Kerbal Space Program 2 gets "approximately 300 changes" in first patch

Moonwalk this way.

News by Victoria Kennedy News Reporter

Published on March 17, 2023

The first patch for Kerbal Space Program 2 has landed, and it is filled with "approximately 300" changes.

This update follows a rocky launch for KSP2, which saw a steep fall in player numbers soon after its release, with many asking for refunds.

Creative director Nate Simpson stated the KSP2 team has implemented "a lot of big improvements" with this update, including a fix for the bug that saw environmental objects "[spawning] on top of the active vessel" (something that would cause the Kerbal Space Center to move).

Cover image for YouTube video — Kerbal Space Program 2 Early Access launch cinematic.Watch on YouTube

While the list of fixes and improvements is extensive, Simpson does state the patch "does not fix every bug in the game". Rather, this update "represents the first step in an ongoing process that will continue through Early Access".

Simpson asks players to "keep in mind that the order in which fixes roll out is not just contingent on priority - it also depends on the complexity of the problem that's causing the bug."

You can see the full (vast) list of Kerbal Space Program 2's current fixes and improvements below:

Bug Fixes:

Flight and Map

Fixed disappearance of orbital trajectories after loading a saved game
Fixed trajectory intercept patch not showing when captured by a Celestial Body
Fixed issue where some parts remain connected to/follow vessel after detachment
Fixed stack decouplers staying connected to the vessel when staged with certain engines that have fairings enabled
Fixed physics impulse occurring when an engine runs out of fuel
Fixed dV incorrectly using reinforced joint part connections for fuel flow calculations
Fix for engine thrust being deflected at too high of a value when a part obstructs an engine's exhaust (the Kraken Drive bug)
Fixed loss of vehicle control after undocking
Fixed bug for probe cores spinning when losing Commnet connection
Fixed stack decouplers operating as if crossfeed is active even when PAM entry shows crossfeed disabled
Fixed issue that could cause some environment objects to spawn on top of the active vessel, causing KSC and other objects to move to the origin
Fixed orbital velocity being shown when looking at the context menu of a landed vessel in Map view
Fixed manoeuvre burn timer countdown lights activating incorrectly
Fixed context menu opening when panning the camera with right mouse button while zoomed in to a celestial body in Map mode
Added camera collision with terrain and other colliders while in Flight view
Added visual indicator when a marker is hovered and pinned in Map view
Fixed offset of radially-attached parts when player switches away from and back to Flight view
Fixed the sim-side Center of Mass not being correctly updated by view-side rigidbodies
Fixed physics-less parts adding the mass of their host part to Center of Mass calculations
Fixed orbit/rigidbody synchronisation issues when transitioning to/from physics and on-rails
Made debris targetable
Fixed dV calculation breaking when new empty stages are added while building a vessel in the VAB
Fixed dV amounts appearing on the wrong stage when rearranging stages in the staging stack
Fixed outboard elements of compound wings exhibiting reversed control surface reaction to pitch inputs
Fixed issue with orbital marker not properly resetting its state when collapsed
Fixed orbital markers not being pinnable while manipulating a manoeuvre and not staying pinned upon manoeuvre gizmo activation
Fixed navball/controls getting stuck after accelerating in timewarp
Fixed persistence of active vessel's timewarp restrictions when returning to KSC from Flight
Fixed pitch, yaw, roll, and throttle adjustment being possible while in hibernation mode
Fixed planned trajectories changing when switching between Flight view and Map view while engine is firing
Fixed dV calculations for stages with multiple engines with different burn durations and propellant rates
Fixed resource system processing when request needs are only partially met
Improved buoyancy calculations to reduce vessel spinning when splashing down in the ocean
Fixed burn duration displays 0 until it is time to start the burn
Fixed ETA to manoeuvre display to show a value for "days"
Fixed dV calculations with cross feed in active stage of flying vessel
Fixed dV changing to zero when fuel crossfeed is disabled on Docking Ports
Fixed a bug where debris trajectories were not immediately shown in Map view
Fixed a bug with thrust limiters missing for solid fuel booster engines
Removed incorrect fuel transferability for solid fuel parts in the Resource Manager in Flight view
Single part vessels now come to a stop on low gravity celestial bodies after a crash
Fixed intercept nodes being in wrong positions during time warp
Updated detection arguments for recognizing when an aircraft is landed
Fixed an issue with Stability Assist that could cause the loss of Prograde and Retrograde targets on the launchpad.
Fixed vessel not restoring correctly when reverting to launch from the runway
Fixed Chase Camera mode to make selected zoom state persist
Fixed part action groups breaking when an invalid action is included
Fixed errors on Game Shutdown during TimeWarp
Fixed destroy command not destroying vessels in the Tracking Station
Fixed some instances where the action group manager would not trigger correctly when additional part actions are added to reserved action groups

