Resources - postponed, cancelled or reserved for a DLC?

[czokletmuss]

Kethane serves my purposes flawlessly.

Well, Squad wanted to make it a little more advanced than Kethane:

[FITorion]

I'm going to play devil's advocate here.

Are resources really that important right now?

It's a serious question. At the moment, KSP space programmes are very much about 'footprints and flags'. Unless you really enjoy driving around on a planet for hours on end (which I have done to be fair!), there's not much to do once you land anywhere. Resources don't really add much to that. They can certainly make it easier by letting you set up fuel depots without shipping the fuel all the way from Kerbin. It would also be fun to have a few more things to drop onto a planet. However, none of this is necessary. It's perfectly possible to get anywhere in KSP using stock parts and a vanilla game. In other words, at the moment, resources are a nice-to-have feature - not having resources isn't hindering the core 'footprints and flags' part of the game.

If I have resources, I want to be able to do stuff with them other than refuelling ships. I want to build bases (build in place rather than dropping modules in from orbit) and keep them supplied with materials harvested in-situ. I want to mine and process metals on the Mun, manufacture basic structural parts and send them back into LKO. On-orbit construction to turn those parts into an orbital habitat, shipyard or whatever.

But all of this goes way beyond the current scope of the game. It would be fantastic to see it all in the release version but I don't think its very likely given the amount of time and effort it would take. Maybe a limited resource system (maybe a slightly more involved version of Kethane) at release and then an expansion pack with a much bigger and better resource system - and all the other stuff I was talking about too.

Resources provide the reason to drive around. A simple 1 resource system used for refueling such as Kethane doesn't really add much but it does some. The large robust and complex system with 10 plus resources to find and mine and use to make things other than fuel that Squad was working on would have add a heck of a lot of reason to spend time on the various planets and moons.

Squads stated goal before adding more planets and or other solar systems is to give us more to do on the planets we have. You said yourself that there is nothing to do. Having something to do is necessary to the continued playability of the game. Once exploring every nook and cranny of a planet is fun and serves a purpose in the base stock game... then I'd call the base stock game done and look to expansions. Resources (and the buildings and things you can make with them) would be the final thing needed to finish off the game.

[Spike88]

I'm pretty sure someone already posted this, but:

I distinctively remember that they said this feature was too advanced for what they were aiming the main game to be about, and that it instead would come later as a paid DLC. This threw the internet into an outrage. In a sign of good faith Squad said that anyone who pre-ordered the game by the end of the month(I can't remember in which month this took place) would get all future DLCs for free.

[Aragosnat]

I'm pretty sure someone already posted this, but:

I distinctively remember that they said this feature was too advanced for what they were aiming the main game to be about, and that it instead would come later as a paid DLC. This threw the internet into an outrage. In a sign of good faith Squad said that anyone who pre-ordered the game by the end of the month(I can't remember in which month this took place) would get all future DLCs for free.

It was April.

[Javster]

TBH, Kethane and extraplanetary launch pads implement the basic aspects of resources, so use those in the interim.

[Skorpychan]

I think it's postponed until they can get time to be happy with it. It's going to be a huge game-changer, and will take a LOT of testing. They're probably working on it, but nowhere near a release yet.

However, the game's still in beta. They have time. I'm not gonna get impatient over it.

[The Jedi Master]

Official Statement: The resource chart was overly complex. They've put it on the backburner, and once they get to it, they will likely simplify it immensely.

Edited December 13, 2013 by The Jedi Master

[PDCWolf]

I told you guys, me and 22 more people. Now we'll get some glorified dumbed down spore galactic stage if we ever get it. EA tier, really.

[The Jedi Master]

I told you guys, me and 22 more people. Now we'll get some glorified dumbed down spore galactic stage if we ever get it. EA tier, really.

Oh, come on now. They'll probably make it more like Kethane.

[Cordeos]

If you really want complex resource systems mod it in.

[-RanZ-]

confirmed - resources are scrapped

[Comrade Jenkens]

I always try to avoind mods but i'll probrably start using kethane now that resourses are postponed indefinatly

[sjwt]

I told you guys, me and 22 more people. Now we'll get some glorified dumbed down spore galactic stage if we ever get it. EA tier, really.

