Tier One Space Center CONFIRMED: It's a barn!

[Highlad]

Nope, not alone.

Good to know. I would compare this to Banana for scale. Its funny and makes me smile but I would not want it as part of the stock game.

[mike9606]

I honestly like the tier 1 space center. It feels kerbalish that such things would be used for a space center.

[SebLavK]

I'm not really feeling the art for the buildings. I like the idea of upgradeability, but I was expecting it to be more of a size scale rather than a complete art style change. At the moment this looks like a modder had a month free and decided to change the buildings...

Is it just me that's feeling this way?

I like the idea of a group of college friends make a small bunker a few hundred yards away from a launching site, then a whole space program infraestructure starting to evolve as a nation's interest in science increases.

This looks like a redneck camp messing with fireworks, no offense to the modeler. That plane doesn't fit in the images, much less seem to have come out of that barn

[Kommitz]

I'm not really feeling the art for the buildings. I like the idea of upgradeability, but I was expecting it to be more of a size scale rather than a complete art style change. At the moment this looks like a modder had a month free and decided to change the buildings...

Is it just me that's feeling this way?

I would've expected something more inspired by the likes of actual old space programs and amateur rocketry, more industrial as opposed to...a massive barn. Think the main problem is the wood texture looks a bit incongruous with the established style of a lot of things (i.e. thur no wood), and it's very dark. Lightening it could help quite a lot I think.

And aside from that it looks really low poly in a lot of places. I can understand that KSP has some fairly democratic aspirations, but I would've thought they could afford a few (thousand) more polys scattered around the place, a lot of the props are distractingly low detail. I'd guess the game would be CPU limited long before anyone could throw enough parts together to cause graphics slowdown.

Ah well, I'm still happy that there's some more interesting depth being added. Hope there's a fair amount of effects from the development of the space centre. I wonder if the windmills have a purpose or not?

[Brotoro]

I would just say, "meh," ...but that's less than 10 char.

I'm not sure I see the point.

[tygoo7]

This would go perfect with this mod.

[Daishi]

Hm. Interesting aesthetic choices with those buildings, if not a bit too comical and stereotypically low-budget. Here's hoping the next tiers would reflect a space agency taking themselves a little more seriously. At this stage I wouldn't be surprised if the Toroidal fuel tank was reskinned as a tire filled with propane and EVA suits resembled scuba gear. "Lets plant a flag! Oh, we're out of empty onion bags, nevermind. We'll use one of Jeb's shirts." It seems too forced, and totally jars with the rest of the game.

I wish they still had Bac9 on board.

It’s not Kerbal? *shrug* For some reason some people like to think Kerbals are sloppy engineers only capable of producing inherently broken designs held together by duct tape. To them, proposing something prim and proper like a NASA VAB could be built by Kerbals is ridiculous. Well, I disagree. Take a good look at the parts: at the LV-N engine, at 3-man pod, at the landing legs, at ion engine. Those are cleanly executed pieces of impressive technology. Kerbals are indifferent to safety precautions and are very excited about explosions, yes, but they make an impression of extremely capable and very competent engineers. Sure, we know they probably turned a construction crane into a vomit carousel or raced on bulldozers in the process, but I don't doubt for one second they can build buildings similar to real ones, and I don't think it would be out of character for them. Plenty of other stuff like engines is fairly close to how our human rockets look. It's unfair to mistake Kerbals for Orks from a “Certain Universe With 40k In The Name,†or to expect them to build sloppy duct-taped huts.

[snip]

Now, I'm not opposed to having fun at all. For instance, I have nothing against the KSP trailers made by our Pixar-tier magician Daniel Rosas which often depict Kerbals ignoring safety and having good fun. Part of the charm of KSP is the opportunity to take enormous risks, ignore established paradigms and experiment freely, which can often leads to great successes and interesting stories to tell. That is not clashing in the slightest with the fact that you have nice, cleanly made, technologically impressive spacecraft parts available to you, or well-built buildings to assemble your creations in - all without any sign of duct tape, rust or sloppy welding. So, basically, I feel objects in the game should continue to be clean and well-built to be consistent with the existing art style, and I'm convinced reinforcing the widespread opinion of Kerbals being incompetent is very harmful for the game.

