Welcome to our official newsletter, KSP Loading ! Do you want to learn about all the current developments of KSP? Heres the place to be, so lets get started!

KSP Enhanced Edition

We are getting closer to the release of KSP Enhanced Editions first DLC; History and Parts Pack, as well as a console-optimized free update. Releasing on March 21, both the History and Parts Pack and the free update are filled with content, including new parts, revamps, suits and features that console players will be able to enjoy for the first time! The History and Parts Pack will cost $9.99 USD on both PlayStation Store and Xbox Marketplace.

Mun Launch Site

Alongside the Woomerang Launch Site, Dessert Complex and the Island Runway, console players will get an additional launch site in the DLC not currently available on PC: the new Mun Launch Site. Check it out!

Click here to see a video.

PC 1.7 Update

Our work on the 1.7 update for PC progresses and we are determined to fill this release with content and improvements that will continue to advance the KSP experience in various ways.

Galaxy Cubemap replacement

One long requested visual enhancement our team has implemented is the replacement of the games galaxy cubemap. Our artists carefully crafted this environment map to reflect a nicer color palette and more defined celestial objects, all while respecting the original star positions. You will also notice that weve doubled the resolution and no color bandings or other weird distortions are visible.

Click here to see high res images

Parts

The revamping of older parts is an ongoing endeavor of ours, and the 1.7 update wont be lacking in them - this time around focusing on small engines.

RV-105 RCS Revamp

One of the small revamped engines is the RV-105 RCS Thruster Block. This has received a well-deserved makeover and will display brand new textures and emissive maps, as well as an adjustment to its geometry. This way these small monopropellant thrusters will not only continue to help us with attitude control and linear motion, but look great while doing so!

Click here to see a high res image

New 3.75m and 5m Nose Cones

We also took the time to include a couple of highly requested nose cones to fit on the 3.75m in diameter Kerbodyne S3 and the 5m in diameter S4 fuel tank series, the latter one exclusive to owners of Making History. The extra-large Mk12A and the huge Mk16A Protective Nose Cones, look similar, but that wont stop them to make your enormous rockets and crafts a little more aerodynamic.


Click here to see high-res images

New Features

Altimeter mode toggle

Aside from the visual enhancements mentioned above, we are including a long requested quality-of-life feature in this update that will allow you to toggle the altitude mode from Above Sea Level (ASL) to Above Ground Level (AGL) by simply clicking on the altimeter box. Its important to mention that we are evaluating our players feedback and making some adjustments to the UI, so stay tuned!

Click here to see an animated gif showcasing this feature.

Scrollable PAW

Another small quality-of-life feature were adding to the game is the addition of a scrollbar to the Part-Action-Window. This will keep the PAW within the bounds of the screen when theres too much data to display, something that might come in handy for players who use mods and sometimes saturate the PAW with lots of information.

* note that this screenshot is demonstrative only

The Bug Hunt

As part of our ongoing effort to reduce the number of bugs and issues that inevitably arise when dealing with such a complex game as KSP, our team is constantly at the task of finding and fixing existing bugs, as well as preemptively eliminating any issues that have arisen during the development of update 1.7. Among the various bugs that are no more, these ones stand out:
We fixed a visual problem with the PQS normal maps that caused planets to have mismatched normals seams when seen from orbit. The team also fixed a bug where symmetry would break animations on some parts and another that locked the Return to KSC button at the top of the altimeter during flight scenes. The thermal overlay that was rendering on parts with lights was also fixed, alongside a hilarious bug that caused the launchpad flagpole to explode when a Kerbal fell off the top of it.

Meet the team

This time in our Meet the Team section is the turn of programmer Bjorn Askew, also known as BJ, who some of you might have gotten to know if you followed our Making History Streaming Event last year. BJ is an experienced programmer who has worked in high profile studios and AAA titles. Here are a few words from BJ himself:

Worked as a games programmer for 10 years. Currently terrified that the little pink men from Duna might be spying on him.

Finally we want to remind you that you can share and download missions on Curse, KerbalX, the KSP Forum and the ]KSP Steam Workshop.

Thats it for this edition. Be sure to join us on our official forums, and dont forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Stay tuned for more exciting and upcoming news and development updates!

Happy launchings!