|
|
| Post Number: 1
|
TPRJones 
I saw The Fault in our Stars opening night.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 12384
Joined: May 2004
|
 |
Posted on: Jan. 02 2014,11:36 |
|
   |
Kerbal Space Program on Steam
I posted this review to Steam, but figured I'd share it here as well. I now love this game so much.
QUOTE This is slowly turning into the best game I have ever played. It has certainly been the most educational by far. I strongly recommend (as of ver 0.23) the installation of the MechJeb add-on and that the game be played in career mode. You will start out with minimal computer (MechJeb) guidance support, and will essentially be trying to make orbit by joystick. But as your career progresses you unlock greater computer control of the craft, so making your 100th orbit is just routine and you don't have to do it by hand anymore and can spend your focus on things like figuring out how to get to the moons of Jool and back safely.
In the process I have learned a very deep understanding of basic orbital mechanics, something I already thought I understood but really only could do the math. The gut understanding is much different than what I thought it was before I spent hours happily flinging kermen into space. I haven't even begun to mess with aircraft construction, but I expect that will be equally eye-opening in the realm of aerodynamics.
It's still under development, of course, so there's no telling what it will eventually become. But right now this game is simply phenomenal.
Officially it's still an alpha, but the new career mode gives better guidance to the game without fencing in the players overmuch than any questing system or series of specific goals could, IMO. It's the perfect balance between aimlessly open sandbox and putting the game on rails. I just hope they know when to leave the good things alone and not try to make it more explicit than it is.
--------------
Vidi Perfutui Veni
|
 |
|
|
| Post Number: 2
|
TPRJones
I saw The Fault in our Stars opening night.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 12384
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Apr. 03 2014,08:42 |
|
 |
I've made a terrible, terrible mistake. I started looking through the mods for this game. Now I have 24 of them installed and I may never be able to play another game again.
As of last night my Mun base has a Kethane drilling operation up and running and I'm about to send up modules for fusion power generation and starting up ore drilling. I should have a full launch-capable spaceport in place on the Mun by the end of this weekend.
Additionally I've Kethane and Ore scanning probes en route to every other planet and moon in the system to search for future spaceport locations. I have three asteroid missions underway. I've begun construction of a series of high-power microwave beaming stations to put into kerbal-synchronous orbit. I could play this game for the next three months and still be working on new and interesting things.
This may be the single most addictive game I have ever played. I can't wait to see what happens when it hits beta.
--------------
Vidi Perfutui Veni
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 3
|
TheCatt
Top 2%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 22951
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Apr. 03 2014,09:01 |
|
|
That was the hardest to understand post I've seen in a long time.
--------------
It's not me, it's someone else.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 4
|
Stranger
Bucket of Shit
Group: "Members"
Posts: 1542
Joined: Apr. 2012
|
|
Posted on: Apr. 03 2014,09:03 |
|
|
I must say this game has been on my radar for quite some time. And it just went on sale! 40% off, so its only $16. Might have to pick this one up.
--------------
O.I.C.
#OnlyInCleveland
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 5
|
Troy
Group: Privateers
Posts: 3857
Joined: Jun. 2004
|
|
Posted on: Apr. 03 2014,09:30 |
|
|
One of my steam friends who I've gamed with for a long time has over 600 hours into this game. He's also a CNC/Engineering nerd - I'm sure the two are related.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 6
|
TheCatt
Top 2%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 22951
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Apr. 03 2014,09:36 |
|
|
I find it hard to get into sandbox games. Are there goals/projects/things in the game, or is it just open exploration?
--------------
It's not me, it's someone else.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 7
|
TPRJones
I saw The Fault in our Stars opening night.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 12384
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Apr. 03 2014,09:39 |
|
|
In the non-modded game there are two modes: sandbox and career. Career mode doesn't have specific missions or quests, but it does have a tech tree. You start with a very small selection of basic Mercury era rocket parts and you have to acquire science to unlock more advanced parts. This tends to lead to a very nice progression to the game in terms of learning basic rocketry and eventually orbital mechanics as you seek out more and more new science to unlock more nodes.
Additionally there are a few specific scenarios and missions included with the game, but I've not played any of those yet. Career mode plus mods has swallowed my life.
--------------
Vidi Perfutui Veni
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 8
|
TheCatt
Top 2%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 22951
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Apr. 03 2014,10:55 |
|
|
I downloaded the demo, am stuck in a hotel tonight so may try it out.
