The best space games usually have a steep learning curve, but that makes them more satisfying over time. Space Station Designer has the potential to join that club, and it will make the attempt by offering players the chance to build space stations in orbit, one module at a time.
On the upcoming November 20th, the International Space Station will turn 20 years old. Five agencies had to join forces to build it, and if we stop to study its cost, the most recent estimates speak of 150 billion dollars. That number basically represents all the difficulties that exist in the construction of space structures. Manufacturing is expensive, transportation is expensive, and maintenance is expensive. But what would happen if that were not the case? The only way to answer that question for now (unless we can build a space elevator, or develop antigravity) is with simulators. Kerbal Space Program appears at the top of the list, followed by the more recent Stable Orbit, and now Space Station Designer joins in, currently in open alpha.
Modules and Features
Space Station Designer features more than 70 modules, each with specific characteristics such as initial cost, maintenance cost, power consumption, mass, heat dissipation, and the number of crew members they can accommodate. From a graphical standpoint, it reminds me a bit of Astroneer. The scales are not accurate, and scientific rigor is not a priority at this stage of development; however, it is more than enough to take its first steps as a sandbox, and to enable the construction of stations that we can unfortunately only dream of.
Availability and Community
On the official page, we can find two standalone builds compatible with Windows and Mac OS, or as an alternative, let the itch.io application handle the management, which includes the installation of new updates. The developers invite all players to participate in a survey available in Spanish, English, and German. We know that Space Station Designer faces a long road (after all, KSP needed four years to leave early access), but personally, I want it to succeed and become my next obsession.
