KSP Making History

[Rob_muly]

I am more than happy to pay for a DLC, you have done good work and i am positive i will not be disappointed. Come on, how can you be disappointed with KSP..?

[kenbobo]

Oh my. Seems like you guys posted this about 15 days too early.

[JeeF]

This mod just came to my attention. THIS is definitely the type of thing that should be added as part of the stock game, full stop.

[DiamondExcavater]

2 hours ago, JeeF said:

This mod just came to my attention. THIS is definitely the type of thing that should be added as part of the stock game, full stop.

Magico13 runs a mod which calculates if a vessel has enough fuel or lift to make it to Kerbins surface to be recovered after the vessel is already too far for physics load. I guess the mod I speak of is easier for players who don't want to fly for 1 hour to get back to the landing strip, but it does remove the fun in flying the build you made... I once tried that mod, and a stock version would be really great, aspects of the mod were hard to use..

[TiktaalikDreaming]

I kinda missed the hype about this, have been caught up with some mod updates and that pesky real life stuff.

But.

I feel I should just say, I got this game on special during 0.8 times for some money I can't even remember.  It's had issues, maybe is a tad less polished than some big studio would put out.  But, it's also by far, the best piece of gaming software I've ever purchased.  Not to overrate it or anything, but it changed my life (well, it shunted my hobbies about quite a bit).  And, for all that, it's always been a learning experience.  About rocketry, about how to actually fly those things, the logistics of putting craft on other planets, and for me, how to work with a 3D program, and C#, and Unity3D, and make mods.

Would I pay for an expansion?  Kell yes.  I've threatened just about anyone I know (who doesn't have a copy) to buy it for them.  Pretty much so I can throw more money at it.  And a chance of hooking someone (not everyone gets hooked, believe it or not).  I won't shy from buying an expansion.

Expanding the game like this is how you get a continued revenue stream to support development.  Did people think their once off purchases would keep Squad going forever?

[Ali_Army107]

NOOOOOO! ITS PAID!!!!! I bought it at June 2016!!!!!!

[Kerbital]

Honestly, I don't care much for the core of this expansion. I don't play career and I don't do missions. I'm mostly interested in bug fixes, performance and technical improvements. Unless this expansion brings significant technical improvements to the game, I'm not interested and I hope it will remain an optional expansion for those who are interested in missions.

I'll gladly pay for KSP2 or KSP remastered that brings the game engine to 21st Century though.

11 hours ago, Ali_Army107 said:

NOOOOOO! ITS PAID!!!!! I bought it at June 2016!!!!!!

Outrageous! People charging money for their work! What in the world....

***

BTW, the original post does not mention the acronym "DLC", it uses the old school term "expansion". Expansion Packs were a thing way before the acronym DLC was cooked up and given a bad rep by greedy publishers and stupid gamers willing to pay for stupid crap. Some expansions were free some were paid, some were lame, some were awesome. They were distributed on CDs before people had pipes fat enough to suck down several gigabytes of content. Once the internet become more ubiquitous and fast enough, downloadable content was a natural evolution of things.

The bottom line is: you don't like something, don't buy it. Stop complaining. Are you also hanging out around movie theaters and supermarkets wining that stuff isn't free? What is is that makes people think that just because something is easily accessible it should be free?

Edited April 4, 2017 by Kerbital

[Keemstar]

or you can just download mod and getting all this stuff for free ...  

[tater]

Hey, @SQUAD, I have a DLC concept for you. It requires a core game change, then the rest would be in the vein of this "historical" DLC. Coming from me it's strange, since I do not make aircraft in KSP, I prefer rockets...

X-planes.

Add a core gameplay change:

AI "carrier" aircraft is a new "launch pad" option from the SPH. You launch to runway, or launch to carrier craft. The latter upgrades with the facility, maybe from a B-29 looking thing (mass limit, just like the regular launch pad based on what the carrier plane can handle), to a B-52, ultimate upgrade might have a large modern jet (747 sized). That craft flies itself to some altitude, then the player launches from there, and doesn't have to worry about the carrier, it is assumed to head back home and land.

