KSP2 EA Grand Discussion Thread.

[Kerbart]

7 hours ago, The Aziz said:

Future looks brighter than I thought.

You're saying there's a system with an A-type star in the works?

[The Aziz]

2 hours ago, Periple said:

I think there’s room for loads more! There are just so many different kinds of things out there that have or might have planets!

 Red dwarfs, white dwarfs, close-orbiting binaries, distant binaries, triple stars, neutron stars, black holes, rogue planets, young stars, dying stars, blue giants, stars in nebulas, and so on and so on. I think the game could have dozens and not get repetitive!

Aside from binary/trinary systems, the only differences between those are visuals and gravitational pull. It's what around those stars that matters. Get those dozens, multiply by dozens, and try to not be repetitive and create them at decent pace without crunching.

[Periple]

24 minutes ago, The Aziz said:

Aside from binary/trinary systems, the only differences between those are visuals and gravitational pull. It's what around those stars that matters. Get those dozens, multiply by dozens, and try to not be repetitive and create them at decent pace without crunching.

Well that’s true for many of the planets we already have. Other than visuals, orbits, and physical characteristics, Mun, Ike, Dres, Eeloo, and Moho are pretty similar. Even so I think that campaigns and resource flows could be really different depending on what’s in the solar system and where.

I think adding star systems as free DLC would be  a great way to keep the game going and maintain interest in it. It’ll also help a lot with Steam placement (it favors games that get frequent updates over “catalog” games). Three systems is plenty to start with, I just think there’s room for loads more.

[Superfluous J]

I just made a huge mistake in the game (staged away a probe with 0 fuel in it before transferring fuel to it, with no way to re-connect) so I loaded the last quicksave before that.

...which was during ascent.

...in atmosphere.

...with a throttled-down engine.

And it loaded perfectly.

There's no mind-blown kemoji so

[tstein]

I played  a few hours yesterday  and I reached another point where I  feel compelled to stop playing and wait.  While the game  improved a lot the usability in space is  so vastly inferior to KSP1 that  I cannot continue. 

1- Cannot set maneuver nodes inside SOI of other bodies

2-  Cannot cycle  easily focus on other bodies

3- No detailed maneuver node adjustment tools (makes planning missions a pain)

4 -no Warp to  enter/leave SOI

5 - No way to disable directional SAS (make it  just keep ship stable) without disable and re-enable it completely) (btw the  new SAS indication is vastly worse than the classic one, uses too much space for nothing)

6-> no fuel priorities control. Make very hard to make smart  ships that can  keep discarding  parts here and there for  economy.

7- While I know it is an intentional decision, I still feel as the game lost so much  without economics. Even exploration  now is basically an exercise of  make it bigger, never of make it smarter. I have lost one of the main reasons to try to tweak and improve my designs.

These stuff make playing a struggle and nullify any chance of fun (when compared to KSP1). I hope improvements on  navigation are made in the near future.

 

The number of bugs reduced drastically and that is a very good thing, but   the game needs some fixing on "conceptuzalization bugs".

Edited December 22, 2023 by tstein

[Superfluous J]

45 minutes ago, tstein said:

1- Cannot set maneuver nodes inside SOI of other bodies

You "kind of" can, if you set them on the wavy-line orbit in the main body's SOI. yes it's a pain but you *can* do it.

45 minutes ago, tstein said:

2-  Cannot cycle  easily focus on other bodies

Not the best answer, but there's a mod for that.

45 minutes ago, tstein said:

3- No detailed maneuver node adjustment tools (makes planning missions a pain)

This is my biggest gripe. Agreed 100% that maneuver nodes need to be easier to tweak exactly. I expect there will be a mod for THAT soon as well.

45 minutes ago, tstein said:

4 -no Warp to  enter/leave SOI

There is! You can right click on the SOI change icons and warp to there.

45 minutes ago, tstein said:

5 - No way to disable directional SAS (make it  just keep ship stable) without disable and re-enable it completely) (btw the  new SAS indication is vastly worse than the classic one, uses too much space for nothing)

I miss "F" as well but "T-T" works.

45 minutes ago, tstein said:

6-> no fuel priorities control. Make very hard to make smart  ships that can  keep discarding  parts here and there for  economy.

