Female kerbals and the original 3

[Norpo]

-directed at me- New original kerbal? That makes no sense. How can something be original AND new?

Let me rephrase that, new starting kerbal.

[RainDreamer]

And why do I feel like there's so much sexism going on? Having all 3 original members male is under-representation?! Having all 3 replaced by females would be under-representation!

Jeez, people. Female kerbals don't even make a difference. It's just like, what, a remodel and a retexture?

Whoa easy there. I did say it is not really under-representation, and the total replacement was just a logical progression of 1-2-3 as a joke added later on as an option.

The idea of the inclusion of female kerbals in core team though, is that the core team are the faces of the program and the game. It is not a gameplay thing, just about promotional material that people will see. And I mean, why do we even have female kerbal in the first place? Isn't it so that female players of KSP get some character they can feel related to? Then why not include female members in the core team showing up on ads and stuff to attract more female players?

Of course we are not making a big deal about it here though, this is all fun and speculation. I really don't want this thread to derail into another one about gender and gaming, as those two topics are like hypergolic fuels.

[Liowen]

To me there are more important things that could be done than putting in female character, honestly I thought the Kerbals were genderless to be honest. We get female Kerbals before there are clouds in the sky.....that is still confusing.

[Pthigrivi]

Some more administers also.

KSC could do with a legal advisor.

Haha.. this^

*crosses fingers that we can have a normal conversation about women on this board*

Also please don't make them wear blue suits. Save suit color for jobs.

Edited February 12, 2015 by Pthigrivi

[Master Tao]

I'm moving this thread discussing KSP's development over to Suggestions and Development Discussion. Unfortunately, I can't leave a redirect as they break polls.

Edit: more technical difficulties.

Edit2: working for the moment.

Thanks to all of you for keeping this thread on mostly topic and civil.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Master Tao

[Aragosnat]

Well Jeb, Bill and Bob can always dress in drag in the mean time. But, on the whole I think it would be nice to have an option at start in what Kerbals we can use at start up. So if people waht to use the origanal 3. They should be allowed to do so. Also suit color should be represented when they EVA too and upgrade with experiance so that the lowly white suits can become orange.

[Sampa]

I'm moving this thread discussing KSP's development over to Suggestions and Development Discussion. Unfortunately, I can't leave a redirect as they break polls.

Edit: more technical difficulties.

Thanks to all of you for keeping this thread on mostly topic and civil.

no problem, Master Tao!

[John FX]

Oh, poll is dead.

My vote is to expand the current set. I don't want to see jeb, bill, or bob go but we should really have some girls in with the boys.

EDIT :

Well Jeb, Bill and Bob can always dress in drag in the mean time. But, on the whole I think it would be nice to have an option at start in what Kerbals we can use at start up. So if people waht to use the origanal 3. They should be allowed to do so. Also suit color should be represented when they EVA too and upgrade with experiance so that the lowly white suits can become orange.

I would support recruits being able to get the orange suits that the experienced kerbals that you start with in the game already have.

I would not support female kerbals having different coloured suits just to show they are girls. IMHO Astronaut is a non gender specific term and astronauts all wear the same colour suit. It's white so you can see them in the cold cold dark of space.

Edited February 12, 2015 by Master Tao
objectionable content removed

[KerbMav]

The three friends may have started their space business, but they never had a girls-not-allowed-billboard on their club-house, so the list of applicants is filled with the whole range of kerbalkind: dumb, clever, brave, timid, male, female members of every profession.

Valentina, Linus's sister-in-law, joins the team during the "get a new kerbonaut" quick-tip step (the pop-up window whenever you visit a location of the game for the first time in a new save).

You do not remember who Linus is? Good! Because it shows that women can join every perceived all-men-club even if they do not have close relations to the higher-ups as long as they are qualified for the job.

Therefore she is always available as a new recruit and applying for a spot as pilot - gameplay reason: a pilot brings SAS to any flight, so she can go places on her own in one-seat crafts.

After so much tranquility a bit fire?

What will her starting stats be?

[RainDreamer]

After so much tranquility a bit fire?

What will her starting stats be?

Exact same with Jeb? They are both pilots.

[Pthigrivi]

Do we yet know if they're working on a kerbalizer system for randomized looking kerbals? Or just the two models right now?

[pizzaoverhead]

The suit colours are a sign of experience. There should be one colour for each XP level. Allow people to pick whoever they want to level up. There's no reason to have any kerbal have special privileges.

As regex said,

Let's write our own stories.

