features

[Garrett Kerman]

This thread is not for speculation. If you wish to speculate, please do so in this thread:

Discussion of confirmed features is still welcome!

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Original post in spoiler below:

Spoiler

So, Squad has been recently talking about a super secret new feature in the devnotes, and I'm curious as to what it is. I would love to see what you think, and maybe group up some scattered facts to help build a conclusion. So, what do you think?

My speculation:

1. Gas Planet Two and maybe more outer planets.

2. Real looking plumes.

3. Planetary systems outside of Kerbol.

     3.5 parts to go along with interstellar travel

4. Life support

5. Career/Science overhall

6. Part upgrades

7. Visual overhall/rocket part revamp

What do you think?

Now that Squad has confirmed several things upcoming in 1.3/1.2.9 it seems fit to change this to a features thread. So, without further ado, let's begin!

EXPERIMENTALS CAME THURSDAY, MARCH 16! Please report any features I missed to me! Expeimentals are for PC only. 

The changelog for experimentals can be found below:

Spoiler

 

Confirmed Features

1. Localization. Talked about for a long time, this feature expands the demographic of the game to a larger part of the world, creating more revenue, which in turn means moar development! The devs have had to change and reorginize a lot of code to make localization work, such as biomes, science, vessel situations, and celestial bodies. The Kerbal name generator has also been overhauled to make it work for all four new languages.

The four languages are:

- Russian

- Chinese

- Japanese

- Spanish

2. Intergration of Asteroid Day. The Asteroid Day mod, an offical Squad mod (that should totally be a catchphrase) that brought you the HECS 2 probe core and many other parts will be fully stock! So, the SETINEL Infared Telescope will be added, which is the "final part to make the main game" as all other parts in the mod have been added already.

3. Ambient Light Adjustment will also be added. This adds a "Boost" value to the ambiet light setting, which brightens the render engine, causing darker objects to become lighter. Yay for better screenshots!

4. Bug fixes. Something we always need. The most notable are the fixes of terrain seams (especially on the Teir2 and Teir3 runways), the correction of ablator darkening on heat shields, and flagpole interaction fixes. The save corruption issue on consoles has been fixed as well. See the changelog in the spoiler above to see the full list

5. New art. New art is being worked on for an undisclosed purpose. We have been told that they are working on a nebula, which might mean new background images or images to look at with a telescope. Eyelids have also been mentioned for animated Kerbals, so the Kerbals in IVA may actually be able to blink!

6. KSPedia additions.  Tutorial videos have been made.

7. Adjustable sturts. Struts can now be picked up from both placed sides without deleting the premade strut, allowing you to edit your extendive strut networks.

8. Coherent contracts. Contracts will actually make sense now.

Console Exclusive

1. Better UI. Radial menus have been added on console, for better compatibility with those platforms (via Bitworks). They also look pretty cool! However, more still needs to be done. The VAB tools are still unavaliable for use.

DLC

1. KSP Making History. KSP's first paid expansion, this DLC will add all sorts of new features to the game to make it more fun and challenging to new and old players alike. Some additions include:

- Mission builder. This allows you to create and plan missions for you or others to complete. You can add part, mass, price and size constraints as well as random failures.

- History pack. A bunch of pre-made additions for you to complete. You can relive missions from mankinds earliest space exploration.

- New parts. A bunch of new parts will be added like farings, fuel tanks, adapters, decopulers, and command pods. These new parts are inspired by the US and Soviet space programs.

- New astronaut suit.

- Personal Kerbal parachute.

- Highly customizable and moddable.

- Results and successes sharable with the community.

- Simple building interface.

- And more!

Stay tuned for more updates as more information comes out about the DLC! For anyone intrested about the offical announcement, look in the spoiler below.

Spoiler

 

Unconfirmed Features (talked about by the devs, but not a confirmed offical feature as of yet)

None at the moment.

Outside of game features

1. The bug tracker has been updated, so bugs can be more efficiently reported and squashed.

 

If I missed anything, please say so (use @Garrett Kerman to alert me, otherwise I won't see it). You can also PM me if you wish.

GK

Edited March 20, 2017 by Garrett Kerman
KSP Making History DLC added, changing name to fit broader category.

[HoloYolo]

One and two I agree with.

The problem with 3 is that they have to make a brand new solar system (new star and at least 2 planets to make it interesting) all over again. I imagine that they will be semi realistic with the distance, so time warping will take forever without mods/BetterTimeWarp added into the game. Also, we already have 3m parts, aka the NASA ones. For interstellar travel we either need faster timewarp, warp drives/better and longer lasting nukes, or maybe a combo of both.

I'd be ok with 4 as long as it is optional, but if I can't turn it off no thanks. I wonder, would the life support be like USI or TAC?

