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Kerbal Space Program Extension Now Available

125 points by granto 9y ago

johncalvinyoung 9y ago
Note: not available now. `Kerbal Space Program: Making History Expansion is still in development and will be released as a paid expansion. Pricing and availability details will be announced at a later date.`
- adventured 9y ago
  It is available now. http://steamcommunity.com/games/220200/announcements/detail/1678026870137797509 http://steamcommunity.com/games/220200/announcements/detail/...
  - TheEnder8 9y ago
    Steam store link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/283740/Kerbal_Space_Program_Making_History_Expansion/ http://store.steampowered.com/app/283740/Kerbal_Space_Progra...
iopuy 9y ago
Tried out KSP and just couldn't get into it. I may be the only one but there was absolutely way too high a curve to jump right in and have some fun. I did over half their tutorials and could not improvise at all based on what I had learned. Not much fun when I have to go watch a YouTube video to figure out my next step in career mode.
- tytytytytytytyt 9y ago
  It only took a few videos to figure out how to do things, for me. But I sure wouldn't recommend it without those few.
  - King-Aaron 9y ago
    Scott Manley's tutorials were absolutely invaluable in my learning with the game. However I've never before in my life played a game while having a pad next to me to make notes, haha.
    - tytytytytytytyt 9y ago
      Come on, you need a spreadsheet!
  - lfowles 9y ago
    Even then, by the point I put a few ships in orbit by hand I downloaded a couple of the mods that help by giving TWR stats during building and automate orbit/landing so I could focus on setting up my interplanetary satellite network :)
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- techdragon 9y ago
  The trick when your learning is “there’s no such thing as too much overkill”, I had a blast picking it up and learning the basics while making overpowered rockets. Strait up till 60km, then throw it over to horizontal, and full power till your in orbit. Efficient, hell no. Fun, hell yes. Because with this method, I was putting crazy Mun missions into space in no time.
- ssimpson 9y ago
  there are many plugins that make things better i think. one that is really great is the mech jeb plugin. it can autopilot for you. i really enjoy building and the logistical aspect of the game, but not so much the piloting.
  - thethirdone 9y ago
    I know many people like you, but I have always preferred the piloting aspect. Learning efficient maneuvers to transfer orbits and rendezvous was where the fun is for me. My friend would often build ships with specific delta Vs for me to pilot to a particular body. Also landing safely before landing gear was added was a great challenge.
- z3t4 9y ago
  The career mode sucks. Feels too much like work. Use the free mode and build crazy rockets and jet planes. And have some fun. Going to other planets and orbital maneuvers are really end game stuff, which you can learn after getting tired of blowing things up.
  - toomanybeersies 9y ago
    Career mode is great after playing around in free mode for a while. I wouldn't recommend anyone starts on career mode, it's just too hard and too constraining for someone who's just starting and doesn't understand the basics. But when you have some experience launching silly rockets into space, it becomes a really nice challenge to try and achieve the goals from career mode without having free reign over your technology and funds.
  - hoorayimhelping 9y ago
    I always tells noobs to skip career mode and do science mode. You don't have to manage money or kerbal lives, but you still get a sense of progression and value as you unlock new parts. You still have a purpose and a reason to go do things (i.e. collecting science), but it's much less complex and lets you focus on just having fun and exploring.
    - Bartweiss 9y ago
      I think a lot of people end up sort of mislead by the different modes - in so many games, "free play" mode is for when you've exhausted the campaign, learned the mechanics, and just want to mess around with all options unlocked. For KSP, the campaign makes some effort at a tutorial via the mission sequence, but makes "learning to function" much harder than free play. I like the science mode suggestion; gating off complex parts lowers the burden of choice, but without the financial pressure it's just "try this and learn to use it" rather than a race to unlock more powerful gear.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
techdragon 9y ago
Page 4 of their comic has a pretty irritating typo. It’s “Wry” not “Rye”.
shmerl 9y ago
I like how they use the proper term expansion, instead of pretty nonsensical DLC.
rocky1138 9y ago
I had heard the original team that built this game quit due to poor working conditions. Is that true? If so, who built this expansion and have the working conditions improved?
- fyfy18 9y ago
  Based on the quality of the 1.4 release, I would say probably not. There were many glaring obvious bugs and omissions, so they must had been in a bit of a rush (i.e. badly managed) to get it out.
- thomasz 9y ago