Agreed. KSP1 worked (mostly) flawlessly for this though it did take them several tries.

45 minutes ago, tstein said:

7- While I know it is an intentional decision, I still feel as the game lost so much  without economics. Even exploration  now is basically an exercise of  make it bigger, never of make it smarter. I have lost one of the main reasons to try to tweak and improve my designs.

I agree technically with this, but we're comparing an incomplete game with a complete one. You can't say KSP2 is lacking because we're only seeing about 1/5th of KSP2. Of COURSE it's lacking.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Superfluous J
Whew, edit-a-palooza is over.

[tstein]

Yes I realize  it is still an incomplete game. Just pointing things that prevent me from  having a long dedicated experience with it and make me return to KSP1.  KSP2  will be a success when very little people have a reason to return to KSP1 and  quality of life stuff  is a good part of it.

[Mutex]

55 minutes ago, Superfluous J said:

This is my biggest gripe. Agreed 100% that maneuver nodes need to be easier to tweak exactly. I expect there will be a mod for THAT soon as well.

The manoeuvre node planner also needs to be a separate window, rather than attached to the orbit point, so you can adjust your manoeuvre while looking at the planet you're going to. So many times I've not been able to see both the planet I'm going to and the node adjustment controls, and if I can see them, sometimes because of the angle I can't actually select the right axis to change - I keep clicking on normal when I want prograde for example.

It's so simple to just have the controls in a separate window. And anyone who has tried to fly to another planet while both have realised this problem, and the obvious solution to it. It's like... the UI person only tested going to the Mun and back. That's the only situation the tools are suitable for. I know Nate said a transfer planner is in the works to allow us to travel to planets without using online tools to look up phase angles, hopefully they're planning to make the manoeuvre node planner useable at the same time.

[tstein]

9 minutes ago, Mutex said:

The manoeuvre node planner also needs to be a separate window, rather than attached to the orbit point, so you can adjust your manoeuvre while looking at the planet you're going to. So many times I've not been able to see both the planet I'm going to and the node adjustment controls, and if I can see them, sometimes because of the angle I can't actually select the right axis to change - I keep clicking on normal when I want prograde for example.

It's so simple to just have the controls in a separate window. And anyone who has tried to fly to another planet while both have realised this problem, and the obvious solution to it. It's like... the UI person only tested going to the Mun and back. That's the only situation the tools are suitable for. I know Nate said a transfer planner is in the works to allow us to travel to planets without using online tools to look up phase angles, hopefully they're planning to make the manoeuvre node planner useable at the same time.

That a thousand times. I agree that very likely the interface  was tested only within the kerbin  SOI. To make a  transfer, specially an assisted one is hellish hard with the interface we have now. I would say so frustrating that  it stops being a game and it becomes a fight against the interface.

[The Aziz]

6 hours ago, Periple said:

visuals, orbits, and physical characteristics

And this is the meat of it. The visuals make you want to see more what's below the horizon. The different orbits, inclinations, tilts, surface features, atmospheres or lack of them, give you different challenges for each one. We've already got 16 of these. Do three times more that, even slightly smaller and we're at 40 different destinations, each one unique. That is a lot for partly handmade planet-sized destinations. 

But main bodies in the system? They're virtually differently colored spots that generate gravity (read as: dictate the speeds at which planets go around them). Can't land even on a brown dwarf so it will always be just an inaccessible sphere in the sky.

[tstein]

4 minutes ago, The Aziz said:

And this is the meat of it. The visuals make you want to see more what's below the horizon. The different orbits, inclinations, tilts, surface features, atmospheres or lack of them, give you different challenges for each one. We've already got 16 of these. Do three times more that, even slightly smaller and we're at 40 different destinations, each one unique. That is a lot for partly handmade planet-sized destinations. 

But main bodies in the system? They're virtually differently colored spots that generate gravity (read as: dictate the speeds at which planets go around them). Can't land even on a brown dwarf so it will always be just an inaccessible sphere in the sky.

Unless you add oceans and  underwater compelx exploration where you can  find treasure chests hidden by space pirates!

[Scarecrow71]

1 hour ago, tstein said:

Unless you add oceans and  underwater compelx exploration where you can  find treasure chests hidden by space pirates!

Sounds like a mod to me!

