Community interest in Gas planet 2

[Moar Boosters]

I'd love there to be more gas planets.

Ideally I'd like the system to extend out much further than it currently does.

IRL to reach the outer planets our long range probes have to use gravity assists off the Jupiter or Saturn. I'd love it if the system expanded out much further so the only realistic way of reaching these targets would be gravity assists, or building ridiculously big spaceships in orbit.

When the game was new, I looked at the map and it felt full of wonder and challenge, with all these far off places to visit. Much of this goes for experienced players who've been everywhere, but adding very-hard-to-reach targets would bring this feeling back.

[CaptRobau]

I want to see new planets and moons, but only if the base game has been expanded more so that's there actually something to do there. Telescopes that allow you to discover smaller moons, scanning satellites that allows you to change an unexplored planet with a undetailed low resolution surface into one of the quality we have now (see picture) or science equipment that actually contributes to in-game knowledge of the planets/moons. Even though I can look it up on the wiki, I want temperature scans on Duna to help me get a reading on that planet's surface temperature or for the description to say that Laythe is seismically active after I've done a few seismic scans on the various planets. What I want is something to discover for myself. At the current state new planets/moons are worthless because the things I mentioned above aren't in yet. But once they are, I say go for it.

[SSSPutnik]

Given all of our solar systems major planets were discovered around 200 years before we started flying rockets into space, I don't see the point in a "discovery mechanism" for them.

Moons - maybe, it wasn't till the 1970-80s we started seeing all of Jupiters moons etc for instance. But it's kind of hard to miss a gas giant.

[MKI]

Its only a matter of time until the Gas Giant is added.

I feel it will only come with an update that will break saves. This is an important thing to remember as, Squad generally tries to not break saves unless they have to. Adding a new planet, possibly changing other planets completely is a good reason to break saves.

So the Gas Giant will come when its ready, and will probably come with something else that will break saves. Possibly some big under the hood changes.

That is if the Giant will distort current game play in some way.

[NovaSilisko]

I want to see new planets and moons, but only if the base game has been expanded more so that's there actually something to do there. Telescopes that allow you to discover smaller moons, scanning satellites that allows you to change an unexplored planet with a undetailed low resolution surface into one of the quality we have now (see picture) or science equipment that actually contributes to in-game knowledge of the planets/moons. Even though I can look it up on the wiki, I want temperature scans on Duna to help me get a reading on that planet's surface temperature or for the description to say that Laythe is seismically active after I've done a few seismic scans on the various planets. What I want is something to discover for myself. At the current state new planets/moons are worthless because the things I mentioned above aren't in yet. But once they are, I say go for it.

http://i.imgur.com/3cXonsB.jpg

I wonder if something like that could be done with a mod? We have mods to replace textures, we have mods to generate textures based on orbital mapping... why not combine the two? Add to that perhaps some manner of telescope (it would probably have to be simulated in some fashion, rather than just a camera with ultra-low FOV, since that's super glitchy) to assist in imaging and you can have a lot of fun.

Mods have done crazier things...

[SSSPutnik]

Its already done with mods.

[OrtwinS]

Contracts, resource system, more planets, fixed aerodynamics, (re)entry heat, functional science...

I'm not envious of the workload people expect to be done 'soon'.

FAR, deadly reentry, kethane, SCANsat and that one planets mod are there to keep the fanatics occupied.

Let them focus and building out the base of the game, adding content like 'another planet' can be bonus to go along other 'real' (under the hood) changes.

Personally I'd love to get biomes for the other planets, but that is trivial content as well.

Its already done with mods.

So was wheels before we got them. And planes, and asteroids, and contracts...

Mods are great to expand and explore the possibilities, add new tastes and new combinations. They are not an argument to not fold those possibilities into the main game.

Edited April 1, 2014 by OrtwinS

[SSSPutnik]

Not saying it shouldn't be, but the post prior to mine suggested a gas giant mod, was just pointing out its been done.

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

I wonder if something like that could be done with a mod? We have mods to replace textures, we have mods to generate textures based on orbital mapping... why not combine the two? Add to that perhaps some manner of telescope (it would probably have to be simulated in some fashion, rather than just a camera with ultra-low FOV, since that's super glitchy) to assist in imaging and you can have a lot of fun.

Mods have done crazier things...

I suggested this a Long Long time ago for the Stock Version of KSP.

Would love to see it implemented but I think Squad is after bigger fish right now.

[ArmchairGravy]

Instead of more places to go, I'd like to see more to do once we get there.

[Moon Goddess]

Given all of our solar systems major planets were discovered around 200 years before we started flying rockets into space, I don't see the point in a "discovery mechanism" for them.

Moons - maybe, it wasn't till the 1970-80s we started seeing all of Jupiters moons etc for instance. But it's kind of hard to miss a gas giant.

THIS!!!!!

I keep seeing they can't put it in till they add discovery... discovery? Look up at night! Saturn was discovered about 10,000 years before spaceflight!

[cantab]

I'd love there to be more gas planets.

Ideally I'd like the system to extend out much further than it currently does.