Optimisations

Optimisations in the engine part module to reduce per-update "not out of fuel" messaging
Optimised engine exhaust damage calculations to reduce CPU impact of high engine counts
Optimised ThrottleVFXManager to reduce CPU impact of per-frame material property updates
Optimizations on EVA code
Optimised Center of Thrust and Center of Mass marker code and fixed null shortcut failure states
Optimised kerbal hair compression scripts
Optimised loading times in PQS code
Optimization of unneeded cameras during loading
Optimised loading times for the main menu
Loading optimization for scatter meshes
Optimised fuel flow calculations to cut processing by up to 3x and reduce garbage by half
Optimised runway light meshes
Fixed various texture and mesh memory leaks
Updated Training Center to use texture streaming
Fixed performance-impacting error state triggered by Kerbin's clouds after returning to Kerbal Space Center from another celestial body
Removed unnecessary log entries to improve performance
Removed unnecessary logs when loading a saved game
Reduced light source count for multi-nozzle engine parts

Saving and Loading

Added feature: game autosaves when landing on a celestial body, when entering an SOI, and when entering or exiting an atmosphere
Fixed an issue that prevented loading of a saved game within an existing Campaign, caused workspaces not to load properly, and prevented saving the game
Fixed issue where reloading a save made at KSC results in reloading to active vessel in flight
Fixed string in the Save Workspace menu
Fixed an issue that could prevent new workspace saves being created when a control part was removed
Fixed an issue that can prevent workspace saves from appearing in the load menu

Parts and Stock Vessels

Fixed R.A.P.I.E.R. engine mode-changing issues
Set all reinforced joint connections to grandparent
Improved joint strength for engine plate floating stack attach nodes
Performed wheel balance pass, including adjustment of all steering and torque curves
Increased range and brightness for vehicle lights
Re-tuned fairing and cargo part mass
Tuned mass for structural parts, trusses, nosecones and tail sections
Tuned crash tolerance for external Grumble Seat
Re-tuned electrical systems, including adjustments to xenon engine electrical draw, xenon engine thrust, reactor fuel burn rate, and RTG lifetime
Tuned crash tolerance for landing gear
Tuned docking reacquisition ranges
Updated Hammer solid fuel booster model to match with other parts in the same size category
Adjusted mass for HECS2 probe
Updated emissive texture and material for the MK3 "Skybus"
Fixed frustum culling for the Bobus mobility enhancer (ladder disappeared when base at edge of screen)
Updated geometry and textures for the MK1 "Peregrine"
Updates to textures and geometry for the Mk1 "Raven"
Fixed texture seams on the R.A.P.I.E.R. engine
Fixed RCS not working on the Mk3-5 command pod
Minor bug fix on the Kerbal K2 stock vessel to fix issues with decoupling
Updated collider for MK1 Tin Can to improve surface attachment behaviour for radially-attached parts
Updated default orientation for some adapter parts
Updated default orientation for small square trusses
Updated part placement rules for the HS-500 Heat Shield
Updated models for decouplers and separators to match other parts in their size categories
Updated geometry for LV-N "NERV" engine
Updated team colours masks for the SP-XL "Gigantor" and SP-XXL "Colossus" solar panels
Updated team colour masks for decouplers
Updated team colour mask on engine endcaps
Added Crew Light module to Skybus cab
Fixed the Symmetry mirror direction and rotation for the Grumble Seat
Fixed wheel motor resource usage being too low
Adjusted default orientation of the MK3 Cargo Ramp
Fixed fuel-containing aerodynamic parts (Mk1 Divertless Supersonic Intake, Engine Nacelle, or Engine Precooler) not showing resource slider in the Part Action Manager
Tuning changes made to reaction wheels in command modules
Adjusted the surface attach node to be on the ventral surface of Mk2 parts
Fixed a bug preventing lights from consuming resources
Fixed a bug preventing the Blink option from working on lights
Fixed a bug with the heading orientation of the Sparrow default craft

