KSP 0.90 'Beta Than Ever' Grand Discussion Thread!

[Hyomoto]

I'm liking the changes for the most part, but an issue that immediately pops into focus has to do with the buildings themselves. The tiers don't do a good job conveying your construction limitations. I'm limited to 30 parts, which is okay, but how do I know that? I'm limited in height and width but there's no visible way to understand that limitation. I can clearly build taller, I can clearly add more pieces. Giving a visual representation of what limitations you have would be very welcome.

Can I launch it or not?

Edited December 18, 2014 by Hyomoto

[Starhawk]

If you look at the info (i) icon on the bottom right toolbar, you'll see that it turns orange when you exceed any limitation. Clicking on it gives more info.

[TheFactory]

I'm liking the changes for the most part, but an issue that immediately pops into focus has to do with the buildings themselves. The tiers don't do a good job conveying your construction limitations. I'm limited to 30 parts, which is okay, but how do I know that? I'm limited in height and width but there's no visible way to understand that limitation. I can clearly build taller, I can clearly add more pieces. Giving a visual representation of what limitations you have would be very welcome.

Can I launch it or not?

http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/38610069305674081/3278DAFC4853CFC272A7C88C8AF89A32E557BCBE/

Look in the bottom right corner, the "i" icon is red, that's because you have exceeded the allowed limitations.

This does bring to light something else though that needs to be sorted before release....

Tell the players how things work. There is a lot of stuff going on now and I would be lost as a complete newbie.

Edited December 18, 2014 by TheFactory

[Hyomoto]

Useful info, I didn't notice but there are other instances as well. For example, the R&D building has a science research limit but how much have I spent? How much more can I spend? Without keeping track of it myself, I don't know. Perhaps there is a button for that as well but I didn't notice it. Also, if you recover debris it doesn't give a summary screen to show how much the recovery was worth.

[zarakon]

The research limit just means you can't research anything that costs more than that. The starting limit is 100, which means you can't research any of the nodes above 90.

[TYRT]

If you turn part snap off, you can use the gizmo to rotate parts smoothly by any amount.

So many thanks man, you saved my day!

[dryer_lint]

I'm really stupid. I assumed the R&D research limit was based on how much science you could keep around at once.

"Five meters... three meters... touchdown. Prepare to transmit scientific data to R&D! Wait, why isn't it going through?"

"Oh right. Hey guys, this is Wernher. I forgot to tell you that our hard-drives are full, so we can't receive any more science."

"But we just landed on Minmus! The trip took a month! The data will revolutionize technology!"

"Well, surely you can wait a bit longer. Administration will upgrade our facility sooner or... later... anyways, gotta go!"

"Wait, this doesn't make any sense, just use the current science to research something el-"

CONNECTION TERMINATED

[Caelib]

I've put about 20 hours into this update so far and made it quite a ways through the content -- I will say that the facility upgrade costs are FAR too high. Especially the R&D to level three ... 3,180,000 funds is WAY too high. It shouldn't be any more than 1,500,000.

[Starhawk]

My pleasure.

BTW, the offset gizmo works the same way.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Starhawk

[Esme]

I'm one of those who ha a preference for only wanting to have to bother with collecting science, but I decided to give the newly rejigged career mode a try again. Unfortunately, it still doesn't suit me. I think the reason I don;t feel comfortable with it is that the contracts seem rather arbitrary to me. Why flight test an engine if it's already in use and has been performing fine? If it was the case that there was a certain amount of risk of explosion the first time an engine is flown, and that risk decreases per flight, I'd see more point to it. And I'd be wanting to do such tests with unmanned rockets at first. The current system just feels a bit 'grindy' - I have successfully put a sattelite in orbit, but am way short of being able to upgrade any of te hbuildings. SoI'd have to do odd 'tests' for no other reasons than that in order to ever be able to get better parts and do more interesting things, I have to do them. Contrast this with a science only game where yes, I do need to gather science points in order to be able to unlock more parts, but I can make every flight one which has a reasonable objective, even if it doesn't directly gain me more science. I like the idea of upgrading capabilities by upgrading buildings - giving my discomfort with the Career game, I am sad that the buildings aren;t upgradeable in teh pure science game. Likewise crew experience - I very much like the sound of the way it's now implemented, but it's a shame if it's not available unless you play a Career game. In short - I'd enjoy career mode more if the contracts made more sense in encouraging progression and/or had more obvious point to them (eg: build small space station and put into orbit; dock with space station and leave 2 crew in orbit; exchange crew at space station, etc - the swap crew at space station ones might not be strictly necessary, but they are logical) and I;d like to see crew experience and upgadable builings in pure Science games. Long term, I will, of course, be using mods to add thigs in that I like the idea of (MKS, Tac LS, ScanSat...), so it may well be that I can have a perfectly enjoyable game with a modded KSP, just thought I;d let you know my first impressions of KSP unmodded though. :-} As I haven't been able to get beyond level 1 in the Career game, I'm now going to start a science-only game :-}

