Kerbal Space Program 2 is a game about rocket science, and famously, rocket science is not an easy thing to learn. The first KSP gave plenty of people an education in space exploration, but you really needed external help to get there. KSP2 will make that learning process easier in-game without reducing the simulation’s complexity – in a new video, the devs suggest that while you’re still climbing Mount Everest, you’re getting some guides to help you on the way.
To help explain the complex scientific principals that it simulates, KSP2 is getting cartoons. A series of animated tutorial videos will kick in throughout the game (if you want), illustrating things like orbits and engine sizes with comedic interludes.
Thrust, for example, is represented by a pair of riders on a tandem bicycle – a brawny kerbal pushes the team up a massive hill, and a leaner kerbal drops the big guy’s dead weight to continue the ride, offering a simple visual metaphor for why you need booster rockets and smaller engines.
These efforts to make the game easier to understand will also bring benefits for expert players when it comes to things like UI and the building interface. Procedural wings are part of that effort. Rather than just using prefab parts, you can now plop wings on your craft that’ll stretch out into whatever shape you need them, automatically adding stabilisers and control serfuaces as necessary.
You can get much more detail on the changes coming for the space game in the video above. The end of the video also teases what looks like an automated staging system, which already has fans excited.