Military Weapons in KSP

[OneRedBlock]

Where-as it doesn't really relate to the current conversation, I've got the Romfarer missile mod just so I can get rid of Kerbin's kessler syndrome. It worked fantastically and as such I retired my weapons satellite by way of de-orbit.

[Comrade Jenkens]

Admittedly the main reason i use weapons is to remove debris from the launch pad and orbit as i'm usless at designing things which don't leave any.

As for using weapons, either stock or modded, it's pretty clear that people here have very differing opinions on the matter and players should just be free to build as they please as long as its not forced on others.

I think its a good thing that stock weapons are not part of the game but i'm happy to use mods to add them.

[3_bit]

The best part is that there IS weapons: Planes can be kamakazied, and probes can be used to make missiles. How boring would a one-part missile be? This is KSP, not a cheap flight simulator!

[Tada]

Well, I think more kerbals died as a matter of poorly constructed ships than will ever die by a cause of military action...

[Tw1]

Well, I think more kerbals died as a matter of poorly constructed ships than will ever die by a cause of military action...

I hope so!

[Tada]

Early days of my space program were on verge of genocide... Launch escape... What?

Space program has its inherent and inseparable character no matter if it is on earth or on Kerbin.

[Exclipse]

How do you know we are alone...

[9911MU51C]

I think a military sort of, DLC-ish game would be fun. Imagine being able to build fighter jets and bombers with the physics and challenge of current KSP, and have other players fighting to take you and your base down. You could build a Space Station, but it better have some turrets or they could send a ship or missile into it and send chunks flying in all directions (have you seen a kerbal station exploding? it's epic) or a sub-orbital missile system. I'm not suggesting they do that to KSP, because KSP is exactly as it says, a space program about exploration and science. But a spin-off of sorts would be quite fun and a nice fresh game from a stale genre.

(now to hope I'm not burned at the stake for mentioning Multiplayer and Weapons in one post)

[SecondGuessing]

You've been given a game with a silly number of rocket parts and you're asking for pre-built weapons?

[opticalshadow]

there are peaceful uses for weapons too you know. from rifles for hunting, to missles lasers and cannosn for things like shooting dangerous debries that your space craft is unavoidably getting close to, removing large planetary bound ateroids from hitting you, rockets with payloads can be used for making pools (this is kerbal)

a weapon isnt natively bad, offencive, or even militeristic, i can simply just be a tool used to do things. there are plenty of non violent reasons kerbals would build atleast missles and rocket payloads, without the intent on harm. their entire nature is built on riding a very thin line between stupid and lucky with a rocket program, are often credited with excitment of near misses, and relish sucess even in the face of major disater. kerbals are the race that would use a missle to make a swiming pool, they are the race the would use bottle rockets to try and shoot down flies, use and icbm to fish, or atom bomb on jool, just to see how pretty it would be. the idea that they need to be used offencivly is ignoreing their entire credited exsitence.

[Nixod321]

I sometimes play with weapons to keep myself entertained. This is because when you first start KSP, and are bad at all things, there is a conflict that drives you to keep playing, the conflict between your designs and the physics engine. After you have played for long time, such as I have, and find all previous things lacking a challenge, you lose the conflict. Then you begin to look for different kinds of conflict. Maybe it's the Mission controller mod, Perhaps it's Deadly re-entry, FAR, etc. These all present a conflict between your designs and another incomparable thing: a budget, the threat of destruction, the use of proper aerodynamics. Weapons provide a different kind of conflict, a conflict between two of your own designs. When I use weapons, it's never to kill other Kerbals, it's to test designs. And when it isn't, it's to drive a plot I have in my head. Besides, I never test on manned craft. It's important to remember that all games have conflict, just as all films, and all stories. A book about a man walking down the street to a bus stop and waiting for a few minutes wouldn't be as interesting as a murder mystery, or a love story. Violence is just another way of creating conflict and tension in a plot.

The point I'm trying to make is that weapons are: 1) A challenge 2) A different kind of conflict 3) One way to continue the appeal of playing the game.

Besides, jet fighters are just cool. they don't have to be shooting at someone to do that.

[stupid_chris]

And yet one more necro from last May.

[Rocketscience101]

War is a terrible place to end up. All soldiers who have gone have stated that they don't want to go back. I personally do not want to go to war, even though I will join the military. I will go were they send me. I will proudly fight for my country, even when I feel it is wrong. Just recently I killed a rabbit and the pain from realizing what I did killed me. If I am forced to fight a war. I will mourn for every life taken in my actions even if I did nothing. It pains me thinking of the broken families broken because two old guys who are in the wrong place, and they send the young men to fight their battles for them. I hate thinking about that. Recently my older brother joined the marines, and I would be devistated if he died. But he has a job to do, because of the restarted old men who run the nations of the world have to act like jerks with eachother and send the troops just because he and some other nation are having a little argument. I feel war is a terrible thing. But we must understand what we are truley fighting for in those wars. Freedom, and the people back home.

