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KSP player leveling system.

Hallofo

By Hallofo
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Hallofo

Hallofo

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Posted (edited)

Hallofo's KSP leveling chart.

Hi all,

I was puttering about and noticed that I had fallen into a few very deeply ingrained "ruts" in how I play KSP. I know that term has a negative connotation, but I enjoy how my obsession with KSP has evolved over the years and versions. I had made up my mind to play .90 "vanilla stock" until release, but I found that my playstyle had changed to the point where stock play was just not fun. After discovering this, I thought it might induce a chuckle or three if I wrote down a few observations I've made. Think of this as a companion to the famous "You know you play too much KSP when"¦" thought flow. This is not an all-inclusive list, I think it would be funny/great if we could build up this list a bit.

Without further ado, I present the "Kerbal player leveling system":

Level 1:

  • You might have bought the game. If not, you're frustrated that you can't do the cool things you read on the forums"¦ if you know there ARE forums.
  • If you were introduced to KSP by a friend, you're a little concerned that you might start spouting odd words like "retrograde" and "Delta-V".
  • You think "retrograde" is how students performed in the mid 50's and "periapsis" sounds a bit like a skin condition.
  • You can possibly get a craft into orbit, if you try really hard and/or download someone else's craft files.
  • The spaceplane hanger is a scary place full of hot explodey death.
  • You think "Scott Manley" is a golfer or something.

 

Level 2:

  • You've been to orbit and probably landed on both of Kerbin's moons. Barely. With a ton of RCS to kill that pesky horizontal doom-slide.
  • You've made a few spaceplanes, several of which made it far enough to kill a kerbal by drowning instead of fire.
  • You've seen a few Scott Manley videos on YouTube. You are intimidated and feeling somewhat inadequate.
  • You're aware that people mod KSP, but are still a bit overwhelmed with the stock game.
  • You have a forum account and have posted in the "ohithere" thread.
  • You spend about as much time on the "Gameplay Questions and Tutorials" section of the forum as you do in-game.
  • You know what "Delta-V" is, or at least you think you do.
  • You still play other games; KSP is just another thing to do.

 

Level 3:

  • You've made it to another planet! This is a major turning point in your KSP lifestyle; the solar system seems a little smaller and less scary.
  • You've probably maxed out the research tree on at least one save.
  • You can now get a basic SSTO into space and back, usually with the same number of parts.
  • You've tried out a few mods. This is really where the KSP player tree branches "€œ some will go with mods, others not. You have started figuring out which you like best (I happen to be very mod-centered).
  • You have subscribed to Scott Manley's YouTube channel and might be thinking about catching up on his "Interstellar Quest" series. You still feel intimidated and inadequate.

 

Level 4:

  • You now have more successful (boring) launches than"¦ "energetic" ones. Going to the Mun is in the same ballpark as tying your shoes in terms of difficulty.
  • Your spacecraft designs are starting to look and perform very well. You may have uploaded a few to the spacecraft exchange with positive feedback.
  • You spend quite a bit of time on the forum, only now you're starting to answer questions as well as ask them.
  • You're starting to think with ambition; you have done or at least planned a mission to Jool or other distant planted.
  • You now converse in KSPeese "€œ you pity the poor folk that don't know what an orbital plane is or how to do a Hoffman transfer.
  • You've watched most of Scott Manley's videos and have a bit of a crush on him, regardless of how many X chromosomes you have. You still feel intimidated and inadequate.
  • If you've gone down the path to modded play, you start to feel that stock play is missing something. You will wait the extra week or two to play a new version of KSP so you can jump in with your "core" mods.
  • If you're a stock player, you laugh at the moddy types because you get to play ASAP.
  • You've been to most or all of the planets and can put a lander on a specific point within a few kilometers.
  • KSP has begun infiltrating your life "€œ other games are played less or ignored altogether. You now look at the moon and think "I could totally fly there". Mars no longer exists in your vocabulary, you only think of it as Duna.
  • Most space-based movies are ruined to you since you know how orbital physics work now. Your significant other is tired of you nitpicking SciFi shows by shouting "that's not how it works!" at the screen.

 

Level 5:

  • Things are getting interesting now. You're an active participant on the forums and start helping new players much more.
  • If you're a mod player, you've possibly created a simple mod of your own, or contributed to one in some way.
  • Mod players just won't play now without their favorites.
  • Stock players are now intimately familiar with all the stock parts. Your ship designs are as creative as they are functional and you know precisely how to make your ships do what you want.
  • You've probably made a few YouTube videos.
  • You have converted, or are considering a conversion to the Churck of Manley. You still feel intimidated and inadequate.

