Story Mode

[Zer0Winds]

Alright, sorry I didn't see if there was already something about this, I was in a hurry but a post I saw was something about a story and it gave me an idea to add a story mode. Anyway, I'd go into more detail but I gotta go, I'm in a hurry. So... I'll be back later with more detail... 

[Zer0Winds]

2 hours ago, Zer0Winds said:

Alright, sorry I didn't see if there was already something about this, I was in a hurry but a post I saw was something about a story and it gave me an idea to add a story mode. Anyway, I'd go into more detail but I gotta go, I'm in a hurry. So... I'll be back later with more detail... 

Back... Anyway, as I was saying, a story mode would be interesting. Career mode is fun and all, but it's about management, and collecting scientific knowledge while expanding your space program. It's fun, but a more story oriented mode would be cool. I don't know how, maybe having story missions, or mixing the two together and have management while having story missions. But then again, part of the fun (at least to me) is making your own story... So I don't know... I won't complain without one, and I suppose there's more important things to do other than adding a whole new mode...

[klgraham1013]

It'd be a great way to take players through a tutorial.

[Atlas2342]

Plus, clear up questions about Kerbalkind itself...

[KSK]

Obviously, there's no official word from Squad on this but I suspect that they're happy leaving KSP without an official story and letting everyone create their own stories within the game. I could be wrong - it may just be something that they haven't got around to yet.

For the moment, JakeGrey and I have been pondering a total conversion mod based on my First Flight story. That would certainly provide one set of answers about kerbalkind whilst giving them a fairly compelling reason to go to space - and keep going to space. Plus it also builds on some familiar KSP memes - for example, the ubiquitous Kerman surname has a deep historical reason behind it.

We think that most of what we'd need is already present in other mods but getting everything to work together would be a challenge. It would be a big job, apart from the story itself - which would most likely need to be adapted to include more space stuff and less Kerbin-side stuff - we'd need to rebuild the tech tree, with massively overhauled flavour text, have new buildings appearing at various sites around Kerbin in response to scripted events, possibly even have some elements of multiplayer worked in, or at least have some sensible looking AI ships flying about. I don't know if the new Kerbalpedia will be moddable but that would be really helpful for fitting a lot of the background story in in a relatively player-accessible way.

If anybody is interested, please feel free to drop by the First Flight thread - linked in my signature.

 

 

 

[AbacusWizard]

I'd kinda like to see something a little like Uplink's story mode: wide-open sandbox with randomly generated missions you can complete for cash, but every once in a while you get a special mission that is part of a long-term ongoing story.

[dragonaether]

I love ksp for career mode, and i don't think ksp is a good game to make a Story, it's a sandbox, management game and it's funny for that. 

But it could be a funny thing something like kerbal cold war and you can choose one of the two side, but this mean add into the game an AI.  

[pandaman]

I like the idea of a series of missions and contracts that follow a continuing theme/storyline, and as @klgraham1013 said above it could be ideal for a tutorial.  But I would only want it as an additional 'twist' to the contract system.

[Wjolcz]

I would like to see a player gameplay style influenced missions. Kind of what SPORE tried to achieve but failed miserably.

IIRC, you had three paths you could go in the game. Agressive, neutral and friendly? I would like the same thing in KSP, but let's work with what we already have:

The Science Path: Perform experiments to research parts, but NOT with science points! They are kind of ridiculous anyway. For example: In order to get better understanding of how atmosphere works and discovering a better atmospheric engine perform more temperature and atmospheric-based experiments (understand how heat and pressure works if you really want them Whiplashes on your planes)

The Reputation Path (AKA "The Show-off"): Want funds to research better parts? Then beat some speed records, you daredevil! Also if you could send a Jool probe with a cam on board, just so people can appreciate the beauty of space. Maybe that will make people pay their taxes. We get money, build parts for that and send them to ya. Now go, break that Mach 1 already!

The Money Path (AKA my favourite): It's mining time! You get your first 1 million loan from your father and work hard to earn even more. You are in debt now, so better go places, mine precious materials, bring them home and sell them! Would probably need Xenon to be a harvestable resource and contracts nerfing.

That way the speeeesplane lovers would keep doing what they love, the science maniacs would actually have two ways to go and president wannabes  the Wayland-like space industries could bloom and populate planets and moons with brave kerbal workers eager to mine stuff and send money to their lovely families. You could of course do things from other "paths" but they wouldn't be as profitable.

 

And please don't whiplash me for the obvious joke there. You know which one I am refering to.

[Guest]

Simulation games don't normally have plots, and I am totally against a full-blown story mode.

I'd be happy with a "piece together the plot with hints" and nothing more.