KSP vs Juno: New Origins.

[Backroomshoe289]

There aren't a lot of games in this genre that I see and I've put an embarrassing amount of time into KSP. Has anyone here played both? What do you think in terms of comparison? What does each do better or worse at?

[Sirius]

Yes.

Since Juno evolved from 'Simple Rockets 2', you can assume just that - things are a tad simpler.
On the flip side, you have features that are not easy to beat (procedural, formable parts) and the flying is easier as you have a sort of auto nav setting wheel that you set into the desired angle and directions, and if the rocket is stable enough, no fuss about adjusting course and such constantly.

People say the GFX are even better in Juno, but hard disagree on that one on my part, it's absolutely servicable though (much like KSP doesn't look amazing yet still enjoyable).

They are very similar games - both teach / require some basic understanding for orbital mechanics, both let you design rockets and airplanes (although 'Simple Planes' has that down better - guess they didn't want to make that game obsolete; Still, planes in Juno are fine), but in a different way.

Juno lets you design things that appear more realistic because in KSP, without mods, you sometimes have that LEGO feeling between the different parts.

But again, Juno is somewhat more simplified - also it just got career mode that's not really worth writing home about, and otherwise pretty much a sandbox (you can do pre-configured missions though)

Very honest opinion:
I played Simple Rockets 2 way before it turned into Juno, but not as extensively as KSP - in fact, I only tinkered with stuff, but it was early access then.

Went to have another good, long look after the Juno update, but couldn't get into it and went back to KSP modded into oblivion.

Juno is cheap though and different enough to be worth a look for the enthusiast.

Just don't expect "KSP but better", or even "KSP but it's almsot as good".

It's a good option though for sure, plus it's a bit more lightweight I think performance wise, which may be a factor if you plan on playing on a lower end laptop or something.

All of the above is merely subjective opinion though, can't go wrong with reading what others might have to say.

Edit: Also apologies, that text was a bit all over the place, but then so I am at the moment.

[Backroomshoe289]

No worries. Thanks for your time and the well thought out reply. I appreciate it.

[Tech Enthusiast]

Juno will give you a solid 10ish hours of enjoyment id say.
In theory it has a lot of stuff to do,... but it is pretty bad at gating these features. You can end up unlocking "the wrong" items and be stuck on progress, due to not having the parts needed to progress.

It is very basic and meant for mobile gaming, but it is not bad.
Does not hold a candle to KSP tho.

[Backroomshoe289]

Originally posted by Tech Enthusiast:

Juno will give you a solid 10ish hours of enjoyment id say.
In theory it has a lot of stuff to do,... but it is pretty bad at gating these features. You can end up unlocking "the wrong" items and be stuck on progress, due to not having the parts needed to progress.

It is very basic and meant for mobile gaming, but it is not bad.
Does not hold a candle to KSP tho.

Have you played a fair amount of both?

[Tech Enthusiast]

14 hours of Juno. Did not get any more enjoyment out of it really, but it is still installed, should I change my mind meanwhile.
Thousands of hours on KSP, and still playing right now.

Juno is just way too basic, if you are used to KSP for me.
You only get the same contracts over and over, load a design that does it, and let go.
Science is done on a milestone basis, so you get points for reaching them, rather than doing actual science.
That is also where I got stuck the first time. No easily doable milestones left, but just shy of being able to unlock manoever planning. Had to eyeball a few moons to get the needed unlocks.

In theory it also adds automation and coding a launch, but I felt like the game was more or less on autowalk anyways, so I did not try to make this even more passive on me.

[Backroomshoe289]

Originally posted by Tech Enthusiast:

14 hours of Juno. Did not get any more enjoyment out of it really, but it is still installed, should I change my mind meanwhile.
Thousands of hours on KSP, and still playing right now.

Juno is just way too basic, if you are used to KSP for me.
You only get the same contracts over and over, load a design that does it, and let go.
Science is done on a milestone basis, so you get points for reaching them, rather than doing actual science.
That is also where I got stuck the first time. No easily doable milestones left, but just shy of being able to unlock manoever planning. Had to eyeball a few moons to get the needed unlocks.

In theory it also adds automation and coding a launch, but I felt like the game was more or less on autowalk anyways, so I did not try to make this even more passive on me.

Interesting. Automation is a thing! Do you mean like automating launches or just robotics or could you automate anything?

There were times in KSP when I had to do multiple launches to fuel a large craft or resupply a station. This got tedious after awhile. Could these be automated in Juno?

[Tech Enthusiast]

There is a drag and drop kinda programming interface that lets you do simple if-then-else kinda stuff to automate things.

[Backroomshoe289]

There's a lot that could be done with simple "if-then-else," kinda interface. Not sure which would be more tedious though. The programming or running the missions a half a dozen times. Although, now that I think about it, why reinvent the wheel. I'm sure someone would be happy to share the code. Do you know if you can copy and paste or have to build from scratch every time?

[Tech Enthusiast]

Did not check the coding out, since the game was borderline passive without it and I am doing coding my whole work day. ;-)

[Backroomshoe289]

Playing a game that is the same as your job doesn't sound all that appealing. Makes sense. No worries and thanks for the intel.

[Marius]

Juno is great for building replicas. Procedural parts and engines, that are fully customizable. And the programming means that you can try to make a fully automatic mission, as in real life.
Its also missing a lot of Quality of Life features, and all the possibilities can be quite overwhelming. I wouldnt say its simpler than KSP at all.
So, if you already got a few 100 hours in KSP its definitely worth a look.
If you are new to rocketry rather stick with KSP

[Backroomshoe289]

Originally posted by Marius:

Juno is great for building replicas. Procedural parts and engines, that are fully customizable. And the programming means that you can try to make a fully automatic mission, as in real life.
Its also missing a lot of Quality of Life features, and all the possibilities can be quite overwhelming. I wouldnt say its simpler than KSP at all.
So, if you already got a few 100 hours in KSP its definitely worth a look.
If you are new to rocketry rather stick with KSP

I've got a little over 2k hours into KSP. And I still love playing it. I've not played anything else like it. I'm intrigued by the programming aspect of Juno. It would be amazing to build a craft then hit a button and watch it launch, maneuver and dock with a space station ala SpaceX but don't know if it's possible. Would be a neat challenge though.

One thing KSP has is Kerbals which gives a bit of personality to the crew but also reminding yourself not to take things too seriously.

Thanks for the info as well as your opinion.

[Marius]

As someone without a programming background I managed to get rockets to a specific orbit. Automated docking and landing is a totally different beast I havent even attempted yet. Space is hard.

[Backroomshoe289]

Originally posted by Marius:

As someone without a programming background I managed to get rockets to a specific orbit. Automated docking and landing is a totally different beast I havent even attempted yet. Space is hard.

That sound glorious!

In your experience, do you think automating docking and landing are possible?

[Marius]

I think the tools are there. I have seen Scott Manley do an automated landing. But then again he does that professionally.
I am most certainly not able to pull it off without massive help by tutorials.
But you also dont have to write a single big program. As you can start scripts with buttons (or when any other condition you like is met) it should be relatively easy to do the rendez-vous by hand and the docking automated or whatever.
The programming language is pretty nice and should be quite powerful.