  https://www.destructoid.com/former-kerbal-space-program-developers-slam-studio-for-poor-pay-and-crunch-time-359507.phtml https://www.destructoid.com/former-kerbal-space-program-deve... They won't get a dime from me ever. For anything.
  - SaturateDK 9y ago
    I got it at the very start, and I'm pretty sad to hear about this.
  - Bartweiss 9y ago
    For whatever it's worth, 2K did buy the thing from Squad. Too late for most of the original devs, but it might change things. On the other hand, they're keeping Squad as the developer, which doesn't feel so good...
  - DonHopkins 9y ago
    I was just thinking of buying it, and now I have changed my mind. Back to Factorio for me!!!
    - reificator 9y ago
      I should get back to Factorio, but Cities Skylines has taken over my brain-game timeslot lately. It's really amazing to me how fun they both are, given that they're just exercises in logistics. Cities Skylines is about managing traffic flow, basically every other mechanic stems from that in some way or another. Not a surprise given the developers' previous games were the Cities In Motion series. Factorio is about efficient transport of materials into machines that assemble goods, and about building up abstractions so you are constantly solving new types of problems with the resources you've automated already. Both of them have helped me to better understand concurrency, throughput, and optimization. And playing Factorio with friends has helped me stretch my project management muscles. By halfway through the game I had to make a Trello board just to keep track of what needed to be done and where the bottlenecks were. If you're in the mood for a thinking game I highly recommend both of them.
remarkEon 9y ago
I’ve spent a lot of time playing KSP. This game has an incredibly steep learning curve. The best thing they could do is build a player autopilot that lets them get to orbit with basic rocket builds. There’s a ton of hardcore players (like me) who do things like write kOS scripts to run rockets to the mun and beyond. But that kind of thing is lost on the person who first downloads this game. If the devs are reading this, that’s the package you need: a basic autopilot for noobs.
- TeMPOraL 9y ago
  I disagree. Half of the value of this game comes from the fact it forces you to learn a few things about real physics along the way. Beginnings ain't hard. You can easily get to orbit manually, and you can even eyeball your way to the Mün. That said, something like the per-stage ∆v display from KER (a mod) should IMO be stock, both during construction and in-flight - without that one piece of information, any trip past Kerbin orbit gets too difficult - you either end up seriously overbuilding your vehicle, or run out of fuel in the middle of a mission.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - bunderbunder 9y ago
    100% of the value of the game is that it's a sandbox that lets you play with a bunch of different things - rocket design, orbital mechanics, exploring a technology tree, resource management, etc. etc. To that end, any feature that makes it easier for different players to approach the game in their own ways will make for a game that appeals to more people. Let people who want to control the rocket manually control it manually, and let those who want to just have nice, automatic, repeatable launches use the autopilot. Let people who want to fiddle with rocket designs do that, but also hand out a bunch of prefab rocket designs for when you just want to sit down and fly a rocket. Let the same people play the game in different ways in different sessions, depending on their mood. Just don't try to tell them that there's only one proper way to have fun, because all you'll do with that is ensure that they tend to get bored more quickly.
sandworm101 9y ago
Been playing since first linux biulds. Love the game. Hate the developer. Too much politics. Too many mind games. Too many unaddressed bugs. Would jump at any similar game, something more based on physics, if run by anyone else.
- B1FF_PSUVM 9y ago
  Do you know of Orbiter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbiter_(simulator) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbiter_(simulator) Orbiter vs Kerbal, etc.: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3091/1 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3091/1 (Via XKCD, note title text: https://xkcd.com/1244/ https://xkcd.com/1244/ - nice slingshots too )
  - 52-6F-62 9y ago
    I couldn't get that into Orbiter. If there was more comprehensive building it would be a bit more fun. It's closer to a flight sim than to Kerbal. But reading that second article makes me think I'm using a drastically outdated version— and I haven't pursued the user-made add-ons. There goes some of my coming weekend... looks like I'll be giving it another shot.
  - sandworm101 9y ago
    Orbiter imho is more about flying than operating a space program. Flying is nice, but I am much more a fan of coordinating a mission between multiple craft. I can live with the cartoon nature, but I do not appreciate "features" as window dressing for poor coding. The way KSP handles memory (loads everything 24/7) is ridiculous and necessitates many silly compromises. And don't get me started on how they handle "heat" and aerodynamics.
tantalor 9y ago
mods: "extension" -> "expansion" in title

