Aliens or alien technology on other planets?

[BMoscato]

It would be cool if there were aliens on distant planets in the game where you can interact and gain technology or items.

[Chel]

Kerbal Space Program is a game about designing rockets and progressing a space program. Not about seeking new life and new technologies, when we already have RnD. 

[BMoscato]

So, what's the purpose in real life of our space program?

[Cheif Operations Director]

28 minutes ago, BMoscato said:

So, what's the purpose in real life of our space program?

Exactly! Good rhetorical question 

[BMoscato]

15 minutes ago, Cheif Operations Director said:

Exactly! Good rhetorical question 

Not true, I wasn't being dramatic nor did I posed a question that I did not expect a response to. I understand that KSP is a sandbox game and part of the fun is creating a vessel that can make the journey to distant planets and explore them for resources and possible habitation. I was questioning the possibility of encountering intelligent life on our journeys to far off planets.

 

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-is-taking-a-new-look-at-searching-for-life-beyond-earth

[KerbolExplorer]

I would say no to finding inteligent  alien life.But i would like to find remains of cities and maybe a few animals that could damage your ship.

[BMoscato]

3 hours ago, KerbolExplorer said:

I would say no to finding inteligent  alien life.But i would like to find remains of cities and maybe a few animals that could damage your ship.

By animals on an alien planet, do you mean aliens? Joking... I agree, remains of alien cities or civilizations would be cool.

[Gargamel]

4 hours ago, BMoscato said:

So, what's the purpose in real life of our space program?

Well, given KSP is supposed to be an analog to our current space programs, if not slightly advanced in some areas, lacking in others, the concept of interstellar travel is right out the window in a stock game.   While I personally hold out hope there is other life somewhere in our solar system, and we will discover it within my lifetime, it will have no real affects on the space program, in terms of KSP gameplay.   There are already icons within the stock game that hint at alien life, but none is present within the system.

So in order to find intelligent life that we could interact with, that would require interstellar travel.   That is not feasible within the stock game.  There are no other stars to visit, let alone planets.   The technologies that are required to go interstellar do not exist within the game.   Although, an argument can be made that since stock does not have a life support mechanic, that kerbals are immortal and can easily survive the long time frames required to make the journey.   But I find that to be completely unrealistic and immersion breaking. 

There is already a mechanic in the game to allow for the acquisition of advanced technologies within the stock game, the Green Monoliths.  

If this were to be added to the game, it should be done as a mod.  Working with the planet packs, a civilization could be created on some of the distant ones.  Landing near one would enable the access to a variety of new techs, which would be part of the tech tree, but so costly that they would be unobtainable by normal means (of course, leave it to the KSP player base to take that as a challenge "Here, hold my snacks!"). 

Perhaps, perhaps, this would make for a really nice DLC.   If they did it right, it would avoid my arguments that pre existing mods would negate most sales of a DLC, so they could actually turn enough profit to make it worth the development costs.    It would also serve as a platform for other planets packs to be based on, similar to the mission builder editor. 

But then, that goes back to my original argument, how to get there?  The stock game just isn't set up for that time of game play. 

[Spaceception]

8 minutes ago, Gargamel said:

Perhaps, perhaps, this would make for a really nice DLC.   If they did it right, it would avoid my arguments that pre existing mods would negate most sales of a DLC, so they could actually turn enough profit to make it worth the development costs.    It would also serve as a platform for other planets packs to be based on, similar to the mission builder editor. 

But then, that goes back to my original argument, how to get there?  The stock game just isn't set up for that time of game play. 

2

Combining aspects of KSP-I and Near future mods, as well as adding in a binary to Kerbol. But it would need to be original, and feature things mods don't have, or at least improve on what mods offer.

 

However, finding ancient bases over the Kerbol system would be a nice DLC too... discovering a strange humanoid civilization that wiped itself out long before you got there. Could be a neat story pack (Optional, so you could explore it however you want, to keep the sandbox parts of KSP)

[razark]

Squad has always firmly said that there will be no aliens in KSP.

 

So, your guess is as good as ours if it will be added.

[Chel]

There already are aliens in KSP. The crashed UFOs! (I know it's an easter egg but it still counts as 'alien' kinda)

Edited November 7, 2018 by The_Cat_In_Space

[KerikBalm]

6 hours ago, BMoscato said:

By animals on an alien planet, do you mean aliens? Joking... I agree, remains of alien cities or civilizations would be cool.

You may want to check out Val...

And you can get modded worlds too:

 

 

(can be a bit hard to see, but its an airstrip)

 

Edited November 7, 2018 by KerikBalm

[JoaquinJAR]

On 11/6/2018 at 6:34 PM, KerbolExplorer said:

I would say no to finding inteligent  alien life.But i would like to find remains of cities and maybe a few animals that could damage your ship.

