don’t know
much about
astrophysics,
aerodynamics, or
anything else to do with rocket
science, but I do know how to tell
when someone is trying very hard
to avoid saying the words ‘kerbal
orgy’. New studio Intercept, which
has taken the reins on KSP, is busy
crafting a sequel, coming next year,
that includes intergalactic travel,
multiplayer and helpful tutorials
for science-challenged players like
me. Reading between the lines of
my first look at Kerbal Space
Program 2, the kerbals themselves
are getting busy too.Over the course of two days I spoke
with the dev team about what’s new
in Kerbal Space Program 2, what’s
changed, and just as importantlyatmosphere at the horizon. Stirring synth chords and a
bass drum aren’t quite reproducing Also sprach
Zarathustra, but the tone is the same. Mysterious.
Ominous? The vibe is unmistakably 2001.
Then, peeking out over the edge of a cliff, we see it—a
colony on the dusty orange surface, futuristic apartment
buildings on a lattice of steel support beams flanked by
rows of solar panels and greenhouses. A long runway for
space planes suggests how fresh supplies and colonists
will reach this outpost on the planet Duna, while the
ramp at the end of the runway immediately makes me
want to ruin the ambiance by strapping a rocket to a rover
and seeing how far it could jump. The kerbals, I think,
would certainly understand.
Flying to the Mun and beyond is just the beginning of
your progression through the solar system and, eventually,
the galaxy. To reach those far-flung stars, you’ll now be
able to establish orbital and planetary colonies, staging
grounds for the next leg of your cosmic journey.
“[Colonies are] capable of producing colonists through
a method that we will not describe, for everyone’s sake,
after something that the player initiates called a ‘boom
event’,” says lead designer Shana Markham. Throughout
Kerbal’s new career mode, which the developers have
nicknamed ‘adventure mode’, making discoveries and
unlocking new technologies will trigger these boom
events, which kick off various effects across your
civilization. In a colony’s nursery module, for example,
that means making new colonists. “You know, discoveries
make kerbals happy,” Markham says.
The goal of adventure mode is to provide a far more
ambitious campaign for players to embark on, building
ships powerful enough to leave the solar system. The
structure will include specific missions, but creative
director Nate Simpson says these will feel more
“compelling” than some of the first game’s missions,
which would direct you to fly to a specific latitude/
longitude and trigger a part on your ship. “Those felt
grindy. We’re going out of our way to make the mission
goals for adventure mode feel meaningful: Real firsts that
feel unique relative to every other goal in the game.”
Simpson says adventure mode has a lot in common
with the first game’s science mode, which gave you
unlimited funds but made you earn science points to
advance the tech tree. In KSP2, the missions will be there
for players who want them, but you can also set your own
goals. “You’ll begin to collect science and trigger boom
events as you explore what’s out there,” Simpson says.
The campaign is “explicitly designed to be non-
punitive” so you’ll never reach a fail state where you’ve
run out of money and have to start over. Colonies won’t
require tons of micromanagement. If you leave one in a
dangerous state, without enough power or food, it’ll
simply underperform. You can ignore it and keep on
building that next rocket—the one sure to be yourZOOM & ENHANCE
In 2019, fans screencapped an early, in-development flight UI from a monitor in a KSP2 dev
diary and set about scrutinizing it. Let’s take a magnifying glass to the more polished UI.- Your kerbals!
- Individual g-force meter.
- Velocity and altitude—
These can be toggled
to show velocity of a set
target, and ground level
instead of sea. - Atmosphere depth
indicator.
5. Throttle.
6. Nav ball—A gutter around
the nav ball makes the
orientation markers easier
to keep track of.
7. Orientation controller—As
your ship moves, this model
will point towards prograde,
retrograde, etc to show your
orientation.
8. Pause button—Ta ke a
break, or watch a tutorial.
9. The staging stack—Now
in the same place as in the
Vehicle Assembly Building.
10. Go button—No longer
just an invisible hotkey.
11. Time zoom—Especially
important for long flights.
(^12)
3
5
7
6
4
8
11
9
10
what’s not changed, to preserve
the wonderful sense of
accomplishment and discovery that
defined one of PC gaming’s greatest
experiences. At no point did anyone
say these little green explorers are so
excited about intergalactic travel that
they throw a spontaneous space
party, but I’m here to tell you it’s
most definitely happening.
And honestly, I’m thrilled about it.
It’s hard, lonely work going where no
kerbal has gone before, and they
deserve to celebrate—especially
because that sweet, sweet space
nooky is a key part of Kerbal Space
Program 2’s vastly expanded
progression into the unknown.
THE BIG BOOM
Ext: Space. The camera pans across a
desert landscape, the faint flow of
starlight refracting through a layer of
Kerbal Space Program 2
COVER FEATURE
I
LEFT: Roshambo for
who presses the
launch button?