Insight on Mod Development Expectations

[Drakenred65]

Just now, GoldForest said:

You talking about the antenna that is actually a nuclear engine that can be used as an antenna? The one that uses lasers to detonate fusion pellets? That antenna? Because that would make a big pool indeed. 

No the one at KSP

[GoldForest]

4 minutes ago, [email protected] said:

No the one at KSP

Ah. I don't think the panels are water tight on those.

[Drakenred65]

2 hours ago, GoldForest said:

Ah. I don't think the panels are water tight on those.

Just needs more caulk and waterproofing, and a water recirculating pump….hmmm we may need to use some RTGs , make it a heated pool…..

[K^2]

21 hours ago, Laikanaut said:

I've been playing Surviving Mars which also uses LUA, I'm not familiar with this language but it looks fairly simple, and seems to enhance what is possible beyond the config file format, which would be great. But since the game is still Unity-based and they are using the same part module design I expect that C# will be necessary for any mods that change gameplay or enhance part functions in major ways.

We still don't know anything concrete, but from way back when the initial experiments with LUA were being mentioned, it sounded like the LUA hooks were being implemented with attributes. That would suggest that if we get LUA scripting in mods, you will have the full API access. There are likely to be mods that require deeper access, but I suspect that in most cases, the reason for going C# will have more to do with performance. You should have no trouble re-implementing robotics, MechJeb, and kOS in LUA. Though, again, performance might be a bit worse than on C# with these last two, depending on which LUA engine is used. We might still see mods that alter how the terrain generation works, etc, which would almost definitely require plugins, but given how much more comprehensive KSP2 is compared to KSP, these might be pretty niche.

So again, we don't know much. But if implemented properly, and LUA script sharing is well integrated into multiplayer and something like Steam Workshop, I can see LUA scripting being by far the dominant way the KSP2 mods are made.

[K^2]

18 minutes ago, Laikanaut said:

I learnt the basics of making C# mods for KSP using the tutorial. Is it worth looking into Surviving Mars LUA mods, to become familiar with the creation process, if this could be similar in KSP 2?

Even with Lua, I expect KSP2's modding API to be more similar to that of KSP. If you are comfortable with KSP modding and Unity programming in general, I think you're as prepared as you're going to be. If you haven't played with Unity at all, maybe do so, as some of the things KSP2 API is likely to expose is just going to be wrappers around Unity functionality. That'd be stuff like part animation and maybe some physics access. If you know how to work with these in Unity, you'll probably have very easy time picking them up in KSP2 whether with Lua or C# interface.

The only value of looking at other games that use Lua for scripting is if you want to get some practice with Lua itself. In which case, don't worry about a game being in any way similar. I'm not a big fan of Roblox' monetization tactics and some of the internal policies (some of it kind of personal), but it is a good and absolutely free Lua sandbox with a powerful game engine attached to it. So in terms of getting some free-form Lua practice, it's not a bad option. That said, there's a lot to be said about enjoying the game you're working on, so if you like Surviving Mars and have ideas of what to try for modding experiments, go for it. It's hard to go wrong with these things, unless you're just having a bad time of it.

Other than that, though, I think KSP2 modding API is likely to be its own thing, and for the most part we'll all be starting from the ground floor on it. Some people will have an easier time catching up on it based on previous experience, but then I expect that community will be helpful enough to get anyone interested up to speed.