I think the same, it would be more interesting to find remains of alien life that makes you think: What happened to the aliens? why the remains still here? etc

also by doing this we could have exploration ships to find remains of life and do science stuff

[HonimouraKasama]

Ok this wire date, but everyone is interesting
So! Are there now mods to find ruins? Related scientific experiments? Unlockable technologies thanks to these discoveries? Wrecks? (I'm not talking about life, or so bacterial)
Ok KSP, we already said, is a game of construction and exploration. But after 2 or 3 planets, you are not sworn of science to unlock all that you need ... so the rest is not worth it ...
In our universe, the objectives are multiple, necessity of survival, discovery of lives, indispensable resources, etc ... but in ksp ... of overpopulation, of missing resources, of discovery of life, etc. 
trip is extra I say not, but once on a planet ... science, mining and ... nothing. So when you have already unlocked everything ... remains that the mining to go even further.
So implanted mining bases in loop ... except for the bosses of fuel and Co.... not extra (terrestrial ... sorry) ...
I even added mods to extend the planets an explorer ... but if it's to see blue after a red ...
In short, we want surprise !!! To say to oneself "omg what's that!" 
Prepare to go to the moon and change your project by crossing a wreck 
on the road !! Go to "Mars" to implant 13nd minning base and see we are 
not the first!

Edited October 12, 2019 by James Kerman
Formatting

[James Kerman]

Welcome to the forum @Honimoura,

I have edited your text to remove a formatting problem. When you paste translated text in it sometimes keeps the formatting of the translation software. You can remove this by clicking the black bar at the bottom of the text box "Remove formatting" (it will be visible after you paste text in).

[pandaman]

Finding actual intelligent life to interract with?  IMHO no, not in stock.

Artefacts, remnants, ruins etc. that give interesting and different places to find then yes, absolutely (more of what we have basically).  I like the idea of discovering microbial life etc. but that would be purely of scientific/anecdotal use rather than an additional game mechanic.

[kerbiloid]

Maybe some wild extra_terrkerbestrial squids to pet. And jumping slimecubes like in Minecraft. Other brainless animated things.
A Zoo building with fishtanks. "See the Best Extrakerbestrial Beasts in our Exhibeastion!"

Edited October 14, 2019 by kerbiloid

[GoldForest]

On 11/5/2018 at 5:30 PM, BMoscato said:

It would be cool if there were aliens on distant planets in the game where you can interact and gain technology or items.

Alien life and artifacts were semi-confirmed by Nate Simpson to be in KSP 2. He gave us a no comment, so we can take that as there's something coming to KSP 2. 

But as far as KSP 1, yeah, no. No alien life. We don't even have other solar systems in the game, so where is the life supposed to come from?

[Arugela]

On 11/6/2018 at 10:28 PM, razark said:

Squad has always firmly said that there will be no aliens in KSP.

 

So, your guess is as good as ours if it will be added.

That is a wholey stupid answer given we're a space agency run by little green men!! ><

Given no humans exist, there is nothing but aliens.

It's literally the first thing the game shoves in your face. lol

Edited October 15, 2019 by Arugela

[kerbiloid]

Humans are Kerbal aliens. And we exist.

[razark]

11 hours ago, Arugela said:

Given no humans exist, there is nothing but aliens.

Except that on Kerbin, the Kerbals are natives.  "Alien" meaning "not native", there are no aliens in KSP, only natives.

[Fierce Wolf]

A kerbal lander reaches the Outmost planet of the new stellar system. Satellite on low orbit confirms the unthinkable: there is an artificial, unknown vessel in polar orbit. Lander completes mission, but it obviously feels underarchieving. Heated discussion ensues at Kerbin, "what to do with this object".

"Go explore, duh", says 110% of the polls.

A second mission is rushed, and promptly launched. 10 years later, a kerbal astronaut finds himself face to face with the alien vessel. It's metalic, painted white, strange scriptions on it. There is a door, twice the size of him. "Go on dude, don't stop there!" -orders Command.

The brave astronaut presses the most obvious button, and the door opens. It's an airlock. To his surprise, after closing the door, it automatically fills with....breathable air? Indeed, but tastes funny.

After the airlock there is a corridor. As everything inside here, it's white, clean, big, abandoned. Well constructed, but somewhat not so different from kerbal space technology. Except more safe-fail-ish, and futuristic looking, and lonely. Not a soul in sight. The astronaut opens the first door in the corridor. Seems like a sort of lounge, for twice-the-size of normal kerbals beings. There is a black tablet on top of the closest table. The screen flitches.

The astronaunt stares at the alien script, not grasping the language. It's some sort of electronic newspaper. The adventurer doesn't know it, but the header states, in earthling english: "NEW BREXIT DEAL IN THE MAKING, FIRST QUARTER OF 3045"

Edited October 17, 2019 by Fierce Wolf

[DoctorDavinci]

On 10/17/2019 at 9:51 AM, Fierce Wolf said:

The brave astronaut presses the most obvious button, and the door opens. It's an airlock. To his surprise, after closing the door, it automatically fills with....breathable air? Indeed, but tastes funny.

The kerbal took its helmet off?

Not smart to do that ... I guess the kerb hasn't seen Prometheus? ... The astro-nots () did the same thing after entering an alien structure and they didn't fare so well 

[Pds314]

I could see, if there were aliens or ruins, unlocking technologies specific to local conditions that are still within the realm of known science. I'm thinking Eve-adjusted rocket engines, wheels that are slower but "sticky" for places like Gilly, or vacuum-adjusted SRBs for somewhere like Tylo.

[paul23]

On 11/6/2018 at 9:18 PM, BMoscato said:

So, what's the purpose in real life of our space program?

To climb the highest mountain

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by paul23