More Multi-Crew Capsules

[MalfunctionM1Ke]

...but seriously - rocket engines are dead simple and were the first mankind invented, long before steam. Guidance problems alone were sufficient that no-one seriously wanted to strap themselves to one though. Glider aircraft had more controllability but it wasn't until the power-to-mass ratio of internal combustion engines that it was possible to make powered flight. "Probe-core" gyroscopes, etc. were developed to test and control rockets before any practical man-carrying one was possible.

Exactly Pecan, but this is where the fun lies.

Kerbals are those wacky creatures that dont think about the dangers in strapping a Booster on your back

Back in the day when Harvester experimented with blackpowder rockets, Kerbals were his Testpilots.... somebody has to get the job done

[bigred]

I agree with this premise, I mean both the US and Soviets started out with probes (ex: Sputnik). This could be done to teach new players the basics of launching rockets and achieving orbit.

When you reach a stage in the game that allows you to have access to pods I think that a 2 man pod would be a good idea.

A capsule based on the following would make sense: http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/qf/c/PopularScience/2-1965/two_man_spacecraft/lrg_two_man_spacecraft_0.jpg

[Norpo]

Being limited to the 1 man pods for a long amount of time is just annoying in my opinion. Otherwise, you'll just have to use Jeb, or another pilot for everything if you want SAS.

I honestly don't care about the "probe-cores before capsules" deal, simply because to new players, once you get that first orbit, you may be tempted to time warp... and time warp.. ...right until your battery runs out. If I was a new player, i'd probably be confused

Besides, starting with capsules introduces you to the whole kerbal experience system. In my opinion, it's not about realism, it's about introducing concepts to new players, and capsules introduce kerbal experience early on, along with EVA science, crew reports... etc. Capsules are just more useful, so I suppose you could argue the point that starting with probe cores would be "worse" parts, and you'd want to unlock the capsule ASAP.

I'd be fine with starting with probe cores, but not for too long. EVA and kerbal experience are large parts of the game, and players should be introduced to them early.

[Wjolcz]

I think the 3-man pod needs to be somewhere in the first nodes of the tech tree(or nowhere because I hate it that much), and further we should have smothing Dragon-ish with, let's say, 5 seats?

[Bill Phil]

"Most authorities consider the story apocryphal."

It's quite funny though.

They started off with research, watching birds (unmanned, pre-made airplanes), and then kites (unmanned, self-made airplanes) before proceeding to gliders and powered flight.

...

That being said, why not let the users decide their own path?

Would it kill KSP to put the Stayputnik and Z-100 battery into the first node? That would let users start their space program however they want.

Yeah, but I wouldn't call that a probe core.... Plus balloon flights occurred in the 1800s, and Congreve war rockets existed...

But I think we should start with basic plane parts, it let's us do the survey missions a whole lot easier...

[lazarus1024]

A 2 kerbal Gemini style capsule would be nice. I'd also like to see a manned rover capsule, a la something like this (the front cab bit) http://www.dexigner.com/news/image/19475/Manned_Mars_Rover_01, either as a single Kerbal, or a 2 Kerbal module. A box kerbal container would be cool too, for habs and/or rovers (2-4 kerbal capacity), like the hitch hiker module, but obviously in a box shape for adding to bases or rovers.

Lastly, I'd LOVE to see Porkjets inflatable habs added. We already see his space plane parts, the habs would be whicked cool too.

[Frostiken]

Well the gemini pod from the FASA pack is always an option. Add to that it has a nice IVA

The problem with the FASA Gemini pod is that it's absolutely proprietary. It uses silly dimensions because the only way you're supposed to use the FASA stuff is to recreate specific space missions and not much else. The front and back of the FASA Gemini capsule are neither 1.25m or 2.5m. So unless you stack the mountain of 'adapters' behind it (which include all kinds of ........ you have no choice in lugging along, like built-in retro rockets and engines and RCS), which are embedded all over the tech tree, you're still going to end up with an ugly-as-sin misshapen pod sloppily stuck on the end of a rocket. And if you're going to do that you might as well just stack two Mk1 pods.

All they need to do is put in a 2-man pod. Make it one guy in front of the other, a little longer than the Mk1.

