Here's Your First Look at Kerbal Space Program: First Contract

[John FX]

Ideally KSP would get a stock Floor It button, Z by default. It's just so handy.

I`d support this. I don`t support the 50% default though. I don`t think I have ever built a rocket that needed 50% throttle on the pad.

It`s not a huge thing though, I have developed a habit of pressing z just before space anyway now I use floorit (awesome, simple mod)

My only issue is I DO have rockets that stage the engines, then throttle up (using fuel from an external launchpad tank), then stage the clamps and this change would affect those in a negative way. I don`t see many positive reasons myself.

I`ll be downloading the mod that reverses this change and leaves throttle at 0% once 0.24 comes out.

Hopefully there is some line in a config so I could just change that to 0 instead of 50 or 0.5, whatever the 50% value is.

Now that the media has versions it looks like just a few days until we get our grubby mitts on it.

Wow, I'm glad thats over. Anyone else notice the OTHER things that were mentioned in the video? I've KSP starved myself for months (except for a quick mun mission to test something) to be ready for this.

yeah. I notice that `Rep will affect mission quality` whatever that means. Sounds good.

[Mipe]

... guys. Just how many pages have you wasted on the 50% throttle thing as if it was the most important feature of .24?

[theend3r]

I`d support this. I don`t support the 50% default though. I don`t think I have ever built a rocket that needed 50% throttle on the pad.

It`s not a huge thing though, I have developed a habit of pressing z just before space anyway now I use floorit (awesome, simple mod)

My only issue is I DO have rockets that stage the engines, then throttle up (using fuel from an external launchpad tank), then stage the clamps and this change would affect those in a negative way. I don`t see many positive reasons myself.

I`ll be downloading the mod that reverses this change and leaves throttle at 0% once 0.24 comes out.

Hopefully there is some line in a config so I could just change that to 0 instead of 50 or 0.5, whatever the 50% value is.

Now that the media has versions it looks like just a few days until we get our grubby mitts on it.

yeah. I notice that `Rep will affect mission quality` whatever that means. Sounds good.

Yeah, me too, especially when using spaceplanes. I usually have actiong groups like this:

1) Jets on, nerva off

2) Jets on, nerva on

3) Jets off, nerva on

4) Emergency engines toggle

First I stage, then press press one, then throttle up. This mean I will have to throttle down and then up

[Javster]

Really hard to understand the mumbling of the narrator of the video, but I got the gist of it.

[Ravenchant]

The video looks nice! I only hope that fuel will come cheap compared to everything else, to make stage recovery a sensible option.

While switching to 50% throttle at launch isn't a bad addition, I don't see what we gain by it since we still have to increase throttle (unless the rocket has a TWR of >2)

[NeoMorph]

Oh god... 64bit FINALLY YAY!

WTG Squad!

[Starwhip]

Zis is looking good.

Really, really good.

Can't wait for it to be released!

[xcorps]

So now that the thread is no longer derailed by the 50% throttle nonsense, do we have any confirmation that procedural contracts exist in THIS release?

[Shogun Gunshow]

Since they pretty much explicitly say so in the video, I'm going to go with 'yes.'

This has been covered earlier in the thread.

[xcorps]

Since they pretty much explicitly say so in the video, I'm going to go with 'yes.'

This has been covered earlier in the thread.

Thank you.

[JimmyAgent007]

Yes they are, the pre-made ones are just the first few. To get things started. Not sure why this is an issue any more than the 50% throttle nonsense but without a dev to explicitly state something then I suppose this is inevitable. A poll on this would be interesting to see. Granted without dev confirmation this is only my guess but until the FAQ comes out there isnt any point in going on about it.

[TeeGee]

Money is going to completely change the way people launch their spacecraft and attempt interplanetary missions.

People are going to be MUCH more careful with rocket designs, will be forced to plan missions within reason AND be generally worried about every staged piece on their rockets.

I'm willing to bet most people are going to adopt SpaceX recoverable rocket designs for their spacecraft, not the skylon equivalent winged design. I personally find SSTO rockets that land vertically to be far more effective and cheap than winged SSTO's.

[Mitchz95]

Question: if I launch and then revert to VAB, do I get a full refund?

Edited July 13, 2014 by Mitchz95

[softweir]

... People are going to be MUCH more careful with rocket designs, will be forced to plan missions within reason AND be generally worried about every staged piece on their rockets ...

I can't imagine what would happen to Whackjob if he were forced to play the new career mode!

[softweir]

Question: if you launch and then revert to VAB, do you get a full refund?

Yes - because "revert" is another way of saying "reload". The game does an autosave when you leave the VAB and again once the ship is safely on the launchpad, and loads those when you revert.

[smart013]

Money is going to completely change the way people launch their spacecraft and attempt interplanetary missions.

Depends on the personal goals of each player, but you could be right. My approach is that of a single player that experiences his space program as a epic story with throwbacks, problems, bottlenecks and ineffective designs for fun. The time it takes to go through the techtree is not important, as is what others are potentionally thinking. In short my ksp careergames are not aimed at gathering "fame" with others or to prove anything. However if someone *needs* (age, character, enviroment) to be the one to post his records (most money, most reputation, first to "clear" the techtree, feeling more leet because playing stock and so on) on forums, reddit or youtube there will be a huge selfinduced pressure to play a highly efficient space program.