The "historical" bit adds various, cool x-plane parts from X-1 looking parts, to X-15, and whatever bridges that with the stock spaceplane parts.

[Kerbital]

@tater Kind of what Space X does? I'm sure that between all of us we can come up with enough ideas for several games.

There are many things that I'd like to see in KSP2 if such animal will ever be born. Similar to your idea, I'd like an orbital service space station. Where you could build ships in the orbit so as not be constrained by gravity. You could also bring your ships for repairs and upgrades. The ships will gain reputation or reliability points the way Kerbals earn experience points. Ships will no longer be thrown away, but either dismantled for parts or upgraded. Upgraded, higher grade ships will allow for better exploration and science gathering, have better specs, features and will be tougher. Certain advanced engine and hull upgrades would be only available for higher grade ships. Also, higher grade ships would be required for longer flights to far away worlds.

I'd like to automate trivial, mundane tasks such as flying a restocking ship to the station so I can do other things while my station is being refueled by a robotic vessel.

I could go on for few pages.

7 hours ago, Keemstar said:

or you can just download mod and getting all this stuff for free ...  

And then download all dependencies. Then find out that one is not compatible with 1.2 and the other breaks another mod. Mods are great. Having features built into the game is even better.

[legoclone09]

3 hours ago, tater said:

Hey, @SQUAD, I have a DLC concept for you. It requires a core game change, then the rest would be in the vein of this "historical" DLC. Coming from me it's strange, since I do not make aircraft in KSP, I prefer rockets...

X-planes.

Add a core gameplay change:

AI "carrier" aircraft is a new "launch pad" option from the SPH. You launch to runway, or launch to carrier craft. The latter upgrades with the facility, maybe from a B-29 looking thing (mass limit, just like the regular launch pad based on what the carrier plane can handle), to a B-52, ultimate upgrade might have a large modern jet (747 sized). That craft flies itself to some altitude, then the player launches from there, and doesn't have to worry about the carrier, it is assumed to head back home and land.

The "historical" bit adds various, cool x-plane parts from X-1 looking parts, to X-15, and whatever bridges that with the stock spaceplane parts.

That's actually a really, really good idea. @Badie you should check this out!

[tater]

@Kerbital, like what the USAF did, and I suppose German rocket planes of the WW2 era. The modern analog would be Virgin Galactic, and the various air-launched orbital rocket concepts.

You can do this stuff now in game, but you have to make a carrier aircraft, and once you launch, one or the other craft is done for.

Edited April 5, 2017 by tater

[TheBlueRoseKnight]

Darn, I wish I'd heard of KSP before April 2013...

[Kaa253]

Lolz. Purchase date 17 May 2013  Haha C'est la vie

WOW! I have played KSP nearly every day for almost 4 YEARS!!! Amazing how time flies when you are having fun.

[DiamondExcavater]

13 hours ago, Kerbital said:

@tater  

I'd like to automate trivial, mundane tasks such as flying a restocking ship to the station so I can do other things while my station is being refueled by a robotic vessel.

This is what I really want. okay sure, there are mods which have the computer systems or mechjeb and stuff, but I find them complicating and too much of a hassle to get to work (at least in the past it was) if this was added into the game I'd jump on it for sure. 

The first part of what you wrote reminds me of a mini game, I've actually wanted a game similar to pocket planes or pocket trains which are just games where you can collect planes or trains and upgrade them and do things. If KSP made such a game then you can collect iconic KSP things and do missions and what not, also Squad would get revenue from in app purchases and advertising... that money can be put into both the app and KSP

[tater]

The basic game claims to be a space program, but managing a program requires that the player not have to do everything, so the stock game should have the ability to schedule missions, and they simply happen---with some failure chance based upon kerbal skill, perhaps (high stupidity, low skill pilot crashes resupply into station, breaking something), or wastes maneuvering fuel, and that is where rescue contracts come from.