[stevealive]

I've been looking at the experience abilities of levels of Kerbals, they look pretty good so far. I suppose they're also a WIP since they are quite literally brand new, but how about some expansion? (And I'm sorry if this has already been spoken about, but we're on page 61 right now)

Engineers should be able to repair solar panels as well, if they are considered "Broken!" Maybe someday we'll have KAS in Stock and they can build things as well.

Scientists should be required to man the Mobile Labs for them to function. Level 4 Scientists can increase the science yield from Labs, much like the labs do automatically. You would require only 1 Kerbal Level 4 or Higher.

Level 5 Kerbal Scientists in the vessel with a Lab would have the ability to clean Science equipment, like the Lab does automatically when manned now.

[DeepOdyssey]

2mil for science lab upgrade WUT?!

That's a lot of grinding on hard difficulty.

[kanelives]

Has anyone figured out how to make custom categories in the editor? Do you have to be in advanced mode to see them? Do all of them have to have subcategories? I just wanted to make a tab, that stays in non advanced mode, for electrical stuff and it seems I cant do that.

[Brotoro]

Question: When I open an old save file in 0.90, the fuel lines no longer transfer fuel (the fuel lines are still there...they just don't transfer fuel). I gather that this is because of changes to the way these parts are handled.

But I also understand that the way struts are handled have been changed as well... So does this mean that the struts on my old ships (which appear where they are supposed to) are NOT working as struts?

[IronSchu]

Can some please help me, I am looking for a way to either obtain or unlock (via the tech tree) a warp drive within 0.90 (beta)?!

[IronSchu]

I think you can click on the red '+" sign at the bottom of your catagories and it will prompt you to create your own sub category in which you can place which ever parts you want. Let me know if that works. I don't have it open right in front of me so I could be off on the color of the icon but I believe I am correct.

[kithylin]

Question: When I open an old save file in 0.90, the fuel lines no longer transfer fuel (the fuel lines are still there...they just don't transfer fuel). I gather that this is because of changes to the way these parts are handled.

But I also understand that the way struts are handled have been changed as well... So does this mean that the struts on my old ships (which appear where they are supposed to) are NOT working as struts?

Most likely the reason is the old saves are no longer compatible with the new release, and not guranteed to function correctly. A lot has changed with this release, and old ships are no longer built correctly under the new changes.

Generally it's best to delete all your saves and even the whole game folder and do a clean install on main upgrades. It may be annoying, but this is what we deal with, with a game that's in alpha/beta, there's going to be updates. And with each update, you start over.

This is almost 90% the reason the game is crashing for most folks, they're loading old saves.

Edited December 18, 2014 by kithylin

[Moss]

Generally it's best to delete all your saves and even the whole game folder and do a clean install on main upgrades.

No! Whatever would become of Thompbles, Aldner, Nelemy and Kurt?

[DanJourney]

Can some please help me, I am looking for a way to either obtain or unlock (via the tech tree) a warp drive within 0.90 (beta)?!

Not without a mod like KSP Interstellar.

[Brotoro]

Most likely the reason is the old saves are no longer compatible with the new release, and not guranteed to function correctly. A lot has changed with this release, and old ships are no longer built correctly under the new changes.

Generally it's best to delete all your saves and even the whole game folder and do a clean install on main upgrades. It may be annoying, but this is what we deal with, with a game that's in alpha/beta, there's going to be updates. And with each update, you start over.

This is almost 90% the reason the game is crashing for most folks, they're loading old saves.

That wasn't the question. Yes, there have been changes (and fuel lines are no longer working to transfer fuel because of this, even though they still appear in place). The question was regarding struts (which also have changed code but still appear in place).

The question: Do the old struts still perform their function as struts when the old file is opened in 0.90?

(NOTE: Some of us consider it a challenge to keep our old save games working as new versions are released. I've been keeping mine going successfully since version 0.18, and hope to work through the problems of getting everything to work in 0.90. I don't have problems with crashing, except when KSP reaches the memory limit, and that happens to me even with a clean install if I run long enough.)

