Latest features in 0.20?

[Excellent]

http://wiki.kerbalspaceprogram.com/wiki/Planned_features

Not entirely certain if this is updated regularly but the stuff shaded in blue is usually for the next update

hope this helps

[mrshowcase7]

:sticktongue:I'm more excited in the "new" aerodynamics effect and flags! Really excited!

[TomatedRaven]

Please oh please find a new way to load all the parts when the game starts. I'd give up every other new feature for that one thing.

They are going to.

[AmpsterMan]

As long as flags appear in the map menu, I'll be extremely ecstatic. If not, then I'll only be very very ecstatic

[Aladran]

The only thing I think that is definitely confirmed for .20 is fuel resource mining and processing.

Harv say in the blog that this was not planned for 0.20 anymore and was postponed to a later update.

[Tom K.]

What? new aerodynamic effects? Didn't we just get them?

It's not the same like going at sonic speed which is already implemented, the aerodynamics-system is currently a bit wonky and needs some decent polishing...

[nats]

:sticktongue:I'm more excited in the "new" aerodynamics effect and flags! Really excited!

What aerodynamics effect? I havent seen anything about this. In the next patch?

[EleSigma]

I thought the new aerodynamic effects were pushed back along with resources?

[asmi]

What aerodynamics effect? I havent seen anything about this. In the next patch?

We already have FAR, which is implemented by real aerospace engineer who knows how this stuff actually works. I think devs should just reach out to him and integrate it into stock game.

But I suspect this could make quite a number of "looking-cool" players mad as their sence of what's cool would be demonstrated to contradict laws of physics.

Edited May 22, 2013 by asmi

[Guest]

What aerodynamics effect? I havent seen anything about this. In the next patch?

False alarm. Jeb's just a bit gassy at the moment...

[asmi]

As long as flags appear in the map menu, I'll be extremely ecstatic. If not, then I'll only be very very ecstatic

I really don't get this obsession with flags. They sound cool, but I'm ready to bet money that after initial excitment wears off they will be boring in no time.

I think devs should concentrate on features that offer long-term playability. Resources is IMHO number one on that list.

[RawChicken]

I also want resources, but flags it a must.

You can leave something in a planet you are not going to get back in a long time that is not a kerbal or a highly expensive piece of computer

[Wahgineer]

I also want resources, but flags it a must.

You can leave something in a planet you are not going to get back in a long time that is not a kerbal or a highly expensive piece of computer

You can also mark where and when your first mission to that planet/moon was and not accidentally erase it because your previous marker was a piece of debris.

[kaorixx]

I also want resources, but flags it a must.

I agree, flags have been a long time coming.

[Deadweasel]

I have an SSD and it still takes quite a long time (2-3 minutes on startup, and I have a few dozen mods). I see very little difference between my SSD and the RAID0 I used to use. I'm sure there's room for improvement somewhere in the loading code - but hey, that's why it's not finished yet.

I'm still pretty certain the reason for huge delay in loading a lot of parts is that the config files all have to be read, digested and then inserted into memory. Reading straight english text is not a quick and easy task for some languages. Sure, you don't see much difference between one or two additional config files, but install the B9 Aerospace or KW Rocketry packs and look at the difference. What's the major bloat factor? Not the models; they're already set up in a fashion the engine is looking for in the first place.

I suggested in another thread that the parts could be "compiled" into a more game engine-friendly format beforehand, with a small utility (simple drag-n-drop window) being available to re-compile from the sources when changes are made. Yes, that would mean the file count would go up for each part, because you'd want to maintain those sources for editing later, (which is already done for most mods anyway), but the number of files the game is actually loading wouldn't change. The only change would be that the game would not have to read the config files, parse the english text to determine attachment points and orientation and other various parameters of each part, and then load them in. Instead of a straight human-readable text .cfg file, the game could be given something more compressed that it doesn't have to translate at load time, which as far as I know, could shave a TON of time off.

Though I know there's a world of difference between Unity and PHP, it would take some effort to convince me that the game is faster than a simple PHP application at parsing and sorting out straight english text files. Just opening a 20-line .csv file and extracting values based on identifier tokens (the same method used in KSP parts) adds a LOT of processing time.

What I'm getting at is that it's not the drive, and it's not even the CPU on a given computer that cause the loading delay for games with lots of additional mod parts. It's the game engine having to open, parse and translate the values it's needing from straight simple text files. A way to "compile" those files would be to throw out the logic that looks for identifier tokens, and hard code the engine to expect values for given elements in-sequence.

So instead of:

// --- asset parameters ---mesh = model.mu
scale = 0.1


// --- editor parameters ---
cost = 500
category = Aero
subcategory = 1
title = Standard Control Surface
manufacturer = C7 Aerospace Division
description = Made of the finest materials at hand, these flight surfaces are guaranteed to operate while attached to the craft. However studies have shown that a lack of atmosphere *may* slightly impede function. No refunds.
// attachment rules: stack, srfAttach, allowStack, allowSrfAttach, allowCollision, allowDock, allowRotate
attachRules = 0,1,0,1,0,0,1


// --- node definitions ---
// definition format is Position X, Position Y, Position Z, Up X, Up Y, Up Z
node_attach = 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0

You could have:

model.mu,0.1,500,"Aero",1,"Standard Control Surface","C7 Aerospace Division","Made of the finest materials at hand, these flight surfaces are guaranteed to operate while attached to the craft. However studies have shown that a lack of atmosphere *may* slightly impede function. No refunds.","stack, srfAttach, allowStack, allowSrfAttach, allowCollision, allowDock, allowRotate",0,1,0,1,0,0,1,0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0, 0.0

Yes, more difficult for us to read, but not for the game if it's coded to look for values in a specific order.

</two cents>

[Motokid600]

I couldn't give a crap about flags... The ship I landed is my flag. The lander stays along with a Kerbal or two and the return vehicle goes home. Now.. ive never been to Jool. But I heard u can actually land on its "surface"? What Squad needs to do is make it a true gas giant. Just make it all atmosphere. How cool would it be to send probes into the heart of the planet? You could watch the pressure rise and rise until it gets destroyed. Effects like strong lightning/thunder and winds too. And if you can manage to build a probe strong enough it'd be great to see what the core of the planet is made of. Just imagine Jupiter... what in the hell could possibly be under all that atmosphere.

Hell there's another suggestion. Not only clouds, but lightning and auroras as well would be amazing.

A more alien feel to other worlds would be nice too. Different vegetation and even wildlife/microbes.

[WCOLE360]

Woah woah easier there! A lot is coming in the future.

[numerobis]

At work I'm parsing a 200 MB XML file in about two seconds (in fact I'm doing it twice because of a dumb decision). It's just not that expensive to parse text.

Then I create assets in a game engine; that takes a couple minutes.