125 points by granto 9y ago

Note: not available now. `Kerbal Space Program: Making History Expansion is still in development and will be released as a paid expansion. Pricing and availability details will be announced at a later date.`

adventured 9y ago
It is available now. http://steamcommunity.com/games/220200/announcements/detail/1678026870137797509 http://steamcommunity.com/games/220200/announcements/detail/...
- TheEnder8 9y ago
  Steam store link: http://store.steampowered.com/app/283740/Kerbal_Space_Program_Making_History_Expansion/ http://store.steampowered.com/app/283740/Kerbal_Space_Progra...

iopuy 9y ago

Tried out KSP and just couldn't get into it. I may be the only one but there was absolutely way too high a curve to jump right in and have some fun. I did over half their tutorials and could not improvise at all based on what I had learned. Not much fun when I have to go watch a YouTube video to figure out my next step in career mode.

tytytytytytytyt 9y ago
It only took a few videos to figure out how to do things, for me. But I sure wouldn't recommend it without those few.
- King-Aaron 9y ago
  Scott Manley's tutorials were absolutely invaluable in my learning with the game. However I've never before in my life played a game while having a pad next to me to make notes, haha.
  - tytytytytytytyt 9y ago
    Come on, you need a spreadsheet!
- lfowles 9y ago
  Even then, by the point I put a few ships in orbit by hand I downloaded a couple of the mods that help by giving TWR stats during building and automate orbit/landing so I could focus on setting up my interplanetary satellite network :)
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
techdragon 9y ago
The trick when your learning is “there’s no such thing as too much overkill”, I had a blast picking it up and learning the basics while making overpowered rockets. Strait up till 60km, then throw it over to horizontal, and full power till your in orbit. Efficient, hell no. Fun, hell yes. Because with this method, I was putting crazy Mun missions into space in no time.
ssimpson 9y ago
there are many plugins that make things better i think. one that is really great is the mech jeb plugin. it can autopilot for you. i really enjoy building and the logistical aspect of the game, but not so much the piloting.
- thethirdone 9y ago
  I know many people like you, but I have always preferred the piloting aspect. Learning efficient maneuvers to transfer orbits and rendezvous was where the fun is for me. My friend would often build ships with specific delta Vs for me to pilot to a particular body. Also landing safely before landing gear was added was a great challenge.
z3t4 9y ago
The career mode sucks. Feels too much like work. Use the free mode and build crazy rockets and jet planes. And have some fun. Going to other planets and orbital maneuvers are really end game stuff, which you can learn after getting tired of blowing things up.
- toomanybeersies 9y ago
  Career mode is great after playing around in free mode for a while. I wouldn't recommend anyone starts on career mode, it's just too hard and too constraining for someone who's just starting and doesn't understand the basics. But when you have some experience launching silly rockets into space, it becomes a really nice challenge to try and achieve the goals from career mode without having free reign over your technology and funds.
- hoorayimhelping 9y ago
  I always tells noobs to skip career mode and do science mode. You don't have to manage money or kerbal lives, but you still get a sense of progression and value as you unlock new parts. You still have a purpose and a reason to go do things (i.e. collecting science), but it's much less complex and lets you focus on just having fun and exploring.
  - Bartweiss 9y ago
    I think a lot of people end up sort of mislead by the different modes - in so many games, "free play" mode is for when you've exhausted the campaign, learned the mechanics, and just want to mess around with all options unlocked. For KSP, the campaign makes some effort at a tutorial via the mission sequence, but makes "learning to function" much harder than free play. I like the science mode suggestion; gating off complex parts lowers the burden of choice, but without the financial pressure it's just "try this and learn to use it" rather than a race to unlock more powerful gear.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

techdragon 9y ago

Page 4 of their comic has a pretty irritating typo. It’s “Wry” not “Rye”.

shmerl 9y ago

I like how they use the proper term expansion, instead of pretty nonsensical DLC.

rocky1138 9y ago

I had heard the original team that built this game quit due to poor working conditions. Is that true? If so, who built this expansion and have the working conditions improved?

