Community Poll: Which existing features in KSP should be expanded on in 0.25?

[SpaceSphereOfDeath]

Resources and gas planet mkII

[Moon Goddess]

I think they should work on Life Support and Resource Mining in .25

[Michaelo90]

I would like to have all kinds of parts in all sizes, especially jet and nuclear engines.

[4nxs]

I would like to see extended EVA activities and science options as described some of the posts above. Right clicking is too much of a mehhh for me. The reason I installed KAS was that I could set up a science station of sort when landing somewhere.

Also does anyone know why the rock grabbing animation was not put in the game?? It's awesome!!

A second thing would be things like EVE and distant object enhancement because they add a whole new dimension to the game. Kerbin without EVE looks well... weird.

Squad probably has a plan for the next few updates, so I don't expect to see any of this implemented soon.

It would be nice if they had something like a road map of things they would like to do. Not with the big things but the small ones, like biomes or model updates and aestatic changes.

Though, I expect they won't show one on the forums because that would lead to people being disappointed when things get cancelled, like the resources.

[NecroBones]

I would like a flat adapter for the 3.75m stuff, like we have for the other sizes, in addition to the cone adapter we have now. Plus maybe some other parts at the new size, like a nose cone, for example.

I've always hoped we could get a second version of the nuclear engine, in 2.5m diameter. Perhaps with a slightly worse TWR to balance it against just simply using two of the smaller ones (making it a trade-off between using one part, versus two slightly more efficient smaller ones).

Something I would also like to see is electric, and fuel+oxidizer variants of turbo-fan propulsion, or ducted fans. Something we can use on Eve and Duna, where there is an atmosphere without oxygen, without going straight to rocket engines.

I would also like for maneuver nodes to stop collapsing while zooming, or at least have a button/key that we can hit to re-expand the handles. For planetary transfers in particular this would be useful..

[cantab]

Aero. Aero aero aero. Kerbal Space Program is a game that's fundamentally about having fun with accurate physics, and the aerodynamic model sticks out in its massive unrealism. To the point that knowing the stock aero is so unrealistic has discouraged me from making planes; it's put me off an entire segment of the game. (And yes, I know, FAR. I'll look into it sometime, probably after I've done my Jool collab session).

As for the other options:

Biomes I don't really care for. The current implementation makes science feel grindy, that wants fixing before they're added to more worlds I feel. Ultimately though drawing lines on a map isn't the way to make the worlds more interesting, actually making the surfaces interesting is.

The LV-N is currently an acceptable abstraction. It's only one engine after all. Were it to be made more realistic, it needs two things: Nuclear fuel and liquid hydrogen. But the expected lifespan of the reactor is probably long enough to not worry about needing to replenish the fuel, so unless we get more conventional nuclear reactors (a la Near Future Propulsion) it can probably be forgotten about, leaving the engine to just use liquid hydrogen. In that case, I think it would want tying in with a wider separation of the fuels. Two fuels - kerosene and LH - and a single oxidizer would suffice I reckon, with the LH engines being more efficient but the LH tanks having a worse mass ratio.

The infinite EVA fuel is a unrealistic, but ultimately I'd say it's not that exploitable. You're per-trip limited, and pushing a command pod around for refills is tedious enough that it won't be the chosen approach for many players.

Something I would also like to see is electric, and fuel+oxidizer variants of turbo-fan propulsion, or ducted fans. Something we can use on Eve and Duna, where there is an atmosphere without oxygen, without going straight to rocket engines.

This makes me think that an interesting idea would be a fuel-breathing engine, that combines atmospheric gases with onboard oxidizer. It could work on Jool and on a newly added planet or moon. IIRC such an engine would be less efficient than regular jets because the oxidizer masses more than the fuel, but more efficient than rockets. Edited May 8, 2014 by cantab

[ecat]

Biomes. Biomes biomes biomes. Kerbal Space Program is a game that's fundamentally about having fun with space exploration. Exploration means finding things and biomes give every one something to find on every planet. I do admit however that the current implementation requires more detail, more detail to discover and more varied ways of discovering - long term planetary base or rover mission etc.

