It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to appreciate the educational value of Kerbal Space Program, but it is nice to hear one sing its praises. Why not two? In the latest promotional video on the official Kerbal Space Program YouTube channel, astrophysicists Scott Manley and Dr. Joel Green join several Private Division game developers to talk about upcoming sequel Kerbal Space Program 2.
“I’m most interested in people understanding concepts like the length of time it takes to travel from one place to another,” says Green. “The challenges in launching things into space and understanding how gravity works, how orbits work.”
The video highlights new features coming in the sequel, such as procedural wings with adjustable shape and size, and an improved interface to make it easier to find parts and snap them together. One of the team’s primary goals is to make the sequel far more approachable and intuitive for us non-rocket scientists, including a series of tutorials that include animated visuals.
The original game is a smartly designed space-ship builder based on real-world physics, but can certainly feel impenetrable if you’re not a hard science geek. Looking forward to how the sequel can make it easier to get into to, and successfully launch little green men into space.
The sequel was originally announced back in 2019, but has since been delayed into next year. It’s slated to launch in 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
