What happened to increased communication?

[DoomsdayDuck555]

Maybe it's just me but I feel like besides the latest KERB there hasn't been anything for the past 3-4 weeks

I know they just came off of a break, but wasn't that over a month ago at this point?

[RileyHef]

- Studio-wide break from 2/10-2/18

- Anniversary post and KERB on 2/23

- The only active CM on vacation for a family wedding from 2/24-3/3

That brings us to now. The team has been able to take some time off over the last month and is deep in work towards a hefty 0.3 update. Nate recently sat down with a YouTuber for a 40-ish minute interview to update us on current progress towards that milestone, too.

I'd say this is a healthy dose of communication given current progress towards 0.3 (which is speculated for the summer). It feels like less when compared to the heavy marketing leading to 0.2 during the end of last year, but the team has gotta cook and likely doesn't want to share too much until they are near the finish line for any new releases. Such is the life of early access.

 

[KSRe-dev]

7 hours ago, RileyHef said:

I'd say this is a healthy dose of communication given current progress towards 0.3 (which is speculated for the summer). 

How is that figured? In that video they said "updates" were planned before colonies, assuming 0.3 is colonies and the current update cadence, it seems tight to fit multiple updates and then the colonies update into a few months?

[steveman0]

8 minutes ago, KSRe-dev said:

How is that figured? In that video they said "updates" were planned before colonies, assuming 0.3 is colonies and the current update cadence, it seems tight to fit multiple updates and then the colonies update into a few months?

Is it?  Average update pace has been roughly once a month.  If colonies lands in summer, there is easily time for at least another 2 small bug fix and minor feature patches.  Still hoping to see at least the first draft of the new maneuver node editor before colonies. 

Edit: Admittedly, I'm really hyped for colonies and would like to understand more how they are going to work in their first implementation.  It would be great to start hearing how this will work and to begin providing feedback on our thoughts on how it will integrate.

Edited March 6 by steveman0

[Tony Tony Chopper]

5 minutes ago, KSRe-dev said:

How is that figured? In that video they said "updates" were planned before colonies, assuming 0.3 is colonies and the current update cadence, it seems tight to fit multiple updates and then the colonies update into a few months?

The most important hint was that the next update should be done faster than For Science! as said by Nate. Since it took 10 months you would assume 0.3 coming well before October. 'Multiple updates' means at least 2, but let's be realistic and take 3-4. That makes 0.2.2 probably this month(it's more or less about time), 0.2.3 maybe end of april, 0.2.4 maybe in June or beginning of July, which would lead the colonies update in mid to later summer. Mid if 0.2.4 would be the last patch before colonies. Doesn't seem too tight for me and actually realistic.

[KSRe-dev]

Some Elon Musk style predictions up in here

0.2 was December

it's now March and we had one update since

but personally i would like to hear from the secret dev accounts, those will be the most accurate predictions

[KSRe-dev]

The problem with this "let them cook" argument is that people need to eat regularly.

That last PR update was the most underwhelming one I've ever read, and from this above poster it sounds like all these people do is go on holidays.

And yet we're supposed to believe that they can pump out updates on par once a month? I see no evidence to suggest it.

[The Aziz]

6 minutes ago, KSRe-dev said:

people need to eat regularly.

Are you going to starve to death without updates? Go outside, do something else. Unless you want the meal raw, cold and unseasoned.

8 minutes ago, KSRe-dev said:

I see no evidence to suggest it.

0.1.3.0 - June

0.1.3.2 - July

0.1.4 - August

0.1.4.1 - September

0.1.5 - October

(Commence a pause to finish up the biggest update to date)

0.2 - December

0.2.1 - January

(Nothing in February because, as stated, quite a few people on the team worked through the December holidays so they took their time off later)

It's fairly easy to expect 0.2.2 in mid to late March.

[Scarecrow71]

I think the issue is that we continue to get promised more communication - not necessarily updates, but communication from the devs - and we actually get less.  As an example, we were told we would get KERB updates every 2 weeks, and we've had 2 KERBs in the 2+ months since 0.2 dropped.  And this is on top of being told that they aren't going to include certain issues in the KERB.

The lack of communication was the single biggest gripe the community had last year, and it hasn't gotten much better.  We are supposed to get a KERB this Friday based on the promised cadence, but I'm guessing we not only won't get one, but we won't even get an explanation as to why.  Heck, we can't even get the devs or CMs to post on the forums telling us what is going on.

[Brody.mack]

Yeah I miss when we would get almost weekly updates from Nate over the summer, it was nice reading what the team was up to. It has been a while since we had an AMA, Dev Diary, Dev Chat, or Show and Tell, and we don't get as many "upnates" as we used to. I wish we did because colonies will be the biggest change to KSP and we know next to nothing about it, even the older showcases from before the release we didn't give a lot of details. The orbital colony picture was nice but we still know next to nothing about how the systems are going to work, what kind of parts we are expecting, and how far along the team is.

[DoomsdayDuck555]

18 hours ago, RileyHef said:

- Studio-wide break from 2/10-2/18

- Anniversary post and KERB on 2/23

- The only active CM on vacation for a family wedding from 2/24-3/3

That brings us to now. The team has been able to take some time off over the last month and is deep in work towards a hefty 0.3 update. Nate recently sat down with a YouTuber for a 40-ish minute interview to update us on current progress towards that milestone, too.