IRL to reach the outer planets our long range probes have to use gravity assists off the Jupiter or Saturn. I'd love it if the system expanded out much further so the only realistic way of reaching these targets would be gravity assists, or building ridiculously big spaceships in orbit.

A good point. I've tried some gravity assists, but Duna-Jool say doesn't work out that great because Duna's not very massive so it's hard (if not impossible) to get to Jool from one Duna flyby. Stuff llike Jool-GP2-Kuiper Belt Object I reckon would be more satisfying.

Gravity assists in general will also become more important if career mode constrains money and possibly mission time. New Horizons springs to mind here: Had it missed the launch window for the Jupiter gravity assist, it could still have made Pluto directly, but would take a couple of years longer to do it.

[TerLoki]

I would definitely love to see GP2 in-game at the very least, and maybe one or two other gas giants as well. People always talk about big mission profiles that require landing on other planets and muns, but the flyby seems to get no respect, and an awesome big project for the early game with a mid-to-low tech level would be a Voyager-style grand tour to multiple gas giants in one go. Of course to do that you'd need at least GP2 in-game, and preferably three or four gas giants total.

[CreepyD]

I think something needs to change with either memory usage or Unity before this happens.

If I add just a handful of planets with a mod, that's it I'm over the memory limit (without even adding other ANY other mods!)

I'd love it to happen though - more options / exploration / challenge is good.

[CaptRobau]

I imagine the way mods handle planets is far more memory intensive than the way Squad can do it. No reasons to do wor*arounds due to direct access to the game's source.

[tychochallenge]

I think something needs to change with either memory usage or Unity before this happens.

If I add just a handful of planets with a mod, that's it I'm over the memory limit (without even adding other ANY other mods!)

I'd love it to happen though - more options / exploration / challenge is good.

I agree, we're going to need 64-bit support if we are going to get more planets other than GP2 at the very least

[EleSigma]

As much as I love the support for more planets, this doesn't mean we'll get them. Look at resources, there were plenty of polls and topics for support of stock resources but Squad canned it for multiplayer. What they think will bring in more customers and money carries more weight over what the fans who have already bought the game want. That's how businesses work sadly.

[sal_vager]

What they think will bring in more customers and money carries more weight over what the fans who have already bought the game want. That's how businesses work sadly.

Oh this tired worn out argument once more, we almost had a week go by without it, thanks EleSigma :/

Mining resources, from what I've been able to gather, was a catch 22 situation. You can't get the resources unless you reach the other planets, but you can't reach the other planets without the resources...

Plus mining can be extremely dull (I'm looking at you EVE online), forcing players to mine is bad, but if we don't have to mine what's the point of having mining?

You already paid, you're going to get the updates for free, you have nothing to complain about

[WhiteWeasel]

Well with everyone complaining that the new SLS parts are "overpowered" GP2 could be pretty hard to reach. Giving a harder goal that justifies bigger payloads.

[Nemrav]

when will people get it through their system and into their brain that resource mining was not entirely cancelled, only cancelled in the form it was originally planned, of which we have no details about... the closest we ever got to knowing how dull the original method would've been was a post by Rowsdower here : http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/71647-Shoved-under-the-rug-cancelled-content/page7

and squad didn't think it was worth it to find out...

man, wish people with their resource mining hadn't ruined the success that thread had....

edit : to keep the thread on track, yes we are all interrested in GP2.... the only reason I can think of, as to why we don't have it is because the goal of squad for this year is finishing the features of career mode and getting an official multiplayer up and running.

Edited April 6, 2014 by Nemrav

[NovaSilisko]

I agree, we're going to need 64-bit support if we are going to get more planets other than GP2 at the very least

Nah, you just need a system to load and unload the planet textures during play. Don't keep them in RAM, just grab stuff for what you can see. If you want to go a step farther, you can split the surface textures into 512x512 tiles and then only load what tiles you need at any given time. If you multithread the loading process for the textures, it could be accomplished in the background without much performance overhead.

but you can't reach the other planets without the resources...

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you... if not, I'll go tell a large chunk of the KSP playerbase that their flights to other planets were performed on a soundstage.

if we don't have to mine what's the point of having mining?

Well, the same could be said about anything that not all players use; the solar system beyond Kerbin, career mode, sandbox mode, multiplayer, etc..

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

You can have Jool back if you give me the Magic Boulder.

[sal_vager]

Jeeze, you know what I meant, we'd not have resources for nothing, we'd have had to build rocket parts and make fuel, sure some of us can get to Duna and the rest without LV-N's but for many, NERVA interplanetary craft are de rigueur.

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

Jeeze, you know what I meant, we'd not have resources for nothing, we'd have had to build rocket parts and make fuel, sure some of us can get to Duna and the rest without LV-N's but for many, NERVA interplanetary craft are de rigueur.

With the new ARM-Parts you can go everywhere. So why not implement some places hard to get to, to give them a purpose.

[Alguien]

You can't get the resources unless you reach the other planets, but you can't reach the other planets without the resources...

...Just like science you mean?