[John FX]

9 hours ago, TheBlueRoseKnight said:

Darn, I wish I'd heard of KSP before April 2013...

Welcome to the forum, have your first rep.

I only heard of the game because of the fuss in 2013 about possibly paid DLC in the future (we now know that time is now) so I made sure I bought a copy (after trying the demo) because it seemed like a game I would play. I was right.

If you had bought the game then, you may be in a similar position to me where the stock game, and this DLC, are behind the place where you have fun now, that place for me being RO/RSS/RP-0.

If Squad ever do release a DLC with truly game changing features, like being able to choose between the Kerbal system or the Sol system then that would be worthy of the description `game-changing features`

Quote

this is what we mean when we say Expansion Packs for KSP. We’re not talking about small content bundles, we’re talking about major game-changing sets of features, like Multiplayer, or Colonization. Things that add not just content, but new gameplay possibilities. Things that might not fit the initial concept very well, but we think are too cool to just cut off forever.

They are moving towards that with `historical missions` and the mission manager but IMHO the people who want to fly historical missions have a great interest in doing it in a full sized solar system...

 

EDIT :

59 minutes ago, tater said:

The basic game claims to be a space program, but managing a program requires that the player not have to do everything, so the stock game should have the ability to schedule missions, and they simply happen---with some failure chance based upon kerbal skill, perhaps (high stupidity, low skill pilot crashes resupply into station, breaking something), or wastes maneuvering fuel, and that is where rescue contracts come from.

That would be interesting. It would finally give a purpose to the stats Kerbals have, like stupidity etc.

Those stats were a placeholder IIRC, the fact they remain in the released game with no purpose is rather shoddy IMHO.

Edited April 5, 2017 by John FX

[tater]

Skills imply that kerbals should be able to do something themselves. Pilot skill is meaningless in KSP, for example, since the player is the pilot, 100% of the time. forcing the player to hold a node during a maneuver is nothing more than drudgery. 

Edited April 5, 2017 by tater

[Red Shirt]

2 hours ago, tater said:

forcing the player to hold a node during a maneuver is nothing more than drudgery. 

*cough* (MechJeb) *cough* You still have to plan and manage the mission. MJ may work as intended but doesn't always perform as expected. YMMV

[tater]

23 minutes ago, Red Shirt said:

*cough* (MechJeb) *cough* You still have to plan and manage the mission. MJ may work as intended but doesn't always perform as expected. YMMV

Not "mech" Jeb, I want Jeb. I also want him to be able to do a mission without me at all. So I'm not talking about MJ. If you were managing a space program that had LEO assets, cismunar assets, etc, and you needed routine resupply, you should be able to schedule them, and they just happen, not have to install one mod (KAC) to remind you to do it, then another mod (MJ) to do part of the resupply. Minus autonomy at some level, there is no management aspect to KSP, just micromanagement (the player does everything). or, for example, if I wanted to do a SpaceX-like booster recovery. I can fly the booster, or fly the stage 2, but not both. With autonomy, I could do both (because Jeb could fly S2 to station rendezvous himself).

[Kerbital]

5 hours ago, DiamondExcavater said:

This is what I really want. okay sure, there are mods which have the computer systems or mechjeb and stuff, but I find them complicating and too much of a hassle to get to work (at least in the past it was) if this was added into the game I'd jump on it for sure. 

The first part of what you wrote reminds me of a mini game, I've actually wanted a game similar to pocket planes or pocket trains which are just games where you can collect planes or trains and upgrade them and do things. If KSP made such a game then you can collect iconic KSP things and do missions and what not, also Squad would get revenue from in app purchases and advertising... that money can be put into both the app and KSP

Or you could make a vessel "historical" or "legendary" and have it displayed in a gallery or something. This could somehow be tied into multiplayer, I'm sure.

