KSP2 graphics general suggestions and discussion

[Alpha_star]

There has been many posts about graphics in KSP2, both official and unofficial. However, I believe that there some points that hasn't been mentioned before, or rarely mentioned. Thus, Below are my opinions about graphics in KSP2 and some methods of improvements.

1. Part textures: Most of the community I have seen so far believes that KSP2 parts look much better than its prequal. They have a consistency in art styles and are generally more detailed. I agree with them, but there are some ways to make them look even better.

Depth masks are a thing in mods for KSP1, such as the wonderful ModuleDepthMask mod by cineboxandrew. What it does visually is essentially stopping the game from rendering part B if its hidden behind part A, thus no longer having deployable solar arrays "clipping" into other parts. This is already a thing for some of the KSP2 parts, but it could be adopted for use on landing legs and small cargo bays, specifically the LT-3 landing strut.

As a plus, a system like the mesh switcher from KSP1 could be introduced, making parts more varied. This might be hard, but it would probably be welcomed.

2. Atmospheres: KSP2 does have atmosphere scattering, and I think they actually did a fairly good job, despite the popular claim. What I'd like to point out is that the height fog could be a bit denser on bodies such as Eve and Jool since they host a thick atmosphere.

Further more, the atmosphere on Laythe seems a bit too unnatural. I don't know whether this is a bug or intentional, but I personally prefer a smoother transition between atmosphere and space, as done with other atmospheric bodies in the game.

Edited September 2, 2023 by Alpha_star
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[Spicat]

6 hours ago, Alpha_star said:

2. Atmospheres: KSP2 does have atmosphere scattering, and I think they actually did a fairly good job, despite the popular claim.

The Atmospheric Scattering is alright yeah, the only problem is with the sun who doesn't scatter, as stated here: 

 

[Alpha_star]

3. Ground graphics: Not complaining about the game, but I do want to mention a potential improvements here.

The terrain shader could have a depth mask built-in. Certain mods in KSP1 have already done this, but it is something that would be great if eventually added to the game. The terrain scattering system in KSP2 works out pretty fine, but a huge number of objects are needed in order to simulate a rocky field, such as done with the Mun and Tylo. Adding a depth mask to the shader itself would enable the game to do the same effect with much less objects, thus decreasing the number of objects needed while having the same effect.

I don't really know much about this section, but I have just learnt that KSP2 is going to have a CBT terrain system and some neat new terrain features included, so that's nice.

4. Clouds: Clouds in KSP2 uses a different approach than the standard unity clouds. For me, this move is both good and bad. Good because this allows variations in cloud heights, and bad because this causes the clouds to be flat-bottomed. Sometimes it feels good to fly between peaks of clouds, and other times it just feels weird to have a perfectly flat base for clouds. I believe that it could be further improved by adding multiple cloud layers or having clouds' bases non-flat, but it's probably not that high on the priority list.

Honorable mention: Eve clouds are extremely whispy and feather-alike. Maybe there are two cloud generation systems, or maybe it's just some clever tweaking. Either way, it could simulate cirrus clouds on Kerbin and Laythe fairly accurately, assuming done correctly.