Kerbal Space Project | Rocket Simulation PC Game
Ever wondered what it would be like to build your own rockets and send hapless astronauts into space? Kerbal Space Program is dedicated to making your wonderings come true in a virtual sense. KSP is a fairly detailed rocket simulator that allows you to build your own rockets, launch and fly them with astronauts (called Kerbals) aboard.
The Kerbal Astronauts probably aren't what's standing out to you right now, but I can assure you that they're an integral part of the game, if only for the hilarious facial expressions they make when things start to go horribly, horribly wrong.
And things will go horribly, horribly wrong. The fun of the game is in building a rocket that doesn't immediately spin out of control and smash into the launch pad, killing all aboard instantly. Flying a rocket isn't as easy as its made out to be in the movies either, so it is difficult to tell at times if the reason for the repeated deaths of the brave Kerbal astronauts are more related to poor design or poor direction.
You build your rockets in the Vehicle Assembly Building, where you have a range of parts to choose from. Because the game is still in early development, the range is relatively small, but there are still numerous options to mix and match with. Some rockets will be a great success, lifting off from the launch pad and flying into the air. Others will merely putt about on the launch pad and not go anywhere in particular.
The controls for flying are also fairly precise. You have your usual throttle and as one might expect for a flying simulation, pitch, roll and yaw. There are also more fine controls that can be mastered once you've got your ship off the launch pad, and they're covered in the extensive tutorial that comes with the game.
This is a wonderful game with a little something for everyone. There's fine Best of all, because Kerbal Space Project is still in the alpha stages of development, it's possible to download the alpha and play the game for free. There's still a lot of work to be done, and the game does give some hints as to what's coming in the future. For example, parts are listed with prices attached to them, even though prices have no bearing – yet. There's also no great reward for getting your Kerbal astronauts back to earth safely. At the moment, you just have to 'end flight', or watch the command console roll around as you mess with the roll, pitch and yaw settings. Still, certainly worth the download!
