Underwater topography

[wpetula]

In KSP 1, the ocean floor terrain is generated using simple noise, which makes it a very boring place to explore. I know KSP is not Subnautica, but oceans without realistic, interesting land forms are a waste of space.  In KSP 2, do you think the developers are going to spruce up ocean topography? I would like to see some trenches and maybe coral reefs. And how about biomes? Ocean biomes could be based on depth or resources, giving the player a reason to explore.

[Kerminator K-100]

1 hour ago, wpetula said:

In KSP 1, the ocean floor terrain is generated using simple noise, which makes it a very boring place to explore. I know KSP is not Subnautica, but oceans without realistic, interesting land forms are a waste of space.  In KSP 2, do you think the developers are going to spruce up ocean topography? I would like to see some trenches and maybe coral reefs. And how about biomes? Ocean biomes could be based on depth or resources, giving the player a reason to explore.

I hope they do, but I wouldn't count on it. That seems like a level of detail that only ocean exploration games would go to. That does sound really cool though.

[Guest]

I'd love undersea biomes and proper undersea scenery. There's a lot of potential for gameplay there too, for example if some resources are only available in abundance in undersea biomes, or there's special science you can only do there, or similar. 

Still it is a significant amount of work and this is Kerbal Space Program, not Kerbal Sub Program... but one can only hope. I for one would love it.

[K^2]

It looks like they're kicking it up a notch with procedural generation. Even adding procedural rocks would add to the looks. On habitable planets, some vegetation and corals in the shallows should be easy enough to add for some interesting environments at reasonably low effort. And all of that would run on the same tech they're already measuring for Kerbin vegetation and, hopefully, vegetation on some other habitable planets.

[starcaptain]

Adding to what K^2 said, wherever coral formations appear,  making them more lively with some alien boids is something a mod could easily solve. 

[K^2]

45 minutes ago, starcaptain said:

some alien boids

Notably, if you don't mind occasional object clipping, which can be entirely obscured in a coral riff-like environment, boids can be done entirely in GPU, which is a big bonus for a game like KSP.

[wpetula]

21 hours ago, K^2 said:

It looks like they're kicking it up a notch with procedural generation. Even adding procedural rocks would add to the looks. On habitable planets, some vegetation and corals in the shallows should be easy enough to add for some interesting environments at reasonably low effort. And all of that would run on the same tech they're already measuring for Kerbin vegetation and, hopefully, vegetation on some other habitable planets.

In addition to vegetation and coral reefs, underwater volcanoes should be feasible to implement. Just add a small, rocky cone with a wispy black particle plume above it.  The plume would obscure the player's ship and the surrounding landscape. It could be used to conceal an easter egg (Kraken, cough, cough).

[theJesuit]

Why can't these things be added now using kopernicus?

[Thundy]

I'd love an entire update or DLC that's entirely underwater exploration.

[PlutoISaPlanet]

51 minutes ago, Thundy said:

I'd love an entire update or DLC that's entirely underwater exploration.

Same, I think as DLC it would be good. With new parts and stuff.

[Le Lynx]

For Layte, principaly.

And the others planet with seas.

[Poodmund]

15 hours ago, theJesuit said:

Why can't these things be added now using kopernicus?

They can... but more importantly in OP's perspective it just comes down to using heightmaps that actually have any kind of semblance of reality. You can generate fairly good looking underwater maps with free and existing tools: 

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Poodmund

[wpetula]

Planet pack concept: 

The player starts on the sole island of an ocean planet. The only way to gain science and explore the solar system is to first explore the homeworld's vast global ocean. The underwater terrain is extremely detailed and uses custom terrain scatters. Hazardous body and PQS mods are used to make diverse biomes with unique challenges.  KSP is not designed to be an underwater game, but I think this idea has potential. 

I would try this idea myself, but I am already working on a planet pack. 

[Wubslin]

3 hours ago, wpetula said:

Planet pack concept: 

The player starts on the sole island of an ocean planet. The only way to gain science and explore the solar system is to first explore the homeworld's vast global ocean. The underwater terrain is extremely detailed and uses custom terrain scatters. Hazardous body and PQS mods are used to make diverse biomes with unique challenges.  KSP is not designed to be an underwater game, but I think this idea has potential. 

