Leopard Cat 950
New Member
I have a few ideas about the future of Kitten Space Agency that I really want to share.
First, I know you really want to eventually create your own Solar System for the game, and honestly, I would love to see that too. A fictional Solar System, perhaps with some of the spirit of Kerbal Space Program, could be really fun.
But there is one thing I really hope you will consider: please keep the real Solar System.
I have seen what you have already created, and I am genuinely amazed by it. I am honestly almost drooling over the realistic Solar System you have made. I know you want to create something new, and I completely understand why. A fictional Solar System gives you much more freedom to design the game exactly the way you want.
I just hope the current realistic Solar System won't simply disappear.
Maybe it could remain as an option in the game. Maybe it could become an official mod or downloadable content. Or, if that makes more sense in the long term, perhaps the parts of the realistic Solar System that you have already completed could eventually be released to the community, even as open-source content.
I am sure the community would love to continue developing it. There are plenty of players who would enjoy building an increasingly detailed and realistic Solar System from the work you have already done.
That way, you could have your own fictional Solar System while players who love real-world spaceflight could still have the real one.
I think everyone wins.
There is another idea I have been thinking about as well. Maybe two or three years from now, local AI models will become small and efficient enough to run inside games without putting too much load on players' computers, while still being capable of doing genuinely interesting things.
If that happens, I think Kitten Space Agency could make amazing use of them.
Imagine starting your own space company and competing against other aerospace companies controlled by local AI. They could have their own goals, budgets and strategies, and actually react to what you do instead of simply following predetermined scripts.
The AI could even play the role of the government. Imagine spending billions of dollars and then having several rockets explode in a row. Instead of a scripted message, the government could actually react to your situation and question whether you deserve another huge budget.
AI could also represent public opinion or the media. If you keep failing, public support could decrease. If you accomplish something incredible, support could increase. If another company achieves something before you, you might suddenly face pressure to catch up.
It doesn't need to be perfectly realistic. The important thing is that the world would actually react to what the player does.
That would be so much more interesting than traditional scripted AI. It could almost feel like you were genuinely running a space company, with competitors, governments, public opinion, successes and failures.
I don't think the base game needs to become extremely hardcore because of this. In fact, I think keeping the core game relatively accessible, like Kerbal Space Program, would be great. If players want extremely complicated propulsion systems, life support, realistic spacecraft systems and advanced orbital mechanics, I am sure the modding community will create plenty of amazing mods for them.
But the technology has changed. We now have the possibility of putting small local AI models directly into games. Even if they aren't as powerful as large cloud-based models, they could create gameplay possibilities that traditional scripted systems simply cannot provide.
And finally, there is one feature I would personally love to see more than almost anything else: a truly intelligent automated mission-planning and autopilot system.
The idea is actually quite simple from the player's perspective.
Suppose I want to launch into Low Earth Orbit. I open the mission-planning interface and see a 3D map of space, with Earth as the default view. It could initially show a 300 km orbit, but I could freely adjust it. Maybe I want a 250 km periapsis and a 500 km apoapsis. Maybe I want to change the inclination or other orbital parameters.
Then, if I want to go to the Moon, I could switch to a larger-scale view and select the Moon. If I want to go to Mars, I could do the same thing and select Mars.
The important part is that I shouldn't have to tell the computer exactly how to fly the mission.
I should only have to tell it where I want to go and what I want to accomplish.
If I want to enter lunar orbit, I could select the Moon and specify a 40 km circular orbit. If I want to land, I could switch to a map of the lunar surface and choose a landing coordinate.
Maybe I don't want to land immediately. I could first tell it to enter lunar orbit, observe the surface, decide where I want to land, and then assign a new objective.
And if I change my mind halfway through the mission, I should be able to cancel the current objective and assign a new one.
Basically, at any point during the mission, I should be able to tell the spacecraft:
"This is where I want to go."
Then the computer should do the complicated work.
After I confirm the destination and objective, it should calculate whether the mission is actually feasible with the spacecraft I have built.
It shouldn't only consider Delta-V. It should consider everything that could realistically affect the mission. It should calculate the required Delta-V and compare it with my available Delta-V. If the spacecraft uses propellant that is susceptible to boil-off, it should consider propellant loss over the duration of the mission.
