SFRPG

Ok, so technically this is a game but it's an SF gearhead's ultimate toy.

In KSP you are responsible for the space program of the planet Kebin, and it's inhabitants the Kerbals. It's a sandbox game in which you build your own rocket designs by plugging together rocket parts to build anything from reasonably close analogues of historical rocket designs, to wild and wacky monstrosities of spacepane, shuttle, rocket and space station parts and watch them careen and gyrate madly on their way to either space or fiery destruction or both. There are tutorials and a set of pre-built rockets, probes and such to get you started as well as some 'training videos' on the site. There are also a ton of instructional and often hilarious gameplay videos on Youtube.

Kerbin is a small planet with moderate gravity, so it's actually possible to slap together a rocket design by eye and have a reasonable expectation of getting it up into space, perhaps after a few false starts and design adjustments. It's huge fun, has moderately realistic physics and plenty of moons and planets for you to try to land probes, rovers or even intrepid Kerbalnauts on. Apparently there are also 'easter eggs' hidden on some of the plants for you to find.

Highly recommended.

Kerbal Space Program

Simon Hibbs

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Check out StarBase, the open source science fiction campaign mapping application.

Looks nice!

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I've been away on holiday for a week so not had much time to play KSP, but in the last few days I completed my first orbital docking (a recreation of the Gemini missions following one of the tutorials) and landed a LEM clone on the Mun.

Am I chuffed?

Yes I am!

Simon Hibbs

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Check out StarBase, the open source science fiction campaign mapping application.

Here's my first completely self-designed vessel. It's a heavy probe with which I intend to explore other planets and moons in the Kerbal system.



The long engine at the back is a nuclear rocket engine, so it should have plenty of Delta-V. The white knobbly thing at the front is a Kethane detector, from an add-on to the game which lets you prospect on other planets and moons for a resource you can use to make fuel. The map in the window to top-left is a map of Kethan deposits. The small grey dish is an altitude mapping system, it's output is in the window to top-right. It can also detect 'anomalies' which are easter eggs hidden in various places, such as crashed flying saucers and long lost alien cities.

Simon Hibbs

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Check out StarBase, the open source science fiction campaign mapping application.