Over the years, I've been tinkering with software to help, say, optimize gravitational slingshots in KSP. I end up creating a bunch of code that essentially becomes a simulator of a simulator. In my most recent pass at this, I'm just wondering if maybe I get to a point where I end up writing an Open Source "rocket simulator" that practically reproduces KSP independently.

My main focus right now is just the underlying physics calculations. I have no experience with game engines or 3D graphics rendering etc. But this could be a really neat way to learn how to do those things.

Would other people be interested in helping build such a thing? I'm planning on writing it in C , as that's my particular skillset, but open to ideas.

Edit: (copied from a comment below)

I think one of the things I'm realizing both here and in the other suggestion is that, like any good physicist, I've massively oversimplified how difficult the engineering of something like this is. ;)

Like, my plan to approach the problem was to abstractly simulate orbits, then add instant impulse delta-v, orbit transfers, single stage burns with constant direction, etc. etc. Totally agree on the approach of simulator first, then game elements.

But in the back of my mind were questions like... how do you model attachments between parts to create a reasonably stiff/physically plausible rocket? I can't even imagine getting to wheels, tbh.

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