Why are the KSP rockets so small compared to real ones?

[Holo]

Ty for the many answers and Brotoro for his creative story.

So the next question is. Is it possible in this game-engine to expand the Solar System with all its parts and distances and also the Rockets to match their real counterparts (maybe as an alternative option for later releases)?

Don't missunderstood me, i love this game as it is. But it is a bit disapointing when i show this game to a friend and i have to note that all the planets, distances and rockets are just toys compared to the real ones.

Oh no, I think you have a bit of a misunderstanding here. Kerbals measure distance in a unit called a "Kermeter". They have the symbol "m", but are approximately 2 to 10 times larger than meters. So when you see Kerbin with it's glorious 600 km radius, it actually has a radius of 600 kilokermeters, and not kilometers.

[Trux]

Oh no, I think you have a bit of a misunderstanding here. Kerbals measure distance in a unit called a "Kermeter". They have the symbol "m", but are approximately 2 to 10 times larger than meters. So when you see Kerbin with it's glorious 600 km radius, it actually has a radius of 600 kilokermeters, and not kilometers.

Nope. Nice job being creative though

[Dyflinn432]

Id say (im not certain) that originally the Devs planned to have real sized Rockets and Planets but i fear the game is at a state where the sizing and the look of it, is now part the games identity and wont be changed, you just need to look at the differences between KSP and Orbiter, looking down on the Home planet (KSP-Kerbin Orbiter-Earth) to realize how different they look, in orbiter the planet feels HUGE and threatening in KSP it just looks like a Green and Blue marble, id love it to look more like orbiter with HUGE planets and rockets .. but it wont happen in my opinion.

[Holo]

Nope. Nice job being creative though

It's my personal theory because different measurement systems have been proven to exist, whereas different laws of physics haven't.

[Kerbface]

It's my personal theory because different measurement systems have been proven to exist, whereas different laws of physics haven't.

Though if this is the case, aren't Kerbals actually about 7.5m tall and thus should be unable to support their own weight, especially their giant heads?

EDIT: Oh wait, the measurement thing doesn't change anything at all, the gravity is still in the same units, so whatever it is the planet still has to be impossibly dense.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Kerbface

[Hocki]

Yeah, Kerbin is extremely dense, at 58 484.791 kg/m3

Edit: As dense as the densest known exoplanet; "KOI-55.01" and over twice as dense as the densest known substance under standard pressure and temperature.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Hocki

[Kerbface]

Yeah, Kerbin is extremely dense, at 58 484.791 kg/m3

Would it make sense if the game is simply set in an alternate universe where the strength of the force of gravity is just a lot higher than ours?

[EndOfTheEarth]

This is a trick question. The only reason why the rockets are so small is that they don't give us the space and tanks to build bigger ones. Otherwise, I imagine that all of us certainly would. You don't technically need a 10m first stage tank and engine to get into orbit, but it would be nice to have anyway, purely for the 'obscenely overpowered rocket' factor.

[Holo]

Though if this is the case, aren't Kerbals actually about 7.5m tall and thus should be unable to support their own weight, especially their giant heads?

EDIT: Oh wait, the measurement thing doesn't change anything at all, the gravity is still in the same units, so whatever it is the planet still has to be impossibly dense.

The gravity would be in kermeters per second squared though, so it would also scale.

[simonh]

It's my personal theory because different measurement systems have been proven to exist, whereas different laws of physics haven't.

You haven't played very many computer games, have you?

Simon Hibbs

[erendrake]

I Disagree that all KSP ships are smaller.

[Tiberion]

Even the modded 6.25m tanks I made for NP were too massive (literally) for the physX engine to handle, bigger parts and scales would be bad, or require a complete revamp on scale physX is running on behind the scenes.

[ouion]

you know guys you can pretend kerbin is the size of earth. It doesn't matter if its small at least you can use your imagination to dream if its big as earth and i don't know why people don't use there imagination ?

[swiftgates24]

Isn't Jool like only the size of earth in rl?

Venus, so just a tad smaller And Kerbol is the size of Jupiter.