[Kerbart]

12 minutes ago, HoloYolo said:

For interstellar travel we either need faster timewarp, warp drives/better and longer lasting nukes, or maybe a combo of both.

Well, you could use wormholes like in Interstellar. Or maybe a portal, like in 2001: Space Odysee. If you see monoliths with a 1:4:9 ratio popping up in the game you know they're up to something. But you probably have to travel millions of miles to find one. It's not like they're going to plant one of those right next to the KSC, right?

[Gaarst]

Nah to all first three, yea to last one.

A planet is easy to design, no need for such teasing. Real looking plumes wouldn't make sense when looking at the state of the game graphics as a whole (though a thorough rocket engines revamp is possible). There's already nothing to do in the Kerbin solar system besides time warping to destination, planting a flag, and time warping back home; no need for even more time warping.

I'd enjoy life support. And it would make sense following the communications update: right now Kerbals are superior to probes in every aspect, which really shouldn't be the case.

Edited January 21, 2017 by Gaarst

[HoloYolo]

25 minutes ago, Kerbart said:

Well, you could use wormholes like in Interstellar. Or maybe a portal, like in 2001: Space Odysee. If you see monoliths with a 1:4:9 ratio popping up in the game you know they're up to something. But you probably have to travel millions of miles to find one. It's not like they're going to plant one of those right next to the KSC, right?

Could be a new easter egg. That would certainly make a cool feature.

 

25 minutes ago, Gaarst said:

I'd enjoy life support. And it would make sense following the communications update: right now Kerbals are superior to probes in every aspect, which really shouldn't be the case.

I wouldn't say every aspect. Probes are cheaper, probes are disposable, probes are lighter (kinda goes along with the cheaper reason). Although the pros of a kerbal far outweigh the pros of a probe by a long shot.

[NSEP]

3 and 3.5 aren't good ideas for KSP. KSP is not a game about future technology. You know, the same reason why Minecraft does not include drone aircraft. If you want things that dont actually fit in with the game, get mods.

[evileye.x]

My guess - hats for Kerbal. 2$-5$ for hat

[Jeb-head-mug kerman]

Stock multiplayer!

[HoloYolo]

8 minutes ago, Jeb-head-mug kerman said:

Stock multiplayer!

Probably not going to happen soon or maybe even never.

[klgraham1013]

I have a feeling everyone is thinking to big.  Squad has had super-secert-you'll-just-love features before that have been a tad disappointing.

I'm guessing a career addition of some type.  We'll see.

Edited January 21, 2017 by klgraham1013

[Waxing_Kibbous]

This thread made me think LS, but maybe I'm reading too much into it... Anyhow I agree that after the commnet addition LS makes sense in terms of game balance.

 

[Wjolcz]

Something overhyped, that's for sure.

2 hours ago, NSEP said:

KSP is not a game about future technology.

It actually is about near future. I remember reading it in one of HarvesteR's blog entries, but it seems it got deleted after one of the great forum purges. He posted it long time ago. Besides, we have the RAPIER engine. It's near future.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Veeltch

[MR L A]

Something they've been teasing for a while now, but I noticed it wasn't mentioned at all in the last dev blog. I would really love them to have implemented PorkJet's RPO properly. I've been using the mod version since it was released, I can't stand to use the original 1.25m tanks anymore, they're hideous by comparison. Also, the engines looked great, perfect amount of realism whilst still remaining distinctly kerbal. The upgrade ability for career was cool too! I realise it won't likely be this though, they said in a dev post a while back they considered this project "shelved" for the time being.

Honestly, some life support system would be nice, would make my yearly crew changeover missions to my space station more essential (I know there's a mod for this but I'm just not a fan of mods.. I only use Chatterer, KAC, KER all of which should be stock, oh, and Scatterer though my system doesn't like it too much).

A stock FuelSwitch would be nice... seems pointless having so many different shapes of tank that we can't chuck whatever fuel we want in. I'd love to be able to put rocket fuel into the roundified monopropellant tank.

The ability to build parts in space maybe? Like instead of launching a prebuilt custom ring (those spinning ones for artificial g) in the most unwieldy craft ever, just take up raw materials (metal, ore or whatever) and forge the parts in space over a long period of time (with multiple materials launches).

A reason to stay on a celestial body longer than about a minute would be nice too... Currently I do science with the lander's instrumentation, EVA, collect surface sample, plant flag, get back in, leave. I mean, they spend a lot longer than 60 seconds on the moon, and a Mars (Duna) surface mission irl would last a bare minimum of 6 months I remember hearing years ago, realistically probably a fair bit longer. No idea what this reason would be btw, can anyone think of one?   

[Firemetal]

I will go with one but what makes you think they want to change stock plumes? Also KSP tries to be realistic as best as possible and right now, interstellar travel is science fiction really. Therefore three I really don't want it. Life support if added should be optional. To be honest, the only one of these four that would be added in 1.3 is one.

