#kspweekly

Welcome to our official newsletter, KSP Loading…!  If you want to learn about all the current developments of the KSP franchise, then this is the place to be!

Kerbal Space Program Update 1.10 on PC

As most of you know by now, we are currently working on the final details for the 1.10 release. Launching on July 1st, Kerbal Space Program 1.10: Shared Horizons is special in many ways. For starters, we have partnered with the European Space Agency (ESA) to bring two iconic and historic missions to the game, BepiColombo and Rosetta, as well as a bundle of brand new parts and variants to resemble the components of their real-life counterparts. In addition to that, we’re bringing ESA’s spacesuit and the Ariane 5 heavy-lift launch vehicle into the game. Coupled with that are new planet and part revamps, performance improvements, a bunch of bug fixes, as well as a few quality of life features. We'll be going into more details about this exciting update, so buckle up.

ESA Missions

Thanks to our partnership with ESA, we’re bringing two of their most impressive and groundbreaking missions to KSP for you to experience for yourself in the upcoming Shared Horizons free update. Best of all, these missions will be available for all to play, regardless of whether or not the player owns the Making History or Breaking Ground expansions.

Arianne 5

For these missions, you’ll be equipped with an Ariane 5 analogue, which we teased a few weeks ago. This brings to Kerbin a version of ESA’s premiere heavy lift launch, capable of putting over 20 tons into LKO.  Based on your feedback, we did some adjustments to the fairing and the second stage to better resemble the look of its real-life counterpart.

BepiColombo and BepiColombo Spacecraft parts

Like JAXA and ESA’s joint endeavor, in this mission you’ll visit the innermost planet of the solar system to study its magnetosphere and surface characteristics. Launch from the KSC with a kerbalized Ariane 5 and deploy the Moho Transfer Module (MTM), which will carry the Moho Planetary Orbiter (MPO) to its destination using ion thrusters. You'll have access to the new Magnetometer Boom to carry out scientific experiments on that distant planet. Just like humans in our world will go on making further discoveries about Mercury, what mysteries will Kerbals learn from the planet orbiting nearest their star?

Click here to see high res images.

Rosetta …and Comets!

Just like its real-life counterpart which launched in 2004, in this mission you’ll intercept a comet and drop the Philae lander module on its surface. This means not only that you’ll get to perform an amazing and challenging mission, but that we have added comets to the game, including new career mode contracts to detect and visit them! Comets will appear in all game modes and have a very distinct look from regular asteroids with gorgeous tails and larger dimensions. With some luck, you might even see one that is passing through from interstellar space!

Click here to see more high-res images.

Suit picker

We’re including an improved suit picker in the 1.10 update, so you can easily dress your Kerbals to your liking. When clicking on the hanger icon of the crew tab, you’ll not only be able to choose any of the different EVA suits available across the base game and the expansions, but also decide whether you want your kerbals to wear the veteran, IVA or EVA color combinations of any of the suits - including a new ESA suit texture option! This feature will also make it easier for modders to add their own suit textures to the game.

Flag parts

You probably noticed that the Kerbal’s Ariane 5 we previewed a few weeks ago is decorated with a variety of flags. As some of you have guessed, we’ve added flags as surface attached parts that you can now add to your vehicles, for those multi-mission or multi-agency crafts. You’ll be able to place the flags horizontally and vertically, on curved and flat surfaces, plus choose the size and whether you want to place a white, dark, orange or transparent background for them.

Advanced Grabbing Unit Jr.

We’re introducing a new smaller version of the Klaw, a device whose primary purpose is to capture asteroids and basically anything it can put its claws around, maybe even comets. This new version has a radial size of 0.625m in contrast with the original’s 1.25m. Thanks to its size, this smaller unit will be quite versatile, plus we’re including a second darker variant for it. We’re curious to see what the community will contrive with the Klaw Jr.

New part variants & improved control over Fairings

We’re including several part variants for the Shared Horizons update in order for some parts to match with ESA’s style. These include variants for fuel line, struts, fairings, as well as for the Baguette, Dumpling and Doughnut external fuel tanks, among others.

Fairings have gotten an upgrade as well, making it easier to set up open-ended fairings, and now you can fine tune the shape of your fairings better as well.

S1 SRB-KD25k “Kickback” Solid Fuel Booster

This heavy solid rocket booster is getting a variant so that it can provide your Ariane 5 that additional thrust needed to launch your probes and modules to outer space.

