Kerbal's creator is back with a new model vehicle sim, says 'early access is not what it used to be'
In 2021, developer Felipe «HarvesteR» Falanghe, the creator of Kerbal Space Program, launched a new game on Steam called Balsa Model Flight Simulator. His follow-up to Kerbal reflected much of the same spirit as the space sim that eventually became a PC phenomenon: it was open-ended, focused around building and flying your own vehicles, and based on a childhood passion. As soon as he released the game, Falanghe realized two things.
One: Expectations for early access games have changed a whole lot in 10 years.
Two: There are a whole lot of people who don't know what balsa wood is, because fragile, dirt cheap model planes aren't exactly the hottest toy around these days.
«That made me feel appropriately old,» he says. «Now I wonder if I were releasing KSP again, now, if it would've gone well. The general feeling towards early access has changed so much. People expect a more polished and finished product.»
Two years ago Falanghe was working on Balsa Model Flight Simulator alone, trying to both program additions to the game and interact with players. «It felt more like just trying to survive more than having a thriving project that stays alive and grows,» he says. So he took a different route: partnering with indie publisher Curve Games to relaunch Balsa Flight Simulator and leave early access behind in favor of a full release. That just left the balsa wood problem.
The new version of the game revealed today, Kitbash Model Club, broadens the focus from model plans to include building and controlling model boats and cars, too, with a name inspired by Adam Savage and Lucasfilm's model makers. The material itself was always less important than the idea of mashing together cool parts to see what you could build.
Falanghe's
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