Hotfix Summer

[Scarecrow71]

11 minutes ago, The Aziz said:

If management was hostile I'd leave that crappy company and never looked back.

Ah, if only I didn't have bills and a wife who literally needs insurance.

[RaBDawG]

On 6/30/2023 at 4:55 PM, Nate Simpson said:

Good afternoon, intrepid Kerbonauts!

Lots of stuff to talk about today! As many of you know, a couple of new bugs were introduced with last week’s v0.1.3.0 patch. The most significant of these bugs relates to a loss of atmospheric drag (and physics in general) when capsules are decoupled. For the first time ever, we issued a hotfix to correct that issue yesterday morning.

Yesterday’s v0.1.3.1 hotfix also contained a fix for a VAB bug in which fairing editor UI elements were drawing on top of one another.

We discovered after yesterday’s hotfix that people were unable to launch the game outside of the Private Division launcher. This was not intentional, and has been fixed — due to a configuration error on our end, we accidentally included Steam’s built-in DRM. KSP2 is DRM-free, just like KSP1. The fixed update was pushed to Steam this morning. Sorry for the headache!

We’re testing a second hotfix (timing TBD) that corrects the blurry navball issue. And because we’re sneaky little devils, we’re also doing some testing around a fix for the SOI transition trajectory bug. If these fixes prove stable and low-risk, we’ll release a second hotfix. Fingers crossed! The work that’s gone into the SOI transition issue — number 2 on our top-ten most wanted bugs list — deserves a special mention. Engineers David Tregoning, Mark Jones, and Shalma Wegsman put in colossal efforts to both track down the cause of the issue and to craft a solution. This one has been a long time coming, and it’s great to be able to knock such a big item off the list.

The credit for the fast turnaround on all the latest fixes goes to a well-coordinated joint effort between engineers, production, and QA. We’re still learning as we go, but things are feeling good.

Bugs: The Next Generation

Based on the Bug Reports subforum, these are the community’s 10 most-upvoted bugs:

1. Orbital Decay [25 votes]
2. Incorrect Maneuver on Inclination Change [10 votes]
3. Cannot Change Craft/Vessel Name in Tracking Station [9 votes]
4. AIRBRAKES Deploying on Roll [9 votes]
5. Camera Resets Position Map View [8 votes]
6. Graphic Glitches on AMD [8 votes]
7. Engine Sound Effects Not Playing [7 votes]
8. Cannot Change Symmetry While Holding Strut [7 votes]
9. Center of Mass/Thrust/Pressure Vectors sitting on VAB Floor [6 votes]
10. UI Artifacting [6 votes]

Note: Navball Blurry [18 votes] and SOI Trajectory Line Issues [18 votes] have been left out of the above list since we're considering them for the second hotfix.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit bugs in the subforum. Even if you don’t have a new issue to report, your upvotes help us determine the relative priority of the bugs that have already been posted. While we investigate the bugs above, two other non-feature items also feature in our top ten:

• Rockets are still too wobbly
• SAS causes runaway pitch oscillation for aircraft in flight

Lots to do! Thanks again for submitting such detailed and well-documented bug reports. It’s going to be a busy month!

Art Director Kristina Ness AMA

Did you catch our Art Director’s AMA yesterday? She was asked lots of interesting questions, many of which ranged well beyond the domain of art. She gave fantastic and detailed answers, and if you missed the stream, it’s definitely worth watching here. With the help of streaming-wizard Dakota, she even got to show off some visuals as well! You can find a transcript of the AMA here as well. Thanks, Ness!

KSP2 Steam Sale

This is the second week of Private Division’s 20% off sale for KSP2, which ends on July 13th. If you’ve got any friends who you think might enjoy the last little bit of heat-free reentry during Early Access, now’s a great time to tell them about the sale!

Weekly Challenge

Last week’s Jool 5 challenge produced some of the coolest, most ambitious craft designs we’ve seen in KSP2. Check out this absolute unit from DarlesChickens:

Or this beauty from Razorback:

And here’s a unique one from Tr1gonometry:

We know that in the Wobbly Rocket Era, missions of this kind can be extra challenging. Kudos to everybody who braved the bugs and slipped the surly bonds of Kerbin regardless!

