Hello everyone, this is going to be an entirely out-of-character annual update because I want to be candid about how this project could be affected by in-real-life events moving forward given my current circumstances.
The KSA is becoming a “mature” agency now and that helps because it doesn’t tweet or generate content nearly as much on a daily basis as it used to back in the earlier years, however at the same time the complexity of the operations has also increased. The pandemic these past few months and me being unable to do my “real job” coaching gymnastics and thus spending nearly all my time at home has also brought about a startling realization: this whole project is taking up a lot more time nowadays than it used to. In earlier years I would have at least 2-3 weeks of lead time, sometimes as much as 2-3 months and now I’m struggling to keep ahead by just a few days.
There is another consideration however – the whole pandemic situation has also brought me closer to friends online since regular in-person gatherings aren’t really a thing anymore lately. Ironically this has eaten up time as well because it’s easier to get together online to play games than it is to coordinate IRL meetups. So before Covid I was spending less time hanging with friends but getting more from the in-person interaction so I felt less compelled to connect to them online often, freeing up more time for me to work on KSA.
Now, if I free up more time from gaming with my friends online that will help me stay ahead when lead time grows short but another upcoming problem will be when financial assistance for unemployment related to Covid dries up over the next few months. If I return to the gym to coach or search out some other employment opportunity because I need the money to sustain myself then that is once again less time I have to spend on this project.
If time becomes an issue, as I have said before I will be forced to scale back the timeline and scope of this project in order to allow it to continue. Updates will become fewer, background story elements will fade away, crew will develop less character and time between launches will be extended so that I have more time to prepare.
A final consideration for how much time I have to work on KSA activities is contributions from Patreon. Obviously if I can make enough money through here that I don’t have to spend as much time coaching or traveling away to fireworks shows then that is more time I can spend on this project instead. Currently I’m making just enough to cover the monthly $10 payment I make to prolific KSP mod author LinuxGuruGamer, who in keeping various mods alive also helps keep the KSA project moving forward with new KSP versions.
While I of course hope my personal situation and the pandemic situation stabilizes in the near future, I also doubt it’s going to happen – especially considering this upcoming U.S. election. I remain committed however to not voluntarily giving up the project. I take a lot of enjoyment seeing people react to what the KSA is doing and I thank everyone who has reached out to me over the years with comments and suggestions or even attempted to take part in the role play. It does mean a lot.
I’m really looking forward to making it back to orbit over this coming year and continuing on this journey with you all. Thanks for following along and please don’t forget to help spread the word about the KSA’s existence!
Drew Kerman,
Founder, Operations Director