[Superfluous J]

4 hours ago, Mutex said:

It's so simple to just have the controls in a separate window

It is, but KSP1 didn't have one until version 1.17, in 2019.  Most of us used Precise Node so it FEELS like it's had it all along.

[Sea_Kerman]

7 hours ago, Superfluous J said:

This is my biggest gripe. Agreed 100% that maneuver nodes need to be easier to tweak exactly. I expect there will be a mod for THAT soon as well.

There is. https://spacedock.info/mod/3270/Maneuver Node Controller

[Mutex]

2 hours ago, Superfluous J said:

It is, but KSP1 didn't have one until version 1.17, in 2019.  Most of us used Precise Node so it FEELS like it's had it all along.

I think you mean 1.11 or 1.12? But yes, Precise Node was one of my literally-can't-play-the-game-without mods along with KER for a very long time, I think I still used it after they added that panel because they couldn't quite bring themselves to make it as useful and useable as Precise Node. Making manoeuvre nodes in KSP1 was bad enough that it's kinda shocking they made it worse in KSP2, when starting from scratch.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Mutex

[Wheehaw Kerman]

5 hours ago, tstein said:

Unless you add oceans and  underwater compelx exploration where you can  find treasure chests hidden by space pirates!

…and by space pirates you mean “your friends in multiplayer”?  Soooo looking forward to multiplayer.

[Pthigrivi]

So after a very long week wrapping things at work for the holiday I was able to tinker around getting KSP running on my Mac and IT WORKS!! YEEHOO! First time in months I've actually been able to play. Absolutely psyched. 

Edit: oh and lest people misinterpret Im running it on windows using Parallels. Im just happy it works on my machine finally

Edited December 23, 2023 by Pthigrivi

[Superfluous J]

8 hours ago, Mutex said:

I think you mean 1.11 or 1.12?

Dunno. I went by the release notes as I can't remember.

[cocoscacao]

Well... it's been almost a year. I'm approaching Duna for the first time in 0.2 update. The soundtrack is still epic. If anyone asked me how much would I care about music in this game, I'd say 0%. It's all about the rockets... Damn, I was wrong.

[Wheehaw Kerman]

13 hours ago, cocoscacao said:

Well... it's been almost a year. I'm approaching Duna for the first time in 0.2 update. The soundtrack is still epic. If anyone asked me how much would I care about music in this game, I'd say 0%. It's all about the rockets... Damn, I was wrong.

First time I got to Duna I turned the UI off and just savoured the view and the soundtrack for a long time.  Mostrom hammered it out of the park.

[Pthigrivi]

I've been working my way pretty slowly and deliberately through 0.2 taking notes, and among my "this is awesome" category the sound and music remains consistently high. Lighting also is 100% better in the last update. I think there are lots and lots of opportunities for refinement and improvement but overall the tone, pacing, scaling, and core basics are in really, really good shape. 

Edited December 31, 2023 by Pthigrivi

[Jaypeg]

1 hour ago, Pthigrivi said:

I've been working my way pretty slowly and deliberately through 0.2 taking notes, and among my "this is awesome" category the sound and music remains consistently high. Lighting also is 100% better in the last update. I think there are lots and lots of opportunities for refinement and improvement but overall the tone, pacing, scaling, and core basics are in really, really good shape. 

100%

[tremonthedgehog]

I am greatly enjoying 0.2, but when do you think colonies will be added? My estimation would be end of summer next year based off how long it took them to release 0.2

Edited January 1 by tremonthedgehog

[The Aziz]

3 hours ago, tremonthedgehog said:

based off how long it took them to release 0.2

Not considered: the time taken to make the game actually working.

[Pthigrivi]

6 hours ago, tremonthedgehog said:

I am greatly enjoying 0.2, but when do you think colonies will be added? My estimation would be end of summer next year based off how long it took them to release 0.2

Id be fine with that. Now that the game is pretty solid there are a lot of UI gaps, science tweaks,  and needed tools for interplanetary that I'd love to see phased in before colonies. Those will take time by themselves besides the work integrating colonies. I think everyone understands the EA release was just much too raw but to their credit IG worked really hard dealing with orbital decay and joint wobble and a zillion other problems. The best way to build on renewed community faith would be to keep releasing solid, substantial updates in the lead up to 0.3.

Edited January 2 by Pthigrivi