Squadcast Summary (2015-02-28) - Insert-Witty-Edition-Title-Here Edition

[Moon Goddess]

Not a fan of the lines on the map view. I don't see any advantages to this setup.

Don't know why Squad isn't going with the original resource mapping from 2013:

http://i.imgur.com/Qu8sUHm.png

My objection has nothing to do with the scan lines or the look of the new over the old, The old one was seperated into surface, ocean and atmosphere, and showed WHAT was in each place with the fancy pie chart. The new one just shows HOW MUCH of "generic resource" you have in any given location. That's a severe downgrade.

[Bloody_looser]

-contract pics-

Oh great, rescue contracts are getting more unexplainable, silly and way more complicated. I like it.

Still will only rescue guys with funny names.

Aldbas, Nelbas and Theobas are the best of the best. Look at their exceptional stats. They even all got different professions after 0.90.

Will certainly import them into 1.0.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Bloody_looser

[klgraham1013]

Lenney came down with a case of rapid unplanned disassembly on Duna.

That's funny. I never sent him there, nor did I crash his ship.

Must of been that other wacky space agency on Kerbin.

[Master Tao]

That's funny. I never sent him there, nor did I crash his ship.

Must of been that other wacky space agency on Kerbin.

Didn't hire the poor sap, either. It does take a certain level of suspension of disbelief to accept that there are other areas where Kerbals live and work, but haven't been designed into the game.

It's not like we know where our recruits come from, though, unless they've been hiding in the mountains and under the trees.

[tater]

The other world contracts are silly for anyone playing with life support (and likely pointless), unless the crafts are plausible. I'd rather see an good, intact craft with only the engine wrecked, or maybe a ship that could be fixed with an engineer, or refueled. Better still, add in the stock alike version of soviet pods, and use those.

[klgraham1013]

Didn't hire the poor sap, either. It does take a certain level of suspension of disbelief to accept that there are other areas where Kerbals live and work, but haven't been designed into the game.

It's not like we know where our recruits come from, though, unless they've been hiding in the mountains and under the trees.

It's not so much that, as, this is my Kerbal Space Program. It's not the [specific Nation] Space Agency, which happens to be on Kerbin, along with several other Space Agencies. If I strand Kerbals, that's fine. I'll go rescue them. Don't spawn objects into my game and think a flimsy explanation is good enough.

As every writer should know: Explaining a bad idea doesn't make it a good idea.

[tater]

There are already stranded kerbals. Since you do not own them to start, they canonically do not belong to your program, but are none the less in orbit. They MUST have been stranded by another program by definition. You can wish that wasn't so, but it is.

[Arsonide]

If I strand Kerbals, that's fine. I'll go rescue them. Don't spawn objects into my game and think a flimsy explanation is good enough.

Most contracts have a healthy list of configurable tweaks. If you head into GameData/Squad/Contracts/Contracts.cfg, there are plenty of options there, including the option to disable or adjust any contract type that doesn't sit well with your particular playstyle.

[razark]

...the option to disable...

Is there a way to mark them as disabled, or is it just deleting parts of the file?

[Arsonide]

Is there a way to mark them as disabled, or is it just deleting parts of the file?

Look for "MaximumExistent" and "MaximumAvailable". You can use those to cap how many show up on the contract board, or you can set them to zero to disable a contract.

[razark]

Look for "MaximumExistent" and "MaximumAvailable". You can use those to cap how many show up on the contract board, or you can set them to zero to disable a contract.

Thank you very much.

[basic.syntax]

I think this update to 'rescue' contracts is a good improvement, and "where do they come from?" provides a hook for future expansion (post 1.0).

[Renegrade]

If the kerbals start appearing in pods, that kinda shoots down the 'rocket explosions spread kerbal spores around, causing kerbals to sometimes grow in orbit' theory :/

I'd personally prefer if the rescue contracts could be changed into more persistent satellite/station/base contracts - as was suggested in the suggestion forum. The rescue missions are basically "match orbit with an existing object and return" missions. Resupply missions could be created for objects placed by previous contracts, with crews being added/removed, and resupply missions happening. It would basically be the same "match orbit" stuff, but would also have more continuity and make sense.

[tater]

Contracted satellites and stations could cease to belong to the player, but then have follow on repair and resupply missions.

[klgraham1013]

There are already stranded kerbals. Since you do not own them to start, they canonically do not belong to your program, but are none the less in orbit. They MUST have been stranded by another program by definition. You can wish that wasn't so, but it is.

I assumed the KSP was the first space program for Kerbals.

