Is hard for seasoned players only?

[ColdEthyl75]

I bought Kerbal a few  days ago and I've had a couple of restarts because I really can't decide whether I want to tackle the campaign at hard or normal.

I'm veering towards Hard because I want to feel like I've earned my successes. When I tried Normal I was dismayed at how quick and easy the money and science was building up, especially with the ability to revert flights (which I tried but felt like I was cheating). I've started a new campaign on Hard, but I'm still concerned that I may be punching above my weight, setting myself up for an early failure as I blow all my cash on test launches.

Is it possible to work through the campaign on hard with a little care and perseverance, or is it really just for hardcore players with several years under their belts?

[SnailsAttack]

Personally, I can't handle the emotional pain of having a failed mission... which is unfortunate because I crash and blow up a lot.

And I really like having the option to restart a mission if my fairings get messed up and blow my ship apart or if I forget to use only liquid fuel tanks nuclear thruster-only rockets. It's not like nasa or whatever would make mistakes like that.

[MaxwellsDemon]

2 hours ago, ColdEthyl75 said:

I bought Kerbal a few  days ago and I've had a couple of restarts because I really can't decide whether I want to tackle the campaign at hard or normal.

The learning curve for KSP is really more of a challenge than the difficulty settings.

Everyone has their preferences for difficulty; it sounds like you might tend toward my style of play, where I want to stretch things out a bit.  Once you get comfortable with the basics, you might want to check out KCT, Kerbal Construction Time, a mod which intentionally slows things down.   It's one of my favorites.   I like to set up a custom-difficulty game with reduced science award (I think I'm running my current campaign at 65%), no Kerbal respawn, and a few other items, but KCT is the thing that really makes it feel right for me.

KCT is probably highly annoying to someone who prefers sandbox mode, though.    That's the beauty of KSP, that it can accept so many very different playing styles.

[Vanamonde]

I play on medium settings because I dislike the repetitive experience of doing simple contracts over and over again just to build up money for the things I really want to do. Besides, I started playing long before there were difficulty settings, so medium is the game I'm used to.

[Geonovast]

I play sandbox almost exclusively.  I've tried career a few times, never really seemed to enjoy.  I equate playing this game with playing with Legos and K'nex as a kid - there were no rules.

 

No mode is "for" anyone.  You cannot cheat at this game, except by breaking rules you set for yourself.  You cannot play this game wrong.  Play it however you enjoy it.  If you just like to throw rockets together and blast the little green guys into oblivion like I do, go for it!  If you want the game to grind you to your very core to get the smallest task done, that's fine too.  The freedom to do everything how and when you want is one of the biggest appeals of KSP.

[Ten Key]

I usually go the "custom difficulty" route and pick my settings à la carte. One thing I think makes a big difference is leaving the "entry purchase" on the individual parts turned on. Having to pay to unlock each part on top of the R&D cost really slows the early game down I think. The drawback is that you tend to end up with a small pool of parts for all your ships as you try to avoid buying something you don't absolutely need. It does limit the creativity side of things a bit. 

I will say this. I usually crank up the difficulty pretty high on the logic that I would rather be challenged in the early game rather than bored out of my mind in the late game. If it doesn't work out, I want to have that realization early, rather than after a few years of game time. 

 

6 hours ago, ColdEthyl75 said:

Is it possible to work through the campaign on hard with a little care and perseverance, or is it really just for hardcore players with several years under their belts?

If you are willing to be careful, there is no reason you can't play through career mode on high difficulty on your first try. And if you have any questions, you know where we are.

 

[MagicFireCaster]

Welcome to the forum!
If i were you i would select a custom difficulty so you have chances at some things, for example if i played hard, i would at least make money easier to get, like a real life space program that gets a lot of income from the government. That way you can play without getting a game over so soon.  

[tater]

I find "hard" mode to be "grind" mode, and uninteresting. Career in general is deeply flawed, though I play career fairly often (as a form of insanity, I keep playing hoping it won't be awful).

[ColdEthyl75]

Thanks for the input everyone..On balance I think I'll stick with hard and see how far I can get. If nothing else it may prove a good way to encourage me to think carefully about properly researching and testing each next step. I like MagicFireStarter's idea of setting up a pseudo governmental grant so I might give that a try if things get too hairy.

Edited March 3, 2018 by ColdEthyl75

[putnamto]

i suggest doing a custom difficulty.

i tend to have my payout at 150 and my science at 75, that way i still have to work to unlock things, but im also not repeating contracts just to make money.

[klesh]

Custom difficulty is where its at.  Even if just for the sole ability to decline a ridiculous contract to make room for a possible decent one without a penalty to my reputation. 

I refuse to take a hit for not wanting to bring 7,000 units of LF to the surface of Moho.