I did momentarily toy with the idea of expanded aerodynamics as I'm sure there are good lessons to learn but there is already a mod for that and relatively few planets have an atmosphere, so on the whole I think official SQUAD work on this should take a back seat.

Edited May 8, 2014 by ecat

[Sof]

Biomes. Biomes biomes biomes. Kerbal Space Program is a game that's fundamentally about having fun with space exploration. Exploration means finding things and biomes give every one something to find on every planet. I do admit however that the current implementation requires more detail, more detail to discover and more varied ways of discovering - long term planetary base or rover mission etc.

I did momentarily toy with the idea of expanded aerodynamics as I'm sure there are good lessons to learn but there is already a mod for that and relatively few planets have an atmosphere, so on the whole I think official SQUAD work on this should take a back seat.

There are mods for expanded biomes too. In the end, you can get enough science in the Kerbin system alone to max out the science tree. For the rest of the solar system, the multiplier alone for a return trip makes bucketloads of science. Multiple biomes will just mean 100% completion from a single mission to Duna. Therefore, apart from different words, the extra biomes won't add much to the game at this stage, and who really cares if the writing isn't different for a crater on the equator of Duna as opposed to its ice-caps. You can see the difference and have proof yourself for the exploration.

The aerodynamic model needs to be more realistic. I like modding my KSP, but ultimately that is to simply add to the game. FAR is the only mod I believe actually fixes it.

[m4v]

The aerodynamic model needs to be more realistic. I like modding my KSP, but ultimately that is to simply add to the game. FAR is the only mod I believe actually fixes it.

The aerodynamic model needs improvements, but not to the extend that FAR does. We may disagree to this point, but I don't find to be fun having planes disintegrating without warning if I happen to pitch more than needed, and even less fun if it weren't because you have pfairings for encase everything and forget about drag.

[Moar Boosters]

TBH I think reentry heat is one of the most important things missing from KSP.

It's a fundamental part of space travel that's completely missing from the game. We have some aerodynamics, and some biomes, but currently we have no danger at all from one of the most dangerous aspects of space travel. They've obviously done quite a bit of work in this area because all the effects are there already, but for some reason they never finished that feature.

I know there's the deadly re-entry mod, but it's something that's fundamental to space-travel. We really shouldn't have to resort to mods for basic features.

[SofusRud]

A few updates ago Moho, EVE, Mun and Duna got some major terrain overhauls. Besides the biomes for a larger number of celestial bodies, I would like to see Dres, Ike and the moons of Jool get a similar overhaul. Especially Laythe

[TotalNewb]

I'd love to see something that makes you put effort into science. Right now it's just "land, click a few times, take off". Perhaps making a kerbal go on EVA, grab an instrument, go deploy it, wait for it to finish (taking photos for a report and grabbing surface samples), get it and store the results.

[LethalDose]

In general, these polls just aren't useful and just seem to end up as lightning rods for bickering.

Specific to this polls, most of the options aren't even reasonable or mutually exclusive to each other.

Minmus' biomes were simply added in 0.23 with the whole science overhaul, so "moar biomes" doesn't need to be a patch focus, unless they're doing a bunch.

Changing the LV-N's fuel was supposed to be changed when tweakables was released, but would just be assigning it a new module, and, again, so simple that it wouldn't necessitate the main feature of a patch.

The EVA fuel situation is probably in it's final state. Adding an "EVA fuel pod" as a ship part will only lead to situations where Kerbals can run out, and therefore not be able to EVA effectively.

I don't see a need to change aerodynamics in the core game.

If there was a single feature that I think needs attention it would probably be developing an API to make modding more accessible. Stock fairings would also be pretty cool, too.

The focus of 0.25, though, I think probably should be and probably will be further development of the contracts system to include an economy and possible currency.

Edit: Oh, I'd also like to see classes/job ratings for kerbals, and kerbal equipment, but I've never heard a dev discuss those possibilities, so I place them in the same category as stock life support and stock resource collection.

