Kerbal Space Program Demo

To become rocket scientists, people need to study for decades, which is really saying something, considering it's only been half a century since one of them reached the moon for the first time. Even so, despite what you might think, there is a lot of improvisation going on in the field, although it is the type of improvisation that requires complex mathematical formulae.

In Kerbal Space Program, on the other hand, books and college degrees are not a prerequisite in order to build and fly rockets around the planet. Thanks to the humorous approach to the subject, all you need to do is piece together a potentially flying vehicle, using the provided parts. After you are done designing and, no doubt, calculating the parameters of the ship, you can hit the launchpad and say farewell to the lucky crew embarking on a journey on your rocket.

As far as the creation process is concerned, it is not quite as simple as you might think, since there are some things you have to take into account before you are able to come up with something that can lift off the ground. Thus, beside the vital components, such as the fuel tanks and the engines, there are also the aerodynamic parts, which are also quite important, if you intend on keeping a straight directory once you leave the launchpad.

The planet on which the action takes place is called Kerbal Planet and, according to the developers, is more than 600km in radius, giving you plenty to look at as you enter its orbit and prepare to make the jump on the path to another planet. Thus, there are multiple planets and satellites you can set course for, although you do need a lot of experience in order to reach them.

Although space is mostly empty, the ship and the planets are quite detailed, featuring high-end special effects and procedural terrain. Every rocket component is carefully modeled, so you can properly arrange them in the assembly mode, or simply admire them whenever the ship is in flight. Sound-wise, everything goes silent after you leave the atmosphere, but peaceful music keeps playing in the background.

Despite the fact that Kerbal Space Program does not seem to take itself seriously most of the time, the gameplay mechanics say otherwise, since there was a lot of work put into the physics engine and the flight simulation when it comes to rocket control. You can perform countless experiments with all the available components, which should give you at least a few dozen hours of game time.