Would/could it happen?

[Red Iron Crown]

Windows 8.1. Try getting a PC with 7 from retail outlets.

That's not forcing an upgrade at all. Car manufacturers are not forcing an upgrade to a 2014 model by not selling 2013s any more.

[Guest]

That's not forcing an upgrade at all. Car manufacturers are not forcing an upgrade to a 2014 model by not selling 2013s any more.

Thanks for writing that better than i can.

[djnattyd]

I don't think Microsoft of today is the same as Microsoft of the Bill Gates era. Everything is either micro transactions or "Day 0 DLC" with them and if it's not, it's just left to rot.

Look at FSX, it was in need of an SP3 and Microsoft closed Aces while they were in the middle of making it. Then somebody had the bright idea of releasing Microsoft Flight, a game that, aside from the initial area of Hawaii, was literally a pay to play game. It killed the franchise dead and Microsoft blamed the community for not supporting it.

I can't see them doing anything different with Minecraft. Sure the community is a lot larger and full of a lot more Shouty McShoutertons, but they are no more passionate than the flight sim crowd were about FSX.

If the day of Squad being acquired came then in all honesty, there are only two companies I'd like to see them consider. One is Valve, the other is Google and realistically, Google aren't going to buy a games developer unless they get into the gaming world themselves.

[Alshain]

...

Not Google either. We would have to create a Google Plus account to play and the license for the game would include them having the rights to all of your crafts, screenshots, videos, and soul. No, Google is just as evil as Microsoft.

[Jon Tash]

I wouldn't mind Squad taken over by NASA but then again I don't like the fact that small companies being eaten by big companies whoever they are and whatever they do. It's just like in school, the bullies annoying the rest of the class.

[TythosEternal]

(OP)

I wouldn't like to see KSP acquired, but here's the thing: I like these guys (Squad). They've done a bang-up job making a great product and are clearly both honest and realistic (and awesome) in their plans for their game and our community. I'd like to see them rewarded for their efforts, if possible far more than the relatively-small amount of money they're making off of our one-time, usually-discounted purchase of ~$20. I think someone giving them a nice, cool billion would be a great way to do that.

Of course, as soon as [insert name of evil publishing empire candidate here] writes that check, I would expect the entire team to retire to Cabo and use their funds to start a new studio doing the same thing (or as close as they could legally get away with). Goodness knows, 99.99% of the community would follow them. Hell, maybe the rewrite could be based on something other than Unity... Ah, a guy can dream.

[Technical Ben]

That's not forcing an upgrade at all. Car manufacturers are not forcing an upgrade to a 2014 model by not selling 2013s any more.

No, it's like ONLY selling diesel when people want petrol. Windows 8 2014 features are fine, windows 8 GUI features (from any decade) are not. A 2013/14 car is fine, being forced to get an all electric is not.

Try watching analogue TV. Or try buying VHS cassettes. People don't complain about improvements. But if tomorrow, the stopped making CDs and doing digital downloads and only sold gramophones, would it be a "forced" change?

Windows 8 has a forced change in UI if you need a newer/replacement OS. That's a forced change, as people buying a new/second PC cannot get Windows 7.

If NASA took over Squad, it would turn into being 100% about aliens and then go back into a prototype (I don't think much "gaming" gets out of that stage over at NASA). Not sure that would help much.

[Red Iron Crown]

A forced upgrade is when they make the old product not work any more, so users of the old product cannot continue to use it. No longer offering the old product for sale is not forcing an upgrade at all.

[djnattyd]

If NASA took over Squad, it would turn into being 100% about aliens and then go back into a prototype (I don't think much "gaming" gets out of that stage over at NASA). Not sure that would help much.

Given how Congress has butchered or outright canned a ton of NASA missions it'd be worse than that. NASA would announce loads of great stuff and then mothball the entire game.

[Fleb]

I wouldn't be happy if it did happen, but I would completely understand. Who would refuse an offer of 2 billion? That's silly money.

[Guest]

No, it's like ONLY selling diesel when people want petrol. Windows 8 2014 features are fine, windows 8 GUI features (from any decade) are not. A 2013/14 car is fine, being forced to get an all electric is not.

Try watching analogue TV. Or try buying VHS cassettes. People don't complain about improvements. But if tomorrow, the stopped making CDs and doing digital downloads and only sold gramophones, would it be a "forced" change?

Windows 8 has a forced change in UI if you need a newer/replacement OS. That's a forced change, as people buying a new/second PC cannot get Windows 7.

If NASA took over Squad, it would turn into being 100% about aliens and then go back into a prototype (I don't think much "gaming" gets out of that stage over at NASA). Not sure that would help much.

But you can go and buy windows 7, the actual product.

[Francois424]

KSP is a 'niche' game for gamers of a certain taste (which is not really acquired taste for many). Speaking from experience trying to get 4 ppl to play KSP :

1. Travel is slow... Especially when you leave Kerbin's influence. WTH do you mean a 10min burn ? *cries* (and I've done 1h long ones personally, some before I learned about "Alt+>")

2. You build your own rockets and it's a somewhat hard learning curve... the average gamer lacks the patience it takes to get good at building rockets.

3. No "PEW-PEW" and no cutscenes, no voice-overs either... For some that means boring. (Cutscenes my *** have you ever watched a Kerbin rise on Mun or a Laythe transit on front of Jool ? I couldn't ask for better cutscenes)

4. The game itself is slow. You can fire-up something and grab a coffee, talk with friends, design your next rocket on paper. Unless you are landing or performing maneuvers.

Most ppl do not want games like this nowadays, it needs to be instant gratification.

I don't remember each levels in WoW, but I can easily remember my first time on each body of KSP (except perhaps Minmus for some weird reason)

Loving KSP so far, I hope we don't get a 'Darth Vader' deal down the line... I like my tiny self-sufficient cloud outpost thank you !

Edited September 16, 2014 by Francois424

[Rowsdower]

Actually, it came out in Maxmaps' Ask Me Anything on Reddit that Squad the video game developer is now a separate company from Squad the marketing firm.

It's not the first time I've mentioned this on here and still won't be the last - Squad is still Squad, but the gaming side and marketing side no longer intertwine as business entities. In short, we're still under the same umbrella, but we're not all up in each other's grills any longer.

On topic: What's Squad's ownership structure?

We're privately owned.

[kurja]

NO!

M$ destroys everything it touches.

EA is known to convert good games to dung too.

Actually, ANY publisher (except may be Steam) will demand, that KSP must be made "easer to play" for "general population".

like, Microsoft Flight Simulator X?

[qromodynmc]

Ea and ubi is the worst.. Microsoft is just bad manager. There is only one company That I can hope about ; CD Projekt Red..

[peadar1987]

Is that all? I would've imagined that the Curiosity mission cost a lot more with it being a nuclear powered dune buggy with a laser for a face.

Is that just the launch costs or is that including the additional cost of the rover as well?

Just the launch costs, the entire mission cost $2.5 billion, but 1.8 billion of that was developing said nuclear-powered dune-buggy: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?InFlight=1&MCode=MarsSciLab&Display=ReadMore