arkie87

Precise node (though they still need to add a button to lock magnitude) and HAystack are definitely mods i would agree should be stock, but the devs would need to find a clever way to integrate it into the GUI. KER and KAC, ive already commented on.

My list is mostly meant to include simple mods that dont really change gameplay, but will make the game more symmetric and intuitive. Does that make sense?

I agree, KER is essential for players who dont want to play the game with a calculator and formula sheet in hand (and lets face it, its a game, so no one should be playing it like that). I definitely support KER more than mechjeb, since i am a fan of giving players the info they need to perform complex maneuvers rather than doing the maneuvers for them. The only problem with KER, is i dont know how they will integrate it into the current GUI in a way that makes sense. I can also see how Kerbal Alarm Clock is also very useful (though im not sure how they can integrate it into the game GUI any better than the mod currently does). However, I usually only use it to prevent myself from skipping through maneuver nodes (and im often too lazy to even set the alarm for it), since i usually like to focus on one mission at a time, and not have a bunch of missions running at once. Thus, i would prefer if maneuver nodes automatically killed time warp, since, after all, it makes sense... Perhaps the game should also know that since warping through SOI changes messes with accuracy, the game should stop warm upon SOI change. Or, alternatively, change the way time warp works so that it doesnt cause errors...

I think the real solar system is uneccsary and could be added by players that want it with mods. Real fuels and advanced jet engines adds added complexity which can be added by advanced/bored players as desired. I think the dev's do plan on implementing better aerodynamics, though i think FAR is a bit too realistic for the average player, and all the tools the mod adds scares some noobs. Deadly re-entry i think the devs will also eventually add, but it definately needs to be tweaked by the devs, perhaps based on a difficulty setting that players select when starting a new game.

Yes, I've used near, but i think its a bit too simple, but still better than stock drag in KSP. I didnt include it because i think the developers are planning to improve stock drag anyway.

I agree very much. Rescuing is boring after you do it once or twice. If they were in inclined orbits, around other planets or the Mun, or even on the surface of another planet or the Mun, that would be cool. I rarely have a reason to do a targeted landing, but rescuing a kerbal on an alien world would give me one. Its a great idea to rescue kerbals on sub-orbital trajectories as well, but i suspect many kerbals will die in the process :-)

Not entirely. A yellow "test" button next to the launch button in SPH and VAB will give players the option of where they want to place their craft for testing (for instance, on Duna, so they dont have to waste time getting there, and can see whether or not their craft has enough torque to flip itself back up on its legs if it were to fall over upon landing, for instance). This feature would be useful for both types of players.

Yes! Exactly! If they use my idea (yellow spaceship button next to launch which reads "Test"), then once pressing the "test" button, you can select where to place your space craft, so if you want to see whether your lander has enough torque to flip itself up on Duna, in case it lands and falls over, you can test it! (that seems to happen to me too often).

Why not a "Test" button (a picture of a spaceship, but in yellow, next to the green launch button)? Like mentioned above, it costs nothing, but you earn nothing as well.

I wanted to compile a short list of mods that i think should become stock in the game, and wanted to get the community's input. EDIT: I try to add only things which the dev's (to my knowledge) arent currently working on or planning to work on (such as improved aerodynamics, as in FAR). I also try to include simple tweaks/fixes to make the game more symmetric, intuitive and easier to play, rather than drastically changing the gameplay, or changing inconsequential aspects of the game that a simple MOD could implement. Without further ado, here is my list so far: (1) Just like X cuts engine power, Z should floor it (like the FloorIt mod) (2) When in "surface" mode on the NAVball, the altimeter should display altitude above surface, not above sea level (i think this makes intuitive sense). There is no mod i am aware of that currently does this. (3) Even without part-pack mods, there are too many redundant items to choose from in the VAB/SPH, and requires scrolling through sheets and sheets of parts. Instead, each part should really be a catagory, and the specifics can be changed later via tweakables. For instance, the number of tank parts can be reduced to one by making diameter and aspect ratio "tweakable" parameters (the available options of which are unlocked with the tech tree). Thus, you only have one fuel tank, and you can use tweakables to make the aspect ratio and diameter that you want. Similar things can happen for decouplers (just diameter) and landing gear (just "size"), so you only see one part in the part list, but can change its size with a tweakable. Solar panels and batteries as well. Thus, each part in the part list is more like a "category" rather than an exact part itself. This feature will also make it easier to modify existing designs without having to detach and delete parts since you can simply change the tweakable on the existing part. (4) All wings should include tweakables for fuel, solar panel covered area, and heat shields (the tweakable list might depend on if the relevant mods are installed). All fuel tanks should include tweakable for solar panels and heat shields (heat shields in particular). (5) by default, the game should not let you warp past a maneuver node; it should automatically cancel time warp (similar to what Kerbal Alarm Clock does, but without having to set an alarm or download a mod; if you think about it, adding a maneuver node should mean you automatically dont want to time warp past it). Similarly, the game should not let you warp past SOI changes (since they mess up accuracy; alternatively, they should fix the root cause of the inaccuracy upon warping through SOI changes).

