Is KSP2 worth it?

[Fearless Flier]

I am considering buying Kerbal Space Program 2, but I already have the first game. Should I get the second for 50$? I heard they changed some mechanics that the community didn't like and the reviews are very mixed about it on Steam. Should I get it? Is it worth the money?

[steveman0]

Depends on the kind of player you were in KSP 1. I tallied about 150 hours in KSP 1, but never felt the desire to leave the Kerbin SOI. The game did a poor job encouraging exploration in the campaign and I found contracts really grindy.

KSP 2 does a much better job encouraging exploration with the For Science! update. I'm up to 125 hours and it has been a blast. Been nearly everywhere in the system now. Going to Moho soon, studying up on SSTO design for Laythe, and then to battle with Eve. Sitting on 123k spare science after finishing the tech tree ready for colonies when it lands. Worth every penny I spent on the game and it will only get better given the team's strong emphasis on quality in their release cycle. 

[Flush Foot]

Other than the fact that I very much wish the December v0.2 (For Science!) was what shipped in February 2023, I've also been having a lot (more) fun / 'purpose' in my play sessions since v0.2 / v0.2.1 came out.

I am now at 186.4 hours* played (and 24-28 hours* just in the last two weeks)

Like @steveman0, I rarely left the overall Kerbin SOI in KSP 1 (preferring to set up a refueling station / mining infrastructure around Minmus to enable further exploration that I just never got around to) unless it was modded playthroughs (better engines and/or better electric-generation, plus sometimes dabbling in 'lite' versions of Extraplanetary Launchpads and occasionally Snacks^TM) but now in my For Science 'exploration mode' save I have been to at least the orbits of Moho, Eve/Gilly, Kerbin's moons, Duna [maybe Ike, but I forget] and Jool (maybe a flyby of one moon on my way into the Joolian system) now with a crewed mission en route to Jool (capture into that SOI is already 'guaranteed' by an aggressive Tylo-encounter) with plans for visiting at least 2 of the moons, if not more before probably getting them back to Kerbin.

 

*Game is usually running in the background while I fill out Bug Reports, so that probably 'counts' against my Steam play-time

(By which I meant to also say that while I might wish I could've gotten the game [a] more polished from the start and for one of the sale prices that've slapped us loyalists in the face on multiple occasions, I do (mostly) enjoy it )

[Scarecrow71]

2 hours ago, steveman0 said:

Depends on the kind of player you were in KSP 1. I tallied about 150 hours in KSP 1, but never felt the desire to leave the Kerbin SOI. The game did a poor job encouraging exploration in the campaign and I found contracts really grindy.

KSP 2 does a much better job encouraging exploration with the For Science! update. I'm up to 125 hours and it has been a blast. Been nearly everywhere in the system now. Going to Moho soon, studying up on SSTO design for Laythe, and then to battle with Eve. Sitting on 123k spare science after finishing the tech tree ready for colonies when it lands. Worth every penny I spent on the game and it will only get better given the team's strong emphasis on quality in their release cycle. 

This.  All day, every day.

The game is going to be different things to different people, and the only way to know if someone thinks it is "worth it" is for them to buy the game, spend 2 hours playing it, and then decide if they want to refund or not.  For me, there are both things to like and things to not like.  I bought the game day 1 and, although I wished at times I would have refunded, I am glad I did not.  If I had, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to see the game evolve into what it is today.  Granted, we are still a long ways off from it being completed, and there are still a ton of bugs present (like that stupid one in the VAB that recenters your camera without you telling the game to do that).  But to me, it was worth it.

[Flush Foot]

6 minutes ago, Scarecrow71 said:

stupid one in the VAB that recenters your camera without you telling the game to do that

Like when deleting symmetrical parts “in your hand”? 

[cocoscacao]

Personally (with big, fat, bold emphasis on the word), I'd say wait for colonies, and decide then. There are some quirks (aside from bugs) that I'm kind of used to have. And you have to circumvent a lot of little annoyances that are not game-breaking, but they kill the pace for me atm.

Hopefully those will get addressed by v0.2 so I can moan about other things

[Fearless Flier]

Thank you everyone for the opinion, and I have decided to get SKP2 on my birthday (March 28).

 

[Presto200]

They do plan to have a couple updates in between now and the colonies so hopefully by then we'll have a much more solid game with bugs few and far between. Looking back at the launch to now we have come a long long way

[MechBFP]

3 hours ago, cocoscacao said:

Personally (with big, fat, bold emphasis on the word), I'd say wait for colonies, and decide then. There are some quirks (aside from bugs) that I'm kind of used to have. And you have to circumvent a lot of little annoyances that are not game-breaking, but they kill the pace for me atm.

Hopefully those will get addressed by v0.2 so I can moan about other things

That is generally my take as well. As a veteran player it is simply not enough yet for the asking price for me. 

[magnemoe]

18 hours ago, steveman0 said:

Depends on the kind of player you were in KSP 1. I tallied about 150 hours in KSP 1, but never felt the desire to leave the Kerbin SOI. The game did a poor job encouraging exploration in the campaign and I found contracts really grindy.

KSP 2 does a much better job encouraging exploration with the For Science! update. I'm up to 125 hours and it has been a blast. Been nearly everywhere in the system now. Going to Moho soon, studying up on SSTO design for Laythe, and then to battle with Eve. Sitting on 123k spare science after finishing the tech tree ready for colonies when it lands. Worth every penny I spent on the game and it will only get better given the team's strong emphasis on quality in their release cycle. 

Agree, in KSP 1 it was tempting to continue to do contracts inside Kerbin SOI so going interplanetary took forever.
In KSP 2, I launched two ships for Eve day 9.  Then towards Duna and Moho. 

For me I say KSP 2 was worth it. has had fun so far.