Edited May 8, 2014 by LethalDose

[comham]

A few updates ago Moho, EVE, Mun and Duna got some major terrain overhauls. Besides the biomes for a larger number of celestial bodies, I would like to see Dres, Ike and the moons of Jool get a similar overhaul. Especially Laythe

They're just handpainted overhauls though, imo the entire terrain system is too basic and sparse. Needs more procedurality and detail density.

[czokletmuss]

They're just handpainted overhauls though, imo the entire terrain system is too basic and sparse. Needs more procedurality and detail density.

That's it! I completely forgot about procedurally generated terrain in the poll. Doh..

[michaelhester07]

I voted for biomes but I want more to do when collecting science:

With the addition of biomes I should have to work to get full samples out of them. Right now it's land, grab a scoop of dirt, and take off. I want to have a need to carry a rover with me.

- Rover storage bay: Store surface samples and rocks I collected. It should have a limited capacity so I have to bring the info back to the ship.

- Surface samples should have to be taken from locations no closer than 50 meters apart. If I need 10 samples I'd have to find 10 spots that are 50 meters apart (like a circle around my landing site).

- Multiple samples are needed to fill up the science return for a particular biome. If I land in mun's highlands I should have to take 100 samples to fill up the science for it. For a small crater biome it would be 10 or fewer.

- Collectible rocks. Let me find some rocks I want to pick up and store. Rock composition can be analyzed at the mobile lab.

I'd also like to have unmanned rovers and probes do some work.

- Rover sample arm: A small scoop that has sensors on it to analyze a sample my rover picks up. It can't store the sample but it will allow me to gather the transmit value for the sample. Should also work on asteroids.

- Rover laser composition scanner: Like the laser they put on Curiosity: activate and fire a laser to sample a rock. Randomly distributed rocks can have different compositions and each new composition adds to science transmission. Should also work on asteroids. Discover a rare asteroid composition (ice cream or something like that) for a bonus science.

- Gravioli detector works in orbit. Collect samples at various points in an orbit to determine the mass of a planet or moon. An accurate determination adds bonus science.

- Seismic sensor works when attached to an asteroid: determine the exact mass of the asteroid or its composition. Accurate determination adds science.

- Barometric pressure detector works in orbit: piece together samples from high altitude atmosphere grazes or exo atmosphere to determine the altitude where a planet's atmosphere ends. The number of samples you need depends on the planet.

- Add a camera for my rover with animations. Why should I have to send kerbals on one way trips when I can send a machine whose family doesn't sue me when it doesn't come back. Let the camera provide information similar to an EVA or crew report.

That would make my trip to mun more involved than before. The rock composition thing would be a reason for a base. That and if reputation and budget get implemented having a mun base discover things would lead to a higher rep and a bigger budget.

[Liowen]

I voted for other: make maneuver nodes easier to place once you leave a planets SOI. I have run into this problem on more than a few times, and others have as well I have seen. I had an orbit a few days ago that I could not place a node anywhere on the blue line. No matter the angle I put the camera at I could get my current orbits path to let me place a maneuver node down. Biomes would be nice to have once the techtree is sorted so there would be more reason to go to them. Aerodynamics could be good, but there should be an option to leave them as they are now to let people learn with a more forgiving curve. Lastly I went nearly 3 pages without seeing any mention of resources.....this was a surprise LOL.

[wasmic]

0.25 will probably be an expansion of the contracts system. I think more biomes will come, so far it has been one body per update or so. FAR-like aerodynamics are a must, at least at some point in the development. This is a spaceflight/normal flight simulator with focus on a good balance between realism and fun, but currently, there is no realism in the aerodynamics (what the hell is up with those ascent profiles?!), and changing to a FAR-like system won't subtract from the fun, but it will add a lot to the realism.

By the way, for those who don't like FAR and realistic aerodynamics, the thing I meant with "a FAR-like system won't subtract from the fun" is that it's simply another aerodynamics system with its own quirks, just like the stock one has its own quirks. It's only slightly more complicated than the stock system, and for many people, FAR is actually easier to understand, as planes that look realistic will suddenly fly realistically.

[RocketPilot573]

Aerodynamics defiantly.

