14 DAY TRIAL // Kerbal Space Program, one of the most popular Early Access Game titles on Steam, is one step closer to removing this tag from its store page. Developer Squad has just announced the first beta release of Kerbal Space Program, which is now available for free to all owners of the game.
The latest update has been symbolically named Beta Than Ever. Regardless of where you purchased Kerbal Space Program, the update is available for download through the KSP Store, Steam and other participating online retailers.
In celebration of the beta release, developer Squad and the European Space Agency (ESA) have inked an agreement to offer a special treat to Kerbal Space Program players.
According to developers, they have been granted use of their ESA logo and imagery in Kerbal Space Program, fresh off the unprecedented success of their Rosetta mission.
Speaking about the new improvements and features included in the beta update, Squad confirmed that Kerbals would now be able to progress as they never have before. They have been given specialized skills that players can be improved by taking them on missions.
New mods have been implemented into the game as well
Squad also announced the update would add advanced piloting, science gathering and spacecraft repairs, among other things.
But there is more, as developers confirmed the beta version of Kerbal Space Program comes with a retooled craft editor, which allows players to build crafts better than before with advanced part sorting and construction gadgets.
“Expanded Contracts” is another new feature brought in by the beta release. This is a mod crated by Brian “Arsonide” Provan, which is supposed to offer a wider variety, depth and difficulty to the original contract system.
New biomes have been created for the game, bringing them to more than 100 areas from where Kerbals can collect, store and send science data.
Last but not least, there are new Mk3 SpacePlane parts, which will allow crafts to carry larger payloads. Community member Cristopher “Porkjet” Thuersam has added and improved the popular collection of Mk3 parts to bring this new enhancement to the game. “We’ve come a long way. The decision to go into beta is a big step and there’s no better way to say it than with an update the size of Beta Than Ever. It means we’re in the home stretch. We’re not done with the game by any means, but it’s matured to a point where we can safely say that hitting 1.0 is within sight,” said Kerbal Space Program lead developer, Felipe Falanghe.