Rockomax X200-32

The Rockomax X200-32 Fuel Tank is also getting a third ESA variant for it to match the Ariane 5 color scheme.

Click here to see high-res images of the variants, the flag parts and Klaw Jr.

Planet Revamps

Jool

The legendary green gas giant has received a major revamp. Jool did not only receive high-quality texture & graphic shaders, but also animated clouds, which are particularly beautiful when time-warping around this colossal green sphere.

Laythe

Jool’s innermost natural satellite is also getting a well-deserved visual makeover. The new high-quality texture maps and the proximity to Jool will surely make Laythe one of the most coveted destinations for those Kerbonauts who just want to enjoy a nice view at a beach.

Remember, you can share and download crafts and missions on Curse, KerbalX, the KSP Forum and the KSP Steam Workshop.

That’s it for this edition. Be sure to join us on our official forums, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Stay tuned for more exciting and upcoming news and development updates!

We are sad to hear that after 14 years and 293 days (55 times longer than its planned lifetime) exploring the surface of Mars, Opportunity has ceased operations. So long, little explorer! On the bright side, KSP Loading… is back with fresh news and updates! Do you want to learn about all the current developments of KSP? Here’s the place to be, so let's get started!

KSP Enhanced Edition

You’re reading correctly, KSP Enhanced Edition is the first item in this issue of KSP Loading…! It’s been a while since our last update to KSP on consoles, but we’ve had something very special for you in the making, and we’re thrilled to finally shed some light and reveal all the juicy details you’ve been craving for!

For a while now, we have been working hand in hand with BlitWorks on a console-optimized free update for KSP Enhanced Edition, as well as its first DLC: The History and Parts Pack!

Releasing on the same day, both the History and Parts Pack and the free update are filled with content, including new parts, revamps, suits and features that console players will be able to enjoy for the first time! Without further ado, let’s dive into the details:

Free Update 

As we mentioned before, KSP Enhanced Edition is getting a content-filled console-optimized update that will take bits and pieces of all updates we have released on PC after 1.2.1; some of the ones that people like the most, as well as performance improvements, bug fixes, and more!

Kerbal Personal Parachutes

Personal Parachutes are coming to KSP Enhanced Edition! Kerbals with level 3 and above experience will have fully steerable personal parachutes. You will be able to deploy the chutes using the cursor or via the secondary radial menu.

Click here to see an animated gif showcasing this feature.

All part revamps up to PC 1.5

There has been a big effort on our side to give old parts a fresh new look, all with the intention of having a more sleek and cohesive part catalog. While staying true to the game’s original essence, the geometry and texture maps of these parts were completely redone. Some of these parts also include new texture variants to choose at will. Yes, you’re getting the variant switcher, too!

New Suits

Both the recruit and veteran classic EVA and IVA Space Suits have been given a well-deserved overhaul and console players get to enjoy it, too! We knew that such an iconic element of the game needed to stay true to its identity, so we are keeping its style, while also giving it a sleeker look.

Kerbals can now be placed in external command seats in the VAB/SPH

Another highly requested feature that we are including in this update is the ability to assign Kerbals directly from the VAB/SPH into an EAS-1 External Command Seat, so that Kerbals appear in their respective command seat as the vessel is spawned.

History and Parts Pack DLC

Largely based on its PC counterpart, this console-optimized DLC will include a broad range of new parts, new space suits as well as new launch sites and runways that players can use throughout Kerbal Space Program. Additionally, the History and Parts Pack includes several missions inspired by historical moments in space exploration.

Historical Missions

10 pre-made missions inspired by humankind’s own space exploration. Now you can spacewalk, pull off a crash landing, and attempt to recreate some of the most memorable moments inspired by historic events. All with our unique Kerbal twist, of course. Are you up to the challenge?

New Parts

More than 70 new parts inspired by the American and Russian Space Programs during the Space Race Era. Want to build Soyuz- and Saturn V-inspired rockets? With the History and Parts Pack you will be able to!

Vintage-spacesuit

The History and Parts Pack includes a Vintage Space Suit that will match perfectly with your Space Era-inspired crafts.

New Launch Sites

With the History and Parts Pack you will also have the ability to launch your crafts from 4 additional complexes: the Woomerang Launchsite, the Dessert Complex, the Island Runway and a brand new Mun Launchsite, not currently available on PC!