Fire

[DrunkenKerbalnaut]

I see LS as an obvious next step, development-wise. Toggle-able in difficulty settings, and off by default on easy difficulty. 

Or, as has been mentioned above, a reason to loiter on the surface of a body. And a reason that doesn't feel contrived, hopefully. Surface samples = ore, anyone?

[Triop]

Been to space, flown the skies, drove the mountains...

 

Edited January 22, 2017 by Triop

[KerikBalm]

I still want stock electric props, and they are very easy to do....

It could be a new part upgrade system like they already laid the ground work for. It could be part of a rocket part overhaul.

I wouldn't be opposed to life support, as long as self sufficient bases could be made.

Given how they've incorporated mods in the past, I think if a new planet were added, it would likely be more along the lines of incorporating a planet mod - such as OPM (assuming the devs of OPM would agree to it) ... or maybe a subset of the mod.

The thing is, the word "feature" not "system" ( i havent read the dev blogs, just going by the OP) - part upgrades could be a feature, but I think an entire life support system goes beyond a new "feature".

FWIW, a dV readout could be a feature...

[Superfluous J]

13 hours ago, Waxing_Kibbous said:

This thread made me think LS, but maybe I'm reading too much into it... Anyhow I agree that after the commnet addition LS makes sense in terms of game balance.

 

That thread didn't make me think life support (though now it kinda does) but the short time frame made me think they'd announce (or release) the new thing at that time.

Which makes me just want to sit back and wait, and not speculate.

[MR L A]

55 minutes ago, KerikBalm said:

I still want stock electric props, and they are very easy to do....

It could be a new part upgrade system like they already laid the ground work for. It could be part of a rocket part overhaul.

I wouldn't be opposed to life support, as long as self sufficient bases could be made.

Given how they've incorporated mods in the past, I think if a new planet were added, it would likely be more along the lines of incorporating a planet mod - such as OPM (assuming the devs of OPM would agree to it) ... or maybe a subset of the mod.

The thing is, the word "feature" not "system" ( i havent read the dev blogs, just going by the OP) - part upgrades could be a feature, but I think an entire life support system goes beyond a new "feature".

FWIW, a dV readout could be a feature...

I KNEW there was something I'd forgotten about! Yes, stock electric props! I'd love to have a probe that could fly around Duna or Eve. Disagree with your "feature" vs "system" argument though, pretty sure they described the comms network as a "feature" rather than anything else. Squad seems to tease all of their vague plans as "features" and they always seem to be coming "soon" (trademark).

I agree with everyone above who has said a feature like life support would need to be toggleable, don't see why it wouldn't be though, the comms network is.

Speaking of which, It would be nice if we had a way to have very basic "programming" for probes when they don't have a connection. Just basic stuff like, if you lose control of an Eve lander, auto-deploying parachutes, or, more importantly auto deploying large antenna. This last one I will explain further. I made a very small Duna probe lander (it didn't even have landing legs), but it had the big dish antenna (the one that used to be in asteroid day). Unfortunately, I had to unfold that antenna before it landed or completely lose control of it, so it was deployed during atmobraking. It didn't break, just looked silly. It'd be nice if there was a feature that told such antenna to deploy "when safe" or when landed.  

[KerikBalm]

Well, I accepted the ability of probes to orient to preplaced maneuver nodes, and fire engines (you have to tell them to) without a comm link as an abstract form of probes executing programmed maneuvers. You can "program" chute deployment by setting the appropriate sliders and pre-deploying them.

One thing we do need though, is the ability to *delete* maneuver nodes after executing them, so one can chaing maneuvers without a comm link.

I want this feature!

[Shiva]

14 hours ago, evileye.x said:

My guess - hats for Kerbal. 2$-5$ for hat

Sure, I'd buy one....

[WuphonsReach]

I'd hope it's more of #1 (a new gas giant) combined with:

• More biomes on the surface
• Biomes defined as the Lagrange points around each body
• Random starting positions for planets in their orbits at the start of a save
• More hidden anomolies

[NSEP]

13 hours ago, Veeltch said:

Something overhyped, that's for sure.

It actually is about near future. I remember reading it in one of HarvesteR's blog entries, but it seems it got deleted after one of the great forum purges. He posted it long time ago. Besides, we have the RAPIER engine. It's near future.

Yeah, but interstellar travel is not really near future i think.

[HoloYolo]

Just now, NSEP said:

Yeah, but interstellar travel is not really near future i think.

It's probably not even any future if you think about it.

[Moh1336]

Super secret feature? A Delta-V calculator as stock in VAB please.

I like most of the suggestions here. I would love an official Life Support addition though, currently use Roverdude's mods, but having an official system could lead to more community parts based around it which is always nice to have.