Could there be an asteroid belt eventually implemented into later versions?

[ExplicitPaarthurnax]

Now that Squad is making it to where there are random asteroid occurrences around Kerbin, does that mean that eventually an actual "asteroid belt" between Duna and Jool could be possible? That would make it a little bit more challenging to space travelers going beyond the orbit of Duna or going to Dres. Imagine the scientific opportunities if you could land on or orbit one of the giant space rocks.

Edited March 24, 2014 by ExplicitPaarthurnax

[CalculusWarrior]

Harv has said that it could be a possibility someday, but he didn't seem to want to expand further.

[astropapi1]

I don't know if you know this, but asteroid belts don't actually look like this:

The danger of going through one is almost non-existent. You'd have to do some maneuvering to even come close to an asteroid, so it wouldn't be that hard to make. I bet some modder will find a way to make them spawn in a certain orbit, so that is resembles a belt.

[MKI]

I highly doubt it. The Current version gives randomly generated asteroids, that if not focused on disappear. This is very important for RAM for the game. So having an asteroid belt with any significant number of asteroids will significantly slow down the game.

Maybe there could be a iteration of the game that has generated asteroids in a belt, but a permanent belt with a large number of asteroids will never come due to limitations with the engine, and computers.

[ExplicitPaarthurnax]

It would kinda give an idea of how Dres was formed and/or where it came from.

[problemecium]

Danny's new video, incidentally, illustrates rather entertainingly why asteroid belts aren't that hazardous after all - even if you TRY to hit an asteroid, you're more likely than not to miss.

[Sandworm]

Why a belt? If we can get a hold on the system that spawns asteroids around kerbin, why not have it spawn them around dres? Or around the active vessel as it approaches a particular altitude? That would simulate a 'belt' without the need for persistent rocks. And would it cost memory or CPU time? Not every asteroid is going to have a unique model. While on rails they can exist as a set of coordinates in a defined orbit. That doesn't eat much memory.

[Aragosnat]

I don't know if you know this, but asteroid belts don't actually look like this:

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120319160609/warhammer40k/images/d/d9/Caliban_asteroid_belt.jpg

The danger of going through one is almost non-existent. You'd have to do some maneuvering to even come close to an asteroid, so it wouldn't be that hard to make. I bet some modder will find a way to make them spawn in a certain orbit, so that is resembles a belt.

I'm aware they don't look like that. But, still cool to see such anyways.

[regex]

If we can get a hold on the system that spawns asteroids around kerbin,

What do you mean, "if"? Some modder will make that happen, I guarantee it. Hell, we'll probably see three or four pop up by a week after patch day.

[NovaSilisko]

I'd like to see a belt of (possibly purple) asteroids around Eve, someday... that was among my original concepts for the planet. The remnants of a ring system, the smaller particles long swept away by the solar wind, leaving only big boulders.

[Karriz]

I'd like to see asteroids randomly spawning between Duna and Jool, using the same tracking system as near-Kerbin asteroids. That would make sense, anyways.

[The Destroyer]

I'd like to see a belt of (possibly purple) asteroids around Eve, someday... that was among my original concepts for the planet. The remnants of a ring system, the smaller particles long swept away by the solar wind, leaving only big boulders.

Dammit Nova we need you to influince squad with your great ideas!

[OrtwinS]

I should create an asteroid belt around Minmus...

[KerbMav]

Are the asteroids just ghosts until they are tracked? Could we encounter them even untracked or are they just "sensor blips" that only manifest if locked on by the tracking station?

How many asteroids can be tracked?

Do they vanish if they are untracked and nothing is docked/clawed unto them anymore?

Edit: Thinking about using HyperEdit as a "Terrain Editor": First create asteroids or ring-remnants where I want them and then start playing for real.

Edited March 25, 2014 by KerbMav

[FuzzyLlama]

I highly doubt it. The Current version gives randomly generated asteroids, that if not focused on disappear. This is very important for RAM for the game. So having an asteroid belt with any significant number of asteroids will significantly slow down the game.

Maybe there could be a iteration of the game that has generated asteroids in a belt, but a permanent belt with a large number of asteroids will never come due to limitations with the engine, and computers.

http://www.gentoo.org

say no more.

[PhantomXD]

I highly doubt it. The Current version gives randomly generated asteroids, that if not focused on disappear. This is very important for RAM for the game. So having an asteroid belt with any significant number of asteroids will significantly slow down the game.

Maybe there could be a iteration of the game that has generated asteroids in a belt, but a permanent belt with a large number of asteroids will never come due to limitations with the engine, and computers.

Or around the active vessel as it approaches a particular altitude? .

This would be possible through instancing in a belt zone that stays abstracted until you get to say 5 Km then it starts to generate the chunk and despawns it after say 10 Km as even class E's are not visible at that distance.

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

I think it would be possible in a later Version. Consider that every Asteroid is rendered as an entity like a ship or a flag.

I could feel some Performance issues and Change in loadtimes when I had a flag on every planet and Moon so I dont think a fully rendered Asteroid belt is no good Thing right now

[syfyguy64]

Could work if the belt doesn't show every asteroid there, but maybe have a 500k km highlighted area that looks like a thick orbit trajectory that when right clicked, gives you information on how many asteroids are in the highlighted area, and some other information, like density or average distance apart.

Maybe have an option to have the belt tacked separately from other planets/asteroids, and if you land on one, or within 100k km of it, you get lots of science.

[FITorion]

Mods will do it... almost immediately...

alternately you could do it yourself. Either manually... or with hyperedit... you could just move the asteroids that spawn into the approximate orbit where you want the field and there you go.

[ExplicitPaarthurnax]

I'm aware they don't look like that. But, still cool to see such anyways.

I agree. That's what I'm saying.

[vger]

Yes, there could be an asteroid belt. The challenge would be implementing it without the gamers unanimously agreeing that its name should be the lag belt.

[HafCoJoe]

Yes, there could be an asteroid belt. The challenge would be implementing it without the gamers unanimously agreeing that its name should be the lag belt.

Yeah not the Oort cloud, but the Lag cloud. Awesome! It could even create a new difficulty! trying to avoid render distance to the asteroids!

[Nikolai]

I highly doubt it. The Current version gives randomly generated asteroids, that if not focused on disappear. This is very important for RAM for the game. So having an asteroid belt with any significant number of asteroids will significantly slow down the game.

This is only true if asteroids have to remain in RAM in order to be persistent. They don't. They could be procedurally generated, for example.