[Roberius]

Nertea's Near Future Spacecraft pack has a 2 man capsule in it that I very much like, 2.5m with a 0.625m top. You can easily alter the.cfg file to put it early in the tech tree. Not updated for 0.90 yet though as far as I know.

http://kerbalstuff.com/mod/350/Near%20Future%20Spacecraft%20Parts

Edited December 21, 2014 by Roberius
Added link

[razark]

HGR has a two Kerbal capsule that fits 1.25 or 2.5 sizes. I've been using it for a while, and it's become essential to me. It really fills the gap between single pilot craft and later missions; now with different crew specialties, it provides a great way to give engineers and scientists some experience without giving up the pilot capabilities.

I would love to see a stock 2-Kerb capsule rather early in the tree. Until then, I'll keep using a mod to patch this oversight.

[SkyRender]

We could use an early-tech 2-Kerbal capsule. Seeing as the Mk1 capsule is based off of the US Mercury capsule, why not base the 2-Kerbal early capsule off of Gemini?

It's a very practical design, to be sure. Would make early rescue contracts much easier to do too.

[MGCJerry]

I recently started my first ever career game, and I would have loved the option to have basic aircraft parts. I feel EXTREMELY limited (in a good way and in a bad way).

Start with ultra basic probe core, MK1 pod, mk1 cockpit, basic wings & aircraft skids (or something) and I think it would help people who want to go air, air/rocket or rocket only.

Just my inexperienced, unsolicited (and likely unwanted) $0.02.

[KevinW42]

Maybe a two man command pod could be based on the Soyuz decent module. It's actually slightly smaller than Gemini (though admittedly a bit wider than Mercury), so it might be able to fit as a 1.25 m part with some fudging. Plus some early versions of Soyuz were two-seaters.

[Frostiken]

Nertea's Near Future Spacecraft pack has a 2 man capsule in it that I very much like, 2.5m with a 0.625m top. You can easily alter the.cfg file to put it early in the tech tree. Not updated for 0.90 yet though as far as I know.

http://kerbalstuff.com/mod/350/Near%20Future%20Spacecraft%20Parts

NFSP doesn't use any plugins except for RasterPropMonitor so it should be .9 compatible as long as you update that.

[Orionkermin]

Maybe a two man command pod could be based on the Soyuz decent module. It's actually slightly smaller than Gemini (though admittedly a bit wider than Mercury), so it might be able to fit as a 1.25 m part with some fudging. Plus some early versions of Soyuz were two-seaters.

If you play with mods Tantares has one.

I've always had a fondness for small two man capsules and I'm glad that there's an actual niche for them in the career now. I'm playing through the career un-modded right now to get a feel for the overall balance and I've got to say that a stock 2-kerbal command pod would be really nice. Sure you can glue two mk-1 pods together, but that looks ugly and uses up more of the sparse early game part limit.

Of course even if they don't add one I'll just use mods, but I'd be interested to see how squad would design it.

[LethalDose]

All they need to do is put in a 2-man pod. Make it one guy in front of the other, a little longer than the Mk1.

Just this.

SQUAD massively shifted the game mechanics without adding the appropriate game resources. SQUAD created the need, they should be the ones to fix it. It should be stock, and placed somewhere on the tech tree before the Mk 1-2 pod becomes available (probably in the 160 science range In the 90 science tier, since the Mk1-2 is unlocked at 160. Maybe "flight control"?)

[Captain Vlad]

I'd love to have a two-man capsule, if for no other reason than I don't like sending my boys up alone. And for all the crew experience/practicality reasons listed here. Early on, didn't the Mark I cockpit hold 2?

I like the idea of basing it on the two-man Soyuz capsules, just to diversify parts inspiration a little more. That said, to me, the Gemini was the US's sharpest looking capsule.

[Plusk]

As someone said before, Tantares has awesome 2-man pod. Its the only pod im using since 23.5. Slap orbital module on it and you have 3-man pod with 1.25m footprint.

[Wanderfound]

I wouldn't mind seeing some more two-Kerbal capsules, but I've also been having fun with non-pilots in the hot seat. Bill and Bob can go to orbit on their own; it just takes a bit more piloting on the part of the player. Tailfins are helpful (in FAR, anyway; no idea about soupmosphere flying) and spin stabilisation works.

SAS is a luxury that you can learn to do without.

[Grover]

Why not stack a mk1 cokpit on top of a mk1 inline? Bill and bob never got on very well anyway

[Brotoro]

Is there an â€ÂX-ray view“ of how kerbals are arranged in a 3-kerbal capsule?

[Grover]

Is there an â€ÂX-ray view“ of how kerbals are arranged in a 3-kerbal capsule?

IVA shows you in first person

[SUPERNERD101]

A 2-manKerbal pod early on would be nice; I actually made a copy of the Mk 1 pod and changed the config to fit 2 Kerbals.