Kerbal Space Program 2 felt as dense as a layered gameplay system. I hadn’t played an engineering/administration/space simulation series for a minute before I spent two hours hands-on with Kerbal Space Program, the whimsical astrophysics sequel. Always fascinated by it, but reluctant to try it, I was quite hesitant before diving in. Familiarity. It’s certainly a complicated beast to tackle at times (this is rocket science after all), but I’ve been able to find joy in small wins and a lot of fun in many failures.
For those like me unfamiliar with the Kerbal Space Program series, it’s basically a fledgling space agency made up of minion-like Kerbals in shades of green that takes you to the stars and back. Everything. By building rockets and planning ambitious missions, you venture deeper into the Kabol solar system in the name of exploration. Of course, reaching a distant planet is not easy, nor should it be. And so begins the brain-straining challenges that are solved through educated trial and error.
In some ways, this experience reminded me of my early days at Media Molecule’s Dreams – unleashed in a sandbox of possibilities where experimentation and well-intentioned but fundamentally flawed ideas were encouraged. The generous and well-structured tutorials were presented in a lighthearted and digestible manner, and I found myself quickly enamored with the vast possibilities presented by the Kerbal Space Program. The Kerbal veterans around me, who also log the time, had dreams of an ambitious Mars program, but they launched one of the rockets to get everyone on board safely back to Earth. I was pretty happy just to be able to get it back on (Carbine in this universe).
Up until this point in my life, most of my understanding of astrophysics came from rewatching movies like Apollo 13 and The Right Stuff. After all, it doesn’t really help much. My first attempt to break the mood was to desperately relive my youth in the form of a truly shoddy reimagining of Thunderbird 3. Elvis Presley of the era. When it comes to space travel, style is clearly less appropriate than substance. Then I returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). This is a cozy and intuitive space for designing your own rockets, landers, and buggies, and where you’ll find a lot of the fun of KSP2.
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Next on my production line were the Bananaman Marks 1, 2, and 3. This was a series of yellow space bullets, each one failing for different reasons. To his Intercept Games credit to the developer, even me, a very newbie, was able to quickly and accurately diagnose problems whenever my efforts failed and burned out. At first, he might be overwhelmed by the UI, full of numbers, but you’ll quickly get the hang of it. For example, a series of actions, formed as a sort of playlist in the lower right corner of the screen, act as stages of activation and are numbered to indicate the order in which they are executed when the spacebar is pressed. For example, it’s probably wise to fire the engines before separating the ship halves. There is something I never, never forgot.
Back in the VAB, things are clearly laid out, with tabs full of fuel tanks, command modules, and all-important emergency parachutes. Each component inside satisfactorily snaps into the rest, is clearly explained, and provides important (but not intimidating) amounts of information.Not only do I enjoy designing rockets, but in theory should do it It works, but I’ve sneakily learned more than I bargained for, such as the difference between sustainer and orbital engine. Like the best classes in school, Kerbal infuses science into your brain through fun, playful immersion. Bananaman’s mission came to a fruitful conclusion after many previous failures, so through these lessons he was able to send his overzealous little green Kerbal into space and back to the soil of his home.
The key to Kerbal’s joy lies in these small incremental improvements. Those little dopamine brainshots that make you feel like a fleeting genius. With this newfound confidence, I dreamed and built a giant pink rocket made up of the largest pieces that were offered to me. Goliath was born, but its very I don’t want to tell you what happened after a short lifespan…
As if I didn’t need to be reminded again that my understanding of aeronautics was almost non-existent, I decided to put my arms around designing my own jet. , I had a lot of fun creating a very stylish plane, complete with the color palette of the X-Wing. Again, even if I didn’t fully realize that particular dream, I had a lot of fun making it anyway. literally.
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From diving into some of the pre-saved scenarios available to me, I was able to see what KSP2 is capable of when fully commanding its deep systems. I could sit in orbit around the glowing purple fog of Eve (Venus), deploy a buggy on the Moon (Moon), and actually fly a jet designed by someone far more intelligent than me. I got
It’s all presented with winks and nods as well, and the Kerbals themselves often offer comical comfort with changes in facial expressions as you doom them again. Program 2 has no penalties for failure and wild experimentation is always encouraged. Many simulation games of this depth can be punished in the way they throw in budgets and the concept of permanent death in the mix, but Kerbal is all about the fun of adventure, not the consequences of ill-fated adventures. is not.
Not banging your head on your desk or smashing your keyboard with the blunt end of your mouse, even when you fail miserably, is a sign of a promising game. Instead, Kerbal Space Program 2 just made me want to have fun, try, try, try again, even when my plans exploded in front of me. For anyone who might have been daunted by KSP’s possibilities at one time, he encourages you to give it a try. I’m sure you’ll be surprised by how friendly they are. We’re already looking forward to taking the next small step on February 24th, when Early Access begins and the moon starts to feel like it’s never been this far.
Simon Cardy has no intention of applying for a NASA job for the benefit of mankind. Follow him on Twitter. @CardySimon.
