colonization with features found in existing mods.

[Nuke]

the ksp2 thread has some threads about how ksp2 will kill ksp, such notions i am in strong disagreement with. however it occured to me that much of the ksp2's main additions have already been accomplished in part by various modders. every advantage ksp2 has over ksp has been met with a mod. with that in mind you could implement major ksp2 features in ksp1. 

to that end id like to see a system that lets you start a colony by delivering equipment, resources, and kerbals to a planet and end in a fully static space port like the ksc. you have mods like extraplanetary launchpads that allow you to set up a base with ships and spawn vessels if you have the resources to do so. this is fine for a temporary base, but that can get rather messy and slow as the base isnt static. and the need to micromanage everything limits the capabilities of the base. at the other end of the spectrum you have kerbal konstructs which have a number of useful features to make a static space port practically anywhere. but this feels a little cheaty as you just have to bring one probe to the planet before cracking into the kk editor to make a base. you dont have the progression you have get to that point, but it does have some useful features. i discovered the map decal feature which levels the ground for you. finding a flat spot for your colony can be rather tedious work. with these features you could create a system where colonization would be as follows. with some new planet mods and some higher tech drives from other mods you could beat ksp2 to the punch. 

1. plant a beacon somewhere as if it were a stock flag (and it could just be a flag). 

2. level the ground, this would require placing a rover near the beacon with certain special parts (like a plow or a backhoe) near the beacon. this triggers the game to apply a map decalto that location. these would be prefab and depend on the planet its being applied to, like a mun base doesn't need a runway, but a laythe base does. the rover and flag and any other vessels are moved to the new surface in a non destructive manor. this may require some build time. 

3. bring in mining equipment, existing drills ore processors, and ore tanks would suffice for this. you may also bring pre-processed materials from the planet to either supplement or substitute in situ resource utilization. all this can be done with stock features.

4. construct first tier buildings using the resources. i think rather than manually setting the building locations if some kind of hex grid would be used instead. this standardizes the base with the map decal such that buildings line up seamlessly without any gaps. you simply allocate a hex to one of a number of building options. like the map decals, these would be standardized to the planet and would match the layout of the map decal. this greatly simplifies base creation. additional construction equipment and resources may need to be brought in for the construction to occur. these buildings may be upgraded later with additional resources. 

5. populate the base. pretty much shipping kerbals from kerbin. thus the buildings become operational. buildings are useless without personel, thus their output is reduced until you meet the optimal crew requirement. you can use kerbal classes to add a little flavor, maybe adding new ones (like farmers, miners, and factory workers). 

6. expand the capabilities of the base through construction and upgrading. as this happens less and less micromanagement is needed to operate the base. for example a mining facility will take over the job of ore collection for you, a refinery processes the ore. storage facilities increase the production capacity for the base. farms need to be built to support more kerbals, which increases the functionality of the buildings. from there you can build factories that increase your supply, warehouses to store those supplies. eliminating the need for offworld supplies. habitats to house (and breed) kerbals makes it so you no longer need to bring more kerbals in from off world. you might also have a training facility. once the basics are met you can start building, vabs, hangers, and launch facilities. 

7. when the colony techs up you can then use it like the ksc without further micromanagement. leapfrog colonization is possible where you can set up a mun colony, which can launch a duna colony and so on. this can be further projected to additional star systems.

the dots are all there they just need to be connected. also i should point out that this is more a discussion that a mod request, nor is it a criticism of any of the mods ive mentioned (they are all good in their own unique ways and i would run them all if they would all play nice with each other and my computer).

Edited August 26, 2019 by Nuke

[DStaal]

Either Pathfinder or MKS can do 3 through 6.  Pathfinder/Buffallo can also do number 2.  Using EL or Ground Construction you can do most of #7.

Breeding Kerbals and some of the niceties of using the offworld colony as a KSC are really all that's missing.

[kerbiloid]

Civilian Population is about breeding (at least it was in its previous life).