And - of course - this then will be promoted by these as the one and only leet way to play ksp

But, there will still room enough for anyone to play at his own pace, with his own goals and there are no right ways to play (mine included).

[Liowen]

Depends on the personal goals of each player, but you could be right. My approach is that of a single player that experiences his space program as a epic story with throwbacks, problems, bottlenecks and ineffective designs for fun. The time it takes to go through the techtree is not important, as is what others are potentionally thinking. In short my ksp careergames are not aimed at gathering "fame" with others or to prove anything. However if someone *needs* (age, character, enviroment) to be the one to post his records (most money, most reputation, first to "clear" the techtree, feeling more leet because playing stock and so on) on forums, reddit or youtube there will be a huge selfinduced pressure to play a highly efficient space program.

And - of course - this then will be promoted by these as the one and only leet way to play ksp

But, there will still room enough for anyone to play at his own pace, with his own goals and there are no right ways to play (mine included).

Hmm I dunno I make videos for youtube but I am also far from the most effective with fuel/parts, in fact I think I make that point many times over in many videos. I figure that one extra tank of fuel in the space programs way of saying "they always put extra in these tanks", to quote Deep Impact. However I wonder about ships that do more than one landing? Let's say that I have a Mun craft that lands 4 times, in different locations, before returning to Kerbin do I get a multiple landing credit or just a single? Other than that the other stuff, like starting at 50% at the launch pad, is minor really. In fact to me once it loads I can hit X to go to 0 or shift for a second or two to go up to max, I am sure there will be a way to change this or even a mod that could used to do it as well.

[Helix935]

hmm what happened to fanworks friday?

[Shogun Gunshow]

Daily updates don't tend to happen in the days immediately preceding a major patch release.

[Torham234]

Second, it's a shorter trip to full throttle than starting at 0. In fact, I'm almost apt to say this is just flat out trolling. There is no way you actually think pre-setting throttle to 50% is akin to KSP being on the cusp of MechJebbing the entire game.

I am pretty sure everyone getting their knickers in a twist over something trivial like that must be trolling. Or bored.

[Aratak]

Yes - because "revert" is another way of saying "reload". The game does an autosave when you leave the VAB and again once the ship is safely on the launchpad, and loads those when you revert.

Actually a default throttle other than 0 would prevent an autosave.

A newbie constructing a rocket that falls apart on the pad could lose funds when he does not revert the flight.

[cpast]

Actually a default throttle other than 0 would prevent an autosave.

A newbie constructing a rocket that falls apart on the pad could lose funds when he does not revert the flight.

Not necessarily. The game can force an autosave whenever it wants; it's perfectly possible for Squad to force the autosave (at 0 throttle), and keep "revert to launch" working properly.

[Javster]

My bet is that it will be released in the next 10 days. Mainly because that's when I'm on holiday, so they're going to release it when I can't play it for the third time in a row...

[TeeGee]

Depends on the personal goals of each player, but you could be right. My approach is that of a single player that experiences his space program as a epic story with throwbacks, problems, bottlenecks and ineffective designs for fun. The time it takes to go through the techtree is not important, as is what others are potentionally thinking. In short my ksp careergames are not aimed at gathering "fame" with others or to prove anything. However if someone *needs* (age, character, enviroment) to be the one to post his records (most money, most reputation, first to "clear" the techtree, feeling more leet because playing stock and so on) on forums, reddit or youtube there will be a huge selfinduced pressure to play a highly efficient space program.

And - of course - this then will be promoted by these as the one and only leet way to play ksp

But, there will still room enough for anyone to play at his own pace, with his own goals and there are no right ways to play (mine included).

A guarantee a new thread labelled "Cheapest/Most efficient rocket designs" will sprout over in the spacecraft exchange forum.

Right now, people just slap on as many rockets as they can to push massive payloads into space in one shot. I've already begun building my rockets that lift payloads and return to kerbin as SSTO's. The only thing I'm concerned about is how much science it will cost to get where I wanna go and how much money my ssto rocket booster will cost to initially build.

What I am really excited about is how everyone's part mods etc will be effected when this new mechanic comes out. I personally love using ROS and if we could get a realistic monetary system that procedurally generates contracts over RSS Kerbin, I'll be ecstatic. Imagine being given a contract to launch 25 satellites in the most efficient way possible or building a space station over kerbin and being paid to run supplies and crew from ground to orbit. The game will always have players doing something just to allow us to maintain our space program. If we stop doing contracts, we stop making money and we stop building rockets = game over. NOW we are simulating a space program management and design system.

One thing is for sure though, our orbital parking spots are gonna get CROWDED.

I personally am going to use SANDBOX to simulate my rocket designs before I import them into my career file. Test the rocket before she flies in reality.

[Rufledt]

It's gonna be awesome. Whenever it does come out, I suspect I won't get anything non-KSP related done that night.