fyfy18 9y ago
Based on the quality of the 1.4 release, I would say probably not. There were many glaring obvious bugs and omissions, so they must had been in a bit of a rush (i.e. badly managed) to get it out.
thomasz 9y ago
https://www.destructoid.com/former-kerbal-space-program-developers-slam-studio-for-poor-pay-and-crunch-time-359507.phtml https://www.destructoid.com/former-kerbal-space-program-deve... They won't get a dime from me ever. For anything.
- SaturateDK 9y ago
  I got it at the very start, and I'm pretty sad to hear about this.
- Bartweiss 9y ago
  For whatever it's worth, 2K did buy the thing from Squad. Too late for most of the original devs, but it might change things. On the other hand, they're keeping Squad as the developer, which doesn't feel so good...
- DonHopkins 9y ago
  I was just thinking of buying it, and now I have changed my mind. Back to Factorio for me!!!
  - reificator 9y ago
    I should get back to Factorio, but Cities Skylines has taken over my brain-game timeslot lately. It's really amazing to me how fun they both are, given that they're just exercises in logistics. Cities Skylines is about managing traffic flow, basically every other mechanic stems from that in some way or another. Not a surprise given the developers' previous games were the Cities In Motion series. Factorio is about efficient transport of materials into machines that assemble goods, and about building up abstractions so you are constantly solving new types of problems with the resources you've automated already. Both of them have helped me to better understand concurrency, throughput, and optimization. And playing Factorio with friends has helped me stretch my project management muscles. By halfway through the game I had to make a Trello board just to keep track of what needed to be done and where the bottlenecks were. If you're in the mood for a thinking game I highly recommend both of them.

remarkEon 9y ago

I’ve spent a lot of time playing KSP. This game has an incredibly steep learning curve. The best thing they could do is build a player autopilot that lets them get to orbit with basic rocket builds. There’s a ton of hardcore players (like me) who do things like write kOS scripts to run rockets to the mun and beyond. But that kind of thing is lost on the person who first downloads this game. If the devs are reading this, that’s the package you need: a basic autopilot for noobs.

TeMPOraL 9y ago
I disagree. Half of the value of this game comes from the fact it forces you to learn a few things about real physics along the way. Beginnings ain't hard. You can easily get to orbit manually, and you can even eyeball your way to the Mün. That said, something like the per-stage ∆v display from KER (a mod) should IMO be stock, both during construction and in-flight - without that one piece of information, any trip past Kerbin orbit gets too difficult - you either end up seriously overbuilding your vehicle, or run out of fuel in the middle of a mission.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- bunderbunder 9y ago
  100% of the value of the game is that it's a sandbox that lets you play with a bunch of different things - rocket design, orbital mechanics, exploring a technology tree, resource management, etc. etc. To that end, any feature that makes it easier for different players to approach the game in their own ways will make for a game that appeals to more people. Let people who want to control the rocket manually control it manually, and let those who want to just have nice, automatic, repeatable launches use the autopilot. Let people who want to fiddle with rocket designs do that, but also hand out a bunch of prefab rocket designs for when you just want to sit down and fly a rocket. Let the same people play the game in different ways in different sessions, depending on their mood. Just don't try to tell them that there's only one proper way to have fun, because all you'll do with that is ensure that they tend to get bored more quickly.

sandworm101 9y ago

Been playing since first linux biulds. Love the game. Hate the developer. Too much politics. Too many mind games. Too many unaddressed bugs. Would jump at any similar game, something more based on physics, if run by anyone else.

B1FF_PSUVM 9y ago
Do you know of Orbiter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbiter_(simulator) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbiter_(simulator) Orbiter vs Kerbal, etc.: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3091/1 http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3091/1 (Via XKCD, note title text: https://xkcd.com/1244/ https://xkcd.com/1244/ - nice slingshots too )
- 52-6F-62 9y ago
  I couldn't get that into Orbiter. If there was more comprehensive building it would be a bit more fun. It's closer to a flight sim than to Kerbal. But reading that second article makes me think I'm using a drastically outdated version— and I haven't pursued the user-made add-ons. There goes some of my coming weekend... looks like I'll be giving it another shot.
- sandworm101 9y ago
  Orbiter imho is more about flying than operating a space program. Flying is nice, but I am much more a fan of coordinating a mission between multiple craft. I can live with the cartoon nature, but I do not appreciate "features" as window dressing for poor coding. The way KSP handles memory (loads everything 24/7) is ridiculous and necessitates many silly compromises. And don't get me started on how they handle "heat" and aerodynamics.

tantalor 9y ago

mods: "extension" -> "expansion" in title