[Ace_Ciprioni]

I have looked around the forums for about an hour or 2 now and can't find anything even remotely close to what I am looking for, so I hope this is the right spot to ask.

in 0.90 kerbals are give Skills like Pilot, Engineer, and Scientist. I am a big fan of creating my friends into my game so I tend to edit the Persistent file and rename kerbals.

now in the event of me doing so it seems it changes their skills based off the names. I wanted to make myself "Ace Ciprioni" as a pilot but it seems no matter what kerbal I rename, even if hes already a pilot it makes my character into a Engineer, so then I try my wives name "Kiari Ciprioni" and it makes her a pilot? how does this work? does anyone have any knowledge at all about job picking and where I alter this or force skills on kerbals. It really bugs me as I am a pilot IRL and my wife is in the pilots seat lmao. If anyone has a clue as to what I can do about this please post I have to change these kerbals its killing my OCD.

[Superfluous J]

I have looked around the forums for about an hour or 2 now and can't find anything even remotely close to what I am looking for, so I hope this is the right spot to ask.

in 0.90 kerbals are give Skills like Pilot, Engineer, and Scientist. I am a big fan of creating my friends into my game so I tend to edit the Persistent file and rename kerbals.

now in the event of me doing so it seems it changes their skills based off the names. I wanted to make myself "Ace Ciprioni" as a pilot but it seems no matter what kerbal I rename, even if hes already a pilot it makes my character into a Engineer, so then I try my wives name "Kiari Ciprioni" and it makes her a pilot? how does this work? does anyone have any knowledge at all about job picking and where I alter this or force skills on kerbals. It really bugs me as I am a pilot IRL and my wife is in the pilots seat lmao. If anyone has a clue as to what I can do about this please post I have to change these kerbals its killing my OCD.

I can't help you but that explains why I couldn't find any data on which Kerbal had what job in the persistent file.

[xub313]

in 0.90 kerbals are give Skills like Pilot, Engineer, and Scientist. I am a big fan of creating my friends into my game so I tend to edit the Persistent file and rename kerbals. now in the event of me doing so it seems it changes their skills based off the names. I wanted to make myself "Ace Ciprioni" as a pilot but it seems no matter what kerbal I rename, even if hes already a pilot it makes my character into a Engineer, so then I try my wives name "Kiari Ciprioni" and it makes her a pilot? how does this work? does anyone have any knowledge at all about job picking and where I alter this or force skills on kerbals. It really bugs me as I am a pilot IRL and my wife is in the pilots seat lmao. If anyone has a clue as to what I can do about this please post I have to change these kerbals its killing my OCD.

This seems to confirm my theory that kerbal skills are based off their names. There is no new value in the persistence file for skills so I guess they just used their names. Not a big deal until want to add your own custom kerbals. If this is true then I don't think there will be a stock fix. A plugin might be able to fix it.

[Esme]

What the heck happened to that absolutely beeyootiful set of Tier 1 buildings, with the barn and caravans, that we were shown some time back? I was looking forward to seeing those in-game, the things it starts with at the moment look like place-holders, and, well, rather dull. The barn and caravans seemed very KSP 'Hey, we've got nowt but a barn and some stuff taped to caravans, and some tools and 'spolsives, but we're going to space (or give it our best shot, anyway), yay!' kind of thing, whereas the current Tier 1 look rather clinical and, well, dull. I do hope we get to see the barn+caravans in the finished game!

[xub313]

What the heck happened to that absolutely beeyootiful set of Tier 1 buildings, with the barn and caravans, that we were shown some time back? I was looking forward to seeing those in-game, the things it starts with at the moment look like place-holders, and, well, rather dull. The barn and caravans seemed very KSP 'Hey, we've got nowt but a barn and some stuff taped to caravans, and some tools and 'spolsives, but we're going to space (or give it our best shot, anyway), yay!' kind of thing, whereas the current Tier 1 look rather clinical and, well, dull. I do hope we get to see the barn+caravans in the finished game!

From the 0.90.0 FAQ

What happened to the barn?

The barn tier of buildings were initially introduced to the community as the first tier of buildings that would be encountered in Beta Than Ever. However, both the community and the KSP team both agreed that more work needed to be done on them, so a decision was made to leave that tier out of this update. The status of the barn is currently unknown, but will be touched on internally once development on the next update has begun.