Introducing For Science! - Major Content Update Out in December

[Jack Mcslay]

6 hours ago, uglyduckling81 said:

The problem with the base game system is as soon as you have level 3 base you have essentially unlimited range, so the only point to a network is to give coverage when your on the backside of a planet.

Remote Tech was really meant to be played with KoS. You would script events so the loss of signal or signal delay didn't matter.

It was complicated though. I watched Mike Aben use it back in the day. Made the game very realistic.

I couldn't figure out the coding myself.

If you plan to do activities on the surface with unmanned craft, getting coverage to the far side is hardly optional.

Although, I'm damn sure the range of the fully upgraded tracking station was in KSP1 would not be enough for interstellar, and current or near-future technology KSP2 focuses on is probably not enough either, so I'm curious how will intestellar comms will look like

[Astroneer08]

Maybe it's large scale boating

[Superfluous J]

8 hours ago, Scarecrow71 said:

I'm curious as to why it takes until the 4th tier to unlock water stuff...but we can get to the Mun just a few nodes in on the first tier.  Anybody else think that's odd?

We're back to "realisitcally, pretty much EVERYTHING should be unlocked from the start of the game but that's boring"

[Stoup]

8 hours ago, Scarecrow71 said:

I'm curious as to why it takes until the 4th tier to unlock water stuff...but we can get to the Mun just a few nodes in on the first tier.  Anybody else think that's odd?

I mean, in my mind, if we're talking Kerbals with their eyes and minds always locked to the skies... they're not gonna be interested in Kerbin's oceans so much, definitely at least not right away. Being in tier 4 probably puts it in the kind of area where you'd be exploring other atmospheric bodies with water, and wanting to discover what's down there! You may want to imagine that they have their own ocean exploration programs not necessarily related to the KSP. Even though I know surely people will want to be using aquatic gear to explore Kerbin eventually

[stephensmat]

 

[Pat20999]

I think aquatic sciences is for sea dragon style rockets.

[space_otter]

Will there be uses for planes in the new science update - I mean, apart from collecting science from different biomes. Perhaps a little like GAP from KSP1?

[Tw1]

Oh this is cool news.

But I really hope they think it through better than the original game did.
Everything after science first game out was the weakest side of the game. The rocketry was elaborate and well thought out, the science was just a series of fetch quests. The tech tree ended up becoming what most players new to the game saw as the main progression, rather than just a start, and overshadowed actual space exploration. It didn't help that everything was then framed around 'contracts' which reduced players incentive  to set their own goals.

Please don't directly mirror the first game here. This part never lived up to its full potential in KSP1. It deserves a rethink for KSP2.

[JPR]

As has been mentioned- "in KSP1 you could focus on a part as the center of the POV by right clicking the part and selecting as POV.  Currently in KSP2 there is no means of doing this outside the VAB"

Can you fix this?- 

[Kettiger]

YAY!!!!  This makes it playable.  I bought it back when it came out.  been waiting for some updates to make it real.

[jost]

21 hours ago, Superfluous J said:

We're back to "realisitcally, pretty much EVERYTHING should be unlocked from the start of the game but that's boring"

And we still know some asteroids better than the deep sea. So this might make sense even from a realistic point of view ( if you like to think this way)

[Jaypeg]

I feel a problem here is a lot of people are used to the ksp 1 career mode system where the tech tree is the main method of progression and missions are the side goals. With them adding animations and story, I think its now the other way round!

[Quasar2007]

18 hours ago, jost said:

And we still know some asteroids better than the deep sea. So this might make sense even from a realistic point of view ( if you like to think this way)

You are completely right, because in reality only 5% of the sea on Earth has been fully mapped and explored!

[VegaStar]

HYPE!

I noticed in the picture showing the research inventory, that each experiment has a small time indicator. Does this mean that experiments are not instant anymore, that they now require some time to complete?

If that is the case, awesome! My biggest gripe with the KSP1 science system was that doing experiments was simply Land --> Plant flag --> Do science --> Take off 5 minutes after landing. I always wanted to have experiments that required days, months, even years to complete, so that the player must plan for what experiments they can do, given how long they want to stay in a certain spot/orbit, and not just stick on every science part that fits.

