Kerbal Space Program: Difference between revisions
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Beginning with the paid 0.14.1 version, the game supports an extensive plugin API, allowing players and mod-makers to create parts that load additional code at runtime; this code extends the base game, allowing for new functionality or for more powerful control of the existing ones (e.g. autopilot modules, or telemetry). |
Beginning with the paid 0.14.1 version, the game supports an extensive plugin API, allowing players and mod-makers to create parts that load additional code at runtime; this code extends the base game, allowing for new functionality or for more powerful control of the existing ones (e.g. autopilot modules, or telemetry). |
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The plugins are written in [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]], as is the base game. |
The plugins are written in [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]], as is the base game. <ref> http://kspwiki.nexisonline.net/wiki/Plugins </ref> |
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==Inconsistencies== |
==Inconsistencies== |
Revision as of 18:29, 15 November 2012
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Kerbal Space Program | |
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File:KerbalSpaceProgramFullRedLogo.png | |
Developer(s) | Squad |
Publisher(s) | Squad |
Engine | Unity3D |
Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS |
Release | June 24, 2011 (first alpha release) October 29, 2012 (0.17.1)[1] |
Genre(s) | Space flight simulator game Simulation game |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Kerbal Space Program (commonly abbreviated as KSP) is an alpha-stage space flight simulator game, currently in development for Windows and Mac OS. The game allows players to build spacecraft and spaceplanes to be launched, flown, or navigated through a fictional solar system. The game has had support for mods, since its inception, which has led to a large amount of mods to be created by the community to expand and modify the gameplay as well as add new parts.
Gameplay
This game allows players to build and pilot a space vehicle, made out of pre-fabricated modules (also referred to as 'parts') such as liquid fuel engines, fuel tanks, solid fuel rockets, landing gear, wings and steering fins.[2] Additional parts such as payload fairings, wheeled rovers, and weapons have been added to the game by players. Players can also control the characters piloting the vehicle, called "Kerbals" or "kerbonauts."
The vehicles are created monitored and launched from the Kerbal Space Centre, on the planet Kerbal. There are several facilities available here to use to help they players own missions, with further expansion planned.
Within the game there are fourteen total celestial bodies organized in an abbreviated Solar System, including the Earth-like planet named Kerbin where the player begins, a gas giant, a planet resembling Mars, and various moons.
From version 0.14 on, support for persistent journeys has been added: any object that has attained a stable orbit, or is anyway in a predictable path outside of an atmosphere, will be saved between play sessions, its trajectory propagated simultaneously with all the others. Version 0.16 added the feature of EVAs, allowing players to control the Kerbals.[3] A "tracking station" interface allows the player to resume any of the flights in progress, switch between them, and also visit non-controllable space debris. Vehicles cannot dock yet, but the introduction of this feature has been set aside for a later release.[4]
Currently there are no objectives in the game, although this is a planned feature. At the moment the player has to create his own missions and objectives.
Modification
The game supports extensive end-user modification, allowing craft parts to easily be built and implemented by players. As a result, the game enjoys a significant modding community, with hundreds of modifications released to date.[5] These modifications to the game add to functionality, allowing craft such as land vehicles or airplanes to be created far more easily than with the base game.
Beginning with the paid 0.14.1 version, the game supports an extensive plugin API, allowing players and mod-makers to create parts that load additional code at runtime; this code extends the base game, allowing for new functionality or for more powerful control of the existing ones (e.g. autopilot modules, or telemetry). The plugins are written in C#, as is the base game. [6]
Inconsistencies
While newtonian physics generally is implemented in a realistic manner, the game engine's inability to solve the n-body problem only allows gravity from one celestial body at a time to be modeled, with gravity 'switching' at a definite point.[7] This prevents the simulation of Lagrangian points and other situations involving gravitational pull from multiple objects. This was a trade-off intentionally made by the developers, to improve the stability and speed of the simulation, in addition to the predictability, which will help certain planned features.
The physics simulation is based on the PhysX middleware, utilized as part of the Unity 3D. The unique necessities of the game, which has to correctly handle distances in a range of at least 13 orders of magnitude and velocities in the order of kilometers per second, have required a number of workarounds to avoid numerical stability issues. Some bugs of this nature are still not completely solved as of now.