Lack of Mission Builder

Some of you may notice we haven’t included the Mission Builder from the Making History Expansion for PC. After some investigation, we were not confident in maintaining a solid user experience in navigating the menus and setup controls required for its use. Additionally, implementing a sharing feature which is core to the value would have required significant time investment for our team. We did not believe that the tradeoff time-wise made sense as it would have sacrificed some of the other content.

PC Update 1.7

As we revealed a few weeks ago, the development of update 1.7 keeps us busy, too! As has been the case with our previous releases, this free update will be packed with content! For instance, we continue with our endeavor to update and modernize our part catalog, but there’s more up our sleeves that we’ll be revealing along the way. For the time being check out some of the revamps that 1.7 will include in its repertoire.

Part Catalog Revamps

24-77 "Twitch" Liquid Fuel Engine Revamp

As you probably know by now, the 24-77 “Twitch” Liquid Fuel Engine is one of the revamps you’re going to enjoy in update 1.7. The Twitch got its geometry and textures completely redone. In addition to the classic orange, a gray & orange variant was created to match with the style of your crafts. An emissive texture for the throttle animation, as well as an animated gimbal have also been included. All this will make the Twitch Engine look great when it’s in action!

Click here for the high-res images

LV-1 “Ant” Liquid Fuel Engine

The LV-1 “Ant” Liquid Fuel Engine is one of the parts that most desperately needed a makeover. With a decent specific impulse in vacuum and a very low mass, this engine has helped small satellites and crafts find their way in space for years, its aesthetics never stood out, though. Luckily, our art team took up the task of improving the look of this tiny engine. The geometry and texture maps were redesigned, and a new bare variant has been added, as well as a blazing emissive texture.

Click here for the high-res images

LV-1R “Spider” Liquid Fuel Engine

Being the radial version of the Ant Engine, the LV-1R “Spider” Liquid Fuel Engine allows for a greater variety of mounting points. With a reworked geometry and new textures, the “Spider” looks better than ever. Players will be able to choose from a shrouded and a bare variant for this engine, as well. An emissive texture for the throttle animation, as well as an animated gimbal have been included.

Click here for the high-res images

Vernor Engine

The VR-N1ER Veer-Governor, popularly known the “Vernor” Engine has also been heavily revamped. Our artists not only reworked this part’s geometry and texture maps, but also added a pretty nozzle with a metallic look that includes an emissive texture that will glow when the Vernor heats up.

Click here for the high-res image

O-10 "Puff" MonoPropellant Fuel Engine

Being the only monopropellant reaction engine with throttle control, the O-10 “Puff” was selected for a well-deserved makeover. The art team added new textures for the “Puff”, including a new emissive texture for the throttle animation.

Click here for the high-res image

The Bug Hunt

As with every release, with update 1.7 we are determined to include a broad range of improvements and bug fixes in an ongoing effort to improve the KSP experience and reduce the amount of bugs that inevitably arise with every release. Our QA and development teams have been very busy confirming, reporting and fixing issues. For example, we recently squashed a bug where symmetry would break animations on some parts. The team also fixed a Null-Reference Exception triggered when RCS was enabled with an EVA Kerbal, which resulted in the Kerbal not being able to move. Our goal is to make each KSP release more and more stable and our team is working hard to achieve this.

Meet the team

For those who are interested in getting to know the people behind Kerbal Space Program we’ll continue with our “Meet the team” section of KSP Loading… until we’ve presented all of our team. This time it’s the turn for one of our programmers, Marco “Samssonart” Salcedo. Having worked at Squad for more than 8 years, Marco is a true KSP veteran despite his young age, and has been in the backend of KSP since the very beginning. Here are a few words from him.

I've been playing games since my childhood and started making my own simple games since I started programming in high school. I have a bachelor's in Computer Engineering and a master's in Computer Science, both with a specialty in graphics and interactive technology. Aside from games and technology, I'm a big music freak, I attend as many gigs as I can afford; I like to work out, I practice martial arts; and spending time with my family, girlfriend and cats.

Finally we want to remind you that you can share and download missions on Curse, KerbalX, the KSP Forum and the KSP Steam Workshop.

That’s it for this edition. Be sure to join us on our official forums, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Stay tuned for more exciting and upcoming news and development updates!