KSP mobile game/app

[Master006]

Maybe with only Kerbin and its moons, decent graphics and else?

[TeslaPenguin1]

A mobile VAB would be nice. You could import the gamedata folder so you could have all of the mods too.

[ItsBentacular]

PEOPLE in 2018 we have phones with 4K graphics and they can play games that most computers can. Heck, We have kerbal space program on Xbox now!

[sumghai]

[MOD - Moved to Suggestions & Development Discussion subforums]

@ItsBentacular, the issue with KSP on mobile isn't so much 4K graphics, but rather, CPU physics. This is because KSP's physX implementation is based on the CPU rather than GPU, and mobile CPUs are generally inferior compared to those found in most laptop/desktop PCs. A mobile port of KSP would most likely require a heavily stripped-down featureset and limited physics, which wouldn't be as enjoyable as the full-fledged PC game.

Games like Fortnite and PUBG don't require as much physics simulation as KSP, and so are easier to port to mobile.

[ItsBentacular]

1 minute ago, sumghai said:

[MOD - Moved to Suggestions & Development Discussion subforums]

@ItsBentacular, the issue with KSP on mobile isn't so much 4K graphics, but rather, CPU physics. This is because KSP's physX implementation is based on the CPU rather than GPU, and mobile CPUs are generally inferior compared to those found in most laptop/desktop PCs. A mobile port of KSP would most likely require a heavily stripped-down featureset and limited physics, which wouldn't be as enjoyable as the full-fledged PC game.

Games like Fortnite and PUBG don't require as much physics simulation as KSP, and so are easier to port to mobile.

So basically different physic engines and power so on mobile it would be chunky?

[Tyko]

Anyone asking for KSP to be ported to another platform should really read back through all the threads related to the console ports. The console ports have had a checkered past. They have their own unique bugs, their own UI issues and they're several releases behind desktop (and probably always will be).

Even if the technical considerations could be overcome you'd still want to ask if you're willing to accept that you'll likely always be third in line in the fight for Squad resources - I'm not saying this is right or wrong or fair or unfair, I'm just looking back at several years of history with current platforms.

 

Edited November 26, 2018 by Tyko

[qzgy]

On 11/24/2018 at 10:22 PM, ItsBentacular said:

So basically different physic engines and power so on mobile it would be chunky?

Sort of? The issues isn't the physics engine itself (although it probably contributes to how smooth or clunky stuff acts), its that KSP is very physics intensive. There are calculations for aerodynamics, impact, stress, heat, projectile motion, and more, on a part by part basis. Doing all of these on a phone with less CPU power to afford is quite difficult. You can strip it down as sumghai said, but it wouldn't be the full experience.

Not to mention also that KSP by itself uses probably regularly about half the keyboard for actual interactions, so transferring those controls while possible is going to be difficult. Then you will eventually run into limitations for screen space which on smaller devices is going to be a nightmare because of Fat Finger Syndrome.

[TheJoolian]

When I saw the SimpleRockets 2 trailer for the Play Store and support for Android and iOS, I was thinking, "Well, this could probably be good for KSP. It could have support for Android and iOS as well." If you ever have the project of putting Kerbal Space Program for Android and iOS it should be like this:

-Use recent version 1.7.3 Breaking Ground DLC

-Have functionality with weak phones

 

-Without microtransictions

 

-To be free for playing

And some things ...

Probably thinking about it after this one. Just to make an impression on the community.

Edited September 27, 2019 by TheJoolian

[RealKerbal3x]

@TheJoolian I'm not sure this would really work. I reckon SR2 was coded from the ground up with mobile devices in mind, while KSP was not. Bearing that in mind, the number of complex physics calculations that would be necessary would probably cause serious issues on some older devices.

People have asked for a Nintendo Switch version of the game for a long time, and the response has generally been the same. Mobile phones and tablets really aren't designed for the complicated physics simulation of KSP.

Edited September 27, 2019 by RealKerbal3x

[Piper]

Personally, I would love some type of "Vehicle Assembly Building" app that simply had all the ship building capability of the game so you could design ships/aircraft/probes/anything while you are about.  I don't know how many times I've gotten an idea in my head while at work or on the bus and had to wait all day till I got back home and was able to try to make it work.  This way you could design different iterations while you are out, and fly them once you get home.  A secondary app like this would also be a great home for KSPedia as well.

[RealKerbal3x]

Just now, Piper said:

Personally, I would love some type of "Vehicle Assembly Building" app that simply had all the ship building capability of the game so you could design ships/aircraft/probes/anything while you are about.  I don't know how many times I've gotten an idea in my head while at work or on the bus and had to wait all day till I got back home and was able to try to make it work.  This way you could design different iterations while you are out, and fly them once you get home.  A secondary app like this would also be a great home for KSPedia as well.

This would be nice, but a lot of people play with a bunch of part mods. I wonder how that would work.

[pandaman]

Personally i doubt whether a worthwhile VAB type app would be viable for mobiles unfortunately.  Apa

Apart from any device capability issues i could see it being very fiddly to use due to the relative screen/finger sizes.  But i am happy to be proved wrong on this.

A standalone mission planner and KSPedia app could be useful though.  There were a couple of unofficial planner type apps, but haven't deen them recently.

 

[Gargamel]

Seeing as we've had a number of these threads in the Suggestions forums before, We'll be moving it there. 

[The Aziz]

17 hours ago, TheJoolian said:

 

-Have functionality with weak phones

-Without microtransictions

-To be free for playing

 

1)have you seen minimal requirements for KSP? Now what are the average specs of those weak phones you're talking about?

2+3 combined means ads. Lots of them, and even that won't be profitable.

Not to mention the architecture differences - which means rewriting the whole game, only to work under ARM architecture. You tried playing this game with integrated GPU? Because that's what you get in a mobile.

 

Tl;dr the answer is no.

[Andrei Azamfirei]

Talking about simplerockets, SimpleRockets 2 mobile is out now, and it really works! The only problem is that it still needs a lot of updates as it is the first,or second version... That means that maybe a KSP mobile could be posible... or even a KSP 2 mobile!

[Gargamel]

Overlapping threads have been merged.   Please, do not bump old dead threads when there is an equally applicable thread on the front page of the sub-forum. 

[ShanJ]

It would be nice tohave Kerbal Space Program in mobile if you cant fit in the controls y not do it in a tablet or for more space and spec y not an ipad??