Happy with the quality of new buildings?

[cantab]

I suspect their idea was "Hey! Graphics team! Get two smaller versions of every building done ready for the release yesterday!"

[dryer_lint]

The current buildings go from cheap launch site, to slightly better launch site, to top-of-the-line and highly detailed space exploration center.

[basic.syntax]

I don't think anyone was particularly against the barn, just that it was really sloppily done. Of course the models they went with for .90 are also sloppy (check the VAB interiors, you see more of the cartoon-giant sheets of metal with Kerbal-sized rivets, ladders connected to nothing, air-vents used completely unlike how air-vents work, doors blocked by walls, flickering textures laid on top of other textures, etc.) so I don't know, maybe our idea of good and their idea of good is just different.

The Kerbals are... cartoon characters. They set the tone for an endless tug-of-war between a hand-made space program that's full of jokes in the IVA's, parts descriptions... and a desire for more realism. I think having a cartoon aesthetic to the barn tier and some kinda hokey cartoon riveted plates is just fine, it is metaphorical exaggeration of the progression from kid stuff, to grown-up stuff, when you get to the final VAB and plug in some NASA parts.

[Robotengineer]

I was looking around on an EVA, and I noticed on the Tier 1 Tracking station, there is actually an untextured triangle. If the whole game was the quality of the new buildings, it would be a lot less appealing, but acceptable. With the new Mk.3/SPP parts, Fine Print and Bac9's great tier 3 buildings, the in-house work seems unfinished. I have been impressed when Squad comes back and revamps stuff, I just hope they don't think that the current artwork is 'good enough', it needs to be excellent.

[mattinoz]

If not a barn then to me the lowest tier could be an old abandoned airfield with just a runway, hanger (SPH), other old buildings for Crew, Contracts, Science with a tracking station is no more than an old school antenna. This would need an option in SPH to launch vertical on the runway but have it highly weight and length limited even as the SPH gets to upper tiers.

VAB, Launch pad and Admin building would be empty fields and have no function till first stage is built.

That said I liked the idea of the Barns it was just the execution that needed work.

[PDCWolf]

I took some of my free time and decided to make this, note that I DO NOT MENTION THE LACK OF CONSISTENCY BETWEEN COLORS because that's a constant on every picture and anyone can notice it (the horrible green for example, pretty much on every "new" building, along with the darker vab and such).

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[Lrn2model]

Hello, i was considering on buying the game but i decided not to. As far as i can tell the low quality of these new graphics are just one of the many aspects in which devs are way below average. I think the only reason this game even has a minor following is because they have cornered a small market in which no one else is interested. I dare to say that ANYONE who ever did ANY kind of modelling at all can do a better job than this.

The fact that you charge for this borders on the criminal and probably with a little bit of explaining a judge could even accept it as a fraud. As the amount of money requested is clearly not related to the real quality of the product.

Please dont get mad and ban me this is just a honest opinion. I think you should be free to do what you want, but i also should be free to say what everyone is thinking.

[Dynd]

I totally agree with what the posters above me are saying about the new buildings not being all that great. In my opinion they should have just spent the manpower used on other stuff like resources.

[MGCJerry]

The buildings are fine, and a few touch-ups would be nice. But, I'm not going to notice an untextured polys, backfacing polys, switched normals, or open geometry while 80,000 meters in space traveling at orbital velocity or trying to see my house from the Mun. They're only hugely noticeable when lurking around KSC on EVA, but what I find more jarring is the lack of activity. You see the trucks doing burnouts, donuts, and power slides in the VAB & SPH but no activity outside when launching.

Sure texture cleanup could go a long way to "pretty it up" but I play KSP to crash planes & rockets, and sometimes to go to spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace, and subsequently crash there with little green men who are #BAD455 (kerbal skin color - green). I personally like the wacky side of KSP, that's why I started. I have my own Wiley E Coyote experience with the craziness.

[Bill Phil]

My main problem is the roads. Light gray right next to a sandy color? No sir! Make all roads sand or none, please.

Also, #Shackville.