[Socke]

Hm. Interesting aesthetic choices with those buildings, if not a bit too comical and stereotypically low-budget. Here's hoping the next tiers would reflect a space agency taking themselves a little more seriously. At this stage I wouldn't be surprised if the Toroidal fuel tank was reskinned as a tire filled with propane and EVA suits resembled scuba gear. "Lets plant a flag! Oh, we're out of empty onion bags, nevermind. We'll use one of Jeb's shirts." It seems too forced, and totally jars with the rest of the game.

I wish they still had Bac9 on board.

Eh, after they didn't fix the admin building although Bac9 showed them their mistakes something like this was almost expected for the upgradeable buildings.

Those textures are even worse than my expectations though.

The blogpost you linked even shows what was wrong with the old space center and I'm seeing the same mistakes here.

I just hope those buildings are somehow moddable.

Edited November 8, 2014 by Socke

[katateochi]

Mixed feelings. It's ok; querky and that barn and silos kinda reminds me of Zefram Cochrane's base. So long as its possible to rip through the tiers in a handful of missions I'll be ok with it.

but its not a feature that would entice me into KSP. Infact if I'd just found KSP for the first time, I kinda feel that would put me off, its just a bit......gimmicky

made me think of this bit from The Hitchhiker's Guide;

Arthur: "I'ts a bit squalid isn't it?"

Ford: "What did you expect?"

Arthur: "Well I don't know. Gleaming control panels, flashing lights, computers screens...Not old mattresses."

Loading up a space game and being presented with a trailer park is....a bit odd. (and the trailers have wheels but (unless they changed the tech tree too) we don't invent wheels till much later.)

hmmm, the more I think about it, the less I like it.

[Pthigrivi]

Omg how are you guys not getting this. Its ....ing amazing.

[sdj64]

Not only do the buildings look cheaply made, the textures do too!

Seriously I hope that with 3-5 rumored tiers meaning 2-4 new models for each building being made, they at least slow down and put enough effort into them to look as good as the current ones do. I assume the current buildings will be the highest tier? I actually like most of the ideas (if not the models) for the tier 1 space center. It should look like a work site, where the trailers are temporary housing and such as the newer buildings are being built. That said it should not look like a trailer park with dumpy old trailers and rusted cars.

[Daishi]

...loading up a space game and being presented with a trailer park is....a bit odd.

Speaking of odd, the island runway makes absolutely no sense now. Its in the same style of the max-level KSC, yet is run down and clearly a relic of an older space program. The same older space program the Kerbals seem to have "purchased" in these screenshots. Comprised mainly of caravans and farm buildings.

If the different levels of KSC stuck with the same structural style as the Bac9 buildings, but were more scaled back (say, a small two story office block for R&D, a converted underground cold war missile silo for the VAB, a simple bunker for launch\mission control, etc) an abandoned top-grade runway would make a little more sense.

[Duke23]

This would go perfect with this mod.

How have I never seem that before? Must...try...lmao

Redneck jokes aside, I'm remaining somewhat neutral on this one for now. Almost every update since I came along I've thought "wow, why did they do x, that's gonna break the game for me" but then I have to give it a fair chance and I haven't been disappointed yet. The trailers may be a bit much but I get what they're going for and I hope it's a step in the right direction. Models can always be tweaked.

Heck, I'm sure a modder could make these look however anyone wants and maybe that's the point. (As in "look what we can do now", not necessarily "everyone needs to change this immediately")

[AmpsterMan]

Heh, I must admit. While I don't find the meme of Kerbals being dumb kinda anoying at times, I find this to be cute and funny :3.

[Mitchz95]

I like the idea of a group of college friends make a small bunker a few hundred yards away from a launching site, then a whole space program infraestructure starting to evolve as a nation's interest in science increases.

This looks like a redneck camp messing with fireworks, no offense to the modeler. That plane doesn't fit in the images, much less seem to have come out of that barn

This exactly. I'm with Bac9 on this as well: Kerbals may be reckless, but they're still capable of building modern technology and doing a good job of it.

[White Owl]

I can get onboard with facilities much smaller and simpler than the current KSC. The trailers pulled into place and parked semi-permanently actually make sense for a startup base and don't look too bad. Simple wood frame equipment sheds also make sense and look okay. Hangars starting as quonset huts would be cool.

