KSP's reputation, does it deserve it?

[pxi]

I like KSP.

A lot.

Seriously, I think I have a problem.

OP may be right. It's time to warn the world about the digital-crack time-sink that is KSP!

[sal_vager]

Biased view ahead!

But seriously, I think I've played KSP more then even Morrowind, it's definitely been worth the money paid, with or without addons (whitemonkey pack how I miss you!)

As for the reputation? Well, what else is there that's like KSP? I mean really? Sure there's Orbiter but that's a full-on simulator, KSP is accessible!.

It's rep is fine, sure things could be better, but it's not finished, but for an "early access" game KSP is playable, relatively bug-free and I for one have had a blast playing it

[SilentSkills]

The game should come with a warning for severe risk of addiction, and a brutal increase in creativity.

[Liowen]

Actually I think it is You don't buy crappy Vodka to sip straight

Hey I am cheap so I have no choice but sip the crappy Vodka

But I digress....

While I don't agree with the idea that KSP sucks without mods, I do agree that mods make a good (and getting better) game even better. So IMO it already is good without the mods.

But if a game has enough potential and is open enough to mods, then I think it's okay if it's just a husk of functionality that allows modders to connect to.

Though probably not for $25...

I would point out that there are games, mostly MMO's that I am aware of anyways, that cost more than this but the mods are almost always needed to do things in the game easier, while in KSP the mods mostly increase the difficulty. So to be 100% honest the price is actually welcoming as new player will have a challenge, and as their skill increases they can add mods to keep their interest. AAA titles I do not believe could pull it off to be honest and keep the price point where their games are now, most have DLC that adds/fixes issues to an already released title that costs an additional fee on top of the purchase price.....that to me is just wrong.

[Arran]

i just noticed HOW many hours i put into KSP, and it shocked me, no other single player game i ever played this long, only game(s) that come close or surpass it are MMO's

currently over 1200+ hours, was even more as i thought, and it shocked me, especially i even still thinking about how to do the next thing in my mind.

The game is worth every euro.. then considering its not even completed yet..

I hate you SQUAD!!!!!... for making such an addictive game

[MR4Y]

I'd say that the KSP forums, including the staff, are specialists of swiping discussions and complaints under the rug when they happen. Maybe something that was learned observing Apple's forums.

As for the game, it has become overrated over the years. I still wonder how an unfinished game reach that kind of status and automatically makes its faults be considered "normal game behavior" or "minor hassles". This is a good indicator of a game becoming overrated: when you trade funcionality and improvement for nostalgia (needless to remind that tke tech tree is based on release version and not logic)?

[little square dot]

I don't think you can overrate this:

http://i.imgur.com/IpPtSnw.gif

Ha! Love it!

[Cruzan]

I guess I don't really know what KSP's reputation actually is. Among friends and other people I know, only a handful have even heard of KSP, much less played it/own it.

The only "rep" type of statement I've seen before is that KSP is the king of the Alphas/Early Access titles. This, I agree with for the most part.

To have a game that is in Alpha and be 99% playable (random Kraken attacks do happen) is a pretty unique thing among Early Access games. Other games I've looked in to trying that are in Alpha stage and are asking for money will hardly get you past the tutorials, or leave you with nothing to do after 10 hours of game-time. For me to have 850+ hours of play time on a game that isn't finished is just flat out impressive to me. Even if I only had a tenth of that amount of play time in it I would have been extremely satisfied.

There are things that bug me, but most of it is due to Unity and the lack of multi-threaded optimization. Since that is out of the hands of the devs though, we have to sit and wait, but it isn't a game-breaking problem which is the beauty of it I guess. I would gladly sacrifice multiplayer and career mode development if there was a way to lay some groundwork for better optimization. I want to build enormous space stations and colonies!

All-in-all, KSP has a very well deserved rep. What that reputation actually is is pretty subjective though.

[Monkeh]

It would be interesting to see how the steam forums for KSP would vote in the exact same poll by the way....