Corrugated metal shacks, maybe an industrial garage for VAB ( no SPH yet in Shackville). A simple shack for Mission Control, some RVs for Astronaut Complex, R&D should be something with a few RVs and a couple of shacks. Admin should be a very simple shack, and the Launchpad could be touched up, but for Shackville it should be the same as now.

[thereaverofdarkness]

I won't say no to upgrades, but I like the direction they are heading.

[Boomerang]

I'll second the notion of getting Squad to pony up for the hiring of at least one modeller of Bac9's talent. As well as sorting out whatever in-house system they have (or don't) for making sure that the art is reasonably consistent and of a decent quality throughout.

What we've got now isn't awful, it's not game-ruining, but it feels like we're looking at the result of a college-level group project for graphic design students. It's not bad, but some bits don't mesh well and it's not of a professional quality. And I don't think it's unreasonable to expect better than that. Even if they're placeholders, design them well.

[RobotsAndSpaceships]

Hello, i was considering on buying the game but i decided not to. As far as i can tell the low quality of these new graphics are just one of the many aspects in which devs are way below average. I think the only reason this game even has a minor following is because they have cornered a small market in which no one else is interested. I dare to say that ANYONE who ever did ANY kind of modelling at all can do a better job than this.

The fact that you charge for this borders on the criminal and probably with a little bit of explaining a judge could even accept it as a fraud. As the amount of money requested is clearly not related to the real quality of the product.

Please dont get mad and ban me this is just a honest opinion. I think you should be free to do what you want, but i also should be free to say what everyone is thinking.

I don't blame you, this is the most the developers could do in a whole six months. You know the space center that we had before this? It was done by one guy, bac9, in about a month. I recommend buying the game, not playing career because it's a total grind, deleting all your stock parts, and installing as many mods as you can.

[Lrn2model]

I'll second the notion of getting Squad to pony up for the hiring of at least one modeller of Bac9's talent. As well as sorting out whatever in-house system they have (or don't) for making sure that the art is reasonably consistent and of a decent quality throughout.

What we've got now isn't awful, it's not game-ruining, but it feels like we're looking at the result of a college-level group project for graphic design students. It's not bad, but some bits don't mesh well and it's not of a professional quality. And I don't think it's unreasonable to expect better than that. Even if they're placeholders, design them well.

I'm sorry but i've seen many modelling schools and i dont think this level would be accepted, maybe MAYBE it would pass in one of the worst ones. But its not college level, is quite below that. More like High school kid taking its first steps in modelling, that's more like it

[Nemrav]

-stuff-

something here is suspicious, why would anyone join a forum, look everything over, decide to choose this particular thread near the bottom of the suggestions+discussions list, ignore 8 and 9/10's by most popular game reviewers (ign, rps, joystick, gamespot etc.), youtube videos etc. then create an account on a forum they are never going to use, because it is for a game, they will never use, simply to say "I will not buy your game, you are trash and criminals for being indie and doing below average work on 14 buildings, ignoring maybe the rest of the whole thing"....

Something tells me that one particular disident decided to try to get a point across by using an email alias to create a separate account...

Really, if you looked at this thread and decided not to get the thing, why bother with all this, chances are you have a steam account and could therefore simply write something on the steam forum...

But anyways, you won't get banned for a pointless thing like this, and if you are a separate person from a previous poster, welcome to the forums , try the 2 year old demo and enjoy your stay.

[Lrn2model]

something here is suspicious, why would anyone join a forum, look everything over, decide to choose this particular thread near the bottom of the suggestions+discussions list, ignore 8 and 9/10's by most popular game reviewers (ign, rps, joystick, gamespot etc.), youtube videos etc. then create an account on a forum they are never going to use, because it is for a game, they will never use, simply to say "I will not buy your game, you are trash and criminals for being indie and doing below average work on 14 buildings, ignoring maybe the rest of the whole thing"....

Something tells me that one particular disident decided to try to get a point across by using an email alias to create a separate account...

Really, if you looked at this thread and decided not to get the thing, why bother with all this, chances are you have a steam account and could therefore simply write something on the steam forum...