[Synapse]

Why do people feel the need to develop weapons... I feel, now this is just my opinion, that people who develop such weapons could use their time to produce mods that would help player create larger and more elaborate space programs.

Isn't that pretty much the question of humanity? Why destroy when we can create? Sadly I do not know the answer

[Kialar]

The most violent thing I can imagine a Kerbal may do is a cake fight. With lots of whipped cream. *splash*

@Synapse: because to destroy is much easier than to create.

"Every single war is a defeat of human intellect" - Henry Miller

[Comrade Jenkens]

Even though I make plenty of military designs, I picture kerbals being peaceful and having no comprehension of war.

[_Aramchek_]

I'm still scratching my head as to why some people equate weapons in a game, to real violence/wars. Creepy.

[Lanfranc]

Obviously Kerbals have weapons on their spacecraft to protect them from the Deep Space Kraken.

[Kialar]

I'm still scratching my head as to why some people equate weapons in a game, to real violence/wars. Creepy.

OK. I'll try to explain that (or my point of view)

Weapons are for hunting or fighting or war. Basically every single weapon, may it be a dagger, a sword, a crossbow, a firearme or a missile, is designed for one propose: to kill. That's why I associate weapons with real weapons/violence.

A game might include weapons. I do not think negative about that. For that we have war games, tactical shooters, hunting games. That is totally Ok for me. I do play such sort of games, and I do enjoy them from time to time (I am just a carnivorous mammal, and as such a potential killer from a biological point of view). And using a weapon in a (video) game therefore is basically a simulation of killing. No judgement, just a fact in my opinion.

From my point of view, KSP is a game of exploration, expeditions and creativity in a setting, that gives no basic reason to include weapons. KSP/Kerbal and war just don't fit. I am unable to get that together. And developing that chain further (see my association above) I can't get Kerbals together with weapons.

That's my point.

[Synapse]

War is natural to humans, therefore we endeavor to practise it across all walks off life, even simple games like KSP

It hones our engineering ability, creativity which we somehow abstractly think will be applicable to helping us to survive

[jwenting]

What can you do in base kerbal(simplified)-

1. Build something that goes up.

2. Build something that goes to orbit

3. Build something that goes to a moon.

4. Build something that goes to another planet.

5. Build something that goes to another planets moon.

6. Build something that goes to something you built.

7. Any of the above, plus comes back/goes somewhere else after the first part.

Annnd right now that's about it. Now thanks to how kerbal works that is a whole HELL of a lot. Also you can "gather" data, but the data gathering devices, much like the communications ones, are as aesthetic as the nose cones.

So, adding weapons actually adds gameplay space.

And your average shooter....

1) shoot something

2) shoot something again

3) shoot something some more

4) shoot something over and over

pretty boring, come to think.

[Guest]

War is a method of domination, one party's way of imposing its will upon another's by means of force. Creativity and refinement of engineering practices are not dependent upon warfare to progress.

[Albert VDS]

War is a product of the instinct to solve a problem/threat with violence.

Just like space exploration is the product of the instinct to explore and survive.

I rather play KSP with the idea that the Kerbals only goal is to explore and survive.

[Kialar]

Maybe it's also a question of socialization.

While I was at school, they told us something like 10 years in a row: war is bad, vile, evil, weapons are bad, vile, evil, killing is bad, vile, evil; as german, you are historically bad, vile, evil and at minimum guilty; german soldiers are bad, vile, evil.

Soldiers, military and weapons have not a very good image in my social environment.

Most people of my age around me are very rejective when it comes to weapons, military and such stuff.

I stop arguing now, that will escalate for sure. I think, I made clear what I am about.

[Mercy]

Because in this day and age, people proclaim their undying respect for soldiers in the military, who to put it bluntly; specialize in killing people.

'Scuse me but you're very, very wrong.

You're forgetting medics doctors, veterinarians, nurses, mechanic, technicians, electricians and so on and so forth. Heck, there's even people who play bagpipes and paint houses for the army. Eeen then, that's just the army, I could list hundreds if I included other branches.

Regardless, they're all soldiers, just as much as any infantry men, so don't tell me that a painter "Specialises in killing!". It makes you seem more ignorant than those who approve of everything the military does.

Anyway, on topic, I don't really get the whole building weapons and such, but Macey Dean does it spectacularly and it's fun to watch. So I guess that's a part of it, it's fun.