Just sayin' etc.

[MasterGir]

KSP is starting to lose the right to it's good reputation. There's been a huge lack of any real development on the game and people I knew that loved and played it all the time have forgotten it even exists. This NASA thing they're making will be good PR but it's hardly helping the game.

[LethalDose]

I'd say that the KSP forums, including the staff, are specialists of swiping discussions and complaints under the rug when they happen. Maybe something that was learned observing Apple's forums.

As for the game, it has become overrated over the years. I still wonder how an unfinished game reach that kind of status and automatically makes its faults be considered "normal game behavior" or "minor hassles". This is a good indicator of a game becoming overrated: when you trade funcionality and improvement for nostalgia (needless to remind that tke tech tree is based on release version and not logic)?

Pretty much this. I think the game is great, as an unfinished product.

In the last 3-4 months, the devs have systematically destroyed the faith I had that the finished product will live up to what the game could have been. This basically started the first moment of KerbalKon.

Like I said, the game is great, BUT based on what's been shown since KK has only made me believe that the game has been great so far totally on a fluke. It's the indie game equivalent of a thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters. SQUAD isn't a game studio, the lead dev is a 3D artist instead of a programmer, and the game only got made to keep him from quitting.

Basically, SQUAD has convinced me they really don't know what they're doing as far as game design, so I don't think the game is/will be underrated. I think the uncompleted game is great for an incomplete game, so I don't think it's overrated.

[Stargate525]

Pretty much this. I think the game is great, as an unfinished product.

In the last 3-4 months, the devs have systematically destroyed the faith I had that the finished product will live up to what the game could have been. This basically started the first moment of KerbalKon.

Like I said, the game is great, BUT based on what's been shown since KK has only made me believe that the game has been great so far totally on a fluke. It's the indie game equivalent of a thousand monkeys at a thousand typewriters. SQUAD isn't a game studio, the lead dev is a 3D artist instead of a programmer, and the game only got made to keep him from quitting.

Basically, SQUAD has convinced me they really don't know what they're doing as far as game design, so I don't think the game is/will be underrated. I think the uncompleted game is great for an incomplete game, so I don't think it's overrated.

I... Wouldn't go that far. But I think part of the reason games like these are tending to get a lot of slack is that there are now SO MANY 'early betas' out there for the 'low price' of what we paid for full games five years ago. A lot of them show zero prospect of actually ever getting out of beta. It's slowly made the gaming populace a lot more tolerant of bugs, glitches, and unfinished products because of the 'oh we're getting them at a discount and it's still in alpha so shut up and stop complaining!'

[MR4Y]

I... Wouldn't go that far. But I think part of the reason games like these are tending to get a lot of slack is that there are now SO MANY 'early betas' out there for the 'low price' of what we paid for full games five years ago. A lot of them show zero prospect of actually ever getting out of beta. It's slowly made the gaming populace a lot more tolerant of bugs, glitches, and unfinished products because of the 'oh we're getting them at a discount and it's still in alpha so shut up and stop complaining!'

The alpha excuse was widely used by any KSP evangelist and the staff over the years to shush people's complaints. And you can cleary see how things are changing just for popularity's sake, rather than make the game better. Multiplayer was a taboo subject for many, many years. Even the slight mention of it would lock topics and give warns to users. Now it's being "implemented" in the core game. How that feature makes the game any better and fixes the flaws it has? It doesn't.

Being parked in the alpha status quo, at least for me, it's a sign of lazy game developers. Because, come to think of it. There are games with less functionlaity than KSP that are full releases already. KSP is being priced as a full release already(Don't be stupid to think that you can price an indie game that has no competition like an AAA title) and still is an alpha.

The only thing that keeps KSP from being shoved aside is the lack of a competitor of the same genre. As soon as that happens, wait and see if the game is gonna last.

[Vanamonde]

Multiplayer was a taboo subject for many, many years. Even the slight mention of it would lock topics and give warns to users.