[Gorby1]

37 minutes ago, tater said:

Not "mech" Jeb, I want Jeb. I also want him to be able to do a mission without me at all. So I'm not talking about MJ. If you were managing a space program that had LEO assets, cismunar assets, etc, and you needed routine resupply, you should be able to schedule them, and they just happen, not have to install one mod (KAC) to remind you to do it, then another mod (MJ) to do part of the resupply. Minus autonomy at some level, there is no management aspect to KSP, just micromanagement (the player does everything). or, for example, if I wanted to do a SpaceX-like booster recovery. I can fly the booster, or fly the stage 2, but not both. With autonomy, I could do both (because Jeb could fly S2 to station rendezvous himself).

So you want a NASA simulator, simulated from the perspective of one of the managers who sits at a desk and never touches a rocket? 

[Kerbital]

39 minutes ago, tater said:

Not "mech" Jeb, I want Jeb. I also want him to be able to do a mission without me at all. So I'm not talking about MJ. If you were managing a space program that had LEO assets, cismunar assets, etc, and you needed routine resupply, you should be able to schedule them, and they just happen, not have to install one mod (KAC) to remind you to do it, then another mod (MJ) to do part of the resupply. Minus autonomy at some level, there is no management aspect to KSP, just micromanagement (the player does everything). or, for example, if I wanted to do a SpaceX-like booster recovery. I can fly the booster, or fly the stage 2, but not both. With autonomy, I could do both (because Jeb could fly S2 to station rendezvous himself).

Yeah, right now, the player is tied up 100% to whatever it is he or she is doing. Landing a mission on the Mun? Everything else has to wait. Doing a 30 minutes burn, can't do anything else. This is one of the things that turns me off from doing actual missions in KSP. It just feels awkward.

Aspects of the game need to be automated and the player should be able to schedule things while doing other stuff. Although, I'm not the one to ask for multiplayer as I don't have any friends or family who play games so I play alone, but this could also be a perfect reason to implement multiplayer. I read these forums often and it's incredible what people do with this game. Some do sharks and submarines, some do tanks, some do balloons. Imagine if a group of people with diverse skills and interests got together to play a KSP game: one can manage, one can engineer things, one can fly far-out missions while another would focus on orbital stuff, such as maintaining the space stations or labs, etc.

I think Squad has a gold mine on their hands. If they do this right KSP2 could be the greatest game of all times. There interest in space games is coming back. Just please don't make KSP2 something like Elite Dangerous: huge and empty. KSP2 should remain at its core a non-fighting game focused on building and flying.

Maybe I'd even hook up with people and do multiplayer? KSP community is great and keeping war and dogfighting out of the game will keep the "git gud" crowd playing ED

[tater]

6 minutes ago, Gorby1 said:

So you want a NASA simulator, simulated from the perspective of one of the managers who sits at a desk and never touches a rocket? 

I think that this should be an _option_, or calling the game in general, or career in particular a space PROGRAM simulator is nonsense.

I want to design rockets, and I want to design missions. Often, I like doing the flying, particularly docking in space, and landing on airless worlds. But once I have a large infrastructure set up, flying supply #n (I use life support, generally) is tedious.

[Kerbart]

19 minutes ago, Gorby1 said:

So you want a NASA simulator, simulated from the perspective of one of the managers who sits at a desk and never touches a rocket? 

It's Kerbal Space Program, not Simulator. Maybe it's semantics, but certain flights do become routine and are no longer an exciting challenge.

What if you could "teach" pilots certain transfers? The expansion could feature a "logbook" for each pilot, which can open contract-like certificates. So you start a "Kerbin-Mun" certificate where you have to meet certain goals in the right order (kerbin low orbit, mun low orbit). Once completed (multiple times) you can activate the "mun transfer" task which will be executed mech-jeb style.

Pilot rank will affect accuracy, DV budget, etc.

 

 

Edited April 5, 2017 by Kerbart