UI/UX

UI performance improvements, including elimination of unnecessary redraw for unchanged bar elements and removal of pixel perfect on main gameplay canvas
Added a graphical representation for probe cores in Kerbal Flight portraits
Updated Map iconography, including orbital markers, trajectory colours, manoeuvre gizmo, focus item, and scrub handle
Fixed error where clicking on "Exit" in Main Menu produces warning modal that has no accept or cancel buttons
Fixed graphics quality settings conflicting with one another after resetting settings
Removed "Apply" button from settings menus, updating settings when changed, settings now apply immediately
Fixed parts bin UI height in Staging Stack
Performed colour and consistency pass on the staging stack and launch button UI
UI improvements to avoid overlap of intercept nodes in map view
Fixed info panel UI element remaining active when panel is hidden in the Tracking Station
Updated UI indicators in some tutorials and first time user experience information
Updated Resource Manager UI to match new resource gauges in Staging Stack
Improved ESC menu user experience
Fixed dark box getting stuck in the VAB when dragging the dialog window
Fixed Kerbal Manager portraits appearing empty
Fixed non-stock vessel thumbnails not appearing in launchpad menu
Minor updates to improve building selection experience at Kerbal Space Center view
Updated the executable icon
Updated background image for vessel thumbnails in the launchpad load menu
Updated saved vessel thumbnail design
Updated styling on the action button inside the Part Action Manager
Updated the game credits
Updated game splash screens
Updated titles in the Resource Manager
Updated dialog windows to accommodate longer text
Updated close button on the Part Manager
Updated missing text on the launchpad menu
Added notification for inactive vessel entering a new SOI
Fixed runway 1 and 2 having the same name when hovering over them in the KSC
Fixed tooltips for Trigger Action Groups 2-10 being numbered incorrectly within the input settings menu
Fixed Center Camera in VAB being in the wrong section in the input settings
Added warning when rebinding the same key twice in input settings
Fixed difficulty settings being saved from one save file's difficulty settings and being applied to every normal difficulty game save made afterwards
Fixed difficulty options showing in the main menu settings
Fixed failure of difficulty settings to apply when changed inside a campaign
Fixed shader compiler error when switching graphics settings to Low Quality
Added laptop audio mode to settings
Fixed a bug where the "hold to quickload" setting was not applied correctly
Added audio keyboard shortcuts to input settings menu
Fixed escape menu freezing vessel controls in last-held state
Fixed dialog being non-clickable when recovering a vessel with ESC menu deployed
Fixed overlapping text in the flag removal dialog
Fixed throttle visuals not updating when throttle adjusted
Updated Tracking Station control text
Minor updates to global header information
Fixed Recover Vessel button in the ESC menu pushing elements off screen
Fixed notifications using real world time instead of UT
Fixed input lock problems when the ESC menu is visible
Removed placeholder image that appears when no parts are favorited
Updated Center of Mass, Thrust, and Pressure/Lift indicators in the Vehicle Assembly Building to make them translucent
Fixed text overruns in the Training Center
Alt+Enter toggles fullscreen
Fixed a bug blocking some agency flags from being selected when starting a new game
Added additional loading screens
Fixed missing physical characteristics in the info panel inside the Tracking Station
Fixed issues with the toggles for Map and Tracking Station displaying an incorrect state, or being hidden unintentionally
Fixed all CBs are described as "Terrestrial planets" when viewed in the tracking station
Updated the text string displayed for engine disabling/enabling in the Part Manager
Updated text for lights in the Part Manager

Construction

Middle mouse button pans in the Z axis when in horizontal workspace mode
Fixed fairing sides getting deleted after building a procedural fairing and attaching it to a launch assembly
Fixed errors related to procedural wings preventing launch from VAB
Fixed issue where pressing M in the VAB opens the Map view
Fixed description for Kerbol capture and Kerbosationary orbit trip stages in trip planner
Fixed engineer's report warning vessels cannot generate electricity when vessels are equipped with generators
Adjusted default VAB camera angle for horizontal workspace mode
Fixed hit area for the launchpad selection button in the VAB
Confirmation prompt added when saving over workspaces
Fixed assembly anchor error alert persisting onscreen and blocking the user from placing additional parts after the tool is deselected in the VAB
Fixed Center of Thrust appearing on the ground of the VAB and not updating when launch assembly is changed
Fixed display issues in the text on the orientation cube in the VAB
Updated favourites panel information in the Vehicle Assembly Building Favourites category
Fixed a bug where surface attach nodes were misaligned on some engine parts