If there are astronauts onboard, it should consider the flight time and whether we have enough food, water and oxygen. If there is no regenerative life-support system, those resources should be treated as consumables.
It should also consider electricity. If I don't have solar panels, can my batteries actually last for the entire mission?
Basically, it should consider all relevant factors and consequences before telling me whether the mission is feasible.
If the mission is impossible, it shouldn't simply say "Insufficient Delta-V."
It should explain why.
Maybe I am short by 900 m/s of Delta-V. Maybe I have enough Delta-V but not enough oxygen. Maybe my batteries will die before I arrive. Maybe I will lose too much propellant to boil-off during the journey.
And if the mission is feasible, it should tell me how much margin I actually have.
Maybe I have 800 m/s more Delta-V than necessary. Maybe I am carrying much more propellant or supplies than I need. In that case, it could even tell me that I might be able to remove some excess mass.
That, to me, would be the perfect automated mission-planning system.
I don't want an autopilot that simply presses the buttons for me. I want a system that actually understands the mission I am trying to accomplish.
I tell it where I want to go.
I tell it what I want to do.
It calculates how to get there.
It checks whether I have everything I need.
It tells me what is missing if I don't.
And if I do have everything I need, it tells me how much margin I have.
Then I can approve the plan and let it fly the mission.
I think this could make even very complicated interplanetary missions feel intuitive without making the game less realistic.
Ultimately, I don't want Kitten Space Agency to become the most complicated space simulator ever made. I think there is great value in keeping the core game accessible while allowing the community to push the simulation much further through mods.
What I would love to see is a game where I can look at a map of the Solar System, point at the Moon or Mars, say "I want to go there," and have the computer figure out whether the spacecraft I built can actually do it.
At the same time, I could be running a space company in a living world, competing against AI-controlled companies, dealing with governments and public opinion, and watching the consequences of my decisions unfold.
That is the kind of future I can imagine for Kitten Space Agency.
And above all, please don't throw away the beautiful realistic Solar System you have already created. Even if you eventually build something completely new, please find a way to let us keep the old one.
I really, really want to see where you take this game.
— Leopard Cat 950
First, I know you really want to eventually create your own Solar System for the game, and honestly, I would love to see that too. A fictional Solar System, perhaps with some of the spirit of Kerbal Space Program, could be really fun.
But there is one thing I really hope you will consider: please keep the real Solar System.
I have seen what you have already created, and I am genuinely amazed by it. I am honestly almost drooling over the realistic Solar System you have made. I know you want to create something new, and I completely understand why. A fictional Solar System gives you much more freedom to design the game exactly the way you want.
I just hope the current realistic Solar System won't simply disappear.
Maybe it could remain as an option in the game. Maybe it could become an official mod or downloadable content. Or, if that makes more sense in the long term, perhaps the parts of the realistic Solar System that you have already completed could eventually be released to the community, even as open-source content.
I am sure the community would love to continue developing it. There are plenty of players who would enjoy building an increasingly detailed and realistic Solar System from the work you have already done.
That way, you could have your own fictional Solar System while players who love real-world spaceflight could still have the real one.
I think everyone wins.
There is another idea I have been thinking about as well. Maybe two or three years from now, local AI models will become small and efficient enough to run inside games without putting too much load on players' computers, while still being capable of doing genuinely interesting things.
If that happens, I think Kitten Space Agency could make amazing use of them.
Imagine starting your own space company and competing against other aerospace companies controlled by local AI. They could have their own goals, budgets and strategies, and actually react to what you do instead of simply following predetermined scripts.
The AI could even play the role of the government. Imagine spending billions of dollars and then having several rockets explode in a row. Instead of a scripted message, the government could actually react to your situation and question whether you deserve another huge budget.
AI could also represent public opinion or the media. If you keep failing, public support could decrease. If you accomplish something incredible, support could increase. If another company achieves something before you, you might suddenly face pressure to catch up.
It doesn't need to be perfectly realistic. The important thing is that the world would actually react to what the player does.
That would be so much more interesting than traditional scripted AI. It could almost feel like you were genuinely running a space company, with competitors, governments, public opinion, successes and failures.