Like, imagine having a science part that requires you to be in orbit, but also to stay roughly above the same spot, continuously, for multiple weeks, thus necessitating a geosynchronous orbit! Or a seismograph that must be left listening to earthquakes for years, meaning that if you want to take it with you on a crewed mission that will visit multiple destinations, you should probably leave the seismograph behind, as its own probe.

Edited October 28, 2023 by VegaStar

[Astroneer08]

On 10/21/2023 at 7:00 AM, atomontage said:

I agree with PDCWolf.

It would be  very cool to see science experiments to actually take time to perform and consume a resource (say EC). Yes, Kerbalism style.
The brilliant level would be if it also required some situations or other resources (be in a polar orbit only, dayside only; mine ore the same time the experiment is performing, etc). Yes, full Kerbalism style - personally I love it.

Also modders have already dug out (months before) the time constraint for experiments. That makes me believe.

Otherwise its not that fun to simply click a button and get instanteneous science points.
(Perhaps it also could be toggable in difficulty settings? Or is it too much?..)

I bet the way science works will be like transmitting science points with antennas in KSP1

[Twiistedd]

Impressive!

[Wheehaw Kerman]

On 10/25/2023 at 8:04 PM, Stoup said:

I mean, in my mind, if we're talking Kerbals with their eyes and minds always locked to the skies... they're not gonna be interested in Kerbin's oceans so much, definitely at least not right away. Being in tier 4 probably puts it in the kind of area where you'd be exploring other atmospheric bodies with water, and wanting to discover what's down there! You may want to imagine that they have their own ocean exploration programs not necessarily related to the KSP. Even though I know surely people will want to be using aquatic gear to explore Kerbin eventually

“Hey!  There’s open water on Vall!  We should figure out how to explore it!”

“Dangit, if only we’d paid more attention to that really big puddle on the other side of the beach!”

[ohka]

I'm looking forward to seeing science in KSP2. On the other hand, there are some concerns.

I think that kit bashing is hindered by the fact that the implemented parts are turned into assets. Cassini, which was built using the new magnetometer assets, is great, but the problem is that it can only be built. Separate parts for the boom are also required. The same goes for other observation equipment. I loved doing the very small sample return mission on KSP1 using an XS parachute with just a thermometer, barometer, graviton detector (or seismometer in the case of the lander) and a heat shield. (Would it be a better solution if OKTO2 had a data storage function?)

Finally, scientific missions are always in a battle against budget, so creative deployment mechanisms are essential.

Breaking ground is required!

[KerbalD]

I might buy the game when this update comes out

[KerbalD]

also just wondering: when are we going to get mod support

[Vl3d]

1 hour ago, KerbalD said:

also just wondering: when are we going to get mod support

Unofficially there are some basic mods, just point CKAN to the KSP2 install. Official mod support, I don't know.

[Pat20999]

19 hours ago, KerbalD said:

also just wondering: when are we going to get mod support

If you go to spacewarp (website) install beplnex+spacewarp and UITK same on CKAN side note don’t use both ( and spacewarp is better).

[HighTechPizza]

On 10/26/2023 at 5:14 PM, space_otter said:

Will there be uses for planes in the new science update - I mean, apart from collecting science from different biomes. Perhaps a little like GAP from KSP1?

I really hope so. KSP2 has great Plane mechanics. Really would like to do racing when multiplayer´s out, seeing who made the best vessel and config

[regex]

On 10/28/2023 at 4:06 AM, VegaStar said:

I noticed in the picture showing the research inventory, that each experiment has a small time indicator. Does this mean that experiments are not instant anymore, that they now require some time to complete?

If you total the times they equal the time at the top of the experiment page above the Transmit All button, just like the power requirements and science returns are totaled as well. That doesn't mean that experiments won't (potentially) take time, it's just that the time shown is most likely the time needed to transmit.

Edited November 9, 2023 by regex

[LittleBitMore]

this is gonna be so rad I can't wait