I would try this idea myself, but I am already working on a planet pack. 

You're working on a planet pack? If you don't mind a complete outsider asking, how do those EVA report and surface sample blurbs work? You can only write one of each for every biome, right? Sometimes I'll get a new planet pack and every single one of those will be just "you've recorded your observations of the situation." This may sound weird but like a solid 50% of the enjoyment I get in scootering out that far into the solar system is just to read those unique blurbs. It always disappoints me when there aren't any "You feel like you should really get back to the ship" or "you pick up a smooth rock that looks like an egg" quotes.

[SpaceFace545]

Yeah, ksp is suprise a game about space so even though it would be cool I think that it would be useless for most players

[Lo.M]

25 minutes ago, SpaceFace545 said:

Yeah, ksp is suprise a game about space so even though it would be cool I think that it would be useless for most players

Submerged colonies, floating colonies, ocean crust mining, ocean exploration ...

[wpetula]

1 hour ago, Wubslin said:

You're working on a planet pack? If you don't mind a complete outsider asking, how do those EVA report and surface sample blurbs work? You can only write one of each for every biome, right? Sometimes I'll get a new planet pack and every single one of those will be just "you've recorded your observations of the situation." This may sound weird but like a solid 50% of the enjoyment I get in scootering out that far into the solar system is just to read those unique blurbs. It always disappoints me when there aren't any "You feel like you should really get back to the ship" or "you pick up a smooth rock that looks like an egg" quotes.

Developers can write one description for every science tool in every biome. For example, an EVA report in "the grasslands" can be different than an EVA report in "the mountains". Not all developers choose to do this, however.  If a customized science report is not given, KSP resorts to a default. "You've recorded your observations of the situation" is one of those defaults. 

[PlutoISaPlanet]

I want underwater stuff, it does not have to be crazy-but servicable.

[wpetula]

I've been working on a planet pack, and I wanted one of the celestial bodies to be focused on underwater exploration. Unfortunately, KSP gets really buggy and unpleasant when dealing with the ocean floor, so underwater topography and biomes might not be feasible after all. 

[Jack Mcslay]

I think that depends on how many planets will have liquid lakes and oceans on them. Only 3 planets on KSP1 have them, one of them being the home planet, and so far there none of the new planets announced seem to have it and it's not worth the effort for the moment, creating an entire set of parts suitable for submarines just for a few celestial bodies. Maybe in a post-launch update or DLC, but I don't hope to see it at launch.

[shdwlrd]

21 minutes ago, Jack Mcslay said:

I think that depends on how many planets will have liquid lakes and oceans on them. Only 3 planets on KSP1 have them, one of them being the home planet, and so far there none of the new planets announced seem to have it and it's not worth the effort for the moment, creating an entire set of parts suitable for submarines just for a few celestial bodies. Maybe in a post-launch update or DLC, but I don't hope to see it at launch.

Puff. This planet is either half ocean or a massive floating island. So it's safe to say there will be some parts to make floating/submerged colonies and parts to make boats and submersibles. (Plus why would there be a boat ramp on the new KSC they keep showing.)

[PlutoISaPlanet]

4 minutes ago, shdwlrd said:

Puff. This planet is either half ocean or a massive floating island. So it's safe to say there will be some parts to make floating/submerged colonies and parts to make boats and submersibles. (Plus why would there be a boat ramp on the new KSC they keep showing.)

I think boats will be like planes in ksp. They will be slowly integrated and expanded upon.

[Kernel Kraken]

I think just a few reef-type ocean plants and some cliffs would be sufficient. After all, it's an aerospace game. 

I'm saying that like I haven't build multiple battleships lol

[shdwlrd]

3 minutes ago, PlutoISaPlanet said:

I think boats will be like planes in ksp. They will be slowly integrated and expanded upon.

I believe that too. But in the beginning you only need a few parts to make watercraft and submersibles; a screw type engine, a ballast tank, and a pump. Maybe a specialized cockpit for it too.

[NPT156]

It would be cool to have fish, and some surface features to scan, like in breaking ground.