Does Squad really deserved that statement?

And do the rest of us really need to hear it?

Take a chill pill dude.

[Vosper]

I was wrong it seems. It been culled. The killer for me was "no mining on the surface" or words to that effect.

Kinda annoyed about it. Damaged a Mod by talking about a new feature in .19, then almost a year later.. decide actually they are not going to do it.

Still a bought a second copy during the stream to show my support, smart move talking about it at the very end I might not have done that.

From my perspective they cut Resources to work on Multiplayer... going after the money.

Can not blame them, but disappointing.

[PDCWolf]

Oh, come on now. They'll probably make it more like Kethane.

Taking Kethane as what it is right now then yes, it's a glorified spore galactic stage, but with the resource called Kethane instead of Spores. The original resource plan was really beautiful, not only was it planned to be a resource refinement process so that you could refill your tanks and fly infinitely, there were more complex things beyond that. But nope, let's trade worthy content to let you play with friends.

Does Squad really deserved that statement?

And do the rest of us really need to hear it?

Take a chill pill dude.

You can just scroll past it, really. And yes, for me they deserved it. 2bad it's not going to cause an effect.

[Cordeos]

This is an alpha funded game, we are getting access to the early buggy builds and hearing a lot of what would normally be private internal discussions. Features are going to get suggested, planned, tested, modified, scrapped, downsized, scaled up etc.

[Nexustrimean]

Resources are postponed, and will be simplified. this was done to make sure that they were FUN, and not a chore. We will likely get something, but its not the chart.

[Cydonian Monk]

Trade worthy content to let you play with friends.

Play with friends? That's a better resource than blutonium any day.

[PDCWolf]

Resources are postponed, and will be simplified. this was done to make sure that they were FUN, and not a chore. We will likely get something, but its not the chart.

Well, there's also people that consider more than half of the game a chore and install mechjeb, really, complex is not bad or boring, and you have a great modding community to "fix" that part.

Play with friends? That's a better resource than blutonium any day.

Wouldn't have mind MP as a post-release feature, but this is more like a direct replacement.

[IvanTehFennec]

Does Squad really deserved that statement?

And do the rest of us really need to hear it?

Take a chill pill dude.

Yes. They do. They're going down the "ITS TO HARD, LETS MAKE IT EASY FOR BILLY" route.

[sjwt]

Yes. They do. They're going down the "ITS TO HARD, LETS MAKE IT EASY FOR BILLY" route.

I do believe they said they found it boring, tedious long and hard, which implies they did some basic level Alpha testing. If Squad found it hard, boring and tedious I'm going to guess most players would.

[hoojiwana]

I don't think they would've done a good job of it anyway, based on the nonsensical implementation of the "science" system. I prefer that they focus on fixing the game up and making it more mod friendly than wasting their time trying to be better than a mod.

[PDCWolf]

I do believe they said they found it boring, tedious long and hard, which implies they did some basic level Alpha testing. If Squad found it hard, boring and tedious I'm going to guess most players would.

Not really, otherwise we wouldn't be complaining. On top of that we saw squad themselves playing the game on kerbalkon and really, their skill (save for some members) isn't really something you should take as a base for the average.

Resources would have been a balance between the "fun" stuff there is to do on the game, and something to keep the more advanced players and those who want a challenge on, but nope, back to cater to the lowest common denominator again.

[IvanTehFennec]

I do believe they said they found it boring, tedious long and hard, which implies they did some basic level Alpha testing. If Squad found it hard, boring and tedious I'm going to guess most players would.

How can they possibly speak for most players? Why don't they look at Kethane's download numbers, and ask Majiir for metrics (if he has any), and just ask the community. There are plenty of people who absolutely love to go out, scan for resources, set up mining operations, and return the resources. They could even have a place in career mode. Perhaps you can go mine asteroids (if they ever decide to put them in) and return minerals for profit. It's asinine to just say "Well we tried it, and we thought it's dumb, so we're not doing it." when a lot of people actually want it.

I'd happily call them SquEAd.

Edited December 13, 2013 by IvanTehFennec

[sjwt]

For those who missed bits and pieces, see 12 mins in on this http://www.twitch.tv/ksptv/b/487174346