But I very much dislike the entire baling wire, duct tape and scrap metal look to some of the buildings! Thank you earlier in thread for quoting Bac9's thoughts on Kerbal engineering. Let me add a big "yeah, me too" to everything he wrote.

Stuff ingame doesn't have to look rusty and ugly to be funny. If a smooth and clean rocket falls over and blows up the launch pad, players will laugh just as much as if it were a rusty rocket.

[Temeter]

This exactly. I'm with Bac9 on this as well: Kerbals may be reckless, but they're still capable of building modern technology and doing a good job of it.

The point where you have these buildings doesn't coincide with any form of modern technology, it's more about people builiding the first functional - if basically useless - rocket.

They don't have much, love to experiment, and are very capable technicians. I think that kinda fit's the current theme.

[matts73]

I'm not really feeling the art for the buildings. I like the idea of upgradeability, but I was expecting it to be more of a size scale rather than a complete art style change. At the moment this looks like a modder had a month free and decided to change the buildings...

Is it just me that's feeling this way?

No, I also think it just doesn´t fit. Something like a Quonset hut ( http://tinyurl.com/o4olfx2 ) would have been fit better or something like a old garage like the one in the promo video, but this mhh kind of ugly ...

But what to do - nothing ... accept, play fast to get the highest tier and ignore.

Edited November 8, 2014 by matts73

[White Owl]

My issues with this base could be very easily fixed. Get rid of the junked trucks and sewer pipe. Change the scrap metal wall textures to brick, wood, or clean paint. Done.

Edited November 8, 2014 by White Owl
tidying up

[spyker92]

I like the feel, which makes me laugh and is hilarious (a few friends pile around an old bunker, and start up a space program into a major kerbal-national interest). But I have to agree to the rust / decay concerns. Without some very significant texture updates for all of Jeb's Junkyard parts, or the addition of just a bunch of parts in general with the rusted theme, it clashes visually with the established goofy theme of KSP.

Something to considered as the models are polished.

[Martijn404]

http://www.laboiteverte.fr/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/goddarfussecabane.jpg

This is Robert Goddard ( I think); that seems like a pretty "temp" shed made of wood.

Edited November 8, 2014 by Martijn404
replaced image with a link to it.

[steve_v]

The whole redneck repurposed barn thing really 'aint doing much for me.

While starting out small and simple makes sense, I don't really see the need to make it look so old and decrepit.

I mean, 'cmon, these little guys have pretty up to date space suits and yet operate out of some abandoned farm?

Low budget /= 'old car bodies and rusty scrap'.

But I very much dislike the entire baling wire, duct tape and scrap metal look to some of the buildings! Thank you earlier in thread for quoting Bac9's thoughts on Kerbal engineering. Let me add a big "yeah, me too" to everything he wrote.

Stuff ingame doesn't have to look rusty and ugly to be funny. If a smooth and clean rocket falls over and blows up the launch pad, players will laugh just as much as if it were a rusty rocket.

This.

My issues with this base could be very easily fixed. Get rid of the junked trucks and sewer pipe. Change the scrap metal wall textures to brick, wood, or clean paint. Done.

Once again, yeah.

Edited November 8, 2014 by steve_v

[youbenhad2]

Wanted to express my concerns as well. I was under the impression we'd be working from like 70's office buildings and old-school tin hangars; not this farm thing. I understand the concept but I agree with the others; Rusty cars and trailer parks don't do it for me. Something like http://www.airport-data.com/images/airports/small/007/007477.jpg is more the look and feel I'd like to start with.

[tntristan12]

Well color me tickled, because I actually liked the reveal! Very much reminded me of October Sky, with a bunch of hobbyists playing with rockets that get bigger and bigger. I am very much on board with the progression of seeing my space center go from that to the classic!

[Dizzle]

I don't really see the problem. I like to think of it as Kerbal-kind not really taking Jeb's space ideas seriously. As the agency has more and more success, the Kerbals get behind it more and more, and we end up with the KSC we all know and love. I just think that maybe EVA suits should be an unlockable thing. I've always thought it was weird that the very first orbital flight can also include a spacewalk, and these humble beginnings would only make it stand out more.