How is the rocketry, space flight, physics etc?

[kegomatix]

Hello! Somehow just found out about this game and I've been peeping it since yesterday trying to learn more before I purchase. It all looks very appealing and I see building bases/stations goes very in depth, I was wondering if the rocketry mechanics and getting to/traversing through space is equally deep? Haven't found a whole lot of content that has helped to answer my question at least as the game is in its current state late 2024 - now in 2025.

Thanks in advance!

[DrLamp]

It's grounded in reality, but it still contains a simplified model of objects in the sky to explore. I think it works well for the time being. However, I would be surprised if there weren't plans to expand it greatly. This is the same company whose new game "Kitten Space Agency" (working title I believe) is the spiritual successor to Kerbal Space Program.

[kegomatix]

Originally posted by DrLamp:

It's grounded in reality, but it still contains a simplified model of objects in the sky to explore. I think it works well for the time being. However, I would be surprised if there weren't plans to expand it greatly. This is the same company whose new game "Kitten Space Agency" (working title I believe) is the spiritual successor to Kerbal Space Program.

Thank you, this is the summary I was looking for. As long as it's there and somewhat fleshed out as a goal to work toward that's what I'm hoping for in it.

Funny you should mention KSA because that's what led me to this game after doing a deep dive into the current status of Kerbal 2. Looking forward to that one too!

[G-Man]

Most of the complexity is designing your rocket engine, which can range form simple pressure-fed engines to complex liquid-fueled engines with heat exchangers. There's gravity for when the rocket takes off and lands, so you can do some fancy stuff with suicide burns, but it only goes up/down, there's no gravity turn like in Kerbal. Orbital mechanics is just navigating a big delta-v chart, but that velocity does come from simulating your rocket engine. It plays well to Stationeers strengths and is really well implemented imo. You can only really mine resources with them though, so it could use more applications.

[kegomatix]

Originally posted by G-Man:

Most of the complexity is designing your rocket engine, which can range form simple pressure-fed engines to complex liquid-fueled engines with heat exchangers. There's gravity for when the rocket takes off and lands, so you can do some fancy stuff with suicide burns, but it only goes up/down, there's no gravity turn like in Kerbal. Orbital mechanics is just navigating a big delta-v chart, but that velocity does come from simulating your rocket engine. It plays well to Stationeers strengths and is really well implemented imo. You can only really mine resources with them though, so it could use more applications.

Thanks for the additional info. I picked up the game and have been at it for a couple hours, I see it'll be a while before I'm designing my first engine but looking forward to it lol. Really like what I'm seeing so far and wish I'd found this game sooner.

[JeanDeaux]

Welcome to the party, do keep in mind that despite this game having been around a while that it's had a lot of "redo's" on game mechanics. The rockets being one of them and I'm pretty sure they're not fully implemented yet. The KSP they're referring to is "future tech" that's been tossed around as an idea that "might" come around. So don't go making bets on it being in game at some point (but boy oh boy do we hope).

There's bugs a plenty, but more fun than planet full of bugs if engineering is your thing. Hope you keep that joy alive!

[Delle(DK)]

regarding the rocket. Then you can build different modules and inside some you can build and configure that part of the rocket for x task. Example you can install mining gear in the rocket. Next you can on a terminal send it into space and select where it should go and explore. When it arrive it will spend some time to explore and scan and it can open up more destinations and even planets.
So when a rocket arrive somewhere it uses battery and it take time to scan and based on what you find you can select what to bring back.
You do need to monitor how much fuel you have left.
When you come back to the planet you started from and want to land, then you can select different landing options. Some are more safe than others, and some use more or less fuel than others. Once the rocket is back it can automatic unload stuff, and it will automatic land on your launchpad.
So its not like KSP where you fly the rocket your self, it is automated.

I like to add that its cool to watch the rocket being fired and cool to see it come back and land. You can see it from far away and the all of a sudden stuff happen very fast, and the engine sound is just awesome ;-)

A guess.
I asume in the future that there will be made changes to the trade system and also the rocket and how things work. Example there are no capsul for the player on top of the rocket BUT you start the game in a capsul, but i hope and guess that someday we can travel in the rocket our self, and visit other players.
But lets see how the game evolve. ;-)

[Feidry]

I think you might be very disappointed with the complete lack of space flight. You, yourself, do NOT go to space in a rocket in this game. Not any more. When Rockets were first introduced, you could get in the rocket, blast off, and land in another map but the only manual control there was the go button. That's all gone. Rockets are used for resource generation now. You build a rocket and send it out mining. You do not go with it. You do not see the mining happen. Numbers go down/up and then you can tell the rocket to land and dump whatever resources it mined.

[kegomatix]

Ahh ok thanks for the additional input everyone. Yeah, admittedly not exactly what I was hoping for then, but that's ok. From what I've played so far I think I'll have plenty to chew on with what is here and hope for more in the future.

We could really use a game that bridges the gap between Space Engineers and KSP, I was maybe hoping a bit too much this may have been it. :)

[God, owner of the Universe]

Originally posted by kegomatix:

We could really use a game that bridges the gap between Space Engineers and KSP, I was maybe hoping a bit too much this may have been it. :)

Maybe KSA (Kitten Space Agency, also by RocketWerkz, still in its infancy) will fit the bill with its max 65,000ish part limit per rocketship. I mean, who knows, maybe the devs will go crazy and even allow you to install the AC device of the control center :) Not that I have any reason to believe that, it would be completely not KSP, which is what it's KINDA supposed to be. But it'll be years before KSA is a real game, and many things are gonna happen until then.

[dragonflyer]

Maybe KSA will include base and colony building in some form, eventually. You know, like KSP2 was supposed to.