KSP Loading...: No Place Like Kerbin
Kerbal Space Program: Breaking Ground Expansion · published
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 1.9 on PC
Another orbital period has completed, and as human tradition has it, it’s a good time to reflect on past achievements as well as look forward to goals we set for ourselves during this new decade. 2019 was a great year for us: We released several major updates and a content-filled expansion on PC. KSP Enhanced Edition also got some deserved attention with the History and Parts Pack and the Breaking Ground Expansion, as well as a considerable amount of free content. Not too shabby, right? And 2020 is looking great for KSP fans, too! For starters, we’re kicking off the new year with update 1.9, which will not only include performance and graphical improvements, but some new neat features that we’re excited to show you. Not to mention Kerbal Space Program 2 and some other stellar surprises we have currently in the VAB for you. For the time being, and for this KSP Loading in particular, we’re going to focus on some of the stuff that is going to roll onto the launchpad in Kerbal Space Program 1.9: No Place Like Home! So buckle up:
Terrain Revamp for Kerbin
In addition to the revamps of Moho and Dres that we’ve shown you already, Kerbin has received major visual improvements. With detailed high-quality texture maps and (because there is no place like home) an Ultra Quality shader option, the Kerbal home planet is looking better than ever. Check it out!
Click here to see the full high-res gallery.
Drain Valve
Kerbal Space Program 1.9: No Place Like Home! will also include a new part that works as a release valve for parts with drainable resources, such as monopropellant, ore, liquid fuel, oxidizer or xenon. This part will also allow you to set the drainage over a specific amount of time, a feature that will undoubtedly come in handy.
Click here to see a high-res image.
Part Revamps
RE-M3 "Mainsail" Liquid Fuel Engine
One of the heaviest and most powerful large-diameter Kerbal engines is getting a well-deserved makeover. We’re talking, of course, about the Rockomax Conglomerate’s RE-M3 “Mainsail” Liquid Fuel Engine. With its new geometry, textures and emissive map, this humongous engine has never looked so good. Additionally after listening to your feedback, we’re including Mid and Bare variants.
Click here to see high res images.
RE-I5 "Skipper" Liquid Fuel Engine
Rockomax Conglomerate’s RE-I5 "Skipper" Liquid Fuel Engine has also been modernized by our art team. Brand new geometry, variants, textures and emissive maps have given one of our favorite medium sized engines a befitting fresh new look! And after listening to your feedback, we’ll be including Bare and Truss Mount variants.
Click here to see high res images.
BACC "Thumper" Solid Fuel Booster
With reliable performance at a good price, the Rockomax Conglomerate’s BACC Solid Fuel Boosters have always been a popular choice to get the massive bulk of large multi-stage rockets off the ground. This large SRB is finally getting a physical renewal to better match its place in our SRB lineup. Check it out!
Click here to see high res images.
Quality of Life Features
Additionally, Kerbal Space Program 1.9: No Place Like Home! will include several quality of life features, mostly drawn from our players’ feedback. Some of the inclusions are: an adjustment to the time warp system that removes restrictions on warping at certain altitudes; a new cheat menu option that will allow you to place your craft above the surface of any celestial body; a search box for the R&D Tech Tree; and a new Screenshot Mode that will allow you to pause the game, move the camera and take the best shot by hitting the Escape key and then F2. There are several more QoL features we’re sure you’ll appreciate, too!
Blade improvements
Rotor blades in the Breaking Ground Expansion are getting some improvements by adding cyclic and collective deflection controls. This will ultimately help players have better control of their bladed vehicles, whether it is a traditional single-rotor helicopter or a drone-like quad-copter. There’ll be a Devblog explaining the details about these improvements coming up soon, so stay tuned.
New Stock Craft for Expansions
With this update, we are also including a few new stock craft that take advantage of Breaking Ground’s parts and demonstrate how we used the new blade functionality! We’ve also added easy access to some of the historical craft from Making History. So, if you just want to pilot cool crafts or retro-engineer the heck out of them to create your own, you’ll surely enjoy these; we certainly had a lot of fun building and testing them!
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!
Happy launchings!