I'd say this is a healthy dose of communication given current progress towards 0.3 (which is speculated for the summer). It feels like less when compared to the heavy marketing leading to 0.2 during the end of last year, but the team has gotta cook and likely doesn't want to share too much until they are near the finish line for any new releases. Such is the life of early access.

 

ok I didn't know about the wedding, and I though the break was late january for some reason. that makes sense

[KSRe-dev]

and that's the whole point of the food analogy.

if you tell people you're cooking, and then leave them standing there hungry, promising more food, and sending more and more people to make more and more promises, it doesn't solve the issue (shocking). they need to eat.

[Fizzlebop Smith]

I agree with the communication diagnosis and thought the food analogy was apt.

When there is supposed to be a certain degree of transparency and communication involved,  a lack of feels disingenuous.  

A lack of clear direction from the onset and internal restructuring only goes so far. The rebranding has occurred and the restaurant is now open, if we are still getting 27 minute ticket times, something is wrong in the kitchen.
To claim otherwise feels deceptive.

Don't worry there is food coming... snack on some saltines and you can have a steak when the cow is finished growing.

 

[Biggen]

A studio break after Thanksgiving , Christmas, New Year, and Mlk Jr day, and Presidents’ Day… Give me a break. Damn bankers hours right there.  Spring Break is here so I guess they will take a week off for that . What about Easter?

Any more holidays or self imposed “studio breaks” and they are going to actually need an excuse to go work.

Edited March 7 by Biggen

[DunaManiac]

I think I agree with the idea that we aren't getting enough communication. If the stated purpose of EA was to allow more player feedback as the game is worked on, it doesn't make sense to me to keep colonies secret. Since it's one of the things people are the most interested in, it would make sense to share more about what the team is working on to allow that feedback. And I don't mean a  random screenshot: I think an AMA or a Dev Diary or a Show and Tell would do a lot for community engagement and stir up healthy debate and criticism that might improve the final product. I honestly think it's more likely than not that it's not in any state to even discuss.

14 hours ago, Tony Tony Chopper said:

The most important hint was that the next update should be done faster than For Science! as said by Nate. Since it took 10 months you would assume 0.3 coming well before October.

Don't know why people lend so much weight to this statement given Intercept's track record of release estimates. 

[Meecrob]

On 3/6/2024 at 8:31 AM, KSRe-dev said:

it sounds like all these people do is go on holidays.

15 hours ago, Biggen said:

A studio break after Thanksgiving , Christmas, New Year, and Mlk Jr day, and Presidents’ Day… Give me a break. Damn bankers hours right there.

THIS - a MILLION times!

Either you guys want to make a game, or you want to go on vacation. PICK ONE!

I've been saving up some rainy day funds since this whole KSP2 malarky began, knowing there is a good chance us fans will have to get together and make the true successor to KSP1 ourselves.

Edited March 7 by Meecrob

[Scarecrow71]

16 hours ago, Biggen said:

A studio break after Thanksgiving , Christmas, New Year, and Mlk Jr day, and Presidents’ Day… Give me a break. Damn bankers hours right there.  Spring Break is here so I guess they will take a week off for that . What about Easter?

Any more holidays or self imposed “studio breaks” and they are going to actually need an excuse to go work.

You missed that one CM is out on paternity, while the other just got back from yet another vacation to go to a wedding.  And that doesn't excuse the fact that the CM's haven't been communicative on all platforms - especially the forums - when they are here.  Discord, IG, Facebook get stuff.  Us?  Nada.

[ChrisShourai]

My favourite pass-time is watching a particular CM post on average 3 tweets/retweets a day every day to every other day since KSP2 EA launched and seeing barely anything on here. 

Maybe I don’t understand the entire job description (since I’ve never seen it), or what’s cooking behind the scenes (I’m not in the building), or the difference between how much someone types off working hours vs. during working hours in a role where community (and by extension communication) is literally in the job title.

Am I hanging upside down or is the world upside down? Hmm. 

Edited March 8 by ChrisShourai

[KSRe-dev]

Social media managers probably see forums as a dying medium, like VCRs etc. The entire internet became a toxic wasteland since social media took over, I barely use it any more.

 

[Superfluous J]

1 hour ago, KSRe-dev said:

Social media managers probably see forums as a dying medium, like VCRs etc. The entire internet became a toxic wasteland since social media took over, I barely use it any more.

 

Not to be the old man that yells at clouds, but the whole Internet started going downhill when Usenet groups started migrating to forums.

[The Aziz]

Instead of discord they should've make IRC chat

Youths these days

[Biggen]

Their discord link doesn't even work.  If you click on it, it says something about "no invitations left" so you can't even connect to it.

[Scarecrow71]

6 hours ago, KSRe-dev said:

Social media managers probably see forums as a dying medium

That would be a great argument....if it weren't for the fact that this particular forum for this particular game is still going strong.

[MechBFP]

On 3/6/2024 at 8:08 AM, Scarecrow71 said:

We are supposed to get a KERB this Friday based on the promised cadence, but I'm guessing we not only won't get one, but we won't even get an explanation as to why.

You called it haha.

[Scarecrow71]

5 minutes ago, MechBFP said:

You called it haha.

Man, I hate being right.  Guy just got back from multiple vacations, breaks, and other things that kept him out of the office.  And yet he's out again, pushing the KERB at least until Monday.  Well, if I'm gonna be Scarecrow-stradamus...I'll say no KERB Monday either.  I mean, there's always some excuse.