--------------
It's not me, it's someone else.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 9
|
|
|
| Post Number: 10
|
TheCatt
Top 2%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 22951
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Apr. 03 2014,18:40 |
|
|
I tried without a tutorial/manual... i built a rocket, and the damned game just kept saying "no target"
--------------
It's not me, it's someone else.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 11
|
TPRJones
I saw The Fault in our Stars opening night.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 12384
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Apr. 03 2014,20:32 |
|
|
You don't have to have a target, it's totally optional. Â If you go to the map screen (M) and pull out (scroll wheel) you can click on, like, the Mun and set it as the target. Â Then it'll show up on your navball as a pink symbol so you know which direction it is while flying your ship. But it's by no means required to do so.
Of course you can't just fly straight at it, that's not how to make an effective transfer orbit. Â Personally I use a plug-in called MechJeb that helps with the navigation, although I didn't start using it until after I could do most of the basic transfers and rendezvous without it first.
When starting out, though, I recommend just flying around Kerbal itself for awhile. Â Strap on some parachutes, fire up the rocket, and see where you can go before you have to abort or blow up.
EDIT: Oh, if your rocket wasn't going at all it may be because you didn't know about staging. When you build it you make stages on the right (which show up on the left when launching). Before the engines actually start up you need to trigger the first staging. Default is space bar (I use Enter because accidental staging with the space bar wrecked too many of my flights). And then if using regular rockets instead of just boosters you'll need to power up the engines with shift. Control will power them back down. WASD turns the ship, and pressing T will turn on the system that makes it tend to stay pointing whichever way you've pointed it instead up continuing to rotate freely.
Edited by TPRJones on Apr. 03 2014,20:36
--------------
Vidi Perfutui Veni
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 12
|
|
|
| Post Number: 13
|
Leisher
Top 3%, yo.
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 26651
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Jul. 17 2014,07:55 |
|
|
First Contact
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 14
|
TPRJones
I saw The Fault in our Stars opening night.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 12384
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Jul. 17 2014,08:08 |
|
|
I know, I've been obsessively F5-ing the release news the last couple of days waiting for 0.24 to go live so I can dive in and disappear for another few months.
Seems the plan was to release yesterday, but at the last minute there was a Unity update that caused a big new bug of some sort. They're getting that one run down right now, so hopefully it will come out soon...
--------------
Vidi Perfutui Veni
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 15
|
TheCatt
Top 2%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 22951
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Jul. 17 2014,08:25 |
|
|
I could never get past the "get off the ground" stage.
--------------
It's not me, it's someone else.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 16
|
TPRJones
I saw The Fault in our Stars opening night.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 12384
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Jul. 17 2014,08:45 |
|
|
I now have 668 hours played. It may be better if you don't get the hang of it. At least if you like playing other games, that is. 
--------------
Vidi Perfutui Veni
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 17
|
TPRJones
I saw The Fault in our Stars opening night.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 12384
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Jul. 18 2014,09:14 |
|
|
It's out! The update is out! And so far I like.
--------------
Vidi Perfutui Veni
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 18
|
TheCatt
Top 2%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 22951
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Jul. 18 2014,09:31 |
|
|
It was nice knowing you.
--------------
It's not me, it's someone else.
|
|
|
|
| Post Number: 19
|
|
|
| Post Number: 20
|
TPRJones
I saw The Fault in our Stars opening night.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 12384
Joined: May 2004
|
|
Posted on: Jan. 05 2015,16:53 |
|
|
So the newest update of KSP turns the game into Space Program Tycoon. Â It's not bad - not at all - but it's problematic. Â The early game with very limited constraints due to not having upgraded any of your space complex is exceptionally difficult compared to later in the game. Â The entire difficulty curve is inverted. Â So much so that the magic of making and flying rockets is almost lost in the early game due to being limited to rockets that are very simple and just not as exciting and fun as they should be. Â And scraping together the money to upgrade to where it starts to get fun can be very challenging. Â This is not ideal.
In addition to the updated "career" mode that I would at this point refer to as "hardcore" mode, the old "science" mode is still in the game. Â So to anyone that picks up the game around version 1.0 to start I'd strongly urge you to play for awhile in "science" mode first. Â This will be very fun and you will learn a lot about making rockets and flinging them off the planet. Â Then later on if you want a bit of challenge is when you would try "career" mode.
There's also a sandbox mode, but while that will let you do anything right away there's no experience curve at all and for new players this is also not ideal. You have to learn to crawl before you learn to walk, and a new player in sandbox mode with no real understanding of basic rocketry is going to be falling flat onto their face and not be able to figure out why. "Science" mode has just enough early limits to make you learn the basics before you get too carried away.
KSP has a very strong player community, and I think the developers got a little too wrapped up into serving the current experienced player base and lost sight of the new player experience. Â I'm almost certain this is something they'll adjust in future releases.
Edited by TPRJones on Jan. 05 2015,16:57
--------------
Vidi Perfutui Veni
|
|
|
|
|
|