 

Level 6:

  • You are now "the man/woman". People seek you out for answers.
  • Other games don't exist, there is only KSP. You might get pulled kicking and screaming into a few rounds of Left for Dead or something else, but you suck since you're planning your Grand Tour mission.
  • If you're a mod player, you have made or support a mod or few. You see where KSP can be made more fun (for you) and seek to customize your play.
  • Stock players Might get bored a little at this point. You're aware of how awesome this game is and hope for several features to be implemented.
  • You've officially reached "guru" status. People around you now think you're smart because you say big spacey-sounding words.
  • Scott Manley is now your main source of KSP inspiration and wish he'd not waste his time on lesser games. You still feel intimidated and inadequate.

 

Level eleventy-billion:

  • Hi, Scott!
Edited by Snark
Tidied up hideous smart-quote ASCII garbage caused by forum migration of old post
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SkyRender

SkyRender

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Scott Manley isn't actually that impressive a KSP player; he's just very well known. The last time I even felt remotely "intimidated" by him was early in his Reusable Space Program series. Then he started using MechJeb and regularly demonstrating (and admitting) that he wasn't a very good pilot, which was when I realized that I'd surpassed him in terms of skill. He's gotten better since then, admittedly, but he's still behind the grade for a lot of us long-timers. So you can imagine why I get a bit tired of people using him as a benchmark for player skill and ranking him as an unattainable "maximum level". He's good, yes, but he's not the best ever.

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Hallofo

Hallofo

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So you can imagine why I get a bit tired of people using him as a benchmark for player skill and ranking him as an unattainable "maximum level".

I understand where you're coming from, this was more aimed at "tongue in cheek" style laughs than anything else. I have a bad habit of zoning out/ fast forwarding through YT vids to get to the interesting parts - I very well could have missed those admissions.

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Norpo

Norpo

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According to the chart, level 4.25, i've

Entered the SOI of every stock planet (and moon)

Interacted on the forums (see: what i'm doing right now), and I'd like to think I spend a good amount of time on the gameplay answers thread; helping people out.

Been working on some mods (if only to practice, the one i've been showing on some threads I don't think is ready yet, but I do have a good idea that i'm making the model for..)

...But I haven't made youtube videos, I doubt many people know who I am, etc, etc. (I do have 2 rep blobs now, mostly from helping people/making them laugh)

...And I haven't watched most of Scott Manley's videos. :(

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Wallygator

Wallygator

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^ This.

Mr. Manley has my respect. However, I feel that after paying KSP for quite awhile we all develop our own unique design and play styles. I find I no longer look to youtube for inspiration now, but rather find my own interesting challenges and objectives. I wish I had the time and resources to create my own vids, but alas, it is not to be...

Oh... I thinks I made it to level 5.5 but usually revert to 4.5 due to time constraints. Als,oI suggest you disassociate the need to create mods for the game as a prerequisite for increasing your relative player level - If so I would be a level 5 or 6 player and a level 1 modder ;-) since I know blender a bit and did actually create new part for importing into Unity - it was worthless, but nonetheless...

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RainDreamer

RainDreamer

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Hmm. I managed to make a few space planes, mod extensively, got a constellation of satellites from remote tech 2, had a space telescope, captured an asteroid to kerbins orbit, maxed out the tech tree, but I never reach anything further than the mun. What does that make me? Lvl 2?

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TeMPOraL

TeMPOraL

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I'm smeared between LV2 and LV5 - Mun/Minmus transfers are trivial, but I haven't been to another planet; I've watched a lot of Scott Manley and others, I help rather than aks questions but I'm nowhere near building a SSTO, nor had I ever landed a plane without crashing. I don't play anything else, and yet I haven't maxed out the tech tree on neither 0.90 nor 0.25.

Anyway, I like the list :).

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Slam_Jones

Slam_Jones

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Level 4.x

I can land on a non-atmospheric within a few meters of my intended target (thanks to building oh so many Mun bases),

I've entered the SOI of basically every body in Kerbol (sans Eeloo I think) and have made a couple trips to the Jool system,

Spaceplanes are easy to make, but just take sooo long to get to orbit, so I usually don't bother anymore,

In order to not instantly feel like I have the imagination and intellect of a second-grader, I choose not to watch Scott Manley videos just yet.

And now, whenever I see a spaceship in another video game/in a movie/etc, I inevitably think "wow, they must have crazy ISP with fuel tanks that small!" (because of course they are)

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Hallofo

Hallofo

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Nice replies all, I didn't know Scott Manley was such a polarizing figure!

It certainly seems like there are as many paths to KSP as there are players - I myself feel that I'm around 5 or so. Maybe I should have split this up more?

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Norpo

Norpo

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...It certainly seems like there are as many paths to KSP as there are players...

To be honest, this is my favourite part of the game, there's no "right" way to play. Excuse me, i'm going to blow up a few buildings with boosters now.(also, autocorrect, if you think "favourite" is wrong one more time...)

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