I don't think the base game needs to become extremely hardcore because of this. In fact, I think keeping the core game relatively accessible, like Kerbal Space Program, would be great. If players want extremely complicated propulsion systems, life support, realistic spacecraft systems and advanced orbital mechanics, I am sure the modding community will create plenty of amazing mods for them.
But the technology has changed. We now have the possibility of putting small local AI models directly into games. Even if they aren't as powerful as large cloud-based models, they could create gameplay possibilities that traditional scripted systems simply cannot provide.
And finally, there is one feature I would personally love to see more than almost anything else: a truly intelligent automated mission-planning and autopilot system.
The idea is actually quite simple from the player's perspective.
Suppose I want to launch into Low Earth Orbit. I open the mission-planning interface and see a 3D map of space, with Earth as the default view. It could initially show a 300 km orbit, but I could freely adjust it. Maybe I want a 250 km periapsis and a 500 km apoapsis. Maybe I want to change the inclination or other orbital parameters.
Then, if I want to go to the Moon, I could switch to a larger-scale view and select the Moon. If I want to go to Mars, I could do the same thing and select Mars.
The important part is that I shouldn't have to tell the computer exactly how to fly the mission.
I should only have to tell it where I want to go and what I want to accomplish.
If I want to enter lunar orbit, I could select the Moon and specify a 40 km circular orbit. If I want to land, I could switch to a map of the lunar surface and choose a landing coordinate.
Maybe I don't want to land immediately. I could first tell it to enter lunar orbit, observe the surface, decide where I want to land, and then assign a new objective.
And if I change my mind halfway through the mission, I should be able to cancel the current objective and assign a new one.
Basically, at any point during the mission, I should be able to tell the spacecraft:
"This is where I want to go."
Then the computer should do the complicated work.
After I confirm the destination and objective, it should calculate whether the mission is actually feasible with the spacecraft I have built.
It shouldn't only consider Delta-V. It should consider everything that could realistically affect the mission. It should calculate the required Delta-V and compare it with my available Delta-V. If the spacecraft uses propellant that is susceptible to boil-off, it should consider propellant loss over the duration of the mission.
If there are astronauts onboard, it should consider the flight time and whether we have enough food, water and oxygen. If there is no regenerative life-support system, those resources should be treated as consumables.
It should also consider electricity. If I don't have solar panels, can my batteries actually last for the entire mission?
Basically, it should consider all relevant factors and consequences before telling me whether the mission is feasible.
If the mission is impossible, it shouldn't simply say "Insufficient Delta-V."
It should explain why.
Maybe I am short by 900 m/s of Delta-V. Maybe I have enough Delta-V but not enough oxygen. Maybe my batteries will die before I arrive. Maybe I will lose too much propellant to boil-off during the journey.
And if the mission is feasible, it should tell me how much margin I actually have.
Maybe I have 800 m/s more Delta-V than necessary. Maybe I am carrying much more propellant or supplies than I need. In that case, it could even tell me that I might be able to remove some excess mass.
That, to me, would be the perfect automated mission-planning system.
I don't want an autopilot that simply presses the buttons for me. I want a system that actually understands the mission I am trying to accomplish.
I tell it where I want to go.
I tell it what I want to do.
It calculates how to get there.
It checks whether I have everything I need.
It tells me what is missing if I don't.
And if I do have everything I need, it tells me how much margin I have.
Then I can approve the plan and let it fly the mission.
I think this could make even very complicated interplanetary missions feel intuitive without making the game less realistic.
Ultimately, I don't want Kitten Space Agency to become the most complicated space simulator ever made. I think there is great value in keeping the core game accessible while allowing the community to push the simulation much further through mods.
What I would love to see is a game where I can look at a map of the Solar System, point at the Moon or Mars, say "I want to go there," and have the computer figure out whether the spacecraft I built can actually do it.
At the same time, I could be running a space company in a living world, competing against AI-controlled companies, dealing with governments and public opinion, and watching the consequences of my decisions unfold.
That is the kind of future I can imagine for Kitten Space Agency.
And above all, please don't throw away the beautiful realistic Solar System you have already created. Even if you eventually build something completely new, please find a way to let us keep the old one.
I really, really want to see where you take this game.
— Leopard Cat 950
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