- - - Updated - - -

Most contracts have a healthy list of configurable tweaks. If you head into GameData/Squad/Contracts/Contracts.cfg, there are plenty of options there, including the option to disable or adjust any contract type that doesn't sit well with your particular playstyle.

I really need to take a look at that. I had no idea.

[Tw1]

ell. The Barn is being improved a lot, the soul of the models has been preserved, they have to be of the same aesthetic, but the visual quality has been improved. It's not so much a farm any more, it's more of an abandoned military facility kind of thing. It still has the farm aesthetic, but it's looking a lot better and yeah.. Looks like an abandoned military facility, has same soul of the Barn.

Contract news: retooling kerbal rescue so they'll show up in different places, e.g. on Dunas surface, you show up and he's sitting by his pod. The tourism one is also being looked at - the tourist is a kerbonaut with 0 skills in anything so you'll need to be a good player to do this cheaply. It's pretty profitable, should be a big hit.

Not sure I like the sound of that, keeping military aspects out of it was something I liked about KSP. Oh well. Maybe it will be able to be passed of as more industrial than military.

If rescue contracts start having kerbals needing rescue from places you haven't yet been, I will be quite annoyed- it will be robbing the player of that feeling of being the first to reach a new place.

Tourism will be cool, but I hope you have to have a base for them to visit first. If I was a space tourist, and got to spend five minutes at the destination, and then get back into a cramped pod, I'd be wanting my money back.

[Twreed87]

Tourism will be cool, but I hope you have to have a base for them to visit first. If I was a space tourist, and got to spend five minutes at the destination, and then get back into a cramped pod, I'd be wanting my money back.

You are aware that there are people who've already signed up and paid just to go on suborbital hops, right?

[Bloody_looser]

Not sure I like the sound of that, keeping military aspects out of it was something I liked about KSP. Oh well. Maybe it will be able to be passed of as more industrial than military.

Regarding news on new 'military barn' I hope new tier 0 runway won't have any craters on it, or mines or something

[NovaSilisko]

I do hope the tourists get unique models of some sort. A kerbal that looks like richard branson...

If rescue contracts start having kerbals needing rescue from places you haven't yet been, I will be quite annoyed- it will be robbing the player of that feeling of being the first to reach a new place.

Concur. The rescue missions in general hurt the feeling of accomplishment a bit already, I think...

Edited March 1, 2015 by NovaSilisko

[Bill Phil]

Not sure I like the sound of that, keeping military aspects out of it was something I liked about KSP. Oh well. Maybe it will be able to be passed of as more industrial than military.

If rescue contracts start having kerbals needing rescue from places you haven't yet been, I will be quite annoyed- it will be robbing the player of that feeling of being the first to reach a new place.

Tourism will be cool, but I hope you have to have a base for them to visit first. If I was a space tourist, and got to spend five minutes at the destination, and then get back into a cramped pod, I'd be wanting my money back.

It's really more of a style. Lots of reinforced places around the blast zone. A few observation towers. Bunkers. Stuff like that. Not so much actual military.

[Tw1]

You are aware that there are people who've already signed up and paid just to go on suborbital hops, right?

A good point. But, there's a bit of a difference between that and sending someone to Duna. Plus, I'd love another natural reason to set up bases and stations. The possibility of accommodating tourists could be one of them. Better than the random "X wants a base here, plz build one" contract reason to make a base. This would be one reason to build one of your own, a chance for players to take some initiative.

It's really more of a style. Lots of reinforced places around the blast zone. A few observation towers. Bunkers. Stuff like that. Not so much actual military.

Ok, that sounds alright. Like something you'd see around a newly set up rocket testing place. Where there any images of it during the Squadcast?

[Yukon0009]

I do hope the tourists get unique models of some sort. A kerbal that looks like richard branson...

Concur. The rescue missions in general hurt the feeling of accomplishment a bit already, I think...

Ehh, Dennis Kerman much.......

[Bill Phil]

Ok, that sounds alright. Like something you'd see around a newly set up rocket testing place. Where there any images of it during the Squadcast?

I don't think there was a picture. But in the summary in the OP it says "military facility kind of thing". It's the "kind of" that implies it's not an actual military installation. I could be wrong, though...

[Pthigrivi]

I mean you can just not accept those contracts....

I will say though I liked the dot matrix resource display. It seemed to read more clearly.

[klgraham1013]

I mean you can just not accept those contracts....

This part of the game doesn't make sense. Just ignore it. That's the ticket.

Said contracts not making sense is my opinion.