Not sure what distance has to with veryinky's post? The objectives would be to bring back/recover those three kerbals, doesnt matter how you do it. I dont see a way of cheating the system (other than landing a few km off, and eva'ing to your landed ship). If you need a way of measuring distance, and the game doesnt include it, you could use the latitude/longitude/altitude to determine distance from stranded kerbals?

This looks like the mod for me! I need missions/contracts in order to stay interested in the game. Looks like you have some good ideas for new types of contracts like placing satellites into (a specific) orbit, repair missions, etc... Will download! A few suggestions: (1) Is it possible to force players to carry a certain payload (which can take the form of a sub assembly) into orbit rather than building their own satellite (assuming this mod doesnt already do this-- i havent downloaded it yet)? The advantage is that the mod would be able to set the weight of the cargo exactly, which could make the contract easier or harder (and give me a reason to design a ship that can carry a sh*t ton of cargo). In addition, does the mod just require satellites in orbit around Kerbin or other moons/planets as well? I would love a mission requiring me to get a satellite into orbit around the mun, or Jool.... Also, i think science missions should require a polar orbit around the moon/planet, since this is how you can scan the whole surface (perhaps the mission isnt complete until the probe scans the whole surface, so you have to stay in orbit for a while with time warp on, obviously). (2) Is it possible to add rescue missions around other moons/planets? It's getting too easy to pick up Kerbals stuck around kerbin orbit.... Would it be possible to put Kerbals ON other moons/planets (as opposed to stranded in orbit), so i have a reason to practice targeted landing? For your repair missions, same question: do those spawn around other planets, or just Kerbin? What do you think Mr. Dev?

Is there a way to merge this mod with wings with solar panels and/or fuel (solar panels can be checked/unchecked and fuel can be modified via tweakables)?

Very nice work! It makes VTOL's actually fun to build! A few suggestions/requests, some of which might have been asked before: (1) can you make it so that you can select which engines should be controlled and which should be left alone? (2) Its impossible to tell if TCA is on or off. Can you make it change color so we know its on? Or a light light up? (3) Weird sound glitch for me when TCA is on. Not sure what info you need...

spinomonkey: so if you agree that career mode should be more targeted and linear and science should unlock information rather than just science "currency" with which to purchase unlocks, then what better way to achieve both of these than by switching to the achievements model for unlocks? I suppose if it was just achievement based, once you've learned to perform all the maneuvers etc... the game might get boring i.e. it would lose its replay value (however, this would also be the case if the point of the game was to unlock techs). I suppose there could be difficulty settings (that you would select upon starting a new campaign) which would add in more difficult mods or effects, such as more realistic aerodynamics and/or deadly re-entry etc or constrain your budget even more In terms of biomes, i think it would great to force players to get a telescope into a polar orbit of a planet in order to obtain the planet biomes (it would give purpose and direction toward the game). To further this idea, there could be randomly-placed artifacts or discoverer-ables that you need to first locate with telescopes (the game would find them, not you manually looking through telescopes for hours), then land near to recover in an EVA (giving a reason for players to learn how to perform a targeted landing). Once you discover, recover, and bring these artifacts back to Kerbin, you win. Perhaps some artifacts require a base to process before they can be recovered (giving reason to have bases on other planets/moons). (In harder difficulties, some artifacts might be placed on Eve, forcing players to make a spaceship that can get there, land, and return!). Randomly placing artifacts around the solar system removes the need to randomly generate solar systems for each new campaign since although players could find the information for the location, period, gravity etc.. of other planets online, the locations for the artifacts which they need to find to win are always random (Except maybe on the easiest difficulty setting) so that they cannot cheat. As usual, thoughts? Constructive comments? As a side note, i think there should be a display/indicator in the corner of the screen that tells you which biome you are in currently, so you know when to do new science (assuming the science model continues to be the dominant unlocking mechanism).

i just posted a longwinded discussion of ideas for a revamp of the science system to unlock parts. Instead, i think it would be cooler to have achievements to unlock parts (which would give the campaign more linearity and direction) and the science parts to actually give you information about the planets, forcing you to crash a probe into a planet to learn of its atmosphere height and density so than you could perform an aerobreaking maneuver etc... When do you think?