Planned features
According to the game's website, several features are planned for KSP in the future:[8]
- Spacecraft docking, planned for version 0.18
- Officially supported rover
- Space station construction
- Space program economic management, with the 1993 space simulation game Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space as an acknowledged inspiration[citation needed]
- The ability to create flight plans, in mission control
- Electrical systems
- Weather systems
- Research and development
- Astronaut complex
The game is currently in the alpha stage of development, with the current software being only a very small approximation of the final product. The current game can be purchased through the developer's 'Kerbal Space Program Store' at a cost of US $18.00. Version 0.13 will remain free as a demo,[9] and will never be updated.
Reception
The game has not yet been released so there are no reviews of the game to date. The game has received acknowledgement though. The game has had many positive articles written about it. IGN has included the game in an article "Five Ridiculous Upcoming Games", where upcoming games for the pc without major publisher backing were discussed[10].
Other publications have also been positive about the game. With PCGamer saying "Kerbal Space Program has a long way to go before it’s the galaxy exploring management game it wants to be, but it’s already amazing."[11] and Unbored saying "I loved every minute of it" [12]
The game has received large amounts of praise with the acknowledgement that the game is only in early development and therefore not complete.
Version History
The game is rapidly going through development, with new versions being released to the public on a regular basis. The first version to be released to the public was 0.7.3 on 24 June 2011.[13] The latest version of the game, 0.17.1 was released on 30 October 2012.
V0.17
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V0.16
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This version was released on July 20, 2012. New features included:
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V0.15
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This version was released on May 17, 2012. This was a significant update for the game. It brought the ability to create and fly space planes, as well as a new moon for the planet Kerbin called minmus. New features included:
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V0.14
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The versions 0.14.1 and 0.14.3 are not listed here, as they where just bug fixes and contained no knew features.
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V0.13
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V0.12
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This version was released on November 11, 2011. This was the first version of the game to include an extra terrestrial body. The planet Kerbin's moon, the mun. New features included:
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V0.11
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V0.10
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V0.9
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This version was released on August 12, 2011. New features included:
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V0.8
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V0.7.3
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Version 0.7.3 was released on June 24, 2011. This was the initial release of the Kerbal Space Program.[8] |
See also
- List of space flight simulator games
- Orbiter (simulator)
- Noctis
- Shuttle
- Space Shuttle Mission 2007
- Microsoft Space Simulator
References
- ^ Kerbal Space Program. "0.17 Release Date News". Crew. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
- ^ "About". Kerbal Space Program. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- ^ "KSP 0.16". Retrieved 2012-07-21.
- ^ "Docking-info". Retrieved 2012-09-24.
- ^ "Kerbal Space Program Mods". Retrieved 2012-09-24.
- ^ http://kspwiki.nexisonline.net/wiki/Plugins
- ^ http://xenolith.ws/?page=post&id=17
- ^ "Planned features - Kerbal Space Program Wiki". Kerbalspaceprogram.com. 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- ^ "About". Kerbal Space Program. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
- ^ "IGN:Five Ridiculous Upcoming Games". Retrieved 2012-11-12.
- ^ "PCGamer:Now Playing: Reaching for the stars in Kerbal Space Program". Retrieved 2012-11-12.
- ^ "Unbored:Kerbal Space Program review". Retrieved 2012-11-12.
- ^ "VersionHistory". Kerbal Space Program. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
External links
- Kerbal Space Program Main Website
- Kerbal Space Program developer's blog
- Destructoid: Hands-on: Kerbal Space Program
- Rock Paper Shotgun: Trans-Lunar: Kerbal Space Program
- IGN: Kerbal Space Program
- Kotaku: Will You Help These Stupid Aliens Into Space?
- Giant Bomb: Quick Look - Kerbal Space Program
- PCGamer Now Playing: Reaching for the stars in Kerbal Space Program
- Kerbal Space Program Wiki
- Kerbal Space Program Fan Page
- GameSpot - Kerbal Space Program