Environments

Fixed an issue where ground textures were projected onto vehicles at the margins of the KSC grounds
Fixed Kerbin atmosphere disappearing when viewed from Mun's SOI
Fixed collision at bottom of Mohole
Fixed terrain decal normals not rendering correctly
Reduced scatter meshes floating above terrain
Updates to terrain texture matching for some points of interest
Updated placement, coloration, and collision for various celestial body landmarks
Updated colliders and stretched textures in the parking garage at KSC
Scatter adjustments around KSC mountains
Updated material on VAB elevators
Fixed VAB gantry crane geometry
Updated material on VAB doors
Adjusted atmosphere settings for main menu background planet
Fixed atmosphere not showing in cubemaps under some circumstances
Improved atmosphere clipping issues while in Map view
Fixed Laythe's atmosphere rendering incorrectly in Map view
Fix a bug that caused lighting to darken on vessels when reentering atmospheres
Updated clouds on Jool
Minor road line placement adjustments at Kerbal Space Center
Fixed collision and updated materials for some points of interest
Updated local space shader to restore missing normals in some biomes
Updated KSC Training Center roof and Tracking Station dish to fix gaps in geometry
Updated colliders around launchpads
Updated Kerbin foliage
Fixed invisible water above ground to east of KSC lakes
Fixed scaled space clouds not displaying in map view
Fixed cloud transition dithering issues
Improved cloud masking to clean up edges of clouds seen behind vehicle
Fixed clouds in Map view not lighting from the correct sun direction for all planets
Fixed warnings in cloud-related code
Fixed decals sliding and floating on planets
Fixed decals getting culled incorrectly after transitioning to low orbit
Fixed Laythe's Ocean appearing jagged, pixelated, and jittery after splashing down
Fixed ocean shoreline fade out transition at some camera angles
Improved LOD transitions for KSC trees
Fixed mismatch between high-detail KSC and far-distance LOD material
Fixed shadow system to switch to surface shadow mode in KSC view

EVA

Fixed issue with game saves made after vehicle destruction, in which reloading causes EVA camera mode switch and missing flight information/flight report
Fixed kerbals floating when idle while in EVA
Fixed kerbals getting stuck when swimming
Fixed Kerbals getting stuck inside the Mk1 Command Pod when it's on a flat surface other than the launchpad
Improved Kerbal run/walk animation transitions
Fixed Kerbal surface velocity resetting when disabling RCS in EVA mode
Updated EVA code to remove frame-related discrepancy between collision result values and character state values
Fixed ground and step detection being one frame late for kerbals while in EVA
Fixed EVA tooltip remaining active when the HUD is hidden during gameplay
Fixed inability to recover Kerbals when on EVA
Fixed a bug preventing EVA jetpack from firing even when it has enough fuel
Kerbals now require 1x timewarp when transitioning to EVA
Fixed kerbals being able walk on the sides of objects with collision
Fixed climb action not being present for Kelus Long ladder and Bobus Extra Long Telescopic Mobility Enhancer
Fixed errors when toggling Jetpack while TimeWarp is active

FX and Audio

Improved Kerbol flare/bloom effects
Fixed post process FX lighting transition in low orbit
Fixed an issue where contrails jump positions during universe reference point transitions
Fixed ground blast effect occurring at invalid location for the first few seconds of launch
Fixed SFX for Panther in afterburning mode
Fixed errors on explosion VFX for hydrogen tanks
Fixed VFX not showing on RCS thrusters when precision mode is activated
Minor updates for non-explosive water impact VFX
Launch VFX updates
Updated R.A.P.I.E.R. engine VFX
Updated launch smoke material
Updated explosion materials
Fixed audio timing for several animations
Game audio balance pass
Fixed a bug where audio was muted when entering numpad values in text entry bars on some menus
Added manoeuvre alert and end sounds
Added drag and drop staging sounds
Added hydrogen and xenon tank destruction sounds
Fixed launchpad music not playing when loading a save

Tutorials

Fixed issue where flight report appears when the user crashes a vessel inside a tutorial
Added "Enter" as keyboard input to advance tutorial dialogs
Fixed a bug that could cause the first-time user experience windows to remain open on the main menu
Text adjustments in tutorials
Text adjustments to subtitles for video tutorials
Fixed soft lock error when restarting Tutorial 2.2
Fixed some audio elements on tutorial 2.4
Fixed tooltips not displaying in the Tutorial pause menu during tutorial videos
Adding scroll bar indicator to the booster selection step in the "Missing the Ground" tutorial
Added fail stage when deleting the engine in the "Space is the Place" tutorial
Fixed tutorial orientation video getting stuck when clicking at the end of the video progress bar
Fixed subtitles in several languages for the video tutorial on the "Space is the place" tutorial
Fixed file paths in tutorial saves
Minor gameplay updates to the "Missing the Ground" tutorial
Updated text in the VAB First Time User Experience
Updated first-time user experience: "Out of Electricity" linked to electricity level instead of production rate
Fixed a bug with videos not closing at appropriate times

Localisation

Fixed title text overlapping at the Training Center when localised
Fixed unlocalised tooltips in the Timewarp bar
Added missing localisation terms for stock vessels.
Localisation reformatted for new game creation
Adjustments to text sizing and placement in the launchpad selection in some languages
Fixed crash when returning to main menu from VAB
Font updates for special characters in certain languages

Added new translations to