Topics like this were not banned because they were considered evil. They were banned because the endless discussion from primarily uninformed people was repetitious, leading nowhere, and clogging up the forum. Once a modder demonstrated a feasible method rather than merely talking about it ad nauseum, Squad was flexible enough to change their minds on the subject. Edited March 5, 2014 by Vanamonde

[Jart]

I seriously doubt that there will ever be any direct competition for KSP. There is not a market large enough. This is not a genre game, it is pretty specific.

KSP is the best shot we are likely to experience.

[Guest]

I wish that somehow I could zap all knowledge of KSP from my brain so that I could go back and do it again. I was lugging my laptop to work just so I could get more playtime in while on breaks. Forget actually eating lunch, I need more play time to figure this s*** out. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of figuring out orbits, docking, landing, all of it. But, my playtime has gone to zero now. I am looking forward to building a new computer, which will bring this game back to life, hopefully. The game deserves every single bit of the positive praise that it gets. But, I want more from the vanilla game. Mods are great, but can be frustrating sometimes too.

It's easy to forget sometimes that Harvester is still learning too. That's part of the charm. That's exactly what makes this game unique. He's not like everyone else. I am fully confident that he is still going to come up with more stuff that's going to wow people even more. Waiting can be difficult though. Patience is definitely a virtue.

[GusTurbo]

I voted underrated. What I think is overrated is the "moar boosters" style of "gameplay" where failure is glorified and kerbal deaths are just an amusing statistic. Those things make the game more fun at the beginning, but only as a way of coping with your own ineptitude. I always get worried when I hear Harvester talking about that sort of thing as a core part of the game, because it's so much more than that.

[SkyHook]

KSP is starting to lose the right to it's good reputation. There's been a huge lack of any real development on the game and people I knew that loved and played it all the time have forgotten it even exists. This NASA thing they're making will be good PR but it's hardly helping the game.

Well things used to be a lot different as well. The weekly Squadcast used to be used for showing off upcoming features of the game, but wild speculation and a PR fiasco killed that. That show was the highlight of my week, and I loved seeing the game be created before my eyes. I would agree with you when you say that there has been a lack of development, but only in certain areas. There has certainly been a lack of features since 0.18 (and barring 0.22, that was pretty big), and back-end development is a major cause of this. To add to this, the plans for the future of the game are pretty soulcrushing for endgame players. 0.24's career mode could prove to be the addition that works for everyone, however.

I voted underrated. What I think is overrated is the "moar boosters" style of "gameplay" where failure is glorified and kerbal deaths are just an amusing statistic. Those things make the game more fun at the beginning, but only as a way of coping with your own ineptitude. I always get worried when I hear Harvester talking about that sort of thing as a core part of the game, because it's so much more than that.

THIS! It sells the game short, simplifies it, and encourages being inept at the game. The fact that the lead dev says things like this is pretty alarming. Things could be worse. I will applaud Harvester to the ends of the earth for not getting "Notch syndrome." That game is not even remotely playable without a boatload of mods. KSP is getting there, but the game's development is more than enough to soothe my concerns.

[Woopert]

I voted underrated. What I think is overrated is the "moar boosters" style of "gameplay" where failure is glorified and kerbal deaths are just an amusing statistic. Those things make the game more fun at the beginning, but only as a way of coping with your own ineptitude. I always get worried when I hear Harvester talking about that sort of thing as a core part of the game, because it's so much more than that.

I'm always very careful with my kerbals. Haven't killed any since coming off of my hiatus (because of personal reasons in my life, I returned to KSP late August, after not really playing since May). Through career and sandbox, no kerbal deaths. I treat them personally and always think about it on a personal level, about what the kerbals would have to go through. I do still understand that it is just a game, though.

[MR4Y]

Topics like this were not banned because they were considered evil. They were banned because the endless discussion from primarily uninformed people was repetitious, leading nowhere, and clogging up the forum. Once a modder demonstrated a feasible method rather than merely talking about it ad nauseum, Squad was flexible enough to change their minds on the subject.

