This first month of 2018 will see a major update for KSP players on consoles! Indeed, on January 16th, the “Enhanced Edition” will be released on PS4 and Xbox One as a completely standalone installation, starting from scratch: you will be able to keep your old saves as if it were a completely different game, but we can only encourage you to mourn your old saves and take the plunge to enjoy a much more successful and convincing port.

Because before discussing new features, let’s talk about the old console version, now obsolete: the reception was very mixed. We’re talking about a game designed to run on PC, and to expand the potential customer base, the development team made the choice, almost two years ago, to port the game to consoles, enlisting the help of a specialized company. SQUAD is therefore only minimally involved in these kinds of initiatives, simply overseeing the porting specifications and arbitrating decisions for modifications, such as control schemes, needless to say.

The fact is that these versions were not paragons of ergonomics or performance and optimization: they were riddled with bugs, lost or corrupted saves, and poor FPS. As a result, the feedback and reviews were far less flattering than those for the base game on PC, which, with the current version 1.3.1, is one of the most stable and appreciated versions of its development.

SQUAD has thus decided, perhaps under the impetus of the recent acquisition by TakeTwo, to relaunch a new porting from scratch, better managed and more successful, and is soon releasing its new version simply titled “Enhanced Edition.” Let’s discuss some of the significant new features it offers:

• Reworked interface to suit console usage better.
• New dedicated tool for managing maneuver nodes to make their usage easier.
• 3 new complete controller presets, allowing players to find their preferred setup, corresponding to various situations for easy switching between contexts. Additional information on this subject is available in this dedicated blog post.

Faced with this somewhat sparse information (it’s easy to understand that a new porting from scratch didn’t allow for adding more features), SQUAD emphasizes that the version of KSP being deployed is 1.2.2 Loud And Clear, which precedes our current version on PC: console players will always necessarily be a “train” (haha) behind, as modifications need to be ported and compatibility with additions needs to be ensured after release. The same goes for KerbalEdu, for example, which follows an independent development path and only gradually implements updates as they are released.

However, it’s worth noting that this version 1.2.2 was significant in the development of KSP with the integration of CommNet and KerbNet, the two communication systems that redefined gameplay for most “realistic” players! It’s also the version of KSP that introduced Advanced Tweakables and overhauled the fuel distribution and consumption system: before this, it required a PhD and rigorous experimentation to arrive at reliable conclusions about the reason for mass imbalances during the flight of a craft. 

SQUAD concludes their post by specifying that naturally, buyers of the previous console version will not need to repurchase to enjoy this new edition. They will soon see the update available for download on their respective stores, much like a completely new game: as we mentioned earlier, it’s a real fresh start for this console port, and that’s a good thing!

We’re eager to hear your feedback on this new version. Let’s finish by clarifying that the use of mods is currently impossible on consoles for various reasons. So, the possibility of using SSRSS and participating in our KSC2 – VENERA challenge, which ends on January 26th, is excluded. However, nothing prevents you from joining us on our forum to share your Vanilla adventures – there will always be a place for you! 🙂

Mise à jour : cette version vient de sortir, et la vidéo de lancement est à découvrir ici ci-dessous !