I know that planes were not originally intended to be a part of kerbal space program. However is aerodynamics not a huge part of constructing a rocket too? You have to go through the atmosphere to get to space the first place, so of course we should probably have decent atmospheric psychics. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be at least somewhat realistic (at the moment launching rockets in KSP is not anything compared to real life). Isn't KSP supposed to simulate realistic psychics? I know Squad likes to balance between game-play and realism, however improved aerodynamics should not take away from game-play at all, instead it will add that missing part of rocket science that so many people would like to see. Furthermore, if this will be added it really needs to be sooner rather than later, as changing (or rather, FIXING) the atmosphere will completely change the way we launch rockets (that's a good thing). Seriously, the unrealistic atmosphere has been around since the game came out, and at this point such a basic game-play mechanic REALLY should not still be in it's alpha version, I believe the game is beyond that now.

Realistic aerodynamics should not be just a mod...

Edited May 8, 2014 by RocketPilot573

[m4v]

0.25 will probably be an expansion of the contracts system. I think more biomes will come, so far it has been one body per update or so. FAR-like aerodynamics are a must, at least at some point in the development. This is a spaceflight/normal flight simulator with focus on a good balance between realism and fun, but currently, there is no realism in the aerodynamics (what the hell is up with those ascent profiles?!), and changing to a FAR-like system won't subtract from the fun, but it will add a lot to the realism.

By the way, for those who don't like FAR and realistic aerodynamics, the thing I meant with "a FAR-like system won't subtract from the fun" is that it's simply another aerodynamics system with its own quirks, just like the stock one has its own quirks. It's only slightly more complicated than the stock system, and for many people, FAR is actually easier to understand, as planes that look realistic will suddenly fly realistically.

FAR makes flying rockets effortless and very forgiving while making flying planes a royal pain and unforgiving. Is that realistic? I dunno, I'm sure that ferram knows his trade and that his model is as realistic as it can be within the limitations of the game, but I also believe that the idea of cramming as much realism as possible into a game that ultimately doesn't have the proper scales and that is more about fun and creativity than is about realism is the wrong approach. FAR puts hard limits to planes and forces me to fight for my fun, hence I don't use it and I would hate to see it as a stock feature. However I would be very happy with an improved drag model that just makes drag depend of the part's shape and its AoA rather than just its mass.

[jfull]

Some Aerodynamics should be implemented but not to the same level of realism as FAR. Just something simple to detect whether a craft is sleek-shaped or built like a brick.

I think the biggest thing that needs to be expanded on is the selection of aircraft parts. Many of the ones currently in the game just don't have the same design quality and texture detail as the parts that have been added to the game more recently.

[possum]

I would like to see just 2 things. First is an improvement to IVA. Give us something to do while in orbit and inside; stuff like long term science. The second would be more to do while EVA. Deploy-able science and the ability to do simple things like connect fuel line and struts. The things you can do with KAS.

[Skyler4856]

Better terrain generation

[sdj64]

IVA views for all the pods that exist now, including the lab

More pods (a 2-man plane cockpit, a 2-man capsule, and a 1- and 2-man rover cab would be nice)

Biomes on other planets, but fewer biomes on Mun and Minmus. Maybe 3 each. Right now it's too easy to get science there.

Actually useful radial engines, all of the ones that exist right now are horrible in efficiency.

Bigger ion engines and xenon fuel tanks, bigger and smaller jet engines and air intakes.

More unmanned science stuff, so that unmanned craft actually have a purpose.

Yeah, there's a lot of stuff that seems unfinished or at least unpolished. Don't be like Minecraft, Squad! Finish what you started!

[Madrias]

Other: Spaceplane parts and cockpit IVA's.

Why? Because while it is Kerbal Space Program, spaceplanes have been completely neglected since their initial addition. Us pilots still have the same two jet engines, the same set of wings, control surfaces, the same 3 cockpits, only one of which can be flown from the inside, and one set of landing gear.

What would I like to see? A 2-Kerbal Inline-seat cockpit, IVA views for all cockpits, some different-sized jet engines, wings in slightly different sizes/shapes, and something more than that same tail connector, maybe something with some engine mounts in it as well, as well as more than just one set of very generic landing gear.

Oh, and maybe some radial-mounted jet engines with some integrated intakes?