And here is where I draw my sword and keep my point. This is pretty much close to the current status of Minecraft today. Let's wait till someone develop it for us FOR FREE then Copy-Paste it and call an implementation. Seems pointless? Then why pretty much every functionality of KSP has a mod equivalent or has the exact same functionality of a mod, including the flaws and shotcomings?

So, apparently, suggesting is not enough. You have to spoon feed the functionality as well.

[Dodgey]

And here is where I draw my sword and keep my point. This is pretty much close to the current status of Minecraft today. Let's wait till someone develop it for us FOR FREE then Copy-Paste it and call an implementation. Seems pointless? Then why pretty much every functionality of KSP has a mod equivalent or has the exact same functionality of a mod, including the flaws and shotcomings?

So, apparently, suggesting is not enough. You have to spoon feed the functionality as well.

Why reinvent the wheel? Why ignore a good idea? Just because a feature or mod look the same does not mean that the back end is the same. Also a question to anyone wanting to vote, have you had fun, have you got your money's worth, how many hours per doller have you got out of this game? Consider this before you vote, does it matter if it's alpha? Does it matter that there are underdeveloped features? Do any of these things change the amount of fun that you have had with this game? Because that is all the matters, how much fun you have had.

Regards

Dodgey

[boomerdog2000]

And here is where I draw my sword and keep my point. This is pretty much close to the current status of Minecraft today. Let's wait till someone develop it for us FOR FREE then Copy-Paste it and call an implementation. Seems pointless? Then why pretty much every functionality of KSP has a mod equivalent or has the exact same functionality of a mod, including the flaws and shotcomings?

So, apparently, suggesting is not enough. You have to spoon feed the functionality as well.

I believe there was a thread around about the ethical issues of reverse-engineering technology (craft designs and whatnot). Everyone seemed to agree that it wasn't a problem and was in fact how most modern advances are made.

[Stargate525]

Topics like this were not banned because they were considered evil. They were banned because the endless discussion from primarily uninformed people was repetitious, leading nowhere, and clogging up the forum.

And we have always been at war with Eastasia.

At risk of restarting this particular conflagration, that was not the given reason. The given reason was that the devs had no intention of adding the feature into the main game. That was the official line until Kerbalkon.

After that, we'd always been at war with Eurasia.

And here is where I draw my sword and keep my point. This is pretty much close to the current status of Minecraft today. Let's wait till someone develop it for us FOR FREE then Copy-Paste it and call an implementation. Seems pointless? Then why pretty much every functionality of KSP has a mod equivalent or has the exact same functionality of a mod, including the flaws and shotcomings?

slightly off-point, which recent update of minecraft (except for the horses) followed this pattern? Come to think of it, which released version of KSP...

Oh yea, spaceplanes, rovers...

Why reinvent the wheel? Why ignore a good idea? Just because a feature or mod look the same does not mean that the back end is the same. Also a question to anyone wanting to vote, have you had fun, have you got your money's worth, how many hours per doller have you got out of this game? Consider this before you vote, does it matter if it's alpha? Does it matter that there are underdeveloped features? Do any of these things change the amount of fun that you have had with this game? Because that is all the matters, how much fun you have had.

Yes it matters if it's alpha. Yes it matters that the features are underdeveloped. And it DEFINITELY changes the amount of fun we've had. It's a slight distortion to say that we can't complain unless we've had no fun. The amount of fun we could all have would be GREATER were these things fixed.

[Rowsdower]

Everyone, please remember to be respectful about the definition of "fun" that is shared by one another. What works for one person will not work for the next. While the poll is about having fun, the early access state of the game, availability of mods and other reasons all factor into the amount of fun that you get out of your very own experience.

[boolybooly]

KSP is the longest beta I have ever been part of. I have been playing it for 2 years now and am still enjoying it. Its come a long way in that time though and deserves to be praised and played. Its great fun and there is nothing else like it.