SoylentNews

hubie [soylentnews.org] writes:

Kerbal Space Program (KSP [kerbalspaceprogram.com]) is a remarkably rich open-ended physics-based space program simulator. The types of spacecraft and missions you can design and simulate, particularly with a very active modding community [kerbalspaceprogram.com] is practically endless. Do you want to fly the Enterprise [kerbalx.com]? Which one [kerbalspaceprogram.com]? Perhaps see if you can survive [kerbalspaceprogram.com] out of Andy Weir’s The Martian?

PCGamer [pcgamer.com] has an article on a person who has logged more than 4000 hours on KSP. The user, known as ShadowZone in the Steam community, spends many hours designing and implementing complex spacecraft as well as calculating flight plans. It is an interesting read for anyone who has given this game a try, and if you're not careful you may learn something before it's done.

When I first spied the 39-year-old father of two discussing his playtime on Twitter, I wanted him to answer one simple question: What do you even do in Kerbal Space Program for that length of time? Well if you're Daniel, you spend it building staggeringly complex machines to then launch on missions so daring it'd make Arthur C. Clarke sweat—all while rediscovering that childish sense of wonder that makes space so captivating to begin with.

Original Submission