Doing things your own way is the entire point of KSP. There are no strict missions that you have to take, no story, other than what you make yourself. Forcing players to use certain names is very un-kerbal.

[kujuman]

Do we yet know if they're working on a kerbalizer system for randomized looking kerbals? Or just the two models right now?

I really doubt it, if only because there's not that much you can customize for an astronaut in a space suit.

Although this brings up a good question: Will the kerbalizer be updated to include female kerbal model?

[Pthigrivi]

You're probably right thats going to be a bit down the road. It would be cool to see them in IVA with a bit of personality. Would people throw a fit if they redesigned Bill and Bob? I always liked this: http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/threads/37642-Jeb-Bob-Bill-Halnie I think you'd only need 4 or 5 male and female haircuts and a few that could go either way, randomized in different colors with beards and glasses.

[dryer_lint]

Well, actually, in career mode you are pretty much forced to use Jeb on all early flight missions since you can't fire them and you're limited to like, five Kerbals. Random Kerbals FTW.

VAB > Crew Tab > Remove Jeb and add your own favorite

That, and you can fire them now.

[CaLVin-K]

As regex said,

Doing things your own way is the entire point of KSP. There are no strict missions that you have to take, no story, other than what you make yourself. Forcing players to use certain names is very un-kerbal.

I think we need to keep a core team that everyone has, but can be fired/deleted/whatever. This is for the same reason that the planets should always be the same for everyone, so players can relate to each other. When some one comes along and says something like "my ship crashed on Duna, and Jeb died" I know almost exactly who they feel as apposed to "my ship crashed on Duna and Bobert Kerman died." This is because I don't give a crap about Bobert he doesn't mean anything to me, I don't know who he is. Where as with Jeb we have a connection, not just to our respective Jebs but to everyone else Jeb. Its something we can all relate to. If you don't like having to start with preset Kerbals then fire them all and choose your own, you should absolutely have that option and right now you do. But for those of us who like having some of the same Kerbals as everyone else, who like having something that we can all relate to, keep the original three and add one or more female Kerbals who can complement the original three.

PS, I don't know why we have to name the the original female Kerbals after real astronauts but if we decide that thats what we want to do I recommend Peggy Kerman.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_Whitson

She has been on two expeditions to the ISS (and will soon fly on another) has flown on the shuttle twice (was commander once), holds the record to the most cumulative time spent space walking by a female, as was the former chief astronaut. As far as astronauts go, she is kinda a badass.

[pizzaoverhead]

When some one comes along and says something like "my ship crashed on Duna, and Jeb died" I know almost exactly who they feel as apposed to "my ship crashed on Duna and Bobert Kerman died." This is because I don't give a crap about Bobert he doesn't mean anything to me, I don't know who he is. Where as with Jeb we have a connection, not just to our respective Jebs but to everyone else Jeb.

But your Jeb will be different to everyone else's Jeb. He might have more experience, he may be the first kerbal to return from Eve. Let Bobert earn his fame through story. The stories are all different, resulting in different characters. Why should the actors be the same every time?

[Whirligig Girl]

But your Jeb will be different to everyone else's Jeb. He might have more experience, he may be the first kerbal to return from Eve. Let Bobert earn his fame through story. The stories are all different, resulting in different characters. Why should the actors be the same every time?

But he's still Jeb Kerman, And Jeb Kerman with his four years of badS memetic status. Jeb Kerman will always mean more to us. Even if it's only a little bit. I don't care about Bobert, but I do care about Lenford or Dilden. But YOU don't care about Lenford or Dilden.

But everyone knows Jebediah, Bill, and Bob. And maybe Valentina, soon. Valentina will never be able to live up to Jeb's name, but (assuming an orange suit) as she pops up near the front of our astronaut lists every time, I'm sure we as a community will learn to love (or loathe, as the case may be) her as much as Bill or Bob.

Other BadSes come and go, Jeb lives forever.

[Wabbit]

I just wanna see the trio expanded, and freedom to choose starters.

[LABHOUSE]

I hope valentina won't be in the female original 3, just in the 20 names not generated the normal way list. We just need feminine Jeb Bill and Bob, not a whole new group, just skewed versions like Jessica Bobby and Billwinia.

[Space Peanut]

not quite on topic but would love the different specialists to have different coloured suits. as well as the suggestion to be able to tell their level by what they look like.

pilots maybe in orange, scientists in blue, engineers in green? dunno? but would be nice to be able to instantly spot which was which.

[Bill Phil]

Pilots yellow, Engineers red, and scientists blue.

[Vanamonde]

If you know it's off-topic, don't post it here. Jeez, guys. Eyeroll.