Gold/Silver/Bronze: How does it work?

[dvader]

I've been trying to get max score in the Apollo 15 mission by checking the requirements in the mission builder and making sure I hit each one. So far, the only thing I haven't managed is a perfect landing on Kerbin which should give me 500 pts more. But, despite of doing everything perfect except the Kerbin landing, I just get Bronze.

What controls the level of the Bronze/Silver/Gold reward?

[MechBFP]

Wish I knew too. Unfortunately there doesn’t appear to be anyway to tell. 

[dvader]

@MechBFP, I just got an exlanation in another thread from @zanie420. Quote:

"When you edit the mission in the builder, go to the Mission Briefing (purple button in upper right), then click on the score tab. That will give you a better idea of HOW the mission is scored. Then on the Awards tab you will find the scores needed for Gold/Silver/Bronze."

So, instead of starting the mission, click Edit and then look for the purple button.

[zanie420]

1 minute ago, dvader said:

@MechBFP, I just got an exlanation in another thread from @zanie420. Quote:

"When you edit the mission in the builder, go to the Mission Briefing (purple button in upper right), then click on the score tab. That will give you a better idea of HOW the mission is scored. Then on the Awards tab you will find the scores needed for Gold/Silver/Bronze."

So, instead of starting the mission, click Edit and then look for the purple button.

You'll notice that the scoring tab isn't 100% of the modifiers and values either.... for that you have to actually run through the mission logic and look at the nodes individually, to figure out what the highest possible score is

[dvader]

I'm right now trying to make sense of the Blue Mun mission (again). My best guesses so far are:

First, some of the score nodes seem mislabeled in the summary. For example, you get 1000 pts for "Kerbin Ap/Pe 100km" in the summary but in the editor it is 1000 pts for "Kerbin orbit high precision" and 500 for just "Kerbin orbit".

Second, I assume the "multiplier" nodes apply to the current score and not the total at end of mission. So, a multiplier of 2 doubles the points for all previous nodes but does not affect any points received afterwards. If that is not the case, either Gold can not be achieved or it is too easy.

I intend to test this some time soon...

[MechBFP]

I think the blue mun mission wasn’t designed properly. It puts you in an inclined orbit, which has nothing to do with the next objective. 

Also for “fuel efficiency” it simply tests how MUCH fuel you have remaining, not what percentage of fuel you have remaining, which is illogical as that will vary massively depending on the design. 

[zanie420]

1 hour ago, dvader said:

I'm right now trying to make sense of the Blue Mun mission (again). My best guesses so far are:

First, some of the score nodes seem mislabeled in the summary. For example, you get 1000 pts for "Kerbin Ap/Pe 100km" in the summary but in the editor it is 1000 pts for "Kerbin orbit high precision" and 500 for just "Kerbin orbit".

Second, I assume the "multiplier" nodes apply to the current score and not the total at end of mission. So, a multiplier of 2 doubles the points for all previous nodes but does not affect any points received afterwards. If that is not the case, either Gold can not be achieved or it is too easy.

I intend to test this some time soon...

I am pretty sure the modification is at the end. The verbiage used in the Mission Briefing is clear: Modify MISSION score. So that is why you can have wildly differing scores with only slight differences in play and crucial timing. This also provides for some weird math with partial scores (when you quit part way and it saves) working to the ten thousandth decimal place!

Blue Mun - Perfect score

1. Get to within 90% - Launching from Woomerang site, get  Kerbin orbit of 100x100km with 0 inclination in less than 30 days  1000 pts
2. Get to within 98% Score x1.7  - Munar orbit of 13x13km at 14 degrees inclination in less than 1 day, with more than 2000 units of liquid fuel 1500pts
3. Release Mystery goo  500 pts
4. Land within 90% of the targeted site  Score x2

So Gold is 9000, but a perfect score is  (1000+1500+500) x1.7) x2) = 10200 point

Edited March 18, 2018 by zanie420

[dvader]

I think there is a "Completion Bonus" score as well of 2000 pts. At least there is in the purple Score tab. If that also multiplies, then the max is closer to 15000.

Right now, I'm having issues just getting 1000 pts for Kerbin orbit. The objective auto completes too fast so my perfect planning is interrupted. For example, I have a perfect maneuver node with 200 dV burn. I burn to 195 turn off the engine to do the last bit slowly and wham... objective complete but without precision.

EDIT: I am saving and checking the score in the save file. Comparing before and after

EDIT AGAIN: Forgot to say that if the multiplier applies to the current score, then with the mission bonus, the max is 9700.

Edited March 18, 2018 by dvader

[dvader]

This is getting very frustrating again. After many tries, I have an almost perfect 100049x99971km orbit with 0.02 inclination.

Despite that, the save  file says I completed "Reaching Kerbin Orbit" for 500 pts and NOT "Reaching Kerbin Orbit with precision" for 1000 pts.

 

 

[dvader]

I finally figured out the scoring. I got tired of getting surprisingly low scores on Blue Mun so I tried to get a perfect score by cheating with Hyperedit and saving after each accomplished task. Then I compared the score with my expectations.

The scoring formula is almost as I suspected: The multiplier applies to the current score only.

New Score = Bonus Points + Old Score * Multiplier

For example, I recreated my scores from both a successful Hyperedit attempt (3800 pts) and a failed one (2270 pts) below:

Note that in the last example, I get 2000 pts for completion AFTER I crash and fail, thus applying a 0.3 multiplier to my current score. That is:

2270 = 2000 + 900 * 0.3

Note that I did NOT get Resource Lq < 2000 despite having a craft with <2000 Lq on the launch pad. I didn't get Precision Orbits around Mun or Kerbin either despite using Hyperedit for the orbits.

[zanie420]

On 3/18/2018 at 1:46 PM, dvader said:

New Score = Bonus Points + Old Score * Multiplier

@dvader, I think this confuses me even MORE...... what are you saying? When is the multiplier applied?

[dvader]

@zanie420 Sorry for the confusion. The multiplier applies to the current score when the node is activated. 

When fatally crashing, the fail node is activated before the completion bonus is added. Therefore, the fail multiplier only applies to the score you had before crashing. 

Example, I have 900 pts and crash. First, a fail multiplier of 0.3 is applied so now I have 270. Then a 2000 pts completion bonus  is added and the final score is 2270.

The formula I wrote was just a consequence of my spread sheet where the fail multiplier and completion bonus were on the same row.