First, I just wanted to start off by saying that this game is awesome and I’ve had loads of hours of fun playing it. However, I have some ideas that I would like to propose to the developers to see if they’ll consider them for the final game. One thing that I’ve noticed in campaign mode is that it still feels a bit sandboxy. Even though there is science, the game feels a bit open (which is great for sandbox mode but not for campaign). Furthermore, once you obtain enough science the game is basically over in campaign mode, and you are essentially in sandbox mode once again. In update 0.22, people such as Scott Manly could unlock the tech tree in a few missions; even though in 0.23, this issue was mostly fixed (it takes longer to unlock everything), the fact remains that once you complete the tech tree, the game is essentially in sandbox mode again. What I would like to propose is adopting (either in addition to or in place of) an achievement-based system, which can be linked to certain part unlocks. The main advantage of this system is that it gives linearity to the gameplay and direction to new players by forcing them to perform certain maneuvers/missions in order (some players might dislike this, since KSP has kinda always been very open; however, my argument is that the sandbox mode should be completely open and campaign mode should feel more like a campaign and be somewhat linear). Moreover, with the research and tech-based unlocking model, players can finish the game without ever having to perform some of the maneuvers that make the game fun, like orbital docking, aerobreaking into orbit, or creating a Mun or planet base. These items could all be achievements of their own and would unlock certain addition parts which would form players to learn and perform these actions. Let me now give a brief narrative of how said game would begin: First, rather than starting the game with manned capsules and having to unlock satellites, wouldn’t it make more sense if it were the other way around (like what happened in the real world)? I.e. you start only with satellites, and once you get into space, you unlock decouplers. Once you get into a stable orbit, you unlock manned capsules. There could be other achievements like obtaining a circular orbit (to a certain tolerance of course), getting into a polar orbit, landing etc… which would all unlock parts or give you money to spend in career mode. There obviously could be loads more achievements which would unlock further parts or give you money to spend in career mode. This achievement based unlocking model I think would give the game a bit more direction, and help new players generate ideas for missions, since they want to unlock a certain part and have to earn it by performing a certain mission. For instance, the radial mounted parachutes could only be unlocked upon performing an aero breaking into orbit maneuver (the other parachutes, would obviously, need to be unlocked with new parts, since returning to Kerbin would not be possible without them; the radial mounted ones are more of a frill that should be earned). This model would also harmonize the debate regarding whether or not mods performing similar functions to the popular mod “MechJeb†should be included in the final game. In my opinion, once you learn how to land, after some practice it becomes less fun and more tedious. Thus, once you demonstrate that you CAN land on an atmosphere-less planet or moon on your own, you get the achievement for landing and unlock the landing function of MechJeb, which can auto land for you (to further this idea, maybe you wouldn’t even start with landing struts, but instead, would have to land on the rocket nozzle itself. Once you do that successfully, you unlock landing struts). Performing a suicide burn landing by yourself would be a separate achievement that would unlock this function in MechJeb. Similarly, performing a targeted landing manually would unlock this function of MechJeb etc… There are obviously numerous other ideas for achievements that I can leave up to the developers to decide and surprise me. Since achievements would be used for unlocking parts, the scientific parts (like temperature sensor, barometer etc…) could be used to actually collect real data rather than abstract “science†points which can be spent. Currently, players can look up information about the planets and moons in the mission control window in the game. However, I think it would be better if players had to “discover†it themselves i.e. crash a satellite with a barometer into a planet to determine how the atmosphere varies with altitude and orbit a planet with a gravity meter to determine the acceleration of gravity on the surface. I know that if this information isn’t displayed in the game, then players could just look it up online, which would defeat the purpose of players having to perform these actions themselves. My response to this is that players can always “cheat†in this way. Alternatively, every time a campaign is started, the planets would all be randomized in terms of location, density, appearance etc… such that players could not cheat since their solar system is unique and different from the solar systems of others online. Those are all the ideas I have for now… Question? Comments? Ideas for improvements?