But anyways, you won't get banned for a pointless thing like this, and if you are a separate person from a previous poster, welcome to the forums , try the 2 year old demo and enjoy your stay.

Im offended that you would imply that. The fact that i KNOW for a fact that im not anyone else in the forum makes me doubt what personal problems would lead you to propose such a convoluted paranoia ridden theory. I would like an apology.

[cantab]

When you come on a forum with an abrasive username and make your only post to trash the subject of the forum and spout nonsense accusations of criminality, then new or not you come across simply as a troll. *plonk*

[spinomonkey]

There's no consistency between tiers, the first tier is uncomfortably cartoony and the textures are just ridiculous. I'm not against the idea of a farm, or an amateur launch site. But there's a real difference between 'slapstick amateur' and a 'professional amateur'. The idea of flagpoles that aren't straight or bolted together slabs of metal don't mesh with what Kerbal has become. Once upon a time- sure. But not anymore.

I'd like to see a rather bland Tier 1 that takes on the appearance of an abandoned or converted military air force base. Not in the 'guns and explosives' everywhere sense. But in the idea of a practical starting point for hangers, launchpads, fuel tanks, water towers, barracks and whatever else. In fact, Kennedy Space Center was constructed from the same principle, having served as an Air Force base for years prior to NASA.

It would be nice to a see a visual transition from 'aged government building complex' (just saying that sounds dull) to 'space tourism industry complex' which is basically what we have already as Tier 3. I also agree with whomever previously brought up the stock parts looking as if they belong in the VAB. I'll mention this in a different post, but my thought is each Tier should unlock 'skins' for your parts. This way the rocket boosters will always have as modern, or old-school of an ascetic as you want. (Plus I could finally have something other than that orange fuel tank with my otherwise white rocket)

[PrivateFlip]

Like already alluded to above I suspect what were seeing is a first draft, maybe rushed in for an 0.90 christmas release. Even from the distance the new buildings seem distinctly off in some way compared than the now tier 3 building. Looking at all the models in the rest of the game I wouldn't be surprised squad already knows the new buildings are a bit out of line and some touch ups were already in the planning.

[Lrn2model]

When you come on a forum with an abrasive username and make your only post to trash the subject of the forum and spout nonsense accusations of criminality, then new or not you come across simply as a troll. *plonk*

Only to a very VERY stupid person. It's simple, i presented an argument. Either you understand it or you don't. But if you don't understand it and you are mad because of it, i think it's TERRIBLY stupid to accuse the other of being a troll. Seriously, either agree with me or disagree with a good argument, but if you disagree without presenting an argument youre just confirming yourself as a rude person.

[Vanamonde]

Talk about the subject of the thread, guys. Not each other, please.

[cashaber]

Hi,

The buildings look liek a good design however the textures used need a bit touching up... the last thing I want KSP to look like is a cartoon.. Which brings me to another topic... how about the landscape?

this part of the game kinda looks like a 1990's late dos game, planet texture wise.

Anyways you guys are doing an awesome job hope to see more in the future.

[PDCWolf]

Like already alluded to above I suspect what were seeing is a first draft, maybe rushed in for an 0.90 christmas release. Even from the distance the new buildings seem distinctly off in some way compared than the now tier 3 building. Looking at all the models in the rest of the game I wouldn't be surprised squad already knows the new buildings are a bit out of line and some touch ups were already in the planning.

Let's remember those 0.25 dev diaries where they mentioned they were already working on assets for "the big feature in 0.90". That's months and months of work. With those months and months of work, they came up with a barn which was even worse than what we have now, it was criticized by almost everybody on the texture/mesh areas, and that's just for the barn, the rest of the buildings received almost the same criticism. That's why I don't trust we can get anything better than this in a reasonable timeframe, and for this argument I also quote the old buildings, the vfx, the lighting fix, etc, which took years before they were even looked at. Add on top of that the announcement for the next update: "Aerodynamics and Resources", which doesn't even come close to "fixing our ugly buildings".