This week’s challenge? You’re putting on an air show! Build a maneuverable stunt plane and show off your fancy flying skills. Buzz the tower! Under the bridge! Do some barrel rolls! To get specific:

• Primary goal: Fly an inside loop, an Immelmann turn, and a split-s turn
• Secondary goal: Fly an outside loop, a barrel roll, and a hammerhead stall turn
• Jeb-level goal: Fly under the R&D Bridge as fast as you can
• Val-level goal: Fly under the parking garage bridges (from the water), under the R&D bridge, and then back through the parking bridges
• Tim C-level goal: Fly a loop arouund the R&D bridge so that you pass under it twice in one maneuver

Don’t forget to wear your G-suit — you’re about generate some wing loads that’ll make your crew chief very grumpy! While your screenshots are always welcome, video capture will be the best way to show off your maneuvering prowess. Good luck!

Summer Changes

Now that summer’s here, with all its vacation-related comings and goings, I’ll be letting other parts of our team handle forum posting for a while. In the coming month, you’ll still see the following on the forums:

• Bug report updates
• More AMAs
• Challenges

In addition, we’ll be uploading more gameplay clips to our social channels.

I’ll still be lurking both here and on Discord, so you’ll see me in the comments from time to time. We’ve got a lot of good momentum coming off the last update and we’re already making great headway on the next one. I’m looking forward to sharing our progress with you soon.

Did this dude seriously just say they are taking vacation lol?  WHAT

On 6/30/2023 at 5:21 PM, Dakota said:

Hah, I brought this up when we were trying to figure out the title for this one. "Hotfix Summer" is just a joke related to the phrase "hotgirl summer," and does not imply that additional hotfixes are coming past the second one mentioned above.

Development will continue even without the weekly "upnates," so the hope is that the next one of these you see from Nate will have lots of new and exciting things to talk about.

HA, so no more hotfixes and you are all taking a vacation for the summer?  JFC.

[Datau03]

On 6/30/2023 at 10:55 PM, Nate Simpson said:

 

In addition, we’ll be uploading more gameplay clips to our social channels.

 

What about some gameplay clips of WIP stuff like science or even interstellar, colonies and multiplayer? That would be really cool!

[Periple]

31 minutes ago, RaBDawG said:

HA, so no more hotfixes and you are all taking a vacation for the summer?  JFC.

I’m also in gamedev and I’m also on vacation! 

What do you think would happen if IG canceled vacations? I think some people would just quit and go work somewhere else that treats them like human beings, and everybody that was left would be tired and demotivated and not care anymore, and that would NOT make the game better!

[MechBFP]

It’s sad some people have such little disregard for other people. I think some people think this software is going to be used to save people from the moon or something and so it is absolutely critical to worked on 24/7, yeesh.

[pmborg]

6 hours ago, pipe said:

Here's to hoping we see the same in-game!

yes, true but at least for me i got 100fps of speed upgrade was nice.

the worst thing for me is the rocket vab editor how it can be so limited? compared with ksp1, like move camera up and down and the camera is never where i want so its a nightmare for me

[Redneck]

18 hours ago, Periple said:

Would you be happy with “I have no idea” as an answer? 

There are a few people there who would be able to give you educated guesses with an emphasis on “guesses.” How do you think you and the community would react if they said “six weeks” and then it turned out to be two months?

What kind of answer to the “why was it released” question do you think would satisfy you? 

In any AMA questions need to be curated. Some of them will be directed at the wrong person: you can’t expect an artist to answer engineering questions, or an engineer to answer publishing questions. Some will be repetition. Some will be unanswerable. Some will be just trolling.

I’d like to see less hostility from the fans. I’d change it by tolerating less of it. Connections go both ways and if you’ve got half the audience ready to use anything you say against you it’s not really conducive to a relaxed, open chat.

I think by now IG are doing great given the circumstances and don’t see anything much they need to change in the way they communicate. They’ve improved a LOT over the past months — as has the game. And the atmosphere will continue to improve as the game gets better, although I expect there will always be a few loud people who won’t put down their pitchforks no matter what!

 

ok so the question @Dakotaasked me was "As the one who has been championing these and produced the new video version, what would make you want to tune in?" And i gave my answer.  If you disagree with my answer thats fine. But I am not the topic here. @Dakotawas asking how the AMA could be improved or changed for someone with my views would tune in. Again this isnt about me but me trying to give @Dakotasome insight. So I am trying to help by answering the question. Your comments have been noted and thank you for your reply

11 hours ago, Scarecrow71 said:

Agreed...but I'll take it a step further and say I'd like to see less hostility from the fans towards other fans who don't share the same opinion.

NOW this statement right here......BRAVO @Scarecrow71well said! We are all entitled to our opinions. They are just that opinions. No wrong or right answer.

[MechBFP]

You are allowed to have your opinion, you are not allowed to be free from any criticism for having it. And if virtually the entire community is calling out your opinion, then maybe you should consider why that is, hopefully without restoring to logic fallacies like the shill gambit, etc. 

Edited July 3, 2023 by MechBFP

[Scarecrow71]

1 hour ago, MechBFP said:

You are allowed to have your opinion, you are not allowed to be free from any criticism for having it.

Well, that's partially correct.  Respectful criticism is fine.  The way some of these conversations go...not so much.

[Westinghouse]

On 7/1/2023 at 3:08 PM, Dakota said:

As the one who has been championing these and produced the new video version, what would make you want to tune in?

Honestly, we did it because we think Ness is great and wanted her to have a platform to talk about her art and how things work behind-the-scenes - not really for any PR reason.

@Dakota, I wasn't the poster who called it 'PR fluff', but it definitely came off a little too stage managed. My suggestions for the next would  be to 1) have someone other than an Intercept Games employee moderating and asking the questions, and 2) do the talk while the subject of the session is playing the current build of the  game live.

Here's an interview Scott Manley did years ago with the developers of KSP1 - Talking With The Developers Of Kerbal Space Program At GDC 2014 - YouTube

It's certainly not perfect - you can see the Squad Community Manager hovering awkwardly in the background recording the session, and the devs are a bit guarded at times talking about upcoming features in the game (ion engine thrust and acceleration under timewarp it appears were still being discussed).  But by having an independent journalist or fan asking the questions does give it a better feel of authenticity.

With 1), obviously I get why you would instinctively want to keep control of the process as much as possible. But remember - the person doing the AMA can always answer "no comment" or "I'm not sure about the answer to that" if a question comes up that might be outside of their remit. 

And 2), the part about seeing the developers playing the game live, we really haven't seen enough of this throughout KSP2's development history - we've instead been seeing a bit too much of screengrabs, still images, pre-rendered trailers, storyboards etc. Even the art director here loading up some of her creations in the VAB would have been much nicer to see.

 

[The Aziz]

Yeah but that's just it, it's them who are hosting the AMA, and want to have as many questions as possible answered. There's no time for "can't say anything about it".

Leave 3rd party interview sessions for 3rd party conferences or gaming events and whatnot.

Besides, that bloody "are you happy with the state of the game" question appears every time, is answered every time and every time people are disappointed with the positive answer. Are y'all waiting for someone from the team to step in and say straight into the camera "no, it's crap and shouldn't be out"? 

[RocketRockington]

1 hour ago, Westinghouse said:

2) do the talk while the subject of the session is playing the current build of the  game live.

I have a lot of doubts many of their team plays the game.  Chris and Nate yes.  QA yes.  Former Squad members sure.  The rest?  Kinda doubt it.

[jost]

13 hours ago, Scarecrow71 said:

Ah, if only I didn't have bills and a wife who literally needs insurance.

Well, the IG and T2 staff has too. So it's no wonder they don't want to risk their job by appeasing people who wants them to "defend their honor" "admitting the game is crap" etc pp.  Obviouvsly the communication and development is doing the way the managment wants. That doesn't mean it's perfect or even good. But it's in line with the people paying the checks. Thus it's kind of pointless to expect from developers/community managers/designers etc to do things the community (or the angry parts of it) want but not the people paying for the gig. If these people (aka investors) would like a different approach we would have it. It's a pity we havn't but I don't blame the workers that they won't risk their job on it.

Edited July 3, 2023 by jost

[jost]

13 hours ago, Periple said:

I’m also in gamedev and I’m also on vacation! 

What do you think would happen if IG canceled vacations? I think some people would just quit and go work somewhere else that treats them like human beings, and everybody that was left would be tired and demotivated and not care anymore, and that would NOT make the game better!

Especially if we consider that the USA has one of the lowest vacation times in western countries.  Last time I looked up the states had 10 public holidays (like 4th June) and  the average  companys at least give 10 PTOs (please correct me If I'm wrong). Most european states have at least 20, I live in Germany and we have 20 vacation days per year (for five workdays per week), 24 days for six workdays per week. And we are still getting payed when we are sick.  Many employers (my included) even give more regular vacation days (30 days per year is quite common, this is what I have). 

Anybody who really wants the KSP2 developers to "work hardcore" ala twitter under Musk should be happy that KSP2 ist developed in the states and under it's broken labour relations law otherwise they would have even more days off (and I would be quite happy for them if they have!).

[Alexoff]

2 hours ago, jost said:

Anybody who really wants the KSP2 developers to "work hardcore" ala twitter under Musk should be happy that KSP2 ist developed in the states and under it's broken labour relations law otherwise they would have even more days off

Time spent at work is not equivalent to the amount of work done. If all the previous 6 years from 30 to 60 people have been developing KSP2 with traditional American diligence, then it is difficult to understand why the results were so modest.

[MechBFP]

3 hours ago, Alexoff said:

Time spent at work is not equivalent to the amount of work done. If all the previous 6 years from 30 to 60 people have been developing KSP2 with traditional American diligence, then it is difficult to understand why the results were so modest.

Now we are up to 6 years? In only a few short months from now the work on KSP 2 will have started 10 years ago. 

Edited July 3, 2023 by MechBFP

[jost]

3 hours ago, Alexoff said:

Time spent at work is not equivalent to the amount of work done. If all the previous 6 years from 30 to 60 people have been developing KSP2 with traditional American diligence, then it is difficult to understand why the results were so modest.

Correct it's not equivalent. For this reason "Oh now how dare they to have vacations!"  is not a good argument.

Edited July 3, 2023 by jost

[Alexoff]

6 hours ago, MechBFP said:

Now we are up to 6 years? In only a few short months from now the work on KSP 2 will have started 10 years ago.

When did work on KSP2 begin? The KSP franchise was purchased in May 2017, at the end of the year, Private Division was spun off from T2 specifically to work with indie studios. By August 2019, KSP2 was already playable in many ways, there was already a multiplayer! So in a few months the game will be in development for 6 years and a few months. Or how much really? Five and a half years? Are there any facts? Of course, we can ask Nate, but I'm afraid he won't answer.

[RocketRockington]

8 hours ago, MechBFP said:

Now we are up to 6 years? In only a few short months from now the work on KSP 2 will have started 10 years ago. 

If KSP2 devs can turn releasing a full game soon to releasing an EA 4 years later, then yes, it will be 10 years 'soon'.  Maybe we'll have progress on the roadmap soon too.

[almagnus1]

Fix the floppy rockets!

[The Aziz]

3 hours ago, Alexoff said:

By August 2019, KSP2 was already playable in many ways,

[MechBFP]

1 hour ago, The Aziz said:

Shows a tech demo “this game was totally playable!” Release the actual game “this is just a tech demo!” 

[RocketRockington]

27 minutes ago, MechBFP said:

Shows a tech demo “this game was totally playable!” Release the actual game “this is just a tech demo!” 

 I don't think you're owning the people you're quoting quite the way you think you are.

[Alexoff]

7 hours ago, MechBFP said:

Shows a tech demo “this game was totally playable!” Release the actual game “this is just a tech demo!” 

So when did the creation of KSP2 begin? Physics was already working in that demo, rockets could fly, there were planets. Or are you just here to laugh?

[Yakuzi]

On 7/3/2023 at 2:50 PM, MechBFP said:

Now we are up to 6 years? In only a few short months from now the work on KSP 2 will have started 10 years ago. 

 

4 hours ago, Alexoff said:

So when did the creation of KSP2 begin? Physics was already working in that demo, rockets could fly, there were planets. Or are you just here to laugh?

 

"Star Theory began work on KSP2 in 2017, after Take-Two purchased the rights to the popular flight sim game from another independent studio, Squad." - source

"In 2017, Star Theory began working with Take-Two on its most high-profile project." - source

 

So at the time of the EA launch KSP2 had been in development well over 5 years, even if work on KSP2 started on the 31st of December 2017.

EDIT: If work started a couple of months after Take Two acquired the KSP intellectual property in May 2017, then today we're looking at ~6 years since KSP2 development started.

Edited July 4, 2023 by Yakuzi