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KSP2 Hype Train Thread


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I've been debating with myself about offering my thoughts for a few days, now.  With regards to the development and launch of Kerbal Space Program 2, there are many things that occupy my thoughts.  That said, brevity is my native tongue, and so I may not adequately articulate or explain some of my concerns.  My point of view is also counter to the majority, so I recognize I am about to generate more enmity than an endgame tank (Final Fantasy reference) in about zero point three eight seconds, but I feel the need to speak.

I am approaching Kerbal Space Program 2 with very curbed, perhaps even absent enthusiasm.  As I look over game footage, something jumps out at me:  the polygon models of most of the parts are the same as they are in the original game.  New shaders are being implemented with new, massive textures.  The planets in the Kerbol System have received new visuals.  Effects have been overhauled and buffed.  The UI has either been completely rewritten, or significantly overhauled.  Visuals.  Visuals.  More Visuals.  This is what taxes a consumer PC.  Texture map size and image processing is the most intensive task of any video game.  Add a physics-based simulation on top of it, and well, things get heavy quickly.

Yet what are we actually getting for all of these taxes we are about to pay?  I personally have not seen anything that tells me there's any real fillet and potatoes to go with weighing the system down.  My priorities are probably different than most others':  I'm more gameplay-focused than visual-focused.  I watched the DailyAstronaut's video from the ESA event, and the higher-end gaming system he was afforded struggled with a simple moon mission because it was bogged down with all of the graphics.

Those of us who had initially purchased KSP for $5.00 when it was in alpha were promised by Harvester and his team that in return for backing them so early, we would receive any DLCs to come down the pipe, forever.  As soon as Take2 purchased the game, they announced the sequel, and immediately I felt I knew what was going on.  They had just purchased a title that had gone viral across the world, and now they wanted to extract as much value from it as they could.  The only way Take2 could get around Squad's promise was of course, to terminate the project and launch the sequel, KSP2.

Visuals.  Visuals.  More Visuals.  That's what KSP2 so far is.  Visuals are inexpensive, modeling and coding are not.  Metaphorically, they are applying lipstick and eyeshadow to a pig, and asking all of us to purchase a minimum viable product while dangling a carrot in front of us, a carrot we all have been waiting years and years for, since we started playing KSP in alpha:  Colonies, Interstellar, and Multiplayer.  The reason these features aren't ready to go on early access is because they require coding, one of those insanely time-consuming and expensive things, and they have yet to determine how much money they are going to pour into them.  They're waiting to see how early access sales perform before determining that number. 

With early access opening in less than twenty-four hours, I just want you all to be careful about your enthusiasm.  You're already made the choice, You're here to understand why you made it.  I'm not writing to dissuade any of you.  If I have given you something to think about, however, I am grateful.  My attitude towards this launch precludes me from investing in it, because I see it the same way I see most modern Hollywood sequels:  a money grab.  However, for those of you diving in head-first, Good Luck and Have Fun.

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19 minutes ago, SilverWolf said:

Visuals.  Visuals.  More Visuals.

Funny thing is.. even according to the recent official announcement regarding hardware requirements.. a major thing that was causing low fps was the resource delivery system. Yes.. just the engines pulling fuel from the tank. There's nothing visual about that.

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Worry not, eyes wide open.

I am not purchasing a finished product, but basically pre-ordering a game that will not be fully launched for perhaps years.

and enjoying early access, basically a beta, with lots of patches and upgrades to some.

Fully expecting to be tortured in the beginning, and grinning the whole way. 

 

 

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Knowing that the Hype Train thread will soon be coming to a close, I thought it best to say a few words on this KSP2 Eve.

I can't believe we're here, fellow Kerbonauts. While it's not how any of us envisioned it, it's still very exciting. Like @The Aziz, it may be awhile before I show up around the forums just so I can discover the Kerbolar system all by myself again just like I did all those years ago in KSP1. In the meantime,  @Pthigrivi, you're the man. And that's quite a compliment coming from a Civil Engineer. Your insights and opinions have always been level-headed while still saying it like it is. Kudos. @Vl3d, I don't know how many eye-rolls you initiated from the rest of us around the forums but it was entertaining nonetheless. Nothing wrong with sharing your wishes and desires. @Minmus Taster, I expect a new avatar picture real soon. You've got a fancy new Minmus to savor. @Bej Kerman, we clashed frequently for a while there, but I suspect we're actually quite similar. Perhaps a multiplayer session someday down the road is in order to see if I'm right. @Nirgal, I bet I can guess where you're headed first when you get to play. I hope it's everything you hoped for, if not now, then in the coming updates. And of course, gratitude and apologies to all the Mods that guarded over the Train for its years-long trek. What a ride, am I right? There are some other Hype Train passengers I could ping before we disembark, but I'll call it good for now because our first stop is rapidly approaching:

KSP2 0.1!

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9 minutes ago, Ahres said:

@Vl3d, I don't know how many eye-rolls you initiated from the rest of us around the forums but it was entertaining nonetheless. Nothing wrong with sharing your wishes and desires.

Actually, I think it would be a great idea to have underlined one-letter shortcuts in the Parts Manager menu. So we can just press Alt+<Key> for buttons and not roll our eyes or mouse around the screen. :sticktongue:

Edited by Vl3d
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So Long Hype Train, I still remember when this train reached 100 pages back in November of last year, but where here now after 3-ish years and the train is picking up its final passengers before we arrive at the long awaited KSP2 station all while still